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BIOLOGIST

Employer
Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning
Location
Los Angeles, California
Salary
$4,880.00 - $6,576.10 Monthly $58,560.00 - $78,913.20 Annually
Closing date
Sep 17, 2022

View more

Discipline
Environmental justice, Other
Job Type
Faculty, Scientist
Organization Type
Government

Job Details

COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES

la

invites applications for the position of:

BIOLOGIST

 

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SALARY: $4,880.00 - $6,576.10 Monthly $58,560.00 - $78,913.20 Annually

DEPARTMENT: REGIONAL PLANNING

OPENING DATE: 08/11/22

CLOSING DATE: 09/15/22 12:00 AM

POSITION/PROGRAM INFORMATION:

COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES

DEPARTMENT OF REGIONAL PLANNING

EXAMINATION NUMBER

50312E

WHEN TO APPLY

Applications will be accepted beginning Monday, August 15, 2022 at 8:00 a.m. (PT) through Thursday, September 15, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. (PT).

RECRUITMENT TYPE

Open Competitive

WHO WE ARE

The Department of Regional Planning plans and helps shape the development of safe, healthy, equitable and sustainable communities while respecting individual rights and protecting the natural environment in the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. With more than 10 million residents, Los Angeles County is the most populous county in the nation. As the largest employer in Southern California, over 112,000 employees in more than 36 departments provide vital public services as diverse as law enforcement, property assessment, public health protection, water conservation, cultural activities and many more.

We are dedicated professionals committed to preserving the dignity and integrity of the workplace as well as protecting the rights of each employee. With more than 2,300 different job descriptions, the County offers a lifetime of opportunities and careers! We offer one of the strongest public-sector benefits packages in the nation. Join us and discover a rich selection of health care options, robust retirement plans, and the flexibility to work, relax, and rejuvenate in order to reach your fullest personal and professional potential.

Check Out Our Outstanding Benefits! Click here to see a list of employee benefits.

The Position: 

Performs the most difficult and significant basic or applied research or other related activities in one or more specialized fields of plant- or animal- related science, or environmental science, supervises others engaged in research and provides information regarding the field of specialization to the public and others.

The ideal candidate:

We are seeking a dedicated biologist with experience in assessing impacts to biological resources due to land development. In keeping with our commitment to protecting LA County's biodiversity, the ideal staff biologist for this dynamic assignment must possess excellent customer service and interpersonal skills for effectively working with our planners and our diverse constituents and communities. A collaborative approach to working with others and an enthusiasm for protecting and enhancing the natural environment while helping promote economic vitality and supporting the future development of LA County is essential to this position. Candidates should have familiarity with Southern California biota; an understanding of the fundamentals of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and State guidelines; strong business and technical writing skills; an understanding of the interaction between diverse ordinances, rules, and regulations; the ability to develop conditions and mitigation measures to reduce or eliminate impacts to biological resources; and the ability to prepare and present projects and recommendations to advisory committees and decision-making bodies.

Withhold Information:

Permanent employees who have completed their initial probationary period and hold a qualifying payroll title may file for this examination if they are within six (6) months of meeting the experience requirements by the last date of filing. However, the names of such employees will be withheld from the certification list until the required experience is fully met.

Out-of-Class experience will NOT be accepted for this examination.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

  • Reviews environmental reports to ensure compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
  • Makes oral presentations to public groups and governmental bodies to explain and clarify planning reports and recommendations.
  • Provides information to the public about biological resources in relation to projects, planning programs, applicable ordinances, policies and procedures. Researches, compiles, synthesizes, analyzes, and interprets information and data necessary to meet planning objectives in the areas of biology and environmental policy planning.
  • Facilitates public meetings about environmental issues.
  • Provides guidance and feedback on project design and mitigation.
  • Performs basic project site reconnaissance to assess accuracy of submitted biological resource documents.

REQUIREMENTS:

SELECTION REQUIREMENTS

Option 1: Graduation from an accredited four year college or university* with a specialization in conservation biology, botany, wildlife biology, landscape ecology, terrestrial ecology, urban ecology, or a closely related field.

- AND -

Three (3) or more years' of professional experience conducting biological surveys, preparing and/or reviewing biological reports, and analyzing and/or mitigating impacts of development projects in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

Option 2:  A Masters' degree* in in conservation biology, botany, wildlife biology, landscape ecology, terrestrial ecology, urban ecology, or a closely related field.

