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Job Description

NATURAL RESOURCES HISTORIAN

JOB CODE 10010

Effective Date:	Rev. 07/99A

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE CLASS:

The fundamental reason this classification exists is to provide historical policy analysis to the City Attorney's Office. Duties involve managing historical research to support litigation and policy formation in all aspects of natural resources and municipal utilities. The incumbent has frequent high level interactions with various government agencies and prepares and presents expert witness testimony. The incumbent reports to the Assistant Chief Council and performance is evaluated primarily on the basis of results achieved.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Manages and directs historic policy analysis for the City Attorney;
• Prepares historical reports and policy analyses for use by the City Attorney's Office, the City Manager's Office, and other city departments to support litigation, administrative hearings, and negotiations. Provides recommendations to city staff and elected officials;
• Evaluates and assesses the accuracy of reports, methods, and analyses in the fields of history, anthropology, and archaeology;
• Evaluates and assesses the validity of historical and legal positions taken by third parties regarding the City's water rights, water use, and water supply, and prepares responses to those positions;
• Evaluates historical and legal positions concerning deregulation of the electric utility industry, telecommunications deregulation, the potential navigability of Arizona's rivers and streams, and waste water treatment methods;
• Participates in negotiation processes and makes recommendations to City officials based on historical policy analysis;
• Directs staff in the creation of databases and supervises the preparation and presentation of materials for reports;
• Interprets and evaluates legislative history and past policy for current legislation that may impact Phoenix water rights, water use, and water supply, and prepares written alternatives;
• Manages an archive of historical documents relating to the history of Phoenix' water use and manages an oral history program;
• Monitors, evaluates, and interprets historic water rights and use by water users upstream from Phoenix;
• Prepares and presents expert witness testimony;
• Demonstrates continuous effort to improve operations, decrease turnaround times, streamline work processes, and work cooperatively and jointly to provide quality seamless customer service.

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Knowledge of:

• The principles and practices of the legal system, court procedures, and municipal litigation.
• Internet and other computer-based sources of information.
• Sources of documentation applicable to water use.
• State and federal laws pertaining to water rights.

Ability to:

• Perform full range of independent historical research and analysis.
• Present historical data logically, orally and in writing.
• Analyze and interpret historical data.
• Present testimony before court or regulatory agencies, including expert witness testimony.
• Obtain historical records and other institutional documentation through formal and informal methods.
• Produce written documents in the English language using proper sentence construction, punctuation, grammar, and spelling.
• Comprehend and make inferences from material written in the English language.
• Enter data or information into a terminal, PC, or other keyboard device.
• Review or check the work products of others.
• Communicate orally with employees, clients, or public in group and face-to-face, one-to-one settings.

Additional Requirements:

• Some positions will require the performance of other essential and marginal functions depending upon work location, assignment, or shift.

ACCEPTABLE EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING:
Eight years of direct, professional-level historian experience including four years managing historical analysis for litigation or policy formation and four years of experience in supervision of the preparation of oral and written reports; and a master's degree in history, anthropology, archaeology, records management, or a related field. Experience as an expert witness in court cases is preferred. Other combinations of experience and education that meet the minimum requirements may be substituted.