ABOUT THE AIR DISTRICT
The Bay Area Air District (Air District) created in 1955, is the state’s first regional agency to regulate air pollution. The Air District was created during this time, as the air in the Bay Area was often unhealthy to breathe due to burning, vehicle exhaust, and factories polluting the air.
The Air District is tasked with regulating stationary sources of air pollution in the nine counties that surround the San Francisco Bay: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, southwestern Solano, and southern Sonoma counties. It is governed by a 24-member Board of Directors composed of locally elected officials from each of the nine Bay Area counties, with the number of board members from each county being proportionate to its population.
The Board of Directors oversees policies, adopts regulations, and promotes and incentivizes clean air actions to reduce air pollution in communities within the Air District jurisdiction. The Board also appoints the Air District’s Executive Officer/Air Pollution Control Officer (EO/APCO), who implements these policies, gives direction to staff, and provides air quality thought leadership on a state, national and global scale. The Air District consists of 538 dedicated staff members, including engineers, inspectors, planners, scientists, and other professionals.
The Air District has a mission to improve air quality to protect public health, reduce historical and current environmental inequities, and mitigate climate change and its impact. This mission cannot be realized without a clear focus on our most impacted communities and addressing the environmental injustices that they experience. Six core values that drive the Air District are: transparency, partnership, environmental justice, equity, trust, and integrity. The Air District also aims to achieve its mission through many strategic goals including: reducing and eliminating health problems caused by air pollution, achieving and maintaining air quality standards for all criteria pollutants, creating high-quality regulatory programs, establishing the Bay Area as a leading area for emissions reductions, and applying environmental best practices in all operations.
The Air District has made vast improvements in the quality of air we breathe by controlling air pollution from stationary emission sources such as factories, refineries, and power plants, and from small facilities like gas stations and dry cleaners. However, new approaches are needed to reduce the disproportionate and cumulative environmental impacts that remain in overburdened communities. The Air District oversees one of the most robust air monitoring networks in the nation with more than 30 air monitoring stations that measure air quality throughout the Bay Area and inform daily air quality forecasts. The Air District also ensures that businesses comply with some of the nation’s most stringent air pollution laws and regulations, provides incentives and grants to encourage clean air alternatives and actions, and prioritizes our work in communities on the frontlines of pollution exposure. On days where ozone or fine particulate pollution levels are high, the Air District issues “Spare the Air” alerts to warn the public of the potential health hazards. While the Air District has improved air quality over the past seven decades, there are still challenges today due to the growing population, traffic, catastrophic wildfires driven by climate change, and the legacy of concentrated burdens in underserved communities.
The Air District recognizes and values the contributions of every employee and works to sustain an environment where everyone is respected. We incorporate the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion within our decision-making strategies, policies, procedures, regulations, funding initiatives, public outreach, planning, and hiring,
ABOUT THE POSITION
The Air District is currently accepting applications for the position of Deputy Executive Officer of Information Management. There is one (1) vacant full-time position. This at-will position is appointed by the Executive Officer/Air Pollution Control Officer and serves a term of three (3) years which may be extended.
Under direction of the Executive Officer/Air Pollution Control Officer, the Deputy Executive Officer of Information Management provides high-level technical, policy, and strategic direction in the management of the Air District's programs and activities. The position oversees the modernization of the Air District’s technology infrastructure, improvement of core business processes, and coordination of strategic cross-functional projects. It oversees the following functions:
Enterprise Technology Solutions
Enterprise Technology Solutions identifies, develops, and implements both custom and off-the-shelf technologies that enhance the Air District’s core operations. Key examples include systems, which enable permitting, inspection, and enforcement processes for regulated facilities, grants management tools, the Air District’s financial system, and the technology powering the public-facing website. Enterprise Technology Solutions works closely with other service areas to streamline business processes, promote innovation, and ensure that technology solutions effectively meet staff and community needs.
Information Services
Information Services is responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining the Air District’s information technology infrastructure. This includes managing servers and networks, telecommunications, cybersecurity, business continuity, and disaster recovery systems. Information Services also provides user support to Air District staff and technical assistance to external stakeholders, ensuring seamless and secure access to online services. By focusing on resilience and continuous improvement, Information Services safeguards the Air District’s data and systems against evolving threats and disruptions and fosters effective implementation of initiatives to improve air quality, protect public health, and address environmental challenges in the Bay Area.
Strategic Innovation
The position will oversee additional projects that aim to modernize Air District operations and bring innovative solutions to advance the Air District’s mission. As an example, the 2024-2029 Strategic Plan guides the Air District’s work to address air quality issues more effectively, with a focus on communities most overburdened by air pollution. It also guides how to transform our organization to align more closely with our core values of environmental justice, equity, integrity, partnership, transparency, and trust. The Air District is beginning to implement the goals and priorities across the Air District and will be reporting the results. This position will facilitate Strategic Plan implementation through a systems approach to tracking, reporting, and transparency measures. For more information on the 2024-2029 Strategic Plan, visit: https://strategicplan.baaqmd.gov.
