Location: Houston,TX, USA
Position Description
Harris County Pollution Control Services Department (HCPCS) Mission
The mission of Harris County Pollution Control Services Department (HCPCS) is to protect the citizens of Harris County from environmental impacts through firm, consistent enforcement of state and federal regulations. The ultimate goal of PCS is clean air, water, and proper management of waste. The activities PCS are directed toward ensuring clean air and water for the citizens of Harris County, consistent with the protection of public health, enjoyment of property and the protection of plant, animal, and marine life.
What you will do for Harris County Pollution Control
Under general supervision, the Environmental Response Specialist will respond to environmental emergencies in Harris County such as HAZMAT spills, industrial fires, and emission events. Individuals in this role will be responsible for conducting routine inspections, monitoring air quality, addressing field complaints, and writing reports. In addition, this role involves availability as part of a rotating on-call schedule, collaboration with other agencies, and assisting in field training for new employees. The Environmental Response Specialist must possess basic knowledge and understanding of the Texas Administrative Code, Texas Health and Safety Code, and Harris County rules and regulations, exhibit excellent communication, collaboration, reporting, and decision-making skills, and be able to effectively perform environmental response efforts.
Duties and Responsibilities:
* Reports: Writes various reports regarding each response and investigation, including a detailed report of performed activities, data collected, and supporting documentation.
* Environmental Response: Remains available and on-call, in a rotation with other ER Specialists, for seven consecutive days to promptly respond to environmental emergencies in Harris County, such as floods, disasters, chemical spills, fires, etc.
* Air Monitoring: Utilizes handheld instruments and GPS tracking to conduct air quality assessments in response to environmental incidents, severe weather, and natural disasters.
* Field Complaints & Inspections: Conducts investigations in response to citizen complaints of air, solid and hazardous waste, stormwater, and wastewater issues to determine compliance with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), Texas Health and Safety Code, and Harris County rules and regulations; communicates rules and regulations to the public, subjects, and complainants; issues violation notices. Also conducts follow-up inspections of complaints or environmental response investigations to ensure compliance.
* Collaboration: Works closely with Harris County agencies to address, manage, and ensure coordinated and effective responses to environmental emergencies.
* Training: Participates in training activities and assists with training newly hired employees by performing fieldwork.
* Other duties as assigned:
* This Job Description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this position. Management may, at its discretion, assign, or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.
Harris County is an Equal Opportunity Employer
If you need special services or accommodations, please call (713) ###-#### or email ...@bmd.hctx.net.
This position is subject to a criminal history check. Only relevant convictions will be considered and, even when considered, may not automatically disqualify the candidate.
Requirements
Education & Experience:
* Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, Chemistry, Ecology, Geology, Environmental Science or a directly related field from an accredited college or university
* Two (2) years of experience in environmental response
Licensure/Certification:
* Valid Driver's License (TX upon hire)
* Must have certification for 40-hour HAZWOPER training or be able to obtain certification within three (3) months of employment.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
* Knowledge of environmental issues through education or practical experience.
* Possess a basic understanding of state and federal statutes and regulations related to air, water,
and solid waste issues.
* Familiarity with environmental monitoring/sampling equipment.
* Proficiency in Microsoft Office Programs and Adobe Acrobat.
* Basic computer skills.
* Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
* Strong time management, organization, prioritization, and decision-making skills.
* Great interpersonal and collaboration skills.
* Must be able to wear a full-face respirator.
NOTE: Qualifying education, experience, knowledge, and skills must be documented on your job application. You may attach a resume to the application as supporting documentation but ONLY information stated on the application will be used for consideration. See Resume will not be accepted for qualifications.
General Information
Position Type and Typical Hours of Work:
* Full time | Monday - Friday | 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
* Operating on a hybrid schedule and rotating on-call shifts
Required to work weekends, holidays, and overtime for emergency and disaster response
* Flexibility in working hours essential to support continuous operations
Reporting Relationships:
* Reports to Position: Supervisor, Environmental Response
* Supervised Positions: None
Work Environment and Physical Demands:
* This role involves operating within an office and outdoor setting, implying that a significant portion of the tasks and responsibilities will take place outside of traditional indoor office spaces. The physical demands are medium, with individuals potentially exerting up to 50 pounds of force on occasion.
* Possible work exposures include dangerous chemicals, loud noises, inclement weather, various temperature changes, or dangerous and adverse populations.
Employment may be contingent on passing a drug screen and meeting other standards.
Due to a high volume of applications positions may close prior to the advertised closing date or at the discretion of the Hiring Department.
BENEFITS
Harris County offers a competitive benefits program, including comprehensive group health and related benefits plan as well as defined benefit retirement plan.
The following list of benefits is offered only to employees in regular (full-time) positions:
* Medical Coverage
* Dental Coverage
* Vision Coverage
* Wellness Plan
* Life Insurance
* Long-term disability
* Employee Assistance Program
* Ten (10) days of vacation each year for the first five (5) years of service
* Accrual rates increase based on years of service
* Eleven (11) County-observed holidays and one (1) floating holiday
* Professional development opportunities
* Dependent Care Reimbursement Plan
* Healthcare Reimbursement Account
* 457 Deferred Compensation Plan
The following benefits are also available to regular (full-time) employment and may be available to part-time employees:
* Retirement Pension (TCDRS)
* Flexible schedule (varies by department)
* Transportation Assistance (Metro RideSponsor Program)
In accordance with the Harris County Personnel Regulations, Group Health and related benefits are subject to amendment or discontinuance at any time. Commissioners Court reserves the right to make benefit modifications on the County's behalf as needed.
For plan details, visit the Harris County benefits website:
01
Which of the following best describes your highest level of education completed as it relates to this position?
* High School or GED diploma
* Associate Degree
* Bachelor's Degree
* Master's Degree or higher
* None of the above
02
If you selected a college degree in response to the previous question, which of the following best describes your major?
* Chemistry
* Biology
* Environmental Sciences
* Ecology
* Geology
* Other Related Field
* Unrelated Field
* N/A; No Degree
03
Which of the following best describes your verifiable directly related experience in environmental response? (To be considered, qualifying experience must be documented in your application's employment history)
* Less than two (2) years
* Two (2) years or more but less than three (3) years
* Three (3) years or more but less than four (4) years
* Four (4) years or more but less than five (5) years
* Five (5) years or more but less than six (6) years
* Six (6) years or more but less than seven (7) years
* Seven (7) years or more
* I do not have this experience.
04
Please provide the dates of employment during which you obtained experience in environmental response. Provide the month and year that began and ended the experience. Example: January 2020 - December 2023 If this experience is not clearly documented in the Work Experience section, your application will be disqualified. If you do not have this experience, type N/A in the space provided.
05
Which of the following describes your level of proficiency using a personal computer and common office software such as MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook). Please select your level of proficiency based on the following descriptions: Advanced: A person with this level of skills is able to produce very large, complex formal documents that require a table of contents, footnotes, endnotes, bookmarks, and other special elements; a wide range of graphic effects, and use advanced techniques for analyzing and manipulating data. Has full mastery of Macro commands and skills to tie the objects together into a cohesive system by using Macros and Visual Basic for Applications code. Makes interactive presentations by using hyperlinks and action buttons. Intermediate: A person with this level of skills is able to customize toolbars, import and insert graphs, embed Excel data, and elaborate reports. Understands the concepts of databases and is able to work with charts and to use the list management capabilities of Excel. Able to use complex query techniques, create efficient forms and reports, and create Macros to automate these forms. Makes interactive presentations by using hyperlinks and action buttons. Basic: A person with this level of skills is able to use basic formatting, editing, printing functions, and understands the document page setup. Has the ability to enter and correct data, modify a workbook, format a worksheet, and use printing functions. Understands the different database concepts and structures and is familiar with data validation and is able to create a simple presentation in PowerPoint, run it, and print it. Entry Level: A person with this level of skills has the ability to open, create, save and modify documents in Word, send and receive email in Outlook and create spreadsheets in Excel. Format documents for printing, comfortable using the printer menu to preview documents. Has ability to change the font, the margins, insert or delete pages and use the built-in spellchecker and grammar check.
* Advanced
* Intermediate
* Basic
* Entry Level
* Not proficient
06
For this position, a valid Texas Driver's License is necessary. Please choose the option that best describes your situation: (Please be sure to include all related details in the Certificates and Licenses section of your application.)
* Yes, I currently hold a valid Texas Driver's License.
* Yes, I possess a valid Out-of-State Driver's License, but I am aware that I must acquire a valid Texas Driver's License before the start date.
* No, I do not currently have a driver's license, but I commit to obtaining one before the start date.
* No, I do not currently have a valid driver's license.
07
Do you currently have a 40-hour HAZWOPER training certification?
* Yes, I currently have a 40-hour HAZWOPER certification.
* No, but I am able to obtain the certification within 3 months of employment.
* No, not interested.
Required Question
Agency Harris County
Address 1111 Fannin St
Ste. 600
Houston, Texas, 77002
Phone 713-###-####
Website