Environmental Health Specialist - Housing Inspector
This is beginning level professional field work in environmental health. An employee in this class performs a variety of environmental health assignments in specialized fields such as residential environment, sanitation and environmental safety, water pollution control, solid waste control, vector control, food protection, or lead poisoning prevention. Assignments are selected to provide experience and training in the practical application of the principles of environmental health. Supervision is received from Program Administrators or Supervisors who provide detailed instructions and guidance on new work; however, employees are expected to exercise independent judgment in carrying out assignments as experience is gained.
Benefits
- Paid holidays, personal days, vacation, and sick leave benefits
- Medical and dental coverage
- Retirement plan
- Life insurance
- Deferred compensation plan (after eligibility requirements are met)
Perks
- Professional growth through training opportunities (CPR, First Aid, Public Health Preparedness, Dignity and Respect, Points of Dispensing, and more)
- Ability to advance in county system
- Job security
- Meaningful daily work derived from public service
- Eligible for federal loan forgiveness
- Organizational commitment to ACHD’s mission to protect, promote, and preserve the health and well-being of all Allegheny County residents, particularly the most vulnerable
Responsibilities
- Conducts inspections of permitted facilities or in response to community complaints based on the applicable assigned ACHD program to assure compliance with environmental health policies and regulations
- Reviews permit applications and other related applications for facilities to ensure compliance with environmental health or safety principles and regulations
- Performs routine field tests and collects samples for laboratory testing
- Manages requests for service, maintains correspondence with complainants and relevant parties, and progresses cases in a timely manner
- Investigates complaints, prepares reports of inspections and investigations, and verbally communicates findings to the person-in-charge while in the field
- Participates in legal proceedings resulting from inspections or investigations
- Other duties as assigned related to and relevant to the mission of the ACHD program
Requirements
Knowledge Of
- Basic principles of chemistry, bacteriology, biology, physics, and epidemiology
- Basic statistical methods and techniques used in gathering and analyzing data
- Basic algebra
- Principles of food protection, vector control, lead poisoning, sewage and water treatment, solid waste management, or housing improvement
Skills In
- Investigative skills
- Supervisory skills
- Safety management
- Policies and procedures development
- Employee/consumer relations
- Communication
- Organization
- Time management
- Public health
- Microsoft Office
Abilities
- Use inductive and deductive reasoning
- Learn to recognize hazardous environmental conditions
- Express ideas clearly and concisely, in oral, written, and graphic form
- Secure and analyze facts and conduct inspections of hazardous environmental conditions
- Establish and maintain effective working relationships with associates, government, professional and non-professional groups, and the general public
- Sufficient physical stamina to conduct field investigations in rough terrain and/or under adverse environmental conditions
- Availability to travel throughout the County as required by the agency
- Travel to and from work locations to carry out the responsibilities of the position
- Respond to public health emergencies
Residency: Must reside in Allegheny County within 1 year. Veterans' preference will be awarded to eligible candidates.