Litter Index Inspector
Overview of City of Philadelphia
With a workforce of over 30,000 people, and opportunities in more than 1,000 different job categories, the City of Philadelphia is the fifth largest city in the United States and one of the largest employers in Southeastern Pennsylvania. As an employer, the City of Philadelphia operates through the guiding principles of service, integrity, respect, accountability, collaboration, diversity and inclusion. Through these principles, we strive to effectively deliver services, to resolve the challenges facing our city, and to make Philadelphia a place where all of our residents have the opportunity to reach their potential.
Overview of Philadelphia Parks & Recreation
Philadelphia Parks & Recreation (PPR) advances the prosperity of the city and the progress of her people through intentional and sustained stewardship of over 10,200 acres of public land and waterways as well as through hundreds of safe, stimulating recreation, environmental, and cultural centers. PPR promotes the well-being and growth of the City’s residents by connecting them to the natural world around them, to each other, and to fun, physical, and social opportunities. PPR is responsible for the upkeep of historically significant Philadelphia events and specialty venues and works collaboratively with communities and organizations in leading capital projects and the introduction of inventive programming. To learn more about Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, visit us at www.phila.gov/parksandrec, and follow @philaparkandrec on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Tumblr.
Position Summary
The Recreation Specialty Instruction (RSI) will serve as Litter Index Inspector for the department. The City of Philadelphia Litter Index is a map-based survey of the litter conditions of the City’s streets, parks, and recreation sites, public school sites, green stormwater infrastructure, riverways, and vacant lots. This position will support PPR in indexing parks and recreation spaces to provide valuable, unbiased information to support city agencies in tracking changes over time and making informed decisions about strategies to reduce litter. Reporting to the Sustainability Officer, this position will collect, process, and present qualitative and quantitative data.
The position is a combination of office and field based activities. It is a blend of physical site inspections, processing data and reports via electronic means, and working with internal and external parties interpersonally. As such, an estimated 75% of this position must be performed in the field while 25% can be performed via computer. Each task and initiative this position informs is ultimately in support of the department and City’s GreenWorks goals and Zero Waste & Litter objectives.
Responsibilities
▪ Inspect elements of recreation facilities related to waste diversion, litter, and dumping
▪ Collect data and reference maps on an IPad or another electronic device
▪ Input and calculate data in Microsoft excel, ArcGIS, or other platforms as needed
▪ Generate annual, seasonal, monthly, or singular event-based reports to show statistics and change over time in areas such as recycling contamination, litter frequency, or inputs at the Organic Recycling Center
▪ Communicate with recreation program and operations staff around sustainable practices and gather qualitative data where necessary
▪ Participate in education and outreach activities such as tabling events for the community, training sessions for staff or park users, or volunteer recruitment and leadership at events
▪ Represent PPR at internal, interdepartmental, and/or external meetings and gatherings
▪ Capture pictures of parks and recreation spaces to provide visual documentation of litter conditions
Competencies, Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
▪ Ability to navigate neighborhoods throughout the City of Philadelphia
▪ Proficiency in Microsoft Office software including Excel, PowerPoint, and Word
▪ Familiarity with ArcGIS
▪ Excellent written, verbal, and electronic communication
▪ Understanding of and ability to calculate data gathered over time
▪ Experience collecting, organizing, and analyzing data
▪ Ability to consistently categorize sites with varying conditions into specific ratings
▪ Ability to generate reports and clearly community trends over time
Qualifications
▪ Valid Driver’s License and willingness to drive throughout the city
▪ Pursuing Associate or Bachelor’s degree in topic related to sustainability; statistics; urban planning or studies; environmental sciences; data science; education; quality management; urban planning; parks, recreation, & leisure; or area of study deemed relevant
▪ Equivalent combination of education and experience in horticulture or a related field also considered
Additional Information
▪ Successful candidates must be a city of Philadelphia resident as a condition of employment
▪ Must provide proof of COVID-19 Vaccination as a condition of employment
▪ Interested candidates must submit a resume and cover letter to Natalie.Walker@phila.gov.
▪ The City of Philadelphia is an Equal Opportunity employer and does not permit discrimination based on race, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, marital status, source of income, familial status, genetic information or domestic or sexual violence victim status. If you believe you were discriminated against, call the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations at 215-686-4670 or send an email to faqpchr @phila.gov. For more information, go to: Human Relations Website: http://www.phila.gov/humanrelations/Pages/default.aspx