Environmental Scientist 3

State of Nevada•Las Vegas, NV

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP), Bureau of Corrective Actions is hiring for an Environmental Scientist 3 position located in the Las Vegas location. This position will serve as an Environmental Cleanup Case Officer in the Remediation and Leaking Underground Storage Tank Branch. Case Officers are responsible for providing regulatory oversight, review, and concurrence on environmental cleanup projects involving contaminated soil and groundwater in the State of Nevada. The Case Officer reviews work plans, provides guidance, analyzes data, drafts letters, and ensures compliance with State regulations of cleanup work conducted by property owners, responsible parties, or the State's cleanup contractors. Cleanups overseen by the Case Officer may involve petroleum hydrocarbons, chlorinated solvents, heavy metals, or other environmental contaminants from a number of release sources affecting differing soil types and groundwater conditions. The ideal candidate will have experience overseeing environmental remediation cases and a basic understanding of groundwater flow, contaminant transport principles, and identifying risks to human health and the environment. Environmental Scientists perform program research, planning and development, permitting, compliance monitoring, inspections/enforcement, and technical support services in relation to air, water, federal facilities, corrective action, mining, biology and waste environmental programs.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in the physical, natural resource or life sciences, engineering or closely related field and three years of professional environmental experience which involved environmental program research and planning; OR graduation from high school or equivalent and five years of professional environmental experience as described above; OR one year of experience as an Environmental Scientist 2 in Nevada State service; OR an equivalent combination of education and experience as described above.
Working knowledge of: legal procedures related to the enforcement of pollution control, if applicable to the position; EPA and other federal and State grant requirements.
Ability to: effectively communicate technical, scientific, environmental, regulatory and legal information verbally and in writing to subordinates, individuals and groups with varying backgrounds; evaluate potential radiological, chemical and/or biological hazards and determine proper actions to safeguard individual and public safety; recognize existing or potential problems which require communication to higher level management; act as a lead worker to organize, oversee and delegate work responsibilities; independently establish priorities which accurately reflect the relative importance of job responsibilities; interpret and enforce department and division policies and rules; draft complete, accurate and legally defensible enforcement/mitigation action and programmatic documents and effectively implement enforcement/mitigation action procedures; negotiate with the regulated and natural resource community to ensure compliance and resolve issues; analyze complex data and apply concepts to difficult problems.

Nice To Haves

Experience overseeing environmental remediation cases
Basic understanding of groundwater flow
Basic understanding of contaminant transport principles
Basic understanding of identifying risks to human health and the environment

Responsibilities

Develop program documents such as the annual program plan, quarterly activities report, environmental assessments, technical reports and environmental impact statements in accordance with federal and State requirements; review existing program standards; research, compile and verify available data; analyze data and trends including the projected impact of federal, State and local regulations; propose new or revised standards; develop regulations, procedures and protocols and draft legislation; provide information and technical assistance to the general public and regulated community; develop and provide training to staff and the regulated community; prepare various reports as required for planning or in response to requests from the legislature, general public, regulated community, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), or Division of Environmental Protection (DEP) administration; conduct public hearings; justify with fact sheets and discussion as required.
Conduct research through the use of technical, scientific and historical data to provide a tool for administrative and resource planning and decision making; coordinate with other agencies involved in the implementation of environmental programs; represent the division or agency at various meetings involving federal, State and local regulatory and resource agencies, the public, non-governmental organizations and the regulated community; participate in federal, State and local policy and regulation development.
Develop grant applications, proposals for performance, grant workplans, budgets and applications using federal and State policies and procedures; negotiate commitments with federal, State and local agencies; solicit project proposals; negotiate workplans and draft contract documents and required amendments; monitor grant performance, expenditures and contracts.
Develop and draft permits for industry and governmental entities; compile facility data; examine and adapt the permit to applicable standards; establish limitations; review permits for regulatory compliance; perform public permit notification and final permit issuance.
Perform compliance monitoring; analyze submitted environmental reports in relation to technical, scientific and legal criteria and make recommendations to ensure compliance; take periodic samples according to established protocol and transport to appropriate laboratories; operate various monitoring equipment; evaluate new and existing sample sites for usefulness.
Respond to environmental complaints through investigation, determination of complaint validity and determination of appropriate action to be taken.
Conduct inspections to ensure compliance with federal, State and local regulations; inspect pollution control equipment; take or observe others taking samples; determine whether violations are occurring; make a detailed report and recommendation to the appropriate entity; determine appropriate enforcement action to be initiated; prepare notices of violation; meet with the regulated community, potentially responsible parties and attorneys to present findings and negotiate resolutions, administrative settlements and civil penalties; give depositions, testify in court as required and serve as the State's expert witness in lawsuits and other court matters.
Perform various technical services required to carry out any of the above-mentioned duties, including calculating pollutant concentrations, calibrating a variety of sampling equipment and preparing monitoring sites.
Input and access data to and from a national data system maintained by the EPA in accordance with federal grant requirements; perform computer modeling using computer programs to manipulate data; evaluate environmental data and make decisions based on this information.
Incumbents are primarily responsible for the complex planning, enforcement, contract coordination, pollution prevention, monitoring and/or permitting functions within a program area (e.g., air pollution) and may provide work direction to lower-level staff.
Perform related duties as assigned.