Careers

Description:

Thurston County Public Health and Social Services is recruiting for a Solid and Hazardous Waste Specialist I for our Environmental Health Division. 
 
Public Health and Social Services (PHSS) is Thurston County’s local health jurisdiction and human services department and is responsible for protecting the health and promoting the well-being of all people who live, work, and play in Thurston County. We value diversity and strive to foster a sense of belonging, honoring the unique experiences, cultures, skills, backgrounds, identities, and perspectives of our employees and community. As an agency actively working to address health equity, we aspire for everyone to have the opportunity to attain their highest level of health, regardless of their individual circumstances.
 
In the role of Environmental Health Specialist I, you will primarily be responsible for investigating public complaints and/or concerns of improper management and disposal of solid and hazardous waste, as well as being a source of technical assistance to local businesses to ensure the proper management and disposal of hazardous waste. Working with responsible parties to correct any documented violations, you will utilize a combination of education and enforcement in order to improve conditions that might otherwise lead to environmental pollution or threaten public safety. Additional responsibilities include issuing and managing permits for solid waste handling facilities and inspections of hazardous waste management practices at permitted mining operations.
 
Some of the essential job functions include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Communicate and present county regulations and policies to residents, community organizations, and local businesses to solicit public involvement.
• Provide technical assistance, enforcement, and public education in household and business waste reduction, recycling, and disposal programs.
• Promote and enforce proper storage and disposal of residential and business waste.
• Issue permits and provide oversight of solid waste handling facilities.
• Investigate resident and ecology reports of improper storage or dumping of solid, hazardous, or petroleum waste.
• Provide detailed reports that document the use of county funds. 
• Perform other work as required or assigned, including, but not limited to, a 24/7 response during public health emergency situations and disease outbreak investigations. 

The ideal candidate has the following knowledge, skills, and abilities: 

• Knowledge of theory, principles, and practices of solid and hazardous waste management, solid and hazardous waste education, waste reduction, and recycling.
• Knowledge of the Thurston County Health Code and related federal and state laws and regulations pertaining to solid and hazardous waste management.
• Ability to read, interpret, and enforce complex regulations.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to deliver information to the public with tact and professionalism.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in environmental health, biology, bacteriology or related field.  
• One year of professional environmental health work experience requiring extensive public contact. Additional experience may substitute for education on a year-for-year basis.
• Must have current Washington State Driver’s License. 

Desired Skills

Respect and Organizational Culture:

• Create an environment where employees and partners can safely express needs or concerns and where employees can make and correct mistakes
• Effectively interact with sensitivity while working with persons from diverse cultural, socioeconomic, educational, racial, ethnic, and professional backgrounds, and persons of all ages, gender identities, sexual orientations, and lifestyles
• Thrive in a fast-paced, robust organization maintaining a positive work environment

Communication:

• Serve the public in a timely, complete, accurate, and professional manner while ensuring that written and verbal communication is clearly understood by others
• Maintain cultural competency to support diverse perspectives in developing, implementing, and evaluating policies, programs, and services that affect the health of the community
• Strong oral communication for networking and interpersonal relationships
• Excellent written communication including the ability to craft correspondence, reports, and articles or web postings with minimal grammatical and syntax errors

Goal Setting and Accomplishment:

• Use strategic thinking and planning for goal setting and evaluation
• Effectively plan, organize, and manage competing priorities and challenges under pressure
• Create a sense of mission by articulating and modeling confidentiality, professional values, and ethics with honesty and integrity
• Operate with a high degree of flexibility, initiative, attention to detail, and commitment
• Delegate and use persuasion and negotiating skills for shared responsibility and acceptance of change