DescriptionENVIRONMENTAL REGULATORY PROFESSIONAL - UTILITIES DIVISION
Work Location: 1011 Jim Keene Blvd, Winter Haven, FL 33880
PG 21 Non-Exempt
$67,433 - $101,129 annually
Employee Benefits
- Direct Deposit, Bi-Weekly Pay Checks
- Medical, Dental, Vision
- Life Insurance
- FRS Retirement
- 10 Paid Holidays
- Paid Time Off
- Tuition Reimbursement
- Education Incentives
- Deferred Compensation Plan
- Wellness Incentives
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- Free Employee Gym
- Free Employee Health Clinic
MAJOR FUNCTION
This is responsible, professional work, to ensure that the activities of the Polk County Utilities (PCU) Division comply with national, state, and local laws. Employees in this class exercise a high degree of judgment, skill, and initiative in making independent work decisions and technical activities and preparation of an annual budget to complete the assigned programs. This position requires an analytical person, who knows the regulations and requirements governing utility and environmental compliance for Polk County and is proficient in interpreting rule language and applying their knowledge to the benefit of the County. The employee must be able to evaluate, plan, and implement, the inspection, sampling, monitoring, and reporting of water, wastewater, reclaimed water, storm water and related facility issues to ensure the County’s utility systems are in full compliance with local, state, and federal regulations.
ILLUSTRATIVE DUTIES
The employee will be expected to establish and maintain a comprehensive environmental compliance program to meet monitoring and reporting requirements governing assigned program areas. This position will report to and liaise with the Compliance Projects Supervisor to make decisions and policies that adhere to utility rules and regulations. The employee will be required to institute compliance protocols and perform periodic audits to ensure compliance with regulations and internal policies for the County’s environmental compliance programs. The specific responsibilities of this role are:
- Investigation of all reportable releases of hazardous materials such as ammonia, chlorine, sodium hypochlorite, and all other CERCLA releases
- Oversight of program to safely dispose of unusable and unsafe pesticides, and lithium containing products within Polk County.
- Investigation of any spill or release that occurs in Polk County
- Review of illegal dumping on Polk County Right of Way
- Environmental Site Assessments or Audits for Polk County divisions or constitutional offices
- General Public Record Requests on County response to environmental concerns
- Tracking legislative and regulatory processes for real and potential impact to the County’s environmental compliance. The employee will establish an audit program to find gaps in the current compliance strategies and recommend actions to rectify them.
- Establishing and maintain relationships with regulatory agencies and other strategic partners on local, state, and federal levels.
- Maintaining protocol systems to identify and handle potential violations to include the emergency notification protocol for abnormal events. The employee will create or review the
- production of monthly trending reports on flow quantity, water quality, and permit condition compliance to proactively identify potential impacts and establish a quality control / quality assurance protocol for data entered by staff into any of the Division’s information systems.
- Developing standard compliance operating procedures and a training program for all employees on the rules and regulations so purpose and importance of tasks are clear, and consequences for the County are understood.
- Actively collaborates in activities across the County that involve Utilities compliance and regulations.
- Taking timely actions to ensure compliance, with national, state, and local laws and internal policies, which may include preparing written and oral responses to actions as issued by regulatory agencies, e.g., information requests or non-compliance notices.
The employee will confer with consultants as directed regarding budget(s), contract specifications and cost estimates. He or she will prepare the necessary paperwork for the approval of the contracts to include agenda items for the Board of County Commissioners.
Significant field and office tasks may be required during nontraditional work hours including early mornings, late evenings, and weekends in accordance with regulatory schedules and operational needs. In addition, the employee may be required to present sworn testimony, and evidence during court hearings. This staff member will represent the County at regulatory and public meetings, conferences, and seminars as a participant or presenter as required, as well as in various organizations involving environmental compliance regulations. Perform other related duties as required.
The selected candidate will be evaluated on periodic status reports (which will vary in frequency with time in the position), demonstrated compliance with rules, permits, and ability to work with co-workers, regulatory agencies, and external partners. The employee will also provide targeted program updates (including coordination with the Communications Division for abnormal events, public notifications, and social media updates) to regulatory agencies and customers that fully capture programmatic success. Specific Workload, Effectiveness and Efficiency Indicators will be outlined within the first 30 days with input from the selected candidate
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES
The employee must possess high proficiency in such as written and oral communication, organizational abilities, and strong interpersonal skills, as it involves liaising with different stakeholders, internally and externally. The employee must be both detail oriented and able to apply critical thinking on a large scale. In addition, he or she must be able to think and react calmly in the best interest of the county.
- Knowledge in two or more of the following areas related to utilities management, such as: hydrology, geology, biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, or water supply planning.
- Knowledge of and ability to implement the principles and practices of utilities management, water resource management, and associated laws and ordinances to maintain compliance.
- Knowledge of the qualitative and quantitative analysis of water and wastewater.
- Knowledge of quality assurance sampling, safety, and laboratory protocols.
- Knowledge of well drilling and abandonment methods.
- Ability to review and interpret federal statutes, state regulations, and local ordinances.
- Ability to apply advanced professional knowledge of chemistry, biology, and related fields to ensure compliance with laws and regulations concerning the division’s facilities.
- Ability to plan, assign and supervise the work of professional and technical personnel in a manner conducive to full performance and high morale.
- Ability to establish and maintain an effective working relationship with government officials, fellow employees, and the public.
- Ability to prepare budgets and follow procurement procedures according to County policies.
- Ability to prepare and interpret various maps and construction plans, perform field observations, research work, and provide a technical analysis.
- Skill in presenting and interpreting factual field and laboratory data.
- Skill in utilizing computer software packages, spreadsheets, and databases; Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams. Other software utilized by the Division such as CIS Infinity, Lucity CAM, HachWIMS, Simplify I3, Crystal Reports and PowerBI is preferred.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Must have valid driver’s license and be able to secure a valid Florida Driver’s License at the time of employment within this classification.
Bachelor’s degree in chemistry, biology, civil or environmental engineering, physical geography, geology, environmental studies, natural science, or a closely related field, with a minimum of five (5) years of experience in environmental compliance.
A comparable amount of related training and experience may be substituted for the minimum qualifications except for the degree requirement.
Must have active telephone number at the time of employment as employee is subject to standby and/or call out for emergencies.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
This position shall be required to report for work as directed when a declaration of emergency has been declared in Polk County.
SPECIAL PREFERENCES
Special preference is given to those with supervisory experience.
