Environmental Health Specialist I

Thurston County•Olympia, WA

17h•$5,147 - $6,847•Onsite

About The Position

The Environmental Health Specialist I position within the Environmental Health Division of Thurston County Public Health and Social Services (PHSS) is responsible for implementing and enforcing environmental health regulations to protect public health and community resources. This role involves investigating complaints and potential violations related to septic systems, animal waste management, and other environmental health concerns, working collaboratively with property owners to achieve compliance. Additionally, the position supports a countywide stream and lake monitoring program by collecting and managing water quality data and communicating results to the public.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in environmental health, biology, bacteriology or related field.
One year of professional environmental health work experience requiring extensive public contact.
Current Washington State driver's license or have requested and obtained an appropriate accommodation.

Nice To Haves

Additional experience may substitute for education on a year-for-year basis.
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
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
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

Responsibilities

Enforce the PHSS Sanitary Code in relation to water quality concerns
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
Investigate, sample, evaluate, and act upon public complaints of conditions involving pollution, disease, illness, or contamination
Conduct sanitary surveys and dye tests on onsite sewage systems
Document inspection results and prepare documentation needed for enforcement action for failing septic systems and other nonpoint pollution sources
Work with property owners and residents to correct conditions on their site that contribute to or have the potential to contribute to pollution
Conduct environmental studies by gathering, evaluating, and reporting on data
Manage and analyze data
Maintain rigorous quality assurance/quality control standards
Offer technical support and education to the public
Conduct water quality monitoring in lakes, streams, groundwater, and marine waters
Write technical reports
Spend long hours on foot and walking over rough terrain and up hills, in addition to lifting objects and material weighing up to 25 pounds
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. This includes emergency preparedness training and exercises, relevant to the work expectations of duties during emergencies.