TENTATIVE

Occ. Code 2243510

New York State Department of Civil Service

Classification Standard

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF CLASS SERIES

Citizen Participation Specialists analyze Department of Environmental Conservation programs and proposed actions, identify the key issues, communicate proposed programs and actions to the public, and develop the ways and means to solicit the attitudes and concerns of the public, through a variety of outreach strategies, in order to facilitate effective decision making by the agencys program and regional managers. These positions are found only at the Department of Environmental Conservation.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

CITIZEN PARTICIPATION SPECIALIST 1: journey-level; positions coordinate activities with various divisions and programs, in regional or central office operations, to develop a citizen outreach and participation program.

CITIZEN PARTICIPATION SPECIALIST 2: first supervisory level; supervises Citizen Participation Specialists 1; manages participation and outreach programs, which impact several divisions and/or communities simultaneously, or matters that require extensive time periods to address due to the impact and dimension of the issues at stake; incumbents may be required to interact frequently with the media.

CITIZEN PARTICIPATION SPECIALIST 3: second supervisory level; supervises Citizen Participation Specialists 1 and 2; assists in the management of the statewide citizen participation program in the central office, or manages the agencys broadest regional citizen participation programs; responsible for the review of public participation programs developed by other State or federal agencies.

CITIZEN PARTICIPATION SPECIALIST 4: management level; directs the agencys statewide citizen participation and outreach program; responsible for statewide public outreach campaigns required by State statutes, to meet federal grant obligations, or necessary to direct resources in environmental disasters and public health emergencies.

RELATED CLASSES

Public Information Specialists are engaged in the preparation of written material, editing and dissemination of informational materials concerning the programs and activities of a State agency through various media, including newspapers, radio, television, motion pictures, periodicals and State publications, with the major objective of conveying this information to the general public and to relevant audiences, including professional, trade or other specialized groups.

Environmental Educators develop, conduct, and manage environmental education and interpretive programs for schools, educators, organizations, and the general public.

ILLUSTRATIVE DUTIES

CITIZEN PARTICIPATION SPECIALIST 1: provides non-engineering technical assistance and information to consultants, public officials, and the regulated community in developing and implementing non-engineering aspects of regulatory, non-regulatory, and remedial programs related to solid and hazardous materials, site remediation, water resources, construction management, air resources, or pollution prevention; assists in the development, coordination and implementation of media strategies, programs, and events; works on sections of many programs, or concentrates on a single program for some length of time; works with program staff to establish opportunities for public involvement and follow-through; helps to plan, schedule and monitor remedial action activities to ensure that adequate time and opportunities are included for public input; gathers and assists in the analysis of data for reports on public input; assists in the preparation of responsiveness summaries; develops communications networks; identifies interested and affected citizens or groups and seeks their concerns; develops mailing lists for distribution of information; aids in the development and maintenance of document and information databases; develops and maintains directories of agencies, individuals, consultants and organizations involved in the agencys issues; participates in advisory committees; coordinates and facilitates public meetings, workshops, conferences, hearings, and participates in the activities of advisory groups, as needed; attends meetings of other groups, as needed; meets individually with concerned citizens and government officials; assists in handling and responding to correspondence and calls from individuals or groups seeking or providing information; aids in the preparation and distribution of brochures, booklets, audio-visual materials and displays, newsletters, technical reports, summaries, and other educational and informational materials; assists in monitoring public opinion of the agencys activities; tracks media coverage of agencys activities; and may act as spokesperson for a program or administrator, preparing public relations materials, working with consultants, and acting as a contact person or coordinator among various agencies, interest groups, and the public.

CITIZEN PARTICIPATION SPECIALIST 2: in addition to the duties described above for Citizen Participation Specialist 1, supervises professional and/or technical staff assigned to the citizen outreach program; develops and implements public participation and community outreach programs; provides guidance to staff in the development of communication projects in support of regional or statewide public participation projects; prepares for and leads public meetings and other events by making site arrangements, preparing agendas, publicizing the event, and facilitating question and answer sessions with the public; writes fact sheets for the agencys divisions regarding project updates and progress; assists in citizen participation training; coordinates program staff input into the development, implementation and evaluation of policy; develops processes for selecting policy advisory technical committees and outlines their responsibilities; works with regional planning boards and other local government institutions to ensure the broadest possible involvement and participation of the general public in relevant issues; reviews cooperative programs of involved agencies to determine their effectiveness and suggests methods to improve interagency coordination; prepares annual and summary reports of the nature and results of outreach initiatives; designs and conducts, or oversees the design of public opinion surveys; prepares and ensures the distribution of public information materials, including annual reports, brochures, booklets, audiovisual displays and other educational materials; and prepares and revises technical budgetary and program evaluation materials. Typically, Citizen Participation Specialists 2 represent the highest level position in the agencys regional offices, in charge of a regions citizens participation program.   

CITIZEN PARTICIPATION SPECIALIST 3: second supervisory level; may perform any of the duties assigned to lower level positions, as listed above; serves as an immediate assistant to the Citizen Participation Specialist 4 and supervises lower level Citizen Participation Specialists and other technical staff assigned to the program; may serve as regional coordinator in the agencys largest regions; analyzes major agency programs and proposed actions; develops processes and statewide guidelines to seek out the attitudes and concerns of the public in order to facilitate effective decision-making by program managers; advises senior level agency staff in the theory and application of public involvement; conducts training in the theory and application of public involvement; provides program guidance to regional offices; compiles and completes reports of public participation required by the federal government for various funding initiatives and programs; responds to high level communications and correspondence with government agencies and stakeholders; assists in the preparation of budgets related to citizen participation program development; assists in the conceptualization, preparation and release of multi-media resources to the public; and may function as bureau director in his/her absence. 

CITIZEN PARTICIPATION SPECIALIST 4: functions as bureau director, with full responsibility for the statewide citizen participation and outreach program; directs staff on all related program operations within and outside the agency; approves and directs statewide public outreach campaigns required by State statutes, to meet federal grant obligations, or necessary to direct appropriate resources in environmental disasters and public health emergencies; organizes and coordinates budget development for the bureaus outreach work; establishes and interprets the agencys policy in all matters related to citizen participation and outreach; supervises recruitment and training; monitors expenditures and reviews budget allocations and changes; develops goals, objectives and annual work plans; determines work and plan priorities; conducts training seminars and workshops; directly supervises central office staff and monitors the activities of regional staff; establishes relationships with other policy level professionals within the agency, with professionals in other State and federal programs and agencies, and with leaders of public, private and non-profit interest groups; and participates in intra and inter-agency high level committees and groups.       

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

CITIZEN PARTICIPATION SPECIALIST 1

Open Competitive: a bachelor's or higher-level degree in environmental planning; environmental science; environmental studies; natural, biological, or physical science; civil, environmental, or geological engineering; public administration; public relations; political science; urban planning or urban studies; communications; or journalism, AND two years of full-time professional experience in the areas of natural resources management, environmental planning, urban planning, environmental regulation development, environmental interpretation, public policy analysis, public information, or public relations and outreach where 50% or more of the duties included one of the following:

·       developing and delivering professional presentations to technical and/or lay audiences or moderating, coordinating, facilitating, or leading public and/or stakeholder group meetings, or developing and presenting training or educational materials; OR

·       developing and delivering professional presentations to public audiences, and planning and conducting public meetings; OR

·       developing and presenting training and educational materials, developing and implementing public involvement programs or activities, which must have included all of the following: identifying interested parties and affected individuals or groups; actively seeking input from such parties relative to program policies and decisions; developing communication and consultation strategies; and establishing a feedback process for addressing alternatives and program concerns expressed by these various parties; OR

an associate's degree in environmental planning; environmental science; environmental studies; natural, biological, or physical science; civil, environmental, or geological engineering; public administration; public relations; political science; urban planning or urban studies; communications; or journalism, AND four years of experience described above.

Substitution: a master's or higher-level degree in communications, journalism, or public relations can be substituted for one year of experience.

CITIZEN PARTICIPATION SPECIALIST 2

Promotion: one year of service as a Citizen Participation Specialist 1.

Open-Competitive: a bachelor's or higher-level degree in environmental planning; environmental science; environmental studies; natural, biological, or physical science; civil, environmental, or geological engineering; public administration; public relations; political science; urban planning or urban studies; communications; or journalism, AND three years of full-time professional experience in the areas of natural resources management, environmental planning, urban planning, environmental regulation development, environmental interpretation, public policy analysis, public information, or public relations and outreach where 50% or more of the duties included one of the following:

·       developing and delivering professional presentations to technical and/or lay audiences or moderating, coordinating, facilitating, or leading public and/or stakeholder group meetings, or developing and presenting training or educational materials; OR

·       developing and delivering professional presentations to public audiences, and planning and conducting public meetings; OR

·       developing and presenting training and educational materials, developing and implementing public involvement programs or activities which must have included all of the following: identifying interested parties and affected individuals or groups; actively seeking input from such parties relative to program policies and decisions; developing communication and consultation strategies; and establishing a feedback process for addressing alternatives and program concerns expressed by these various parties; OR

an associate's degree in environmental planning; environmental science; environmental studies; natural, biological, or physical science; civil, environmental, or geological engineering; public administration; public relations; political science; urban planning or urban studies; communications; or journalism, AND five years of experience described above.

Substitution: a master's or higher-level degree in communications, journalism, or public relations can be substituted for one year of experience.

CITIZEN PARTICIPATION SPECIALIST 3

Promotion: one year of service as a Citizen Participation Specialist 2.

CITIZEN PARTICIPATION SPECIALIST 4

Promotion: one year of service as a Citizen Participation Specialist 3.

Date: 8/15

NOTE: Classification Standards illustrate the nature, extent and scope of duties and responsibilities of the classes they describe. Standards cannot and do not include all of the work that might be appropriately performed by a class. The minimum qualifications above are those which were required for appointment at the time the Classification Standard was written. Please contact the Division of Staffing Services for current information on minimum qualification requirements for appointment or examination.