Air Pollution Specialist

Job Description and Duties

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is seeking a motivated, innovative, and technically oriented individual to join our multidisciplinary team of scientists and engineers. This position plays a critical role in developing, maintaining, and enhancing CARB’s emissions inventories, which support State Implementation Plans (SIPs), community health initiatives, regulatory development, and air quality planning across California.

The Emissions Inventory Section is responsible for maintaining and updating CARB’s statewide criteria pollutant and toxic air contaminant inventories. Staff work closely with California’s 35 air districts to collect stationary source emissions data required under state and federal regulations. The team also collaborates with CARB’s internal programs and local districts to gather emissions data for area wide, mobile source, and event categories. Using growth and control factors developed with district partners and CARB technical teams, the section forecasts emissions inventories to future years to support air quality modeling and planning.

To improve data quality and accessibility, the section develops and maintains applications for emissions data collection, data management, and reporting. These tools provide communities, air districts, regulators, researchers, state agencies, and other stakeholders with reliable, transparent, and user friendly emissions data.

This position serves a vital function in the section’s work by compiling and performing rigorous quality assurance on emissions inventories submitted by local air districts and internal CARB programs. The incumbent will collaborate closely with the team’s lead forecaster to develop control profiles informed by emerging regulations and new control technologies. In addition, the position will be responsible for creating analytical tools and summary reports to evaluate emissions inventory forecasts used for air quality modeling and planning. The incumbent will also prepare standardized documentation outlining internal procedures for updating emissions inventories and control profiles. Finally, the role involves working with CARB staff, other government agencies, and academic partners to apply advanced QA/QC methods and strengthen the overall accuracy and reliability of CARB’s emissions data.

The work produced by this section is foundational to improving air quality statewide. In this position, you will directly support air quality planning, photochemical modeling, regulatory development, community level emission reduction strategies, and project level environmental assessments. Your contributions will help ensure the accuracy and reliability of emissions data used to guide California’s most important air quality and public health decisions.

The ideal candidate will have a strong scientific and technical background in one or more of the following areas: emissions forecasting, air quality, air quality modeling, emissions inventory development, stationary source emissions, or a closely related field. Strong analytical skills, attention to detail, collaborative capabilities, and comfort working with large datasets are highly desirable.

You will find additional information about the job in the .

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 Resources Board’s (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.

Effective July 1, 2025, the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR) implemented the Personal Leave Program 2025 (PLP 2025). PLP 2025 directs that each employee shall receive a 3 percent reduction in pay in exchange for 5 hours PLP 2025 leave credits, monthly. The salary range(s) included in the job advertisement do not reflect the 3 percent reduction in pay.

• Position located in a high-rise building.
• Requires being stationary, consistent with office work, for extended periods.
• Standard office environment (artificial lighting, controlled temperature, etc.).  
• Daily use of a personal computer, office equipment, and/or telephone.

Special Requirements

Applicants must include a Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) for this recruitment. The SOQ is a narrative discussion prepared by the applicant describing how their skills, knowledge, abilities, education, training, and experience qualify them for the position. The SOQ documents each candidate’s ability to present information clearly and concisely in writing. Candidates whose applications do not include the required SOQ will not be considered for this position. Resumes do not take the place of the SOQ.

• Require Name on SOQ
• Require Job Control Number on SOQ
• Maximum number of pages: 2 (Arial 12 point, single spaced, 1-inch margins)

Please describe your interest in this specific position and how your professional experiences can contribute to the objectives of the program. Please describe relevant professional experience and technical skills as they are related to the Desirable Qualifications, the Job Description and Duties sections, and the Duty Statement.

Desirable Qualifications

In addition to evaluating each candidate's relative ability, as demonstrated by quality and breadth of experience, the following factors will provide the basis for competitively evaluating each candidate:

We are seeking a versatile, self motivated, and forward thinking individual who can adapt to evolving program needs. The ideal candidate will have a strong scientific foundation in air quality, air quality modeling, emissions inventories, stationary source emissions, or a closely related discipline.

Because this position is responsible for compiling and conducting quality assurance on CARB’s comprehensive emissions inventory, as well as developing and improving data management and visualization tools, prior experience in several areas is highly desirable. Candidates should be able to perform QA/QC on large datasets, design publicly accessible data visualization tools, and translate complex scientific methodologies into clear, detailed documentation that is understandable to both the public and policymakers. The most competitive applicants will have experience working with relational databases and SQL, programming in languages such as R, Python, or MATLAB, and developing visualizations using software such as ArcGIS Enterprise, Tableau, or comparable tools.

In addition to technical expertise, the ideal candidate will thrive in a collaborative environment and demonstrate strong communication skills. This includes being comfortable working with the public, providing excellent customer service to both internal and external partners, and developing clear written communications and documentation that support shared understanding of procedures and methodologies.

Applicants will be evaluated on how well they meet the desirable qualifications outlined above. A cover letter is required as part of the application package. In your cover letter, limited to a maximum of two pages, please describe your interest in this specific position and explain how your background and experience align with the program’s goals. Be sure to address your relevant technical expertise and professional accomplishments as they relate to the Desirable Qualifications, Job Description and Duties, and Duty Statement.

Benefits

Benefit information can be found on the CalHR website and the CalPERS website.

• Nearby (third-party) Parking
• Convenient to public transportation
• Gym
• Daycare facility
• Bike storage and locker rooms

Experience and Education

For experience/education to qualify during the application screening process and to ensure that minimum qualifications can be determined, applicants should include all employment history on the Employment Application (STD 678), including detailed job descriptions, hours worked per week, and start/end dates (MM/DD/YYYY). Application packages without this information may experience delayed processing times, and your eligibility for this position may be impacted.

If you are using education to meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must submit a copy of your transcript or diploma.  Applicants who completed their education outside the United States (with foreign degrees/transcripts) must obtain and submit verification of the United States course/degree equivalency.

Foreign education credential evaluation services can be found at

Failure to submit all the required documentation will result in an incomplete application and disqualification from consideration for this position.

Required Application Package Documents

The following items are required to be submitted with your application. Applicants who do not submit the required items timely may not be considered for this job:

• Current version of the State Examination/Employment Application STD Form 678 (when not applying electronically), or the Electronic State Employment Application through your Applicant Account at All Experience and Education relating to the Minimum Qualifications listed on the Classification Specification should be included to demonstrate how you meet the Minimum Qualifications for the position.
• Resume is required and must be included.
• Statement of Qualifications -

  Please see the Special Requirements section of this job advertisement for detailed instructions for the SOQ submission.