- AND -

Two (2) years' or more years of professional experience conducting biological surveys, preparing and/or reviewing biological reports, and analyzing and/or mitigating impacts of development projects in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT INFORMATION

*In order to receive credit for the required degree/coursework you must include a legible copy of the official diploma, official transcripts, or official letter from the accredited institution which shows the area of specialization, and/or a legible copy of the official certificate and/or license at the time of filing or within 15 calendar days of filing. If you are unable to attach the required documents at the time of filing, you must email them to Jandrino@planning.lacounty.gov. Please include examination number and title.

PHYSICAL CLASS

2 - Light. Light physical effort which may include occasional light lifting to a 10-pound limit, and some bending, stooping or squatting. Considerable walking may be involved.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

EXAMINATION CONTENT: This examination will consist of two (2) parts:

PART I: An online unproctored Work Style Assessment multiple choice test weighted at 50% that will assess verbal ability, achievement, confidence and optimism, independence, influence, reliability, and professional potential. ONLY APPLICANTS WHO ACHIEVE A PASSING SCORE OF 70% OR HIGHER ON THE ONLINE UNPROCTORED WRITTEN EXAM WILL PROCEED TO PART II OF THE EXAMINATION.

PART II: A structured interview weighted 50% that will assess professional/technical knowledge of the most current information, theories, techniques, practices, and procedures of the fields of biology and environmental science; professional/technical knowledge of federal, state, county, and local laws and ordinances pertaining to environmental and biological impacts; fact finding and data analysis; decision making; adaptability/flexibility; relationship building; customer service; presentation/oral communication skills; and technology aptitude.

APPLICANTS MUST MEET THE REQUIREMENTS AND ACHIEVE A PASSING SCORE OF 70% OR HIGHER ON EACH WEIGHTED PART OF THE EXAMINATION IN ORDER TO BE PLACED ON THE ELIGIBLE LIST.

THE WRITTEN TEST IS NOT REVIEWABLE BY CANDIDATES PER CIVIL SERVICE RULE 7.19.

IMPORTANT All notifications including invitation letters will be sent electronically to the email address provided on the application. It is important that you provide a valid email address. Please add jandrino@planning.lacounty.gov, examanalyst@planning.lacounty.gov, info@governmentjobs.com, talentcentral@shl.com, noreply@proctoru.com, and donotreply@amcatmail.com to your email address and list of approved senders to prevent email notifications from being filtered as spam/junk/clutter mail.

Los Angeles County will not consider claims of not viewing or receiving notification to be a valid reason for late test administration or rescheduling of a test component. Test scores cannot be given over the telephone. 

TRANSFER OF TEST COMPONENTS

  • Applicants who have taken identical components recently for other exams may have their scores automatically transferred to this examination. This examination contains test components that may be used in the future for new examinations and your test scores may be transferred.  

TEST PREPARATION

Study guides and other test preparation resources are available to help candidates prepare for employment tests. While the guides will help you preparing for the test, we advise you to review all related materials that you deem necessary.

  • An interactive, Online Test Preparation System for taking practice tests may be accessed on the Department of Human Resources website at http://hr.lacounty.gov/. Please click on "Find A Job" and then "Job Search Toolkit." Test preparation information is located under the "Employment Test Assistance" section.

Additional online practice tests are available at https://www.shldirect.com/en-us/practice-tests/.

HOW TO APPLY

Applications must be submitted online only. Applications submitted by U.S. Mail, Fax, or in person will not be accepted.

Apply online by clicking the green "Apply" button at the top right of this posting. You can also track the status of your application using this website.

Plan to submit your online application well in advance of the deadline as you may be required to verify your email address. This only needs to be done once per email address, and if you already have a job seeker account on governmentjobs.com/careers/lacounty, you can verify at any time by logging in and following the prompts. This is to enhance the security of your online application and to ensure you do not enter an incorrect email address.

Please make sure you put in the time and effort when filling out your application . The acceptance of your application depends on whether you have clearly shown that you meet the Selection Requirements as listed on this job posting. Provide any relevant job experience in the spaces provided so we can evaluate your qualifications for the job. For each job held, give the name and address of your employer, your job title, beginning and ending dates, number of hours worked per week, and description of work performed. If your application is incomplete, it will be rejected.

Please note that all information included in the application materials is subject to verification at any point during the examination and hiring process, including after an appointment has been made. Falsification of any information may result in disqualification or rescission of appointment. Utilizing verbiage from Class Specification and minimum requirements serving as your description of duties will not be sufficient to demonstrate that you meet the requirements. Doing so may result in an incomplete application and you may be disqualified.

IMPORTANT NOTES

  • ALL information included in the application materials is subject to VERIFICATION. We may reject your application at any point during the examination and hiring process, including after an appointment has been made. FALSIFICATION of any information may result in DISQUALIFICATION OR RESCISSION OF APPOINTMENT. Utilizing VERBIAGE from Class Specification and Minimum Requirements serving as your description of duties WILL NOT be sufficient to meet the requirements. Doing so may result in an INCOMPLETE APPLICATION and you may be DISQUALIFIED.

NOTE: If you are unable to attach required documents, you must e-mail the documents to Jandrino@planning.lacounty.gov within fifteen (15) calendars days of filing online. Please include your name, exam number, and exam title on all the faxed documents. Documents submitted after the end of the filing period will not be considered as part of your application submission.

TESTING ACCOMMODATION If you require an accommodation to fairly compete in any part of the assessment process, let us know by contacting the Testing Accommodations Coordinator at Jandrino@planning.lacounty.gov. You will be required to complete the Request for Reasonable Accommodation form as well as provide supporting documentation from a qualified professional justifying the requested accommodation(s). The sooner you contact us, the sooner we can respond to your request and keep you moving through the process.

COMPUTER AND INTERNET ACCESS AT PUBLIC LIBRARIES

For applicants who may not have regular access to a computer or the internet, you may borrow laptops and Wi-Fi hotspots from some public libraries throughout Los Angeles County to complete job applications. Please note some public libraries have reopened with limited access hours and may require prior reservation to use their computers. For more information, please visit their website at https://lacountylibrary.org/reopening or contact the specific libraries directly.

VACANCY INFORMATION The resulting eligible list for this examination will be used to fill vacancies throughout the Department of Regional Planning.

Passing this examination and being placed on the eligible list does not guarantee an offer of employment.

ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

The names of applicants receiving a passing grade in the examination will be placed on the on the eligible list in the order of their score group for a period of twelve (12) months following the date of promulgation.

SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER Please include your Social Security Number for record control purposes. Federal law requires that all employed persons have a Social Security Number.

NO SHARING OF USER ID, EMAIL AND PASSWORD All applicants must file their application online using their OWN user ID and password. Using a family member or friend's user ID and password may erase a candidate's original application record.

AVAILABLE SHIFT

Day

SPECIAL INFORMATION COVID-19 Vaccination Mandate

All County workforce members must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment. Successful candidates for this position will be required to submit proof of vaccination against COVID-19 or request an exemption for qualifying medical or religious reasons during the onboarding process. Candidates should not present proof of vaccinations until instructed to do so by the hiring department.

Anti-Racism, Diversity, and Inclusion (ARDI) The County of Los Angeles recognizes and affirms that all people are created equal and are entitled to all rights afforded by the Constitution of the United States. The Department of Regional Planning is committed to promoting Anti-racism, Diversity, and Inclusion efforts to address the inequalities and disparities amongst race. We support the ARDI Strategic Plan and its goals by improving equality, diversity, and inclusion in recruitment, selection, and employment practices.

Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance (FCIHO)The County of Los Angeles is a Fair Chance employer. Except for a very limited number of positions, you will not be asked to provide information about a conviction history unless you receive a contingent offer of employment. The County will make an individualized assessment of whether your conviction history has a direct or adverse relationship with the specific duties of the job, and consider potential mitigating factors, including, but not limited to, evidence and extent of rehabilitation, recency of the offense(s), and age at the time of the offense(s). If asked to provide information about a conviction history, any convictions or court records which are exempted by a valid court order do not have to be disclosed.

American with Disabilities Act (ADA) Accommodation If you have a disability and need assistance to apply to this job, let us know by contacting the ADA Coordinator at drphr@planning.lacounty.gov. The sooner you contact us, the sooner we can respond to your request and keep you moving through the process.

California Relay Services Phone: (800) 735-2922

ADA Coordinator Email: drphr@planning.lacounty.gov

Teletype Phone: (800) 899-4099

Alternate Teletype Phone: (800) 897-0077

Department Contact Name: Jorge Andrino

Department Contact Email: Jandrino@planning.lacounty.gov

 

Company

The Department of Regional Planning performs all land use planning functions for the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County.

Company info
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