Environmental Health Specialist 1 or 2-RS - Food & Living Environment Program

Our Role: Want to do meaningful work that has a real impact in our community? Please come join our team-oriented, family-friendly organization of over 125 talented public health professionals. We work hard every day to keep Kitsap County safe and healthy. Keeping you and your family safe from foodborne illness is our job. It could be your job too!
The Programs: The Food and Living Environment Program consists of two programs. The Food Program is mandated under federal, state, and local regulations governing food safety. The specific functions of this position are to promote and protect the health, safety, and well-being of the public and to prevent the spread of disease through proper storage, handling, preparation, and service in food establishments or in food for public consumption.
The Living Environment Program is a partially-mandated program that covers public pools, spas, schools, camps, as well as other areas where the health and well-being of those involved may be affected by environmental concerns. Failure to perform tasks essential to the position could result in the impairment of human health or degradation of the environment.
The Position: Under the direction of the Food and Living Environment Program Manager, the incumbent performs associated environmental health duties as assigned. The incumbent will be assigned to work a varying and flexible 40-hour a week work schedule, which includes evenings, weekends, and holidays in rotation as required.
Hours: 40 hours per week – 100% FTE, requires occasional evening and weekend hours.
Status: Permanent full-time position.  
Benefits: The District offers a comprehensive health benefit plan which includes medical, dental, and life coverages, including several voluntary plan selections through The Standard, Aflac, and Met Life. The District provides medical and dental coverage contributing percentages of the average medical and dental insurance premium costs for full time employees as follows: Employee @ 100%, Employee & Spouse @ 90%, Employee & Child(ren) @ 90%, and Full Family @ 85%. Benefits include generous paid time off, and twelve paid holidays per year.  Employees participate in the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS), a defined benefit retirement plan managed by the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems and Social Security. Several deferred compensation retirement savings plans are also offered.
Please note: After a successful trial service period, generally at least three months, a limited hybrid telework arrangement may be established as mutually beneficial. 

Essential Functions:  

• Conducts routine and follow-up inspections at food service establishments in assigned area at set performance standards per month.
• Conducts temporary food service establishment inspections when required.
• Conducts interviews and investigations of foodborne illness complaints.
• Responds to general food service establishment complaints and makes inspections as necessary.
• Keeps current on food service and disease prevention issues, technology and regulations.
• Maintains database and file records.
• Conducts plan reviews and pre-operational inspections for new and remodeled food service establishments.
• Schedules and conducts office conferences and administrative hearings with food services establishment operators to provide and explain terms for continued operation.
• Conducts Smoking in Public Places (SIPP) and Vaping in Public Places (VIPP) inspections during routine food services establishment inspections.
• Develops educational materials.
• Conducts water recreation facility inspections in assigned areas and conducts follow-up inspections as needed.
• Conducts interviews and investigations of disease, injury, near drowning, and drowning.
• Assists with investigations of disease, injury, and general complaints.
• Responds to general water recreational facility complaints and makes inspections as necessary.
• Assists with standard calibration and maintenance service for program and field equipment and keeps maintenance logs.
• Provides technical assistance to and corresponds with, the general public, other governmental agencies, and Health District staff on program related activities.
• With the Program Manager and colleagues, works to develop, encourage, and sustain a team-oriented work environment.
• Attends meetings with federal, State, and local agencies. 
• Accurately completes and submits electronic timecards on a weekly basis as required.
• Maintains accurate and organized records, databases, systems and files.
• Prioritizes and plans own work activities. Uses work time and resources effectively.
• Prepares a variety of letters, memos, forms, reports, and other documents; operates computers utilizing a variety of software programs, including database and word processing applications, to produce documents with clearly organized thoughts using proper sentence construction, punctuation, and grammar.
• Responds to public health emergencies as required by the District. 
• Participates in quality improvement efforts.
• Serves as resource person for staff in their area of expertise. 
• Demonstrates cultural humility and embeds health equity into all aspects of assigned work and associated interactions.
• Works both independently and within a collaborative team-oriented environment; contributes openly, respectfully disagrees, understands the ideas of others, listens well, and works for consensus.
• Models a Lean Six Sigma organizational culture that promotes the practice of respect for people, openness, trust, safety, transparency, collaborative problem solving, managing with date, the pursuit of incremental continuous quality improvement and assurance.   
• Establishes and maintains cooperative, effective working relationships with coworkers, other District employees, and the general public using principles of good customer service.
• Reports for scheduled work with regular, reliable and punctual attendance.
• Performs other duties as assigned. 

See Job Announcement for Physical Demands & Working Conditions. 

Education & Experience:

Environmental Health Specialist 1

• Bachelor's degree in a related field.

Environmental Health Specialist 2-RS

• Bachelor's degree in environmental health or environmental science, or a bachelor's degree in a related field with a minimum of 45 quarter hours (30 semester hours) in physics, chemistry, organic chemistry, biology, microbiology, epidemiology, biostatistics, and college-level algebra or higher mathematics; and
• Two or more years of experience as an environmental health specialist in a public health agency or in the armed forces.
• Degrees must be from appropriately accredited institutions.

Proficiency in Spanish is preferred.   

Licenses, Certificates, and Other Requirements:

• Performance of job duties requires driving on a regular basis, a valid Washington State driver's license, the use of the incumbent's personal motor vehicle, and proof of appropriate auto insurance. 
• Environmental Health Specialist 2-RS requires possession of a valid Registered Sanitarian (RS) License from the Washington State Board of Registered Sanitarians or the National Environmental Health Association.
• May be required to possess a professional certification applicable to area of assignment.

All required certificates, registrations, or licenses must be maintained in an active status without suspension or revocation throughout employment.
 
For additional information and to complete the required electronic application, please visit the Careers section of our website at kitsappublichealth.org or visit GovernmentJobs.com.