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Commonwealth of Pennsylvania |
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POSITION DESCRIPTION FOR JOB POSTING |
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Position Number: 00181644 |
Description Activated On: 3/17/2026 12:42:17 PM |
Position Purpose: Describe the primary purpose of this position and how it contributes to the organization’s objectives. Example: Provides clerical and office support within the Division to ensure its operations are conducted efficiently and effectively. This position serves as Section Chief for the Encroachments Section, a supervisory position within the Major Projects Permitting Division (MPPD), Bureau of Permitting Coordination, Field Operations Deputate. Work consists of the oversight of comprehensive review and issuance of decisions related to Chapter 105 Water Obstruction and Encroachment Permits. The section chief currently supervises a technical staff comprised of three engineers, one aquatic biologist supervisor and six aquatic biologist subordinate staff, with primary and secondary duties as follows: |
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Description of Duties: Describe in detail the duties and responsibilities assigned to this position. Descriptions should include the major end result of the task. Example: Types correspondence, reports, and other various documents from handwritten drafts for review and signature of the supervisor. SUPERVISORY/MANAGEMENT: Serves as an active member and supports the MPPD Management Team. Supervises staff by organizing, prioritizing and delegating work to assure completion in accordance with established priorities, primarily in Chapter 105 permitting and secondarily for Ch. 102 permitting. This includes Water Quality Certifications under Section 401 of the federal Clean Water Act. Ensures permit application reviews are managed and tracked to meet established Payback timeframes by monitoring workload, prioritizing assignments, coordinating with staff and program manager. Reviews all work performed by subordinate staff (including Records of Decision/Fact Sheets) to ascertain that the work is in compliance with established policies and procedures and that the appropriate laws, rules and regulations are properly interpreted. Makes recommendations to the Program Manager. Provides direction to the technical staff concerning conclusions and recommendations expressed in their work products. Provides technical/engineering advice and guidance to the technical/engineering staff concerning the application of applicable laws, rules and regulations. Writes detailed training plans for new employees. Ensures new employees are trained to perform the duties and responsibilities of the position. Recommends both internal and out-service training for employees. Provides professional oversight (P.E.) of staff for technical review of permit applications, reports or other submittals of a technical nature. Assigns project oversight and permit applications to technical staff ensuring proper workload distribution. Conducts periodic staff meetings to keep employees updated on changes and to receive and discuss concerns or questions. Participates in periodic meetings among state agencies, federal agencies, county conservation districts and other DEP programs having shared interests/responsibilities. Performs continual assessments of staff needs/concerns, workplace issues, workload, and permit processing issues. Develops strategies to address these matters and provides program manager with routine reports/updates. Prepares, monitors, reviews and signs employee performance standards, evaluations and position descriptions. Interviews prospective employees and recommends employee selection by ranking applicants in order of preference for employment in keeping with the Department’s selection and placement policies and guidelines. Receives, reviews and authorizes leave requests and timesheets to assure efficient operations of the work unit. PERMITTING: Understands and provides program oversight of the review of all Water Obstruction and Encroachment permit application review process for required completeness and technical adequacy and conformance to program standards to ensure that all necessary modules, attachments, and data are included. Understands and provides program oversight of the individual and general NPDES/E&S permit application review process, including the companion erosion and sediment control and post construction stormwater management plans, for required completeness and technical adequacy and conformance to program standards to ensure that all necessary modules, attachments, and data are included. (Secondary Duty) Understands and provides program oversight to ensure appropriate determination of fee categories and that correct fees have been submitted; applications are reviewed by staff to determine that all data have been submitted and, when necessary, the draft PA Bulletin notice is prepared for review/publishing. Reviews/prepares draft completeness and technical review correspondence to applicants. Promptly informs Program Manager of issues. Reviews/prepares Record of Decision (ROD)/Fact Sheet and makes permit recommendations to the Program Manager related to applications. Reviews requests and staff recommendations for emergency permits for proposed water obstruction and encroachment activities to determine if an emergency permit is appropriate in accordance with established rules, regulations and policies. Reviews requests and staff recommendations for a waiver of permit requirements regarding proposed water obstruction and encroachment activities to determine if a waiver acknowledgment can be granted in accordance with the rules and regulations. Suggests new or adjustments to existing permitting strategies; and/or suggests new General Permits (GPs); and/or identifies issues encountered and recommends solutions to Program Manager that would reduce workload and improve program efficiency - while still fulfilling the overall goals and objectives of the permitting/regulatory program. Provides oversight to staff and participates/conducts pre-application meetings with prospective permit applicants and their consultants. TECHNICAL SUPPORT: Understands and provides staff oversight in conducting Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Inventory (PNDI) on-line searches, as needed. Provides assistance to County Conservation District and DEP Regional/District Offices for the review of erosion and sediment control and stormwater permit reviews for complex projects. (Secondary Duty) Understands and provides technical assistance and interpretation of the Dam Safety and Encroachments Act, Storm Water Management Act, Comprehensive Stormwater Management Policy, Flood Plain Management Act, Clean Stream Laws, Clean Water Act related to NPDES Construction and E&S permitting, and the Chapter 91, 92, 93, 102, 105, 106 regulations. Understands and ensures staff appropriate determination of watershed drainage areas, gathering of background information, and identification of property owners from various mapping resources in responding to program permit requirement inquiries or compliance cases. Represents MPPD at meetings and participates in programs and seminars to communicate to the general public, governmental officials, engineering groups, and others the varied permitting program areas and the role of MPPD. Provides direction/guidance and engineering advice to staff, the general public, governmental officials, engineering groups, and others concerning the application of applicable laws, rules and regulations. Understands the role of other state, federal and local agencies having regulatory and management programs that overlap with programs administered by MPPD. Establishes and maintains a good working relationship with these agencies. Serves as a witness at district courts, County Court, Environmental Hearing Board, and Commonwealth Court in Commonwealth initiated legal actions to effect compliance with applicable statutes. Ensures that data is input into eFACTS and follows Standard Operating Procedures with regards to Department’s Permit Review Policy. Use eFACTS and other measures to manage and ensure permitting timeliness. Participates in Department and Regional activities, programs and seminars. Maintains current engineering and scientific knowledge base, shares knowledge with pertinent staff, and utilizes the latest technology practices in the performance of required duties. When necessary, assists compliance staff in the determination of appropriate enforcement action to be pursued against a violator to assure compliance. COORDINATION: Provides cross-program coordination services at the direction of the MPPD Program Manager and/or Field Operations Deputy Secretary with the various Departmental Programs that have authority to process permits/authorizations under Chapter 102 and Chapter 105. (e.g. bureaus, regional offices, Oil and Gas, Dam Safety, Flood Protection, Mining) Assists in the development and implementation of Ch. 105 (and Chapter 102) related efforts on a statewide and regional level in conjunction with pertinent bureau staff. Works collaboratively with the Water Program Specialist in MPPD in achieving this duty. Interprets the applicable acts and companion rules and regulations to assure consistency within the established programs. OTHER: Promotes the Department's mission. Ensures staff in the regional office is inputting appropriate data in a prescribed format to meet data quality standards set forth by guidance, training, and policy across all of DEP’s electronic data systems; to include ensuring accuracy and completeness of entries, and where available, the use of system specific tools to ensure duplicative entries and data quality issues are minimized. Performs other duties as required by the Program Manager and/or Field Operations Deputy Secretary to effectively implement the Program. This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee occupying this position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by their supervisor. Travel to field sites, meetings, and other work-related assignments is required. |
Decision Making: Describe the types of decisions made by the incumbent of this position and the types of decisions referred to others. Identify the problems or issues that can be resolved at the level of this position, versus those that must be referred to the supervisor. Example: In response to a customer inquiry, this work involves researching the status of an activity and preparing a formal response for the supervisor’s signature. The Major Projects Permitting Division Program Manager provides supervision and assigns work in the form of general program goals and objectives. Technical decisions are made based on a review of information submitted by applicants, consultants, and staff. Completed work is reviewed for soundness, conformance with program guidelines, and project deadlines. The Section Chief is given both general and specific assignments and is required to demonstrate considerable initiative and independence. Assignments conducted by subordinate staff are reviewed by the Section Chief in detail and for objective achievement, meeting subject deadlines, and conformance to engineering standards and environmental protection. The Program Manager reviews work upon completion for technical adequacy, completeness, and overall quality. Overarching authority is given through statutes and regulations. The employee also follows programmatic policy, guidance, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Program Clarification Memos, and protocols in the performance of their duties. This Position Description is not limited to the identified specifics. This employee is required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties as assigned by the MPPD Program Manager. |
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Requirements Profile: Identify any specific experience or requirements, such as a licensure, registration, or certification, which may be necessary to perform the functions of the position. Position-specific requirements should be consistent with a Special Requirement or other criteria identified in the classification specification covering this position. Example: Experience using Java; Professional Engineer License Experience: Licenses, registrations, or certifications: 1. Class C Driver's License 2. Professional Engineer 3. N/A 4. 5. 6. |
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Essential Functions: Provide a list of essential functions for this position. Example: Transports boxes weighing up to 60 pounds.
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