Air Pollution Monitoring Technical Support

This position is a 12-month Limited Term (LT) and may be extended up to 24 months or become permanent.

If you have permanent status and have passed probation, you have mandatory reinstatement rights into your former position/classification at the end of this LT appointment. You will be separated from state service if you have not had prior permanent or probationary civil service status. During this 12-month limited-term assignment, you may be entitled to receive health, dental, and vision benefits. You will also earn State Service and accrue monthly leave credits.

The Advanced Monitoring Techniques Section (AMTS) is a specialized section, within the Community Air Monitoring Branch, responsible for implementing advanced air monitoring projects using a range of innovative technologies and platforms. These include mobile laboratories, fixed-site monitoring, and distributed sensor networks. Our mission is to evaluate and incorporate emerging monitoring technologies to ensure high-quality ambient air data that supports CARB programs, public health, and environmental justice. Our work involves close collaboration with CARB divisions, local air districts, community organizations, industry stakeholders, and scientific experts.
 

We are seeking a Staff Air Pollution Specialist (SAPS) for a limited-term, 2-year position to co-lead the Statewide Mobile Monitoring Initiative (SMMI). SMMI is a high-visibility $27 million effort that deploys mobile monitoring platforms to measure criteria pollutants, greenhouse gases, and toxic air contaminants in communities across California. You will work alongside another SAPS and two Associate Governmental Program Analysts (AGPAs) dedicated to the project.

As co-lead, you will oversee contractor performance, coordinate stakeholder engagement, and ensure that air monitoring activities are aligned with community needs and CARB’s technical standards. The role requires strong project management, technical oversight, and communication skills to ensure data collected is complete, accurate, and actionable. This includes ensuring the data is effectively visualized and shared with communities and decision-makers to support future monitoring and mitigation efforts.

Key Responsibilities:

-Serve as CARB’s primary technical lead (in partnership with the co-lead SAPS) for the SMMI project.

-Manage and review technical aspects of contractor monitoring plans, QA/QC protocols, and field deployment strategies.

-Oversee CARB’s internal data review and analysis processes, ensuring timely and accurate interpretation of results.

-Collaborate with internal CARB teams, local air districts, community-based organizations, and other external stakeholders throughout all phases of the project.

-Identify and communicate meaningful applications for monitoring data to support future monitoring and emission reduction actions.

-Ensure that project outcomes are effectively communicated to stakeholders through public reports, web platforms, and presentations.

Additional Requirements:

-Occasional use of personal transportation for work-related travel.-Availability for field work, including potential changes to work schedule, overtime, and overnight travel.-Use of personal protective equipment (e.g., steel-toed boots, hard hats, goggles, gloves) when required, as determined by the supervisor or Health and Safety Officer.

You will find additional information about the job in the Duty Statement.

Working Conditions

• Telework is available up to 60% of the time
• Requires being in a stationary position, consistent with office work, for extended periods.
• Daily use of a personal computer, office equipment, and/or telephone.
• Must be able to move/transport equipment weighing up to 50 pounds, with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Additional working condition(s): During instrument deployment, instrument maintenance in the field, and certain meetings telework is not possible and the employee will be required on site.