About
Transylvania County Public Health is looking for a dedicated Environmental Health Program Specialist to preform advanced professional environmental health work focused on promoting public health through education, surveillance, consultation, inspection, quality assurance, and enforcement of State, Local, and Federal environmental health laws and regulations.
Specifically, the Program Specialist position assists in the coordination and implementation of all programs within the Food Protection and Facilities Branch and the Children’s Environmental Health Services Branch. Responsibilities include regulating and overseeing activities of food service facilities, lodging establishments, institutions, residential care homes, local confinement facilities, summer residential and day camps, bed-and-breakfast homes and inns, adult day service facilities, public and private schools, childcare centers and large homes, public swimming pools, tattoo artists and parlors, private water supplies, mass gatherings, and the environmental components of childhood lead poisoning prevention.
Essential Functions
- The Program Specialist helps with workload assignments, provides technical assistance on complex problems to other Environmental Health Specialists, trains and evaluates new trainee specialists and provides general management and quality assurance of the stated programs.
- The majority of the time is spent providing direct services such as routine sanitation inspections, plan review, and consultation to clients.
- The Program Specialist position is the formal education/training component of both the Food Protection and Facilities Branch and the Children’s Environmental Health Services Branch programs.
- Responsibility includes content development, coordinating, implementing, and teaching course work as well as being the direct contact person for obtaining professional guest lecturers.
- Food service professionals, childcare workers, patient direct caregivers, parents, families, and the general public are among the target groups. The Program Specialist will have shared responsibility of assuring compliance with state laws, rules, policies, and procedures as delegated by the Environmental Health Supervisor.
- The Program Specialist will also spend time assisting with the planning and goal development for the Food Protection and Facilities Branch and the Children’s Environmental Health Services Branch programs and the potable water lab and will provide some degree of liaison between Environmental Health field staff and management/administration.
- The Program Specialist often acts as the main liaison between the food service industry and general public with upper- level local health officials and the NC state regional health officials.
- The Program Specialist serves on the inter-disciplinary health department “Epi-Team” for the environmental component of disease outbreak control and investigation. Perform other related duties as required.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Knowledge of environmental health laws, rules, and procedures, as well as complete understanding of the concepts of public health law.
- Knowledge of microbiology, biology, chemistry, food science, epidemiology, soil science, entomology, and basic engineering technology as applied to environmental health practices.
- Knowledge of the responsibilities of other agencies relating to environmental health and community resources.
- Knowledge of the interrelationship between socio-economic factors and environmental health concerns.
- Knowledge of the design of on-site wastewater treatment systems, protection of water supplies, food sanitation, food borne diseases, communicable diseases, vector control, solid waste management, and institutional sanitation.
- Ability to analyze and comprehend a wide variety of technical and administrative regulations, records, and reports.
- Ability to exercise sound judgment and deal tactfully with a wide range of public contacts while enforcing public health laws and regulations.
- Ability to motivate and educate business and property owners and the consuming public in matters related to protecting and promoting public health.
- Ability to present formal environmental health training programs.
- Ability to develop and express ideas and opinions concisely, comprehensively, and clearly in oral and written form.
- Ability to independently plan and schedule work activities and perform assignments.
- Ability to apply environmental health knowledges and techniques in the investigation of environmental health problems.
- Ability to coordinate work in a specialized program area.
- Ability to plan and implement education programs.
- Ability to work with others in solving the more complex environmental problems.
Physical Demand
This position involves moderate physical activity. Working conditions are typical of those encountered in most indoor/outdoor activities with the additional considerations of exposure to inclement weather, difficult terrain, or filth. Employees may have contact with antagonistic and/or uncooperative members of the general public.
Work Environment
Employees may be exposed to emotional stress, insects, animals, moving machinery, hot grease, sharp objects, inclement weather, slippery floors, traffic, communicable diseases, or other environmental hazards.
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the essential job functions satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the primary job functions herein described. Since every duty associated with this position may not be described herein, employees may be required to perform duties not specifically spelled out in the job description, but which may be reasonably considered to be incidental in the performing of their duties just as though they were actually written out in this job description.
Education and Experience
Minimum Education and Experience:
Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university and three (3) years of experience at the Environmental Health Specialist level in a health department. Qualifications are set at the state level, any additional experience & education will be evaluated within NCOSHR guidelines.
Required Licenses or Certifications:
- Driver's License valid in the State of North Carolina.
- Registered as a Sanitarian by the N.C. State Board of Sanitarian Examiners
Additional Requirements ad Information: - To ensure fair and accurate salary placement, applicants are strongly encouraged to provide a complete and detailed employment history. Incomplete job histories may result in a lower starting salary offer, as relevant experience cannot be fully evaluated without sufficient documentation.
- Successful completion of SBI background check with required fingerprinting by Sheriff Office. (Instructions issued by HR at pre-boarding)
- Successful completion of Transylvania County standard background check. (Instructions issued by HR at pre-boarding)
- Successful completion of drug screening. (Instructions issued by HR at pre-boarding)
