Careers

Description:

The Environmental Health Services Division, Food & Facilities Section is seeking a skilled, enthusiastic, and dedicated individual to fill a Career Service position as a Health and Environmental Investigator IV (Environmental Health Services Supervisor). The successful candidate will have a passion for environmental public health and creating heathier lives for all people in King County, enjoy investing in professional development of staff and developing workforce and teams, possess strong analytical and problem-solving skills, and be effective at developing productive relationships with agency partners and regulated entities. The program is seeking an innovative individual who is able to provide oversight for technology-driven food safety and water recreation facility management systems, including supporting the adoption of new software and leading a team to produce data-driven results. The successful applicant will work with a team of supervisors in the section and will directly supervise 10-12 people.

The position will be located within the Food & Facilities Section of the Environmental Health Services Division of Public Health – Seattle & King County. The Environmental Health Services Division’s mission is to identify and sustain environmental conditions that promote healthy people and healthy communities. The Food & Facilities Section contributes to healthy communities by permitting, educating and inspecting over 1,800 water recreation facilities, 12,500 permanent food businesses, 45 farmers markets, 3,500 temporary food vendors, and issues over 50,000 food worker cards annually. In addition, the section is responsible for permitting and inspecting 1,800 water recreational facilities, oversees the safety of fresh and marine water bathing beaches, and provides regulatory oversight of sewage releases and Harmful Algal Blooms affecting swimming beaches. We serve an incredibly diverse, culturally rich, and culinary innovative communities. Our incredibly talented and diverse 63-person team operates with a $15.5 million annual budget. The Food and Facilities Section strives to provide equitable service and applies an educational approach toward regulatory compliance.

The position supports and advances Environmental Health Services Division’s values for fair and culturally competent service delivery, innovative, effective and efficient application of resources, building a culture of performance and expanding opportunities to seek input, listen and respond to industry and residents. The position will be located within the Environmental Health Division of Public Health – Seattle & King County.

The Program is committed to the principles of racial equity and social justice and values diverse perspectives and life experiences in its workforce. People of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Note: This posting will create a list of qualified candidates that may be considered for selection of additional vacancies of the same position type over the next 6 months.

About the Environmental Health Services Division:
Through the work of 190+ dedicated employees, The Environmental Health Services Division’s mission is to identify and sustain environmental conditions that promote healthy people and healthy communities. Our vision is healthy, safe, and vibrant communities that are free of health disparities based on race, gender, or economic status. 

The Division’s core values include equity and social justice, integrity, community service, collaboration, a supportive work culture, and learning from each other and the communities we serve. We strive for fair and culturally competent service delivery, innovative, effective, and efficient application of resources, building a culture of performance and expanding opportunities to seek input, listen and respond to industry and residents. To learn more, please visit https://www.kingcounty.gov/ehs. Forbes named King County as one of Washington State’s best employers. 

Together, with leadership and our employees, we’re changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference. Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation’s best places to live, work and play.

Guided by our "True North", we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles - we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.
 

To learn more, please visit https://www.kingcounty.gov/ehs.

Commitment To Equity and Social Justice

Named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the most influential civil rights leaders in our nation’s history, King County is a vibrant international community with residents that represent countries from around the world. It is a region with increasing diversity that cherishes the traditions of many cultures.

The county government has a deep commitment to equity and social justice and advancing practices, strategies, and policies that promote fairness, justice, and opportunity for all – in our workplaces and our communities. With this commitment, King County has adopted a pro-equity agenda to advance regional change and ensure that residents from all communities are incorporated into our emergency planning and public outreach efforts.

We recognize that structural racism consists of principles and practices that cause and justify an inequitable distribution of rights, opportunities, and experiences across racial groups. Since declaring Racism is a Public Health Crisis in June 2020, King County and Public Health committed to being intentionally anti-racist and accountable to Black, Indigenous and People of Color communities.

To learn more, please visit http://www.kingcounty.gov/elected/executive/equity-social-justice.aspx

Skills/Eligibility:

Our ideal candidate will demonstrate the following (Minimum):

• At least five (5) years of experience conducting plan review or inspections to ensure compliance with: 
  • The Washington State Retail Food Code, the King County Food Code, or food codes in other state or local jurisdictions AND
  • The Washington State Water Recreation Facilities Code or water recreation codes in other state or local jurisdictions  
• At least two (2) years of experience supervising or leading people, projects, or teams Environmental Health, preferably in food safety or water recreation, including: Training, coaching, and mentoring staff; providing subject matter expertise and technical assistance; and managing employee performance (e.g., providing feedback, working with HR to resolve personnel issues, writing performance appraisals). 
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively, including strong and consistent leadership; experience creating, managing, or leading effective teams; delegating responsibilities; active listening; facilitation, negotiation, mediation and compromise; managing assignments to meet deadlines; resolving conflicts; ensuring appropriate transparency; and maintaining effective and positive relationships with peers, subordinates and management.  
• Program or project management experience, including: Demonstrated ability applying knowledge of local government program operations; strategic planning; developing and applying internal and external stakeholder strategies; developing, implementing, monitoring and improving programmatic/strategic outcomes; using data to guide decision-making; establishing priorities; and conducting or managing quality control/quality assurance. 
• Demonstrated cultural competence working with diverse populations including race, ethnicity, gender, ability, age, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status. Demonstrated ability applying principles of equity and social justice in local government programs.  
• Ability to create a climate in which people want to do their best; can motivate many kinds of direct report, team or project members; enables co-workers to grow and succeed through feedback, instruction, and encouragement.  
• Excellent written and oral communications skills, including: Presenting information to lay audiences and technical subject matter experts, and drafting materials such as program policies, procedures, correspondence and technical reports. 

Licensing / Certification Requirements

REHS/RS credentialing information is available from NEHA at:   

www.neha.org/professional-development/credentials/rehsrs-credential

REHS/RS credentialing information is available from WSBRS at:  www.wsbrs.org