Careers

Description:

Essential functions may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Investigate, sample, evaluate, and act upon public complaints of conditions involving pollution, disease, illness, or contamination.
• Conduct environmental studies by gathering, evaluating and reporting on data.
• Manage and analyze data.
• Serve as project lead in one or more program areas; provide technical expertise to program staff and community partners and provide project recommendations and guidance.
• Work with other water quality staff to ensure monitoring and data meet high standards.
• Conduct sanitary surveys and dye tests on-site sewage systems.
• Maintain rigorous quality assurance/quality control standards.
• Document inspection results and prepare documentation needed for enforcement action for failing septic systems.
• Offer technical support and education to the public.
• Work with property owners and residents to correct conditions on their site that contribute to or have the potential to contribute to pollution.
• Conduct water quality monitoring in lakes, streams, groundwater, and marine waters.
• Interpret laws and policies, assist with program development, draft policies, and make recommendations for consideration by department management and the Thurston County Board of Health.
• Write technical reports.
• 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.

Skills/Eligibility:

QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Bachelor degree in environmental health, biology, bacteriology, or a related field.
• Three years of professional environmental health work experience requiring extensive public contact. Experience must include three of the following program areas: sewage, food, water, vector control, epidemiology, solid waste, and hazardous waste; demonstrated ability to perform as a lead special projects manager within a single program area.
• Current Washington State Driver’s License or have requested and obtained an appropriate accommodation.
• May be required to possess a professional certification applicable to area of assignment (e.g., Hydrogeologist, Wastewater Treatment System Inspection Certificate of Competency, Qualified Sanitary Surveyor, etc.).
• Will be required to be recognized by the Washington State Sanitarian Registration Board as Registered Sanitarian within eighteen months of the date of hire.
• Ability to utilize a personal computer and related software packages to perform word processing, analysis, information retrieval and tracking.

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