Job Description

Job Description and Duties

SENIOR ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIST (SPECIALIST) (PERMANENT INTERMITTENT) –  COLORADO DESERT DISTRICT  / DISTRICT WIDE / CUYAMACO RANCHO STATE PARK

The reporting location for this position is Cuyamaca Rancho State Park in Julian, CA. This position will work under the general direction of Senior Environmental Scientist (Supervisory).   

The Senior Environmental Scientist (Specialist) independently performs complex scientific, environmental planning, fire-management, project-development, and natural resource management assignments associated with wildfire-risk reduction and ecological resilience. The position develops and maintains District and park-unit fire management plans; develops prescribed-fire and fuel-treatment projects; prepares prescribed-burn plans and smoke-management documentation; coordinates environmental review, CEQA compliance, permits, operational readiness, implementation, monitoring, and reporting; and evaluates ecological and operational results following treatments. This position may lead projects, technical teams, field operations, training, contractors, and seasonal employees.

Training and Development Assignments may be considered.

Possession of a valid Class C driver’s license is required. You must answer the questions addressing your driver’s license on your application. Ensure you provide your driver’s license number, class, expiration date, and any endorsements and/or restrictions on your application.

The selected candidate is required to submit to a background investigation process utilizing Live Scan fingerprinting prior to appointment.

This position may work up to 1500 hours in any calendar year.

This position is designated as not telework eligible.

State housing may be required. For further information regarding this position, please contact Danny McCamish at (760) 522-2474 or at danny.mccamish@parks.ca.gov .  

Special Requirement/Condition of Employment: Depending on the assigned location, the incumbent may be required to occupy state-owned housing to meet operational needs, or may be offered state-owned housing if available. Housing assignments will be determined in accordance with Department policy, operational priorities, and applicable labor agreements.

This recruitment may be used to fill identical vacancies which may occur within 180 days of the Final Filing Date of this job posting.

You will find additional information about the job in the .

Working Conditions

The position requires a combination of professional office work and frequent field assignments throughout the Colorado Desert District. The incumbent will work across a wide range of environments, including low-elevation Colorado Desert ecosystems, desert riparian systems, chaparral, oak woodland, and montane conifer forest. Field assignments may involve rugged and remote terrain, steep slopes, unimproved roads, smoke, dust, ash, loud equipment, active vegetation-management operations, recently burned landscapes, and climatic conditions ranging from below freezing in the mountains to extreme desert heat. Work may require hiking substantial distances over uneven terrain and operation of four-wheel-drive State vehicles on paved and unpaved roads. Prescribed-fire, wildfire, emergency response, training, and project activities may require irregular work schedules, early mornings, evenings, weekends, overnight travel, and multi-day assignments. Daily office duties require use of computers, telephones, GIS and data-management applications, Microsoft Office applications, departmental databases, PFIRS, and other specialized scientific and project-management software.

Effective July 1, 2025, the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR) implemented the Personal Leave Program 2025 (PLP 2025).  PLP 2025 directs that each employee receives a temporary reduction in pay in exchange for PLP 2025 leave credits. The percentage of the temporary salary reduction and the number of PLP 2025 leave credits are determined by the position’s assigned bargaining unit. The salary range(s) included in this job advertisement do not reflect the temporary salary reduction. For additional information regarding PLP 2025, please click .

Special Requirements

• The position(s) require(s) a valid California Drivers License (CDL). You must answer the questions addressing your CDL on your application. Ensure you provide your CDL number, class, expiration date, and any endorsements and/or restrictions.
• The position(s) require(s) a Background Investigation be cleared prior to being hired.

Candidates that believe they meet the Minimum qualifications based on a pattern of education from the classification description (specifications) must provide a copy of your degree/transcripts and/or license along with your application (STD. 678) to be considered for this position. If selected for the position transcripts will be required prior to appointment.

DO NOT include any confidential information to your application or supporting documents (i.e., Social Security Number, birthdate, marital status, medical information, examination results, method of eligibility, etc.)

SROA/SURPLUS Applicants: You must check the SROA/Surplus as your claimed method of eligibility and attach your SROA/Surplus letter as an additional document.

Desirable Qualifications

In addition to evaluating each candidate's relative ability, as demonstrated by quality and breadth of experience, the following factors will provide the basis for competitively evaluating each candidate:

Current State-Certified Prescribed-Fire Burn Boss qualification is highly desirable.

Benefits

Benefit information can be found on the CalHR website and the CalPERS website.

Additional Instructions

If submitting your completed Application Package by mail or hand delivery, you must include the Position # 549-940-0765-902 and the Job Control # JC-536179 in the “Examination or Job Title for which you are applying” section on the STD. 678. 

Note: If you are applying for multiple positions, you must complete a STD. 678 for each position separately. Incomplete applications or applications received with multiple positions listed on one application will not be considered.

Employment History on the STD 678 must be complete and include dates, accurate hours per week, total time worked, duties and responsibilities, and contact names and phone numbers of supervisors. Failure to submit a completed STD 678 may result in you being screened out. Only the most qualified candidates will be invited to an interview.

Required Application Package Documents

The following items are required to be submitted with your application. Applicants who do not submit the required items timely may not be considered for this job:

• Current version of the State Examination/Employment Application STD Form 678 (when not applying electronically), or the Electronic State Employment Application through your Applicant Account at All Experience and Education relating to the Minimum Qualifications listed on the Classification Specification should be included to demonstrate how you meet the Minimum Qualifications for the position.
• Resume is optional. It may be included, but is not required.

Job Tags

Permanent employment, For contractors, Seasonal work, Work at office, Remote work, Night shift, Weekend work, Afternoon shift, Early shift

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