OPS ENVIRONMENTAL SPECIALIST III - 42901623

State of Florida • Alachua, FL

1d • Onsite

About The Position

This is a full-time Other Personal Services (OPS) position with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Agricultural Environmental Services. The headquarters for this position is located at the Alachua Regional Service Center. This position supports mosquito control efforts in the Mosquito Control Support Region Three counties of Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Levy, Marion, Putnam, Suwannee, and Union. The incumbent has regulatory responsibilities and is subject to Chapter 60L-36, FAC. Occasional travel is required outside the assigned territory, and moderate travel is required within the assigned territory/counties. Successful applicants must pass a background screening, including fingerprinting, as a condition of employment.

Requirements

• A high school diploma or its equivalent and two (2) years of experience in environmental protection, regulation, or health; one of the physical or natural sciences.
• A high school diploma or its equivalent and one and a half (1.5) years of experience as an Environmental Specialist I or higher with the State of Florida.
• A bachelor's degree (4 years) or higher from an accredited college in entomology or biology, and six (6) months of experience in environmental protection, regulation, or health; one of the physical or natural sciences.
• Possession of a valid Class E driver license.
• All fields in the Candidate Profile must be completed (an attached resume is not a substitution for the information required on the candidate profile).
• Work history, duties and responsibilities, hours worked, supervisor, and formal education fields, etc. must be filled out to determine qualifications for this position.
• Responses to Qualifying Questions must be verifiable in the Candidate Profile.
• Knowledge of mosquito bionomics, surveillance, and control mechanisms.
• Ability to create and communicate presentations (in person or online) as indicated by the needs of the audience.
• Ability to communicate effectively in writing as indicated by the needs of the audience.
• Ability to work independently.
• Ability to deal with the public in a tactful and courteous manner.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with others.
• Ability to plan, organize and coordinate work assignments.
• Ability to use a personal computer.

Responsibilities

• Prepare training course materials and instruct mosquito control personnel on public health arthropods, arthropod biology, habitat, control, regulations, medical importance, identification and surveillance.
• Provide presentations to professional, educational, governmental, civic, and other organizations related to medical entomology and arthropod control.
• Perform training in proper standardized techniques for trapping to include sorting and shipping mosquito specimens for viral isolations.
• Update and revise written, electronic, and on-line materials for the mosquito control industry and the public.
• Perform mosquito surveillance and identification to assist local governmental organizations in obtaining population dynamics data.
• Coordinate and facilitate shipment of potential vector species to state laboratory for virus testing.
• Provide technical assistance in arthropod identification and control and make recommendations for mitigating disease carrying arthropods to mosquito control programs and other state and local agencies.
• Respond to public inquiries related to mosquitoes, termites, ants, bed bugs, cockroaches and other arthropod pests, as well as inquiries related to general pest control.
• Represent the department by attending staff meetings, conferences and workshops.
• Provide mosquito surveillance and control expertise to support the Division’s Incident Response team during emergency efforts to control mosquitoes.
• Assist in the review of pesticide registrations for those involving medical or agricultural entomology.
• Assist the department’s liaison during disease outbreaks and other entomologically related emergency situations.
• Participate in emergency planning and/or response activities based on outbreak and emergency situations.
• Prepare reports which may contain information derived from internal research projects, sample and surveillance data for mosquito identification and disease trends for department’s management, medical facilities, private companies and the general public upon request.
• Perform other related duties as required.

Benefits

• Participation in state group insurance (must meet eligibility requirements)
• Participation in the Florida Deferred Compensation Plan (457b)
• State of Florida 401(a) FICA Alternative Plan (tax deferred Retirement Savings Plan)
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: High school or GED