Supervising Recycling Ambassador (Community Activity Specialist) – Environmental Services Department

Our diverse and inclusive workforce of more than 7,000 employees play a key role in the success of San José, the heart of the Silicon Valley. All City of San José employees work together as one team to make San José a vibrant, innovative, and desirable place to live and work. Visit here to learn more about our One Team Leadership Values and Expectations, including quality and excellent customer service and here to learn more about San José.

The City of San José is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants for all job openings will be considered without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status or any other consideration made unlawful under any federal, state or local laws. The City of San José is committed to offering reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at 408-535-1285, 711 (TTY) , or via email at CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov .

About the Department

The Environmental Services Department (ESD) is a national leader in pollution prevention, watershed protection, utility service provision, and climate action. Together, ESD employees positively impact every resident and business in San Jose.

Our department is an exceptional place to start or grow your career. We have a supportive leadership team, numerous professional growth opportunities, and an inclusive workplace culture that is welcoming of your talents! We offer an array of meaningful career paths and value flexibility - offering hybrid work and alternative work schedules in select roles. Additionally, the City offers excellent health and pension benefits, as well as 15 paid holidays!

To learn more about ESD, follow @sjenvironment on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, and San Jose Environmental Services on LinkedIn.

About the Integrated Waste Management (IWM) Division:

ESD’s Integrated Waste Management (IWM) Division leads one of the largest and most advanced solid waste management systems in the United States through creativity and innovation. IWM oversees San José’s solid waste programs serving approximately 331,000 residential households, over 8,000 commercial customers and about 140 municipal facilities. Division staff collaborate with other City departments and establish strong partnerships with private companies, other government agencies, non-profits, and the community on a variety of key efforts. Experience fast-paced work and learn new skills that contribute to the bigger purpose of protecting the environment at a local level.

Position Duties

The Environmental Services Department is currently seeking to fill one (1) Overstrength Supervising Recycling Ambassador (Community Activity Specialist) position in the IWM Division.

The annual salary range for this classification is:

• $74,627.28 - $90,679.68

This salary range includes an approximate five percent (5%) ongoing non-pensionable pay. Actual salary shall be determined by the final candidates’ qualifications and experience.

The Supervising Recycling Ambassador (Community Activity Specialist) position is responsible for leading field operations and organizing the work activities for four (4) part-time Recycling Ambassadors (Community Activity Workers) in support of the Contamination and Recycling Tagging (CART) Program. The CART Program aims to reduce single-family dwelling recycling contamination. This work helps the City reach its zero-waste goal to increase material recycled, educate residents about items that are recyclable, reduce material landfilled, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and avoid future recycling fee increases. The Supervising Recycling Ambassador will lead the Recycling Ambassador team to efficiently provide residents across the San José Metropolitan area with recycling program expertise and community engagement while also addressing other Residential Program elements in the field. This position provides the individual with valuable recycling program experience, rewarding field work engaging residents in the community, and helps San José Recycle Right.

Typical duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Serve as the field supervisor directly supervising four (4) Recycling Ambassadors.
• Supervise and train employees and monitor work activities.
• Provide quality control and quality assurance in on-the-job training and support.
• Drive an assigned City vehicle to residential neighborhoods.
• Conduct, coordinate and direct outdoor fieldwork, scheduled starting at 6:00 AM Monday through Friday, for most of the workday.
• Conduct remaining work in an office environment after outdoor field work is complete.
• Plan, organize, and conduct team visual inspections of recycling carts at single-family homes focusing on visible contents only. Input data using a tablet and affix an education tag onto the cart.
• Troubleshoot real-time technical issues in the field using a tablet and survey application.
• Confirm team inspection materials including notes, cart photos, and quality control checks are processed and filed.
• Engage with residents in a courteous and professional manner to answer recycling program or City service questions and guidance when leaving cart tags.
• Support database management and recordkeeping activities and prepare written responses to residents as needed.
• Maintain the field vehicle and order field supplies as needed to ensure uninterrupted operations and efficient data collection.
• Support the development of the CART fieldwork Standard Operating Procedure and improvements to continue lowering the recycling contamination rate.
• Plan team logistics for assigned fieldwork and ensure field supplies are re-stocked as needed.
• Create and distribute field maps for planned neighborhood visits.
• Ensure the team has required equipment and materials for daily field visits.
• Provide ongoing program updates to leadership and collaborate with City staff as needed to maintain uninterrupted field operations.
• Operate general office equipment including printers and scanners.
• Maintain teamwork and ensure team goals are met efficiently.
• Perform other IWM work as assigned.

This is a temporary (Overstrength) position that is anticipated to be funded through June 30, 2026, subject to further extension as appropriate. If this position is not extended through the budget process, the City may seek to place you in other internal job opportunities based on your previous work experience.

Minimum Qualifications

Education: Graduation from high school or equivalent (General Education Development (GED) Test or California Proficiency Certificate).

Experience: Three (3) years of full-time equivalent work experience (6,240 hours) with diverse neighborhoods, residents experiencing homelessness, blight reduction programs, underserved communities, or neighborhood engagement and mobilization.

Acceptable Substitutions: Up to two (2) years of undergraduate course work from an accredited college or university (equivalent to at least 60 semester units or 90 quarter units) may be substituted for the required experience on a year-for-year basis.

Certifications: Must possess a valid California Driver’s License.

If selected, the Conditional Offer of Employment may be contingent upon you providing proof of a valid State of California driver’s license, and an assessment of your California DMV Employer Pull Notice (EPN) as per the DMV Release of Driver Record Information form. Failure to pass the DMV Pull Notice assessment will deem you ineligible for employment.

Other Qualifications

The ideal candidate will possess the following competencies, as demonstrated in past and current employment history.

Job Expertise - Demonstrates knowledge of and experience with applicable professional/technical principles and practices, Citywide and departmental procedures/policies and federal and state rules and regulations.

Communication Skills - Effectively conveys information and expresses thoughts and facts clearly, orally and in writing; demonstrates effective use of listening skills and displays openness to other people's ideas and thoughts.

Computer Skills - Experienced with common business computer applications including but not limited to: MS Outlook, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, MS Access, and MS Excel.

Teamwork and Interpersonal Skills - Develops effective relationships with co-workers and supervisors by helping others accomplish tasks and using collaboration and conflict resolution skills.

Flexibility - Makes effective decisions and achieves desired results in the midst of major changes in responsibilities, work processes, timeframes, performance expectations, organizational culture, or work environment.

Problem Solving - Approaches a situation or problem by defining the problem or issue; determines the significance of problem; collects information; uses logic and intuition to arrive at decisions or solutions to problems that achieve the desired outcome.

Social Awareness - Demonstrates the ability to read or sense other people’s emotions and how they influence the situation of interest or concern; demonstrates empathy and organizational awareness.

Supervision - Sets effective long and short-term goals based on a good understanding of management practices; establishes realistic priorities within available resources; provides motivational support; empowers others; assigns decision-making and work functions to others in an appropriate manner to maximize organizational and individual effectiveness.

Desirable Qualifications also include:

• Multilingual in English, Spanish, or Vietnamese
• Passionate about recycling and waste reduction
• Interest in helping the San José community Recycle Right
• Interest in gaining solid waste industry experience

Selection Process:

The selection process will consist of an evaluation of the applicant's training and experience based on the application and responses to all the job specific questions.Only those candidates whose backgrounds best match the position will be invited to proceed in the selection process. Additional phases of the selection process will consist of one or more interviews.

If you have questions about the duties of these positions, the selection or hiring processes, please contact Ernesto Zamaguey at Ernesto.Zamaguey@sanjoseca.gov.

Additional Information:

Employment Eligibility: Federal law requires all employees to provide verification of their eligibility to work in this country. Please be informed that the City of San Jose will NOT sponsor, represent or sign any documents related to visa applications/transfers for H1-B or any other type of visa which requires an employer application.

You must answer all job-specific questions to be considered for this vacancy or your application will be deemed incomplete and withheld from further consideration. Applicants are expected to write their own essays/responses.

Please note that applications are currently not accepted through CalOpps or any other third party job board application system.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions in this, or other divisions or departments. If you are interested in employment in this classification, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the applicants from this recruitment.

Please allow adequate time to complete the application and submit before the deadline or the system may not save your application. If your online application was successfully submitted, you will receive an automatic confirmation email to the email address you provided. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE THE CONFIRMATION, please email CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov and we will research the status of your application.

AI and the Hiring Process

We recognize that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming part of daily life and can be a valuable tool for learning, research, and professional growth. We encourage candidates to use AI responsibly as a support in preparing application materials, live assessments, and interviews. However, we value authenticity, accuracy and truthfulness. Application responses and interview answers must reflect your own knowledge, skills, and experiences. While AI can supplement preparation, it cannot replace the originality and judgment we look for in our employees. This ensures fairness, transparency, and equity for all applicants in the hiring process.

The City of San Jose offers a wide range of core health benefits including Medical, Dental, Vision, Employee Assistance Program, Life Insurance, Disability, and Savings Plans. Please visit the City's benefits pagefor detailed information on coverage, cost, and dependent coverage.

For information on the City’s Retirement Plan(pension for full-time employees), please visit the Office of Retirement Services website. You will be able to view information based on different Sworn/Federated job classification.

In additional to the benefits above, there is an additional perks siteto explore further benefits of working for the City of San Jose like paid leave, educational reimbursements, and holiday pay are specific to the job classification and union membership.

Closing Date/Time: 1/15/2026 11:59 PM Pacific

• 

• City of San Jose

• 408-535-1285

Show more