Call for Applications to Serve as a Member in the BCDC Engineering Criteria Review Board

The San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) invites applications from a diverse range of qualified candidates to be considered to join our Engineering Criteria Review Board.

Engineering Criteria Review Board

The Engineering Criteria Review Board (ECRB) serves as an advisory body to the Commission. At monthly meetings, the Board evaluates the engineering aspects of major projects proposed in the San Francisco Bay that require BCDC permits. Simply stated, the ECRB ensures that major projects in or over the Bay, such as bridges, wharves, piers, and seawalls, etc. will be safe. The ECRB members are professionals in private practice, government service, and academia. The members volunteer their time and expertise to advise the Commission regarding seismic, flooding, and other engineering issues, and to assist applicants in designing projects with appropriate engineering criteria. The Commission is seeking a structural engineer to serve as an alternate on this advisory board.

The ECRB’s composition includes nine (9) primary members and four (4) alternates, eminent engineering professionals in the fields of structural, coastal, and geotechnical engineering and engineering geology. Alternates are called when Board members recuse themselves due to conflicts of interest, or if additional members are needed to achieve a quorum. Board members and alternates serve five-year terms with two additional renewal opportunities for up to fifteen years of service as a board member and alternate. The BCDC staff engineer, who schedules projects for review by the board, serves as secretary to the ECRB.

BCDC values diversity and equity at all levels of the agency and is committed to fostering an environment in which contributors from all backgrounds, cultures, and personal experiences are welcome and can thrive. It is our intent to have an Engineering Criteria Review Board that reflects our commitment to cultivating a diverse and inclusive agency. See the Engineering Criteria Review Board and current board members for more information.

If you have not attended an ECRB meeting, we invite you to review past meeting minutes as posted in BCDC’s website. See the meeting materials for your review.

The Position

We are seeking nominations/candidates to fill one (1) Alternate vacancy for a five-year term beginning in Fall 2023. The ideal candidate will be an experienced structural engineer.

Role Responsibilities

The Board generally meets once a month (at most) on a Wednesday or Thursday afternoon from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm, depending on the agenda. Meetings are held as needed, depending on current active projects. We typically review one or two projects at each meeting and occasionally receive briefings on relevant content.  BCDC is currently holding all public meetings in a hybrid format, i.e., both in-person and virtually on Zoom, however in July 2023 new rules go into effect which will require all ECRB members to attend the meeting at a location that is noticed in advance and can be attended by the public. More details on this new policy will be available soon.   

Prior to Board meetings, Board members are expected to review the written staff reports, technical reports, project plans, and calculations accompanying the projects to be reviewed, and to familiarize themselves with the project site. During the meeting, the Board is asked to address a series of questions included in the staff report on the consistency of the proposal with BCDC policies (particularly the Climate Change San Francisco Bay Plan, Safety of Fills San Francisco Bay Plan and Shoreline Protection San Francisco Bay Plan policies) and the applicability of engineering design criteria. The Board’s feedback and advice is later shared with our Commission to provide guidance in their decision-making process for granting permits.

The ECRB Pamphlet provides an overview of the process. It is outdated in terms of requirements and policies but provides a sense of the process.

How to Apply

For consideration as a candidate, please submit a letter of interest along with your resume, bio, and/or link to a LinkedIn profile, as available, to the ECRB Secretary

Jenn Hyman
Jennifer.Hyman@bcdc.ca.gov

or submit a hard copy to our offices at

San Francisco Bay Conservation & Development Commission
375 Beale St., Suite 510
San Francisco, CA 94105

The selection committee is comprised of ECRB Chair Rod Iwashita and Vice-Chair Jim French.

We would like to understand your interests in serving on the Board, your relevant experience in marine and coastal design, and design review, in general. Candidates should have familiarity and experience with key BCDC focus areas, including shoreline protection, sea level rise, wharf and levee design and construction, seismic design, design standards, coastal processes, and public access. Please also share any experience in addition to those identified above that you feel enhance your strength as a design critic or would bring a new perspective to the Board reviews. If you have relevant projects or video presentation links you would like to share with us, we invite you to include these in or along with your submittal. 

The letter of interest and supporting materials should be kept to a maximum of 10 pages. There will be further opportunity to provide information on qualifications as the appointment process progresses. Please limit the attachment file size to 10 MB or provide links for download. 

Tentative Schedule

  • July 31, 2023 – Candidate submittal of qualifications due to BCDC Staff
  • Review of qualifications by the selection committee, identify candidates for interviews
  • August 2023 – Online interviews of selected candidates by committee (video conference)
  • Committee discussion and recommendation of appointee to ECRB
  • August/September 2023 – Notification of committee recommendation
  • September 27 or October 11, 2023 – ECRB review and consensus for the recommendation on appointment (ECRB meeting)
  • October 2023 – Board recommendation on appointment submitted for concurrence from Commission Chair (Commission meeting)

We are aiming for the new alternate to begin their position in November 2023