Water Quality Curriculum Creator

Job Description and Duties

The Water Boards do not participate in E-Verify.

Please note: this position is paid on an hourly basis and limited to 1,500 hours in a rolling year.  The salary range for Student Assistant is $18.27 - $24.62 per hour.  

The Central Coast Water Board has an exciting opportunity to develop community outreach and educational materials related to water quality in the Central Coast region and related careers.  This Student Assistant position is in the Groundwater Protection and Regional Monitoring section of the Central Coast Water Board, located at 895 Aerovista Place, Suite 101, San Luis Obispo, California, 93401.

The Central Coast region is dependent on groundwater for nearly 90 percent of domestic drinking water supplies and the region also includes significant surface water resources including more than 2,300 miles of streams, more than 25,000 acres of lakes, and several areas of special biological significance, including the Point Lobos Ecological Reserve, Julia Pfeiffer Underwater Park, Elkhorn Slough National Estuary, Morro Bay National Estuary, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, and Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary.

The selected candidate will develop a ready-to-use Central Coast Region Water Quality Educational Curriculum and/or lesson plan(s) that use real data and information about water resources in the Central Coast region and provide the curriculum to local community colleges and high schools to increase awareness about local water resources and related career opportunities at the Water Boards. The curriculum/lesson plan will be shared with all local community colleges and high schools in the region with a focus on underrepresented and disadvantaged communities.

If you are a college student on a teaching path and interested in environmental science, water quality and related scientific issues, then this may be the position for you! Apply today and join our team.

Additional information:

Candidates must possess essential personal qualifications including integrity, initiative, dependability, good judgment, the ability to work cooperatively with others, and the ability to perform the assigned duties of the class.

If the position requires driving, you must possess a current and valid Driver’s License. Please do not include full social security number, method of eligibility, and LEAP information in your application package.

Please let us know how you heard about this position by taking this brief survey: .

You will find additional information about the job in the .

Working Conditions

Positions at the Water Boards may be eligible for telework with in-person attendance based on the operational needs of the position and might be expected to comply with after July 1, 2026.

In accordance with the Statewide Telework Policy and GC 14200, the successful candidate must reside in California upon appointment.  Proof of residency may be required.

Salary Information - CalHR salary rules allow appointment at the entrance rate (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 2, § 599.673) of a classification. For classes with alternate ranges, placement is based on education/experience. E mployees appointed to the Attorney or Water Resource Control Engineer classification will receive Recruitment Higher Above Minimum (HAM) rate in accordance with the approved

In addition, note: Effective July 1, 2025, the State of California implemented the Personal Leave Program 2025 (PLP 2025) which reduces an employee’s monthly salary in exchange for leave credits. Employees appointed to this classification will have their monthly salary reduced and will accrue hours of PLP 2025 on the first day of each pay period in accordance with the applicable The salary range(s) included on this job posting do not reflect the reduction in pay.

Special Requirements

To be considered for this position, you must include the following:

• RPA# 26-130-017 in the “Examination or Job Title(s)” section of the state application when submitting a hardcopy application.
• Photocopies of transcripts (unofficial okay). 
• Student Assistant - Please see below for additional information. 

An applicant with a college degree obtained outside the United States that does meet accreditation standards must have education records evaluated by a credential evaluation service. Evaluation of education records will be due during final minimum qualification evaluation of candidate(s). A link of accepted evaluation agencies can be found here: .

Electronic submittal of applications and attachments through jobs.ca.gov is preferred. Emailed or faxed applications will not be accepted. You are required to complete employment history on the application form (STD. 678), including work experience, dates, hours worked, contact names and phone numbers of supervisors on the state application. Applicants who fail to submit a completed STD. 678 may be disqualified.

In the hiring interview, the panel will consider education, experience, personal development, personal traits and fitness for the job. In appraising experience, more weight may be given to the breadth of pertinent experience and evidence of the candidate's ability to accept and fulfill increasing responsibilities than to the length of his/her experience. For additional information, you may refer to the class specification.

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:

• Student in an environmental or water quality related academic major, such as environmental science, biology, geology/earth science, or environmental engineering.
• Students majoring in science education or science related teaching credential programs are especially suitable.
• Interest in water quality, environmental science, local water resources, and community outreach and engagement.
• Interest in or experience with field or laboratory water quality activities, such as sampling or working with environmental technology.
• Ability to work with actual water quality datasets, including groundwater data (GeoTracker) and surface water data (California Environmental Data Exchange Network (CEDEN)).
• Ability to design or contribute to educational curriculum or lesson plans aligned with California’s science framework and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
• Strong verbal and written communication skills for community outreach, including engaging with educators, students, and local community organizations.
• Willingness and desire to explore, communicate, and present career opportunities in water quality and public agency roles.

Benefits

Water Board employees may be eligible for benefits. Health benefits and leave programs are available for most permanent, full-time employees, and some permanent, part-time employees. Benefit eligibility may depend on length of service and may be subject to collective bargaining agreements negotiated between the State of California and employee organizations that define wages, hours, and terms and conditions of employment. and .

Statement of Qualifications

A Statement of Qualifications (SOQ) must be submitted along with the State Application and serves as documentation of candidate’s ability to present information clearly and concisely in writing. It should be typed, no more than three (3) pages in length, using Arial 12-point font, and normal margins.

In your SOQ:

• Describe your experience and/or knowledge of environmental, water quality issues and related scientific or engineering fields.
• Describe what you are most passionate about with both science and teaching.
• Describe what type of teacher you aspire to be, your approach to teaching (teaching philosophy) and how you would apply it to teaching about the environment, water quality science and related careers.

Applications received without the SOQ addressed as stated will not be considered.

For guidance on writing effective SOQs, visit:  . Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can be useful in the development of written responses; however, it is important to use these tools responsibly and ethically. Failure to comply may result in disqualification.

Note: Resumes, letters, and other materials will not be evaluated or considered as a response to the SOQ.

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 below for specific requirements. 
• Other - Cover letter is required and must be included.