Senior Environmental Health Specialist
Join the Department of Health Services as a Senior Environmental Health Specialist!
Starting Salary up to $49.10/hr ($102,477/yr), plus cash allowance of $600/month, and a competitive total compensation package!*
The County of Sonoma Department of Health Services (DHS) seeks experienced Registered Environmental Health Specialist candidates to fill full-time Senior Environmental Health Specialist (EHS) positions.
Please note: These positions require current possession of a valid certificate of registration as an Environmental Health Specialist as required by the State of California's Health and Safety Code. The State of California, Department of Public Health oversees the certification process for this position. Please visit the State of California Registered Environmental Health Specialist website for more information.
What Makes Sonoma County a Great Choice
Working at the County of Sonoma offers expansive opportunities for growth and development, the ability to be a part of a challenging and rewarding work environment, and the satisfaction of knowing you're working to better our communities. You can also look forward to excellent benefits* including:
- A hybrid telework schedule that meets the needs of our staff, department operations, and the communities we serve
- Eligibility for a salary increase after 1,040 hours (6 months when working full-time) for good work performance; eligibility for a salary increase for good performance every year thereafter, until reaching the top of the salary range
- Competitive vacation and sick leave accruals, 12 paid holidays, and an additional 8 floating holiday hours per year
- County paid 100% premium contribution for the majority of employee-only and employee + family health plan options
- An annual Staff Development/Wellness Benefit allowance of up to $850 and ongoing education/training opportunities
- County contribution to a Health Reimbursement Arrangement to help fund post-retirement employee health insurance/benefits
- Retirement fully integrated with Social Security
- May be eligible for up to 8 weeks (320 hours) of Paid Parental Leave after 12 months of County employment
Senior Environmental Health Specialists develop cooperative working relationships with the community and other regulatory agencies to protect public health and promote sound environmental practices; provide information to the public regarding food safety, recreational health, and other Environmental Health programs; and develop and utilize complex problem-solving and exceptional customer service skills both in the field conducting inspections, and when assisting the public on a walk-in basis. The position will have lead responsibilities within their assigned programs and will indirectly support other journey level staff conducting services within these programs.
Additionally, Senior Environmental Health Specialists also:
- Serve as a subject matter specialist and assist with program development in assigned area to increase efficiency
- Facilitate staff training within their respective program area
- Provide advice to the journey level staff on best practices and regulations, including when they are in the field
- Work closely with the Environmental Health Leadership Team to implement program improvements and new regulations
- Develop procedures and practices to provide consistency of operations and increase accuracy
- Inform the Leadership Team of upcoming regulatory changes, program needs, and suggested improvements.
- Enforce health and safety regulations for various establishments
All County staff are designated as Disaster Service Workers and this position may be responsible for working in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and/or in the field to assist with emergency-related operations as needed.
The ideal candidate will possess:
- Strong communication, interpersonal, and analytical skills
- Experience inspecting, investigating, and/or correcting unsanitary or hazardous conditions
- The ability to assess a situation and recommend appropriate solutions in a complex regulatory environment
- Experience as a lead worker
- The technical ability to interpret regulations and apply them effectively across programs
- The ability to work in a fast-paced and ever-changing environment
*Salary is negotiable within the established range. Benefits described herein do not represent a contract and may be changed without notice. Additional information can be found in the Engineers and Scientists of California Union Local 20 Memorandum of Understanding (ESC MOU) and our Employee Benefits directory.
This recruitment is being conducted to fill multiple full-time Senior Environmental Health Specialist positions in the Department of Health Services. This employment list may also be used to fill future full-time, part-time, or extra-help positions as they occur during the active status of the list. Qualified county employees who wish to be considered for future vacancies should consider applying to this recruitment.
Minimum Qualifications
Education and Experience: Any combination of education, training, and experience that would provide an opportunity to acquire the knowledge and abilities stated herein. Normally, this would include graduation from an accredited college or university with a degree in environmental health science, biology, chemistry, physics, microbiology, or related subjects, as required by state law, and two years of working level professional experience in the field of environmental health and safety regulation and enforcement (e.g. working as a Registered Environmental Health Specialist, a Registered Sanitarian, an Environmental Sanitarian, a Public Health Sanitarian, a Certified Environmental Health Professional, or as an equivalently recognized professional). One year of experience working in the environmental health and safety field in California is required. Additional certificated course work in a specialty area is desirable.
License: Possession of a valid certificate of registration as an Environmental Health Specialist as required by the State of California's Health and Safety Code.
Possession of a valid driver's license at the appropriate level including special endorsements, as required by the State of California, may be required, depending upon assignment, to perform the essential job functions of the position.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Thorough knowledge of: sanitation science, requirements and procedures and the methods and procedures used in inspecting, investigating and correcting unsanitary or hazardous conditions; federal, state and local laws and regulations governing environmental health and safety; principles and practices of public health; hazardous materials management and emergency response protocols; current methods, means and technologies used for training in the environmental health field.
Considerable knowledge of: principles of general chemistry, physics, microbiology and biology; environmental research and statistical methods; methods of gathering and analyzing data; basic building construction materials and principles relating to environmental health requirements.
Ability to: plan, organize and carry out research, analyze and evaluate data, and make recommendations based on findings; detect unsanitary conditions and public health hazards and secure their correction through education, voluntary compliance or legal enforcement; prepare and maintain complex, comprehensive reports and records; communicate verbal and written ideas clearly and logically; establish and maintain effective relationships with other governmental officials, the public, and administrative and professional personnel; design and conduct effective workshops in a way that meets the participants' needs.
Selection Procedure & Some Helpful Tips When Applying
- Your application information and your responses to the supplemental questions are evaluated and taken into consideration throughout the entire selection process.
- You should list all employers and positions held within the last ten years in the work history section of your application. Be as thorough as possible when responding to the supplemental questions.
- You may include history beyond ten years if related to the position for which you are applying. If you held multiple positions with one employer, list out each position separately.
- Failure to follow these instructions may impact your competitiveness in this process or may result in disqualification.