Requisition No: 798295

Agency: Environmental Protection

Working Title: OPS ENVIRONMENTAL SPECIALIST III - 37950057 - Div of Env Asmnt & Restoration

Position Number: 37950057

Salary: $21.69 Hourly - Commensurate with experience

Posting Closing Date: 04/07/2023

OPS Environmental Specialist III

State of Florida

Department of Environmental Protection

Our Organization and Mission:

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is the state’s lead agency for environmental management and stewardship - protecting our air, water and land. The vision of DEP is to create strong community partnerships, safeguard Florida’s natural resources and enhance its ecosystem.

The Work You Will Do:

The Environmental Specialist III, 37950057, is in the Division of Environmental Assessment and Restoration’s Watershed Services Program, GIS Section in Tallahassee FL and will be responsible for editing and maintaining the geometry and attributes of the Florida Hydrography Dataset (FHD) per established DEAR guidelines. The FHD is a layer of surface water locations and interactions for Florida. This layer is critical for surface water analyses.

The Difference You Will Make:

Water and natural resources are the foundation of Florida's communities, economy, and way of life. The Division of Environmental Assessment and Restoration (DEAR) is charged with protecting, maintaining, and improving the quality of Florida’s springs, rivers, lakes, estuaries, and coastal waters. DEAR team members provide the department and other resource agencies with the highest quality laboratory services available; provide technical support to the department and the public regarding water quality analysis and data quality assurance (QA); manage water quality data repositories for data storage and use by the department, other agencies and the public; and work together to monitor and assess Florida’s surface water and groundwater quality, develop strategies to reduce pollution, and work closely with local stakeholders to implement comprehensive restoration strategies that improve the lives of all Floridians and preserve aquatic resources for generations to come.

How You Will Grow:

DEP encourages its leaders to constantly innovate and seek efficiencies. We believe in supporting and encouraging you as you take on important and often complex projects while offering you the opportunity to gain valuable experience quickly.

Where You Will Work:

The work location of this position is in Tallahassee (Leon County), Florida. The city hosts the Capital of Florida and seat of state government. The city is home to numerous parks offering outdoor activities, league sports and natural trails for running, hiking, and biking. Tallahassee is located just 22 miles from the Gulf of Mexico, which is home to some of the world's top beaches. Florida State University, Florida A&M University, Tallahassee Community College, and several smaller colleges in the region offer a hub for academic research, athletics, art, music and other student activities.

**OPS/Seasonal/Part Time Benefits Language:

Working for the State of Florida is more than a paycheck. The State’s benefits package for eligible OPS employees includes:

• Participation in state group insurance (must meet eligibility requirements*). For more details consult with People First at 877-562-7287 or go to: https://www.mybenefits.myflorida.com/health/eligibility_and_enrollment/ops_employees
• Participation in the Florida Deferred Compensation Plan (457b). For additional details and online enrollment visit MyFloridaDeferredComp.com
• State of Florida 401(a) FICA Alternative Plan (tax deferred Retirement Savings Plan). (For more information, please click Social Security Alternative Plan (aigrs.com) and read OPS Social Security Alternative Plan;
• Flexible Spending Accounts;

For a more benefits information, visit www.mybenefits.myflorida.com.

• Seasonal and part-time OPS employees (less than 30 hours average per week) refer to the links above for detailed eligibility requirements.

Pay:

$21.69 Hourly - Commensurate with experience.

Your Specific Responsibilities:

This OPS Environmental Specialist position is a technical and professional Geographic Information System (GIS) analyst position in the Division of Environmental Assessment and Restoration’s (DEAR), Watershed Services Program (WSP) GIS Section. Primary responsibilities of this position are editing and maintaining the geometry and attributes of the Florida Hydrography Dataset (FHD) per established DEAR guidelines. In addition, this position contributes to a range of other GIS activities that are critical to the mission to provide robust environmental data for use by DEAR, DEP and the public for environmental assessment and management decisions. Specific duties include:

As a GIS analyst providing technical support to maintenance of the FHD, this position:

• Establishes and maintains effective working relationships with division staff and external agencies
• Edits and maintains the FHD per DEAR guidelines. When necessary, inspects, converts, and edits existing geospatial data to assure compliance with FHD, department or program GIS quality control standards
• Applies existing or develops new analytical methods when appropriate and follows accepted cartographic conventions and data management procedures to produce maps or map products

This position also consults and coordinates with DEAR, department and external agencies and stakeholders and performs advanced technical work to provide support to a range of DEAR and department priorities and projects.

• Creates, collects, inspects, converts, analyzes, and edits geospatial data from a wide variety of sources both internal and external to the department to assure compliance with department or program GIS quality control standards
• Performs data creation and data integration; applies existing or develops new analytical methods when appropriate to support programs that need to develop spatial information for project areas
• Supports the development of spatial analysis for the program's projects; produces as needed paper maps, on-line maps, or images; distributes coverages; creates models and applications to standardize and optimize processing tasks. Develops mechanisms to distribute analytical results to stakeholders. Performs other duties as required

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Knowledge of the terminology, principles, and analytic techniques relevant to GIS as they relate to water quality and the aquatic environment
• Proficient in geographic data collection and analysis principles and procedures
• Proficient in collecting evaluating, analyzing, and interpreting scientific and geospatial data.
• Proficient in using ESRI's ArcGIS Desktop applications to edit the geometry and attributes of geospatial features
• Ability to understand and apply applicable rules, regulations, policies, and procedures.
• Skill in dealing with the public and coworkers in a tactful and courteous manner
• Excellent customer service skills
• Proficient in using MS Office products, including Microsoft Excel
• Proficient in problem solving and troubleshooting
• Proficiency working independently and as member of a team
• Experience with planning, organizing, and coordinating and completing GIS projects
• Experience staying current with technology and trends in the GIS field
• Proficient in organizing and documenting project methodologies and editing metadata
• Possess excellent communication skills
• Experience establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with others

Minimum Qualifications:

• A bachelor’s degree in environmental science, natural sciences, physical sciences, computer science or GIS from an accredited university or the equivalent experience of a bachelor’s degree in GIS.
• Proficient in using Esri ArcGIS Desktop applications.
• Proficient in using MS Office products, including Microsoft Excel.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Skill in using Esri's Model Builder and using Esri's Web Mapping Applications
• Proficient in Python programming

DEP is committed to successfully recruiting and onboarding talented and skilled individuals into its workforce. We recognize the extensive training, experience, and transferrable skills that veterans and individuals with disabilities bring to the workforce. Veterans and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to contact our recruiter for guidance and answers to questions through the following email addresses:

HR_VeteransPreference@dep.state.fl.us

HR_Recruitment@dep.state.fl.us

The State of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer, and does not tolerate discrimination or violence in the workplace.

Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority and/or People First Service Center (1-866-663-4735). Notification to the hiring authority must be made in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.

The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with Section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act.