Salary: Depends on Qualifications

Location : Houston, TX

Job Type: Regular Full-time

Job Number: 13202

Department: Pollution Control Services Department

Opening Date: 07/23/2024

Closing Date: 8/31/2024 4:25 PM Central

Max Number of Applicants: 150

Position Description

Harris County Pollution Control Services Department (HCPCS) Mission
The mission of Harris County Pollution Control Services Department (HCPCS) is to protect the citizens of Harris County from environmental impacts through firm, consistent enforcement of state and federal regulations. The ultimate goal of PCS is clean air, water, and proper management of waste. The activities PCS are directed toward ensuring clean air and water for the citizens of Harris County, consistent with the protection of public health, enjoyment of property and the protection of plant, animal, and marine life.

What you will do for Harris County Pollution Control

Under the supervision of the Water Quality Supervisor, the Wastewater Investigator II will conduct field inspections, stormwater sampling, compliance monitoring and surveillance of industrial and wastewater treatment facilities. The Wastewater Investigator II will conduct routine inspections and investigate water complaints for compliance with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Texas Health and Safety Code, and Harris County rules and regulations and maintain proper records.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Inspection and Compliance:
  • Perform routine and technical inspections of permitted municipal and industrial wastewater treatment facilities for compliance with existing regulations and permit requirements.
  • Collect samples and perform field tests as required.
  • Notify operators/owners of noncompliance.

Program Assistance:

• Assist with the implementation of the Clean Rivers Program (Boat Runs).
• Assist with the development and sampling of the RAINS (Rapid Autonomous INfluent Samplers) Program, including the setup and retrieval of sampling equipment.

Investigations:

• Conduct investigations of citizen complaints of stormwater and wastewater problems to determine compliance with Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), Texas Health and Safety Code, and Harris County rules and regulations.

Public Interaction and Education:

• Answer public inquiries regarding wastewater issues, bacteria reduction, and other pertinent information.
• Maintain a current working knowledge of environmental issues.
• Provide technical support and mentor new employees in the field.
• Communicate regulations, rules, etc., to the public, subjects, and complainants while maintaining a professional, courteous attitude.

Monitoring:

• Conduct stormwater representative monitoring for the MS4 Program as needed.

• Administration:
  • Gather evidence for court action as required.
  • Prepare and perform testimony in court cases.
  • Prepare necessary correspondence and record keeping.

Safety/Other:

• Review applicable SOPs.
• May serve as a trainer for new employees and assist with in-service training.
• Responsibilities include other duties as assigned, including special tasks involved in responding to an emergency event.

Harris County is an Equal Opportunity Employer
https://hrrm.harriscountytx.gov/Pages/EqualEmploymentOpportunityPlan.aspx
If you need special services or accommodations, please call (713) 274-5445 or email

This position is subject to a criminal history check. Only relevant convictions will be considered and, even when considered, may not automatically disqualify the candidate.

Requirements

Education:

• Bachelor of Science degree emphasis in chemistry, biology, environmental science or environmental technology or related field from an accredited college or university

Experience:

• One (1) year work experience in environmental and/or wastewater related fields
• Proficiency in MS Word, PowerPoint, and Access

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Ability to manage multiple projects and work independently
• Must have good written and verbal skills
• Must be able to drive extensively
• Must be able to quickly understand principles and practices of environmental laws
• Understand applicable environmental rules, regulations (state and federal), policies and
  procedures
• Must establish effective working relationships, exercise balanced judgment and
  organize work for the maximum efficiency
• Must be able to drive extensively yet plan daily schedule to maximize work time and
  minimize drive time as much as possible
• Must have a basic understanding of how to operate a computer to run programs and
  searches is required, with word processing, email and database proficiency

NOTE: Qualifying education, experience, knowledge, and skills must be documented on your job application. You may attach a resume to the application as supporting documentation but ONLY information stated on the application will be used for consideration. "See Resume" will not be accepted for qualifications.

General Information

Position Type and Typical Hours of Work:

• Full time | Monday - Friday | 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
  
• Weekend and other hours may be required as needed to complete tasks and in the event of an emergency or stormwater events

Reporting Relationships:

• Reports to Position: TBD
• Supervised Positions: None

Work Environment:

• Work in an office environment
• Work in an outdoor environment
• Possible exposure to inclement weather or various temperature changes
• Possible exposure to loud noises in the environment
• Possible exposure to dangerous chemicals
• Laboratory work will include working with lab analysis equipment, chemicals and samples

Employment may be contingent on passing a drug screen and meeting other standards.

Due to a high volume of applications positions may close prior to the advertised closing date or at the discretion of the Hiring Department.

BENEFITS

Harris County offers a competitive benefits program, including comprehensive group health and related benefits plan as well as defined benefit retirement plan.

The following list of benefits is offered only to employees in regular (full-time) positions:

• Medical Coverage
• Dental Coverage
• Vision Coverage
• Wellness Plan
• Life Insurance
• Long-term disability
• Employee Assistance Program
• Ten (10) days of vacation each year for the first five (5) years of service
  • Accrual rates increase based on years of service
• Eleven (11) County-observed holidays and one (1) floating holiday
• Professional development opportunities
• Dependent Care Reimbursement Plan
• Healthcare Reimbursement Account
• 457 Deferred Compensation Plan

The following benefits are also available to regular (full-time) employment and may be available to part-time employees:

• Retirement Pension (TCDRS)
• Flexible schedule (varies by department)
• Transportation Assistance (Metro RideSponsor Program)

In accordance with the Harris County Personnel Regulations, Group Health and related benefits are subject to amendment or discontinuance at any time. Commissioners Court reserves the right to make benefit modifications on the County's behalf as needed.

For plan details, visit the Harris County benefits website:

01

Which of the following best describes your highest level of education completed as it relates to this position?

• High School or GED diploma
• Associate Degree
• Bachelor's Degree
• Master's Degree or higher
• None of the above

02

If you selected a college degree in response to the previous question, which of the following best describes your major?

• Chemistry
• Biology
• Environmental Sciences
• Environmental Technology
• Other Related Field
• Unrelated Field
• N/A; No Degree

03

Which of the following best describes your verifiable experience in environmental and/or wastewater related fields?(To be considered, qualifying experience must be documented in your application's employment history)

• Less than one (1) year
• One (1) year or more but less than two (2) years
• Two (2) years or more but less than three (3) years
• Three (3) or more years
• I do not have this experience

04

Please provide the dates of employment during which you obtained experience in environmental and/or wastewater related fields. Provide the month and year that began and ended the experience. Example: "January 2020 - December 2023" If this experience is not clearly documented in the Work Experience section, your application will be disqualified. If you do not have this experience, please type "N/A" in the space provided.

05

Which of the following describes your level of proficiency using a personal computer and common office software such as MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook). Please select your level of proficiency based on the following descriptions:Advanced:A person with this level of skills is able to produce very large, complex formal documents that require a table of contents, footnotes, endnotes, bookmarks, and other special elements; a wide range of graphic effects, and use advanced techniques for analyzing and manipulating data. Has full mastery of Macro commands and skills to tie the objects together into a cohesive system by using Macros and Visual Basic for Applications code. Makes interactive presentations by using hyperlinks and action buttons.Intermediate:A person with this level of skills is able to customize toolbars, import and insert graphs, embed Excel data, and elaborate reports. Understands the concepts of databases and is able to work with charts and to use the list management capabilities of Excel. Able to use complex query techniques, create efficient forms and reports, and create Macros to automate these forms. Makes interactive presentations by using hyperlinks and action buttons.Basic:A person with this level of skills is able to use basic formatting, editing, printing functions, and understands the document page setup. Has the ability to enter and correct data, modify a workbook, format a worksheet, and use printing functions. Understands the different database concepts and structures and is familiar with data validation and is able to create a simple presentation in PowerPoint, run it, and print it.Entry Level:A person with this level of skills has the ability to open, create, save and modify documents in Word, send and receive email in Outlook and create spreadