Historic Preservation Specialist & Coordinator

The Tsui Group is seeking a candidate who is qualified and experienced in educational facility construction projects to serve as an Historic Preservation Specialist & Coordinator for a large educational client within Los Angeles County with the below duties:

• Manage the District’s compliance on issues related to historical resources, especially as it relates to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)
• Coordinate with the District’s CEQA compliance group to ensure that CEQA’s provisions for historical resources are followed, through the identification, documentation, and management of historic assets and through the preparation and review of environmental compliance documentation
• Review projects and activities involving campuses with historical resources to plan for the avoidance, mitigation, or to minimize potential impacts to the historic integrity of the campuses
• Ensure the District’s compliance with established design guidelines (including but not limited to the District’s Historic Context Statement, Design Guidelines and Treatment Approaches for Historic Schools, School Design Guide, and Program Environmental Impact Report for the School Upgrade Program), and provide or update comprehensive performance guidelines and criteria as necessary
• Prepare historic assessments for the District’s campuses including but not limited to: Historic Resource Evaluations, Character Defining Features Memoranda (CDFM) and Secretary of the Interior (SOI) conformance reviews
• Provide project level historic review and input during the schematic, 50%, and final planning phases for efforts at the District’s historic campuses
• Complete peer reviews, historic document reviews, and historic consultant management reviews
• Complete the District’s historic resource inventory that was initially undertaken by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) following the 1994 earthquake, continued in 2002 by a $50,000 Getty grant and advanced further in a 2014 multi-site survey
• Prepare and process the appropriate historic review documents necessary to provide information to the public, Board members, District staff, public agencies, and other representatives involved in the District’s school upgrade, maintenance, building, acquisition, or related programs
• Interact and coordinate with historic resource agencies, outside consultants and advocacy groups, school stakeholders, Board Members, and staff from the various District branches, as necessary
• Participate in and present related historic material at public meetings hosted by the District or outside agencies, as required
• Assist the District’s curriculum staff in developing a model program involving District students in understanding local history by learning about the history of their own school.
• Performs others duties as assigned

Requirements

Required Experience:

• Minimum of 10 years of professional experience in historical preservation and environmental compliance, preferably in a school setting
• Demonstrated knowledge of the provisions of CEQA and NEPA Section 106 for historical resources
• Extensive experience interpreting and applying local, state, and federal criteria of significance to a range of property types, particularly school campuses

Preferred Experience:

• Conducting historical resource evaluations of LAUSD campuses and applying the criteria of the LAUSD Historic Context Statement
• Experience applying the LAUSD design guidelines at the project level
• Experience in Secretary of the Interior’s Standards compliance review, including a minimum of 5 years of experience reading and interpreting architectural drawings and plans

Required Education:

• Graduation from a recognized college or university with a Master’s Degree in Historic Preservation, Architecture, or Architectural History

Knowledge of:

• Secretary of the Interiors (SOI) Standards and Historic American Building Survey (HABS) demonstrated comprehension and experience applying these standards
• Relevant historic preservation documentation and processes such as the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) forms, nomination reports, record searches, Phase IIII Site Investigations, Survey/Plan, and Data Recovery/Mitigation Program
• California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
• National Historic Preservation Act (Section 106), AB 52, and key resource policies and agencies including but not limited to the Office of Historic Preservation
• Historical research, techniques, archiving, analytical, and technical writing skills and tasks associated with historic preservation

Ability to:

• Apply local, state, and federal criteria in evaluations of individual properties and historic districts
• Provide historic preservation input in master planning process
• Prepare written documentation in support of the historic preservation process including DPRs, SOI conformance reviews, CDFM, nomination reports, etc.
• Prepare and peer-review environmental compliance studies for CEQA and NEPA Section 106, among others
• Conduct historical research including but not limited to: records’ search, historic resources surveys and assessments, site inspections, photographs, and evaluations
• Read and interpret architectural drawings, including elevations, schematic designs, and construction documents

Benefits

• Salary Range: $122,000-$127,000
• Medical, Vision, & Dental – 100% covered for the employee*
• Life and Disability Insurance
• 10.5 days of Vacation pay (Accrued)
• 6 days of Sick pay (Available Immediately)
• 13 days of Holiday pay
• 3% Employer Contribution 401k (After 1 year of service)
• Monthly Stipend for Cell Phone
• Laptop for work purposes