The NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) enriches the environment and protects public health for all New Yorkers by providing 1.1 billion gallons of high quality drinking water, managing wastewater and stormwater, and reducing air, noise, and hazardous materials pollution. DEP is the largest combined municipal water and wastewater utility in the country, with nearly 6,000 employees. DEP's water supply system is comprised of 19 reservoirs and 3 controlled lakes throughout the system’s 2,000 square mile watershed that extends 125 miles north and west of the City.

The Bureau of Water Supply seeks to hire a City Planner III for a position with the City Land Stewardship Section, Watershed Lands and Community Planning Division within in the Watershed Protection Programs Directorate, located in Arkville, New York. The City Land Stewardship (CLS) Section is responsible for the long-term management, stewardship and administration of water supply lands and conservation easements (CEs). The CLS Section issues and manages agricultural licenses for certain agricultural activities allowed on City owned lands in the upstate watershed. The agricultural license program currently manages approximately 130 active agricultural licenses that utilize approximately 3,000 acres of City owned watershed lands for activities such as haying, cropping, pasturing of livestock and sap collection. New licenses are issued and/or renewed annually for five-year terms so long as the allowable activities are conducted in a manner that is protective of water quality.

Under direction, of the City Land Stewardship Property Management Supervisor, the City Planner III will serve as Agricultural License Program Coordinator and will coordinate and administer the issuance and management of agricultural licenses; this task includes identifying sites for issuance of new licenses, developing requests for proposals for new licenses, renewing existing licenses, and conducting site management and administrative tasks to ensure license compliance. The Agricultural License Program Coordinator will work closely with watershed farmers to ensure their submitted land use management plans are consistent with license terms and conditions. Specific duties include:

- Administering and managing issuance of new agricultural licenses and renewal of existing agricultural licenses on City owned watershed lands, including review and approval of all land use management plans and insurance documents required to execute license.

- Conducting site visits to evaluate properties being considered for new agricultural licenses and to inspect properties with existing licenses to ensure compliance with terms and conditions.

- Developing requests for proposals for new agricultural license opportunities on City owned watershed lands and oversees bidding and selection process.

- Reviewing and approving all land use management plans as required by individual licenses, which may include Nutrient Management Plans and Grazing Plans. Coordinating with other DEP work units and external partners, such as the Watershed Agricultural Council (WAC), to confirm efficacy and compliance of submitted land use plans with the technical requirements of each license.

- Entering and maintaining all relevant agricultural license data into the Watershed Lands Information System (WaLIS) database and coordinates with GIS staff to develop reports and update WaLIS processes, including updates to existing project sites or creation of new project sites.

- Working closely with watershed farmers through phone calls, emails, and field meetings to ensure they understand the terms and conditions of their agricultural licenses; conducting outreach with external partners and municipalities to promote understanding of the Agricultural License Program.

- Collecting and managing data on agricultural activities and trends occurring on City watershed lands; responding to inquiries about the availability of City owned agricultural lands in the watershed.

- Assisting the Property Management Supervisor and CLS Section Chief with developing and implementing policies and procedures to improve operations and work processes.


(This is a brief description of what you might do in this position and does not include all the duties of this position.)


Preferred Skills:

- Driver’s license valid in the State of New York

- Ability to travel to meetings, work facilities, and field locations, utilizing a New York City vehicle

- Knowledge and proficient use of Microsoft Office products such as Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint

- Experience working with with ARCGIS or similar geospatial databases

- Ability to learn and use design software such as Publisher, Adobe Creative Cloud, and online newsletter tools such as Constant Contact.

- Ability to learn and use WaLIS database program.

- Knowledge and understanding of agricultural practices and agricultural management plans

- Knowledge and understanding of administration of permits or licenses

- Ability to understand current agricultural practices, which may include the interpretation of technical data associated with nutrient management, livestock animal units, grazing plans, best management practices, and related information.

- Ability to read and interpret legal documents such as licenses, permits, property maps and surveys.

- Ability to conduct site inspections of agricultural project sites, verify compliance with license requirements, and field-check accuracy of license information.

- Ability to conduct public outreach and effectively communicate information to diverse audiences.

- Ability to understand and provide guidance on DEP land use rules and policies when communicating with farmers, local officials, and other stakeholder groups.

- Ability to understand and interpret bids and fees associated with agricultural license proposals.

- Ability to work independently but knows when to engage supervisor.

- Critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

- Ability to perform planning and management of a project efficiently from start to completion.

- Excellent oral and written communication skills, including speaking and public presentations.

- Ability to work with others including coworkers and external partner organizations.


Hours/Shift:

35 Hours per week / May be required to work shifts including nights, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.


Work Location:

669 County Road 38

Arkville, NY 12406

Arkville is a hamlet in the Town of Middletown, Delaware County, New York approximately 145 miles northwest of New York City.

1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university and two years of satisfactory full-time experience in city planning; or

2. A satisfactory combination of education and/or experience that is equivalent to “1"" above. Graduate
education in city planning, urban planning, urban design, architecture, landscape architecture, transportation engineering, public administration, economic development or related fields may be substituted for experience on the basis of 30 graduate semester credits from an accredited college for one year of experience. However, all candidates must have a baccalaureate degree.

Special Qualification Requirements

Assignment Level III
To be eligible for placement in Assignment Level III, individuals must have, after meeting the minimum requirements, one additional year of professional experience as described in "2" above.

Assignment Level IV
To be eligible for placement in Assignment Level IV, individuals must have, after meeting the minimum requirements, two additional years of professional experience as described in "2" above.

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.