Salary : $80,371.20 - $98,259.20 Annually
Location : Palo Alto, CA
Job Type: Regular Full-Time
Remote Employment: Flexible/Hybrid
Job Number: Department: Public Works Department
Opening Date: 09/05/2025
Closing Date: 9/21/ :59 PM Pacific
Description "Less Waste, More Impact-We Need a Program Assistant Like You." About Zero Waste Palo Alto: The City of Palo Alto's Environmental Services Division in the is seeking a dedicated and passionate team member to join the Zero Waste team. This position plays a key role in supporting Palo Alto's sustainability goals by delivering exceptional frontline customer service and performing essential administrative tasks to advance the City's Zero Waste programs.
The Zero Waste Team is tasked with protecting the environment and public health by sustainably managing Palo Alto's solid and hazardous waste as well as the closed landfill, and helping the community reach its Zero Waste goal.
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About the Position: The Zero Waste Program Assistant I position is an essential member of a collaborative team helping Palo Alto reach its Zero Waste goals. This position, with direction and general supervision, is responsible for:
- Delivering front-line customer support by answering the office phone line and voicemails, responding to public inquiries via email
- Performing administrative, account payable, and purchasing tasks including preparing purchase requisitions, coordinating contracts paperwork, processing invoices
- Maintaining waste tonnage data, review and verify accuracy of refuse billing records
- Assisting with program implementation through correspondence, calendar management, report preparation, data management, and reviewing submitted materials
- Participating in development of outreach and education materials and staffing public community events to promote zero waste practices
- Coordinating reservations and attendance for various workshops and events
Ideal Candidate Qualities: - Knowledge of Zero Waste concepts and practices
- Experience in interacting with the public, good communication, and teamwork skills
- Strong purchasing and accounts payable related administrative skills
- Positive, detailed oriented and with good organizational skills
- Experience in Microsoft Office programs, customer service and billing software, and ability to learn or perform data review and validation
Essential Duties Essential and other important responsibilities and duties may include, but are not limited to, the following: - Act as receptionist, and coordinator of volunteer activities, schedule appointments, screen calls; receives visitors, and respond to inquiries.
- Act as liaison with City programs and managerial staff, contractors, community groups and local businesses associated with the assigned programs and projects. Responsibilities may include but are not limited to conducting tours and workshops, and meeting attendance.
- Establish and maintain a system of monitoring and reporting on the status of the assigned program. Prepare and track payments, purchase requisitions and contracts, purchasing forms.
- Coordinate facility booking, scheduling, rental process and computerized registration processes where applicable.
- Conduct research for use in the specified areas of assignment in development of material used in reports, promotional materials, design, or dissemination of information to the public.
- Perform calculations, compile data and write reports analyzing and summarizing data; prepare graphs and charts where applicable.
- Coordinate/schedule/mentor in-house and outreach programming, customers, hourly and temporary staff, instructors and camp staff.
- Coordinate support services to produce materials for and set up displays, workshops, classes, and talks; arrange for rooms and speakers; speak to groups and assist in conducting workshops as required.
- Type from draft or oral instructions correspondence and staff, statistical or numerical reports.
- File program related documents, correspondence, reports or other materials.
- Schedule meetings and prepare meeting minutes.
- Within established parameters, interpret various department rules, policies and procedures of assigned program.
- Prepare forms, memos, correspondence, and informational materials.
Related Functions: - Perform related level classification duties and responsibilities depending on area of assignment.
Click for the full job description for the Zero Waste Program Assistant I position.
Minimum Qualifications Sufficient education, training and/or work experience to demonstrate possession of the following knowledge, skills, and abilities which would typically be acquired through: - Equivalent to graduation from high school and 3 years of progressively responsible administrative experience working with programs or projects. Completion of 2 years of college may substitute for 1 year of work experience.
Special Requirements: Possession of a valid California Driver's License.
Supplemental Information Selection Process and General Information - Applicants will receive recruitment status notifications via email. Governmentjobs.com account also has notification status updates.
- Applicants will be screened throughout the posting process and highly qualified candidates may be invited to interview at any time after the posting closes.
- The screening process for this position may include a virtual recorded interview and/or panel interviews preceding final interviews with the hiring manager or their designee.
- For general recruitment inquiries email
- This position is represented by Service Employee International Union (SEIU).
- More than one position may be filled from this job posting.
Our online application system is provided by NeoGov. If you have problems while applying online, please contact NeoGov's Live Applicant Support at between 6:00 AM and 5:00 PM Pacific Time, Monday - Friday.
The City of Palo Alto is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City will provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.
See our
Benefits at a Glance Booklet for more details.
Learn more about our Memorandum of Agreements (MOAs) between the City and its bargaining units, by clicking
01
Describe your professional experience in sustainability and environmental related efforts.
02
Describe your experience providing customer service and interacting with the public in the community.
03
What experience do you have in performing administrative tasks for projects and programs?
04
Are you available to work occasional nights and weekends at community outreach events?
05
Explain the concept of Zero Waste. What does Zero Waste mean to you?
06
What software and databases have you used? Have you worked on data validation and data reconciliation?
Required Question
