Methane Remote Sensing Community Impacts Lead

This position can be located in Sacramento or Riverside County.

Applying electronically via CalCareers is highly recommended. If submitting a hardcopy application (mail/drop-off), please send an email to Essam.Gad@arb.ca.gov to confirm submission.
 

Do you have a background in air pollution and want to apply it towards helping California fight climate change and protect the health of its communities? California Air Resources Board's (CARB's) Research Division has an opening for an Air Pollution Specialist (APS) in the Remote Sensing & Data Analysis Section (RSDAS). This newly formed section will serve as the central hub for methane data collected from remote sensing technology in order to support a variety of CARB programs and policies. Specifically, this section will develop and maintain the technical infrastructure for managing and analyzing satellite-based observations of methane plumes in order support CARB’s goals to reduce emissions of this significant greenhouse gas and its co-pollutants. RSDAS will also be responsible for establishing effective communication mechanisms in order to mitigate methane emissions, provide data and results to various stakeholders, and support collaborative efforts to protect the health and wellbeing of California’s most vulnerable communities.

The incumbent will provide scientific expertise and improve transparency in support of the agency’s adoption of satellite data for the purposes of identifying and mitigating emissions of methane and other co-emitted air pollutants. This position will work in the team developing and maintaining CARB’s satellite methane data management infrastructure to ensure the program provides the best available information about sources of methane plumes and the significance of these emissions on nearby communities. The APS will also represent CARB’s satellite methane program through active participating in CARB’s community outreach and engagement efforts and research planning. Specific contributions to this effort will include coordinating with internal and external stakeholders to develop metrics to qualify the potential significance of methane and related air pollutants associated with plumes detected in the vicinity of human populations. The selected candidate will also provide recommendations, based on feedback received from ongoing and iterative discussions with community groups and other state and local agencies, for developing a process to notify and inform the public and communities if there is a high priority plume.

The incumbent will compile geospatial datasets and utilize GIS tools in order to ensure CARB and its stakeholders have the most up-to-date understanding of the sources of methane emissions and their proximity to human populations. The APS will also coordinate across relevant divisions and agencies to investigate and catalog the latest information about the composition of volatile organic compounds including toxic air contaminants emitted alongside methane. Both geospatial data sources and communication of safety and potential co-pollutant health impacts should be representative and relevant to the priorities and concerns expressed by community members and other stakeholders during outreach discussions. This position will also work with other members of the RSDAS team to integrate the data, parameters, and calculations necessary to identify and characterize sources, receptors, and potential impacts based on proximity and plume composition into the data management system and processing pipeline.

Effective collaboration will be a core responsibility of the position in order to understand the data needs of diverse range of internal and external users and make this data available to these stakeholders in an organized and understandable manner. This includes creating and adapting data visualization tools and summaries based on feedback and recommendations received through regular interactive coordination with these stakeholders. The successful candidate must also be able to distill results and conclusions into clear, concise presentations and reports tailored to various audiences.  

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

Working Conditions

This position may be eligible for hybrid in-office work and in-state telework. The amount of telework is at the agency's discretion and is based on the California Air Resource Boards' (CARB) current telework policy. While the CARB may support telework, some in-person attendance is also required. 

The positions at the CARB may be eligible for telework with in-person attendance based on the operational needs of the position under Government Code 14200 for eligible applicants residing in California, subject to the candidate meeting telework eligibility criteria outlined in the CalEPA telework policy and/or future program need. Employees not residing in California are not eligible for telework. Regardless of hybrid telework eligibility, all employees may be required to report to the position’s designated headquarters location at their own expense, as indicated on their duty statement.

• Position located in a high-rise building.
• Standard office environment (artificial lighting, controlled temperature, etc.).  
• Daily use of a personal computer, office equipment, and/or telephone.