Are you a collaborative Landscape Restoration Specialist passionate about improving our watersheds, stormwater quality, and providing innovative and sustainable native plant design to our stormwater capital improvement projects?

The Fairfax County Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES) seeks a Landscape Restoration Specialist to support the planning, development and implementation of new and retro-fitted stormwater improvement projects that incorporate environmental, ecological and aesthetic elements.

DPWES is a diverse, nationally-accredited and award-winning public works agency with approximately 1,000 employees providing solid waste, capital facility development, wastewater, stormwater, urban forestry, and land acquisition management services for the most populous county in Virginia. Join our team to help us protect the environment and serve the people of Fairfax County by creating and preserving a sustainable community that is an ideal place to live, work, and play for everyone.

Fairfax County Government is committed to our employees, and offers comprehensive benefits, including a defined-benefit retirement plan; medical, life and disability insurance; paid leave; tuition reimbursement; and reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. Through our LiveWell Program and the County Benefits Division, we endeavor to cultivate a culture of wellbeing that empowers, educates and engages employees and retirees to make life-long choices that promote a holistic approach to their physical, mental, emotional, social, spiritual and financial wellness. Please review our awesome benefits:

• Benefits
• Retirement

The Stormwater Planning Division is a nationally recognized team that plans and implements a comprehensive stormwater assessment and management program to improve water quality and the health, safety, and welfare of its 1.2 million residents. The Division is committed to protecting the Chesapeake Bay, equitably reducing flood risk and improving stormwater management and the water quality of the County’s approximately 400 square miles of local watersheds through cost effective implementation of sustainable and resilient projects.

Key Responsibilities:
Under direction, supervises and coordinates a team of landscape design staff to implement a vegetation management program including detailed planning of facilities, review of final detail plans and specifications, and oversight of installation, monitoring and adaptive management of restoration and formal landscape plantings in support of stormwater and partnership projects to ensure success and compliance with national professional standards and applicable federal, state and local regulations.

Specific duties are as follows:

• Leads/supervises a team in the development and revision of details, specifications and of project plans for vegetative components of stormwater and partnership projects;
• Supervises a team that works in coordination with other agency and consultant staff and stakeholders to ensure adherence to design requirements, quality of workmanship and general conditions related to vegetative components which affect all projects funded and built for the County;
• Supervises the preparation of special reports and feasibility studies as needed by the Board members, agency, Director or Assistant Director
• Works with project teams to ensure that all comments received from other County agencies related to vegetative and related components are incorporated into contract documents prior to advertising for bid.
• Supervises a team in the review of all work submitted by architectural, landscape architectural and engineering consultants as well as construction contractors;
• Supervises a team that oversees the installation, monitoring and adaptive management of all vegetative components to ensure performance and adherence to national standards and applicable federal, state and local requirements;
• Develops budgets, protocols and other documents to support the vegetative program;
• Meets with citizens, civic associations, County staff, etc. to discuss master plans, detail plans, survey questionnaires, property surveys, individual problems or complaints;
• Duties are performed under the direction of the Watershed Projects Implementation Branch Chief.

Note: This position is considered Emergency Services Personnel which requires the incumbent to be available twenty-four hours a day/seven days a week (24/7) to respond to snow, flooding, and other designated emergencies on an as needed basis.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: 
Any combination of education, experience, and training equivalent to the following:(Click on the aforementioned link to learn how Fairfax County interprets equivalencies for "Any combination, experience, and training equivalent to") Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree in aquatic ecology, ecology, biology, botany, zoology, geography, environmental science, limnology, natural resource management, or a related field; plus five years of experience in the environmental science field at, or equivalent to, the Ecologist II level, to include experience in water quality monitoring, terrestrial ecosystem assessment and management, data analysis and reporting, bioassessments (fish, macroinvertebrates, vegetative communities, wildlife) using standard protocols, and assessments of associated habitat conditions..

CERTIFICATES AND LICENSES REQUIRED: 

• Valid motor vehicle driver's license.
• DEQ Stormwater Management Plan Reviewer certification - completion of first required training class within 12 months of hire and certification required within 12 months of date of completion of first required class.

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:
The appointee to this position will be required to complete a criminal background and driving record check to the satisfaction of the employer.

This position is designated as Emergency Service Personnel. The appointee to this position will be required to be available twenty-four hours a day/seven days a week (24/7) to respond to snow, flooding, and other designated emergencies on an as-needed basis.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Knowledge and experience designing and implementing landscape features associated with green stormwater infrastructure, stream corridor restoration and related ecological restoration projects.
• Experience with plant materials specification, design, inspection, installation and monitoring, with a focus on locally native species.
• Knowledge of and experience with landscape architectural and engineering drawing and illustration practices including visualization software.
• Experience managing engineering or architectural design and construction contracts.
• Experience managing and working collaboratively in a team environment.
• Demonstrated communication skills and ability to partner with stakeholders.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
Ability to work in hot and cold temperatures. Ability and willingness to work in adverse weather conditions responding to emergency events, e.g. snow removal, flood and hurricane response, etc. Ability to carry up to 40 pounds of equipment. Ability to communicate effectively with the public verbally and in writing. Ability to drive a motor vehicle. Ability to hike or field walk rugged, uneven and steep terrain in stream and stream valleys to perform field investigation on storm drainage, stormwater management, stream channel, and roadway improvement projects. Ability to perform field investigations. Physically and mentally able to use all applicable personal protective equipment in an outdoor environment; including hardhat, eye protection, hearing protection, safety footwear, and personal fall arrest harness. All duties performed with or without reasonable accommodations.

SELECTION PROCEDURE:
Panel interview and may include exercise.
 
The population of Fairfax County is very diverse where 38.7% of residents speak a language other than English at home (Spanish, Asian/Pacific Islander, Indo-European, and others) and we encourage candidates bilingual in English and a foreign language to apply to this opportunity.
 
Fairfax County Government prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetics, political affiliation, or military status in the recruitment, selection, and hiring of its workforce.
  
Reasonable accommodations are available to persons with disabilities during application and/or interview processes per the Americans with Disabilities Act. Contact 703-324-4900 for assistance. TTY 703-222-7314. DHREmployment@fairfaxcounty.gov EEO/AA/TTY.