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Healthy Equity + Environmental Justice Urban Planner
Beth Altshuler Munoz Consulting, Inc. / California (BAM is based in Oakland, but open to hiring anywhere in California)
Posted on: September 1, 2023
Application Deadline: Open until filled – Looking to fill ASAP
Job Description
Level: Intermediate to Senior (this is flexible depending on the person and their skills and experience. I will assign different project pieces depending on level/skills). Also open to considering a current graduate student as long as they have relevant work experience.
Posted: September 1, 2023
Type: 15-40 hours per week depending on skills and experience. Guaranteed work through the end of 2023, with the expectation that the position would become permanent / full-time in 2024. Would likely start as an hourly contractor, but depending on skills/experience/availability – could become full-time immediately.
Timing: Looking for someone to start ASAP, so get in touch now if you’re interested.
Location: SF Bay Area preferred (open to considering anyone currently living in California). Work will be remote, but if you are in the Bay Area we could meet up for occasional in person co-working. Will only consider out of state applicants who really check off most of the “Candidate Wish List”.
Relevant Experience: I’m not going to put a number on it but please have professional experience in the policy, planning, public health, and/or environmental justice field.
Compensation
This will depend on the person, their level of experience / skills, and what type of work they are interested in. This may start as an hourly contract position, but could easily be expanded to be a full-time employee position. The compensation will be competitive for a comfortable standard of living in California.
Who would I be working for/with?
Beth Altshuler Muñoz (BAM) Consulting is based in Oakland, CA. Currently Beth is the only employee of BAM consulting but she works with occasional subcontractors. BAM works with public agencies, foundations, CBOs, and residents to apply a Health (and Equity) in All Policies lens to the challenges and opportunities in their communities. Beth loves combining her skills in data analysis, community engagement and facilitation, and policy writing so places can better incorporate public health, racial equity, and environmental justice into their land use and urban policy decisions. At the forefront of the healthy communities discipline for since 2003, Beth is committed to creating livable places, reducing health and racial inequities, and engaging residents in the future of their communities. Beth holds masters’ degrees in both City and Regional Planning and Public Health Epidemiology & Biostatistics from UC Berkeley, a BA in Sociology from Cornell University, and is Certified in Public Health by the National Board of Public Health Examiners.
In March 2020, just before COVID lockdown, Beth started her independent consulting practice. She’s been working on a variety of projects with public agency, non-profit, and philanthropic clients related to the intersections of health and racial equity, environmental justice, climate change, urban planning policy, affordable housing, and transportation. At the start of 2022, Beth incorporated her practice to become a California Benefit Corporation and hopes that this new colleague can help think of a great business name!
What is the position?
BAM has immediate need for a team member to support Environmental Justice Element Work (related to SB 1000) and creating Health Action Plans for new affordable housing projects. This person may also be asked to support other planning, policy, and engagement work related to public health, racial equity, and environmental justice as needed.
Some of the types of work BAM needs support on includes:
- Assessing and summarizing research and best practices related to environmental justice, health equity, and healthy communities approaches
- Existing conditions analysis of demographic, health and environmental data (use of excel required, GIS map making a bonus, but not required)
- Providing research and backbone support to committees /advisory groups
- Community engagement (from coordinating with CBOs on designing and implementing engagement activities (surveys, focus groups, workshops, etc.)
- Writing plan narratives and policy language
- Crafting presentation slide decks and other educational materials
- Support in responding to RFPs and writing project proposals
The successful candidate will have a solid understanding of the Social Determinant of Health, racial equity and the intersection of public health, urban planning, and environmental health. A strong background in community engagement and policy and advocacy. A generalist skill set that can be applied to different issue areas, including strong writing and communication skills, facilitation skills, public speaking/training experience, familiarity with quantitative data analysis, and ability to complete impartial qualitative analysis.
Candidates will be expected to take initiative, work independently, manage multiple priorities concurrently, be an excellent collaborator, and represent the consultant team professionally.
Required Experience / Skills / Education
Candidate Wish List (you don’t need to check all these boxes to be considered)
- No specific educational requirements, but it is likely the person will have a masters degree in City Planning, Public Health, Public Policy, Environmental Policy, or something similar. Course work (or extensive self study) in some combination of public health/health equity, GIS, land use planning, ethnic studies, environmental policy, environmental science, and other related areas of study.
- Some relevant work experience beyond the academic setting
- Excellent research, analytical, writing, and oral communication skills
- Understanding of how to collect, analyze, interpret, and write/talk about demographic, health, land use, and environmental pollution data (Excel skills required, GIS skills are strongly desired, but not required)
- Well organized and ability/willingness to “manage up”
- Experience leading or supporting community engagement programs in diverse communities
- Commitment to incorporating community health, environmental justice, and equity into local and regional planning and urban design processes
- Experience researching and writing local policy
- Understanding of California planning law, the implementation of SB 1000, and AB 617 (at least an interest in learning about this)
- Ability to communicate effectively
- Familiarity and/or relationships with equity communities/CBOs in the Bay Area or California is a bonus.
- Fluency in Spanish is a plus, but not required
Application Instructions
How to Apply
If you are interested, please email me ASAP – Beth Altshuler Munoz at BethAltMunoz@gmail.com with some information about yourself, your experience, and what drew you to this position. If you have a resume ready, send it, if not that’s ok. If I think you’re a potential fit, we will schedule a zoom call. If we both feel good after the call, I will ask for a more formal application that includes work samples and references (and resume if I don’t already have it).
I am committed to collaborating with a diversity of people. Selection is based on merit without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, age, gender, national origin, political affiliation, disability, sexual orientation, marital or family status, or other differences. People of color and other diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.
