About this Job
The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality’s (LDEQ) mission is to provide service to the people of Louisiana through comprehensive environmental protection in order to promote and protect health, safety, and welfare.
Join the team that stands at the front line of protecting Louisiana’s air quality. As an Environmental Scientist in the Air Enforcement Section, you’ll turn complex technical data into meaningful enforcement action—ensuring facilities across the state comply with state and federal Clean Air Act requirements. If you’re driven by science, investigation, and real-world environmental impact, this role puts your expertise to work where it matters most.
Minimum Qualifications
A bachelor’s degree in an environmental, biological, atmospheric, chemical, health, nuclear or physical science field, an engineering field, a geography/geosciences field, a natural resources field, or in a statistics or quantitative methods field; OR
A master’s degree or doctorate in an environmental, biological, atmospheric, chemical, health, nuclear or physical science field, an engineering field, a geography/geosciences field, a natural resources field, or in a statistics or quantitative methods field.
Job Specification
The official job specifications for this role, as defined by the State Civil Service, can be found here.
Job Duties and Other Information
Job Duties:
Review inspection reports, self-reported notifications, and required permit reports to determine compliance with state and federal air regulations.
Identify violations, prioritize significant and High Priority Violations, and draft appropriate enforcement actions.
Monitor facilities after enforcement actions, verify return to compliance, and recommend escalated action when necessary.
Prepare penalty assessments and settlement documentation, including calculating economic benefit of non-compliance.
Conduct compliance inspections and investigations to support enforcement cases and ensure accurate, defensible findings.
Position-Specific Details:Appointment Type: Either a probationary appointment, a job appointment (a temporary appointment not to exceed four years), or promotion of a permanent classified employee. If the position is filled as a job appointment, it could be converted to a probational appointment should funding become available.
Location: East Baton Rouge
Career Progression: Environmental Scientist 1- Environmental Scientist 3, depending on the level of experience of the selected applicant.
Compensation:This position offers a Special Entrance Rate (SER) listed below. This is the minimum compensation that may be offered. The job title and salary offered will be determined based on qualifications and experience.
- Environmental Scientist 1: $20.91 per hour
- Environmental Scientist 2: $22.38 per hour
- Environmental Scientist 3: $25.62 per hour
Overview of the five major offices within the agency: It provides information on the mission, function, and organization,along with a biography for each member of management.
How To Apply:No Civil Service test score is required in order to be considered for this vacancy.
To apply for this vacancy, click on the “Apply” link above and complete an electronic application, which can be used for this vacancy as well as future job opportunities. Applicants are responsible for checking the status of their application to determine where they are in the recruitment process. Further status message information is located under the Information section of the Current Job Opportunities page.
*Information to support your eligibility for this job title must be included in the application (i.e., relevant, detailed experience/education). Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of completed education and experience sections on your application. Applications may be rejected if incomplete.
Please make every effort to attach a copy of your transcript to your application if possible (PDF format preferred).The selected candidate will be required to submit original documentation upon hire. You must submit an equivalency evaluation statement for any international degree(s) by the closing of this announcement.
For recruitment purposes, applicants who are within 90 days of graduating with a qualifying degree may be eligible for this position.
Contact Information:For further information about this vacancy, contact:
Heidi Seba
Human Resources
LA Department of Environmental Quality
P.O. Box 4303
Baton Rouge, LA 70821
225-219-3867
This agency participates in the E-Verify system for verification of citizenship and employment authorization.
Louisiana is a State As a Model Employer (SAME) that supports the recruitment, hiring, and retention of individuals with disabilities. Equal Opportunity Employer.
