Associate Structure/Landscape Designer, Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services

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About the Department

The City of San Jose's Department of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services (PRNS) is proud to be “Building Community Through Fun” through innovative, creative, and excellent programs and services. Our mission is to build healthy communities through people, parks, and programs. The Department is a steady force in our community, advancing education, health, and social connections. We meet the diverse needs of our community across the lifespan by connecting people to places and people to people. The principles of equity, access, diversity, inclusion, sustainability, and flexibility guide us.

The Department creates and activates thriving places where people live, work, play, and learn, which include 48 community centers, 209 parks, Happy Hollow Park & Zoo, over 61 miles of trails, programs and services that touch the lives of individuals and families in our community. We take a fun approach to public service, and value the public’s trust. Our team is collaborative, supportive, and innovative.

About the Division

The dynamic, diverse, and innovative Capital Projects team oversees activities such as preparing the Department’s Capital Improvement Program budget, strategic planning, community engagement, acquiring land, rehabilitating, and replacing facilities at existing parks, trails, and community centers, overseeing the design and construction of new facilities, and negotiating with residential development applications. The team plays the role of the client-department, managing outside consultants and implementation partners such as Real Estate and Public Works. There are currently approximately 200 active large and small projects and over 61 miles of urban trails. Our team members are professionals and bring technical expertise to each project.

Position Duties

The Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services department is currently seeking to fill one full-time Associate Structure/Landscape Designer vacancy in the Capitol Improvement Program.

This salary range for this position is $130,057.20-$164,651.76 paid annually. This includes an approximate five percent (5%) ongoing non-pensionable compensation. The actual salary shall be determined by the final candidate’s qualifications and experience.? In addition to the base salary, employees in the Associate Structure/Landscape Designer classification shall also receive an approximate five percent (5%) ongoing non-pensionable compensation pay.?

The Department is seeking an Associate Parks Division’s Capital Projects team, to coordinate all aspects of moderate difficulty for all capital improvement project delivery. The successful candidate will be responsible for projects independently or via project-specific teams of landscape architects, architects, consultants, and technical staff in preparing studies and master plans and collaborating on design and construction phases of projects of varying sizes and complexities. Collaborative design and constructions tasks will be completed by a combination of in-house resources, consultants and through the city Public Works department. The candidate must be adept at navigating across these groups. All Associate level positions will be working under the supervision of a Senior Landscape Architect.

Key duties include but are not limited to:

Development and delivery of projects by managing, guiding or collaboration for delivery of project tasks; which may include grant writing, agreement development, inter-agency collaboration, scope development, and all tasks necessary for delivery of an operational project.

Consults with architects, landscape architects, engineers, contractors, community groups and other City departments to prepare design scopes, review of project estimates, for development of proposed budgets.

Prepare and make public presentations, lead community meetings, and collect public feedback on projects and prepares reports, Commission memos, and Council memos for City projects.

May plan, assign, direct, work laterally with teams and evaluate the work of other professional and sub-professional employees and departments on capital projects or support project delivery.

Coordinates improvement projects with other departments, flood control districts, school districts, concerned community groups and individuals and other entities and agencies.

Prepares and coordinates consultant agreements, contract administration and coordinates the work of consultants with the correct departments to produce a complete project.

Reviews and analyze field data, designs, and specifications prepared by consultants and other departments to ensure quality control and conformity to project requirements.

Oversee and track construction projects to ensure conformance to project requirements.

Consults other departments and divisions for advice on ongoing or contemplated problems such as choice and use of materials, current requirements for ADA accessibility and California Building Code requirements.

Trains and directs the work of sub-professional employees involved in minor capital projects to provide the necessary technical advice and direction in executing work and schedules.

The ideal candidate will possess a high level of professionalism, excellent customer service skills and a strong work ethic. The position requires excellent judgment, initiative, perseverance, integrity, organizational skills, flexibility, and written and verbal communication skills. The ideal candidate must have extensive experience in the delivery of capital improvement projects.

Minimum Qualifications

Education: A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Landscape Architecture, or closely related field.

Experience: Three (3) years of increasingly responsible work experience in the field of Landscape Architecture, or closely related field.
Acceptable Substitutions: Acceptance by the State of California for professional registration testing may be substituted for the degree requirement. Proof of acceptance must be provided at the time of application.

Certification or License: Possession of a valid California driver’s license.

Other Qualifications

The ideal candidate will possess the following competencies, as demonstrated in past and current employment history. Desirable competencies for this position include:

Job Expertise: Demonstrates knowledge of and experience with applicable codes, ordinances and permits governing design and construction of municipal capital improvement projects, performance of landscape architectural research, analysis of results and development of appropriate recommendations; Citywide and departmental procedures/ policies; and federal and state rules and regulations. Possession of a valid professional registration/certificate as a licensed Landscape Architect issued by the State of California is highly desirable.

Communication Skills: Communicates and listens effectively and responds in a timely, effective, positive, and respectful manner; written reports and correspondence are accurate, complete, current; well-organized, legible, concise, neat, and in proper grammatical form.

Customer Service: Demonstrates the ability to anticipate customers' needs and deliver services effectively and efficiently using professional demeanor.

Project Management: Ensures support for projects and implements agency goals and strategic objectives.

Reliability: Completes quality work assignments in a timely and efficient manner; fulfills responsibilities and maintains confidentiality as appropriate.

Change Management: Demonstrates support for innovation and for organizational changes needed to improve the organization's effectiveness; facilitates the implementation and acceptance of change within the workplace.

Initiative: Exhibits resourceful behaviors toward meeting job objectives; anticipates problems, is proactive, and avoids difficulties by planning ahead; displays willingness to assume extra responsibility and challenges; pursues continuing education opportunities that promotes job performance.

Leadership: Leads by example; demonstrates high ethical standards; remains visible and approachable and interacts with others on a regular basis; promotes a cooperative work environment, allowing others to learn from mistakes; provides motivational supports and direction.

Selection Process:

The selection process will consist of an evaluation of the applicant's training and experience based on the application and responses to all the job specific questions. You must answer all questions to be considered or your application may be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Applicants are expected to write their own essays/responses. Please be advised that use of AI content in your responses may result in your removal from the hiring process. Only those candidates whose backgrounds best match the position will be invited to proceed in the selection process.

You will be prompted to answer the following job-specific questions during the online application process. Please note that there is a 4,000-character limit, including spaces, for each text response.

1. Please describe your experience with desktop publishing or computer aided drafting software, including what types of software you have used and the projects you have prepared.

2. In capital project delivery, we do “in-house” work and we also hire consultants to do work for us. Tell us your experience in leading a team with both internal and external team members. If you have not led a team, tell us what your approach would be in doing so.

3. In the form of a Cover Letter, briefly describe your experience in the following areas:

a. Planning and design of park and/or trail projects

b. Preparation, management and administration of construction and/or consultant agreements

c. Managing projects, budgets, and schedules

d. Working in a team to achieving a common goal

You must answer all job-specific questions in order to be considered for this vacancy or your application will be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration.

If you have questions about the duties of this position, the selection or hiring processes, please contact Eduardo Gonzalez at Eduardo1.Gonzalez@sanjoseca.gov.

Additional phases of the selection process will consist of one or more interviews, one of which may include a practical/writing exercise.

Additional Information:

Employment Eligibility: Federal law requires all employees to provide verification of their eligibility to work in this country. Please be informed that the City of San Jose will NOT sponsor, represent or sign any documents related to visa applications/transfers for H1-B or any other type of visa which requires an employer application.

You must answer all job-specific questions to be considered for this vacancy or your application will be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Applicants are expected to write their own essays/responses. Please be advised that use of AI content in your responses may result in your removal from the hiring process.

Please note that applications are currently not accepted through CalOpps or any other third party job board application system.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions in this, or other divisions or departments. If you are interested in employment in this classification, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the applicants from this recruitment.

Please allow adequate time to complete the application and submit before the deadline or the system may not save your application. If your online application was successfully submitted, you will receive an automatic confirmation email to the email address you provided. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE THE CONFIRMATION, please email CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov and we will research the status of your application.

The City of San Jose offers a wide range of core health benefits including Medical, Dental, Vision, Employee Assistance Program, Life Insurance, Disability, and Savings Plans. Please visit the City's benefits pagefor detailed information on coverage, cost, and dependent coverage.

For information on the City’s Retirement Plan(pension for full-time employees), please visit the Office of Retirement Services website. You will be able to view information based on different Sworn/Federated job classification.

In additional to the benefits above, there is an additional perks siteto explore further benefits of working for the City of San Jose like paid leave, educational reimbursements, and holiday pay are specific to the job classification and union membership.

Closing Date/Time: 1/23/2025 11:59 PM Pacific

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• City of San Jose

• 408-535-1285

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