Environmental Health Specialist

Montrose County•Montrose, CO

7d•$31 - $36

About The Position

Position performs environmental health regulatory, compliance, and educational activities, including inspections, investigations, enforcement actions and responding to public inquiries. Works under the general supervision of the Public Health Director and normally receives little instruction on a day-to-day work and receives general instructions on new assignments. This position has no supervisory responsibilities. Any one position may not include all of the duties listed nor do the listed examples include all duties which may be found in positions of this class. Conducts inspections, plan reviews, complaint investigations and other compliance activities related to retail food establishments, schools, childcare centers, body art establishments, onsite water treatment systems (OWTS), and other assigned environmental health programs. Conduct pre-operational inspections and final approvals for new or remodeled regulated facilities prior to opening or licensing, as required. Respond to and investigate environmental health concerns including, but not limited to, water quality, air quality, and hazardous materials. Maintain accurate licensing, permitting, and inspection records; collect applicable fees in accordance with County financial policies and internal controls, and prepare written reports and correspondence for regulatory and public information purposes. Enters inspection, permitting, and investigation data into required state and County databases and ensures timely and accurate reporting in accordance with CDPHE. Obtain compliance with public health laws and regulations through education, corrective action, and administrative enforcement procedures, in coordination with supervisory staff and legal counsel as appropriate. Assist with foodborne illness investigations, zoonotic disease surveillance, and outbreak response activities, including environmental sampling, documentation, and coordination with state and regional partners. Coordinate with local, regional, and state agencies, emergency responders, and community partners to support environmental health response. Attend required training, meetings, conferences, and continuing education to maintain professional competence and required certifications. Provide education, technical assistance, and guidance to regulated facilities, contractors, community partners, and the general public regarding environmental health requirements and best practices. Exercise independent judgement in prioritizing work, identifying public health risks, and determining appropriate corrective actions within established authority. Participates in County emergency preparedness, response, and recovery activities as assigned. Regular and predictable attendance is required.

Requirements

A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in environmental health, biology, public health, or environmental science, or a closely related field, or any combination of education and experience that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.
Knowledge of environmental health principles and regulations.
Knowledge of physical, biological and /or environmental sciences related to job assignments.
Registered Environmental Health Specialist (REHS), Certified Professional in Food Safety (CP-FS), Colorado Professionals in Onsite wastewater (CPOW), or ability to obtain required program certifications and CDPHE standardization within established timeframes.
Ability to conduct inspections, investigations, sampling, and other assignments.
Ability to prepare and conduct presentations.
Ability to maintain organized and accurate files and record keeping systems.
Ability to solve problems appropriately, considering impact on human health and the environment.
Ability to take responsibility for, prioritize multiple assignments, and track own progress.
Must have the ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing and the skill to organize materials and present information clearly in verbal and written form.
Must be able to read, understand, and interpret work related documents.
Must understand and follow verbal and written instructions.
Must demonstrate knowledge of the English language, proper grammar, punctuation and spelling in oral and written communication
Must be able to read, comprehend and apply laws, rules, regulations, policies and standard operating procedures required for this position.
Must be able to make effective and persuasive presentation.
Must possess the ability to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with fellow employees, representatives of other agencies and organizations and members of the community.
Have strong customer service orientation and work collaboratively within a team environment.
Interact professionally and diplomatically with County employees, other agencies and organizations and members of the community and manage difficult or emotional customer situations.
Possess the ability to recognize when confidentiality is required and maintain strict confidentiality.
Must maintain appropriate professional boundaries in relationships with customer/clients and the general public.
Must have the ability to work with basic mathematical concepts such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division and apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations.
Must be able to apply principles of logic and reasoning or scientific thinking to a wide range of intellectual and practical problems and work independently with minimal direction.
Must be able to prioritize work and simultaneously manage multiple responsibilities at times under pressure of tight deadlines and emotional situations.
Must have the skill to solve problems involving concrete and abstract variables in a variety of situations within established guidelines.
Must be able to effectively use office technology, including computers, calculators, telephone and copiers with scanning and faxing capabilities.
Must have experience with word processing, database, spread sheets, email, and the knowledge to save and retrieve documents from a variety of destinations and sources.
Must be able to learn the software and programs related to the position and the County.
Must possess and maintain a valid Colorado Driver’s License.
Complete training or standardization required by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment or by Montrose County.
Must complete the following NIMS training within one year of receiving this position: IS 700/100 and IS 200.

Nice To Haves

Previous experience in environmental health, public health, inspection, code enforcement, environmental compliance, or related field is preferred.

Responsibilities

Conducts inspections, plan reviews, complaint investigations and other compliance activities related to retail food establishments, schools, childcare centers, body art establishments, onsite water treatment systems (OWTS), and other assigned environmental health programs.
Conduct pre-operational inspections and final approvals for new or remodeled regulated facilities prior to opening or licensing, as required.
Respond to and investigate environmental health concerns including, but not limited to, water quality, air quality, and hazardous materials.
Maintain accurate licensing, permitting, and inspection records; collect applicable fees in accordance with County financial policies and internal controls, and prepare written reports and correspondence for regulatory and public information purposes.
Enters inspection, permitting, and investigation data into required state and County databases and ensures timely and accurate reporting in accordance with CDPHE.
Obtain compliance with public health laws and regulations through education, corrective action, and administrative enforcement procedures, in coordination with supervisory staff and legal counsel as appropriate.
Assist with foodborne illness investigations, zoonotic disease surveillance, and outbreak response activities, including environmental sampling, documentation, and coordination with state and regional partners.
Coordinate with local, regional, and state agencies, emergency responders, and community partners to support environmental health response.
Attend required training, meetings, conferences, and continuing education to maintain professional competence and required certifications.
Provide education, technical assistance, and guidance to regulated facilities, contractors, community partners, and the general public regarding environmental health requirements and best practices.
Exercise independent judgement in prioritizing work, identifying public health risks, and determining appropriate corrective actions within established authority.
Participates in County emergency preparedness, response, and recovery activities as assigned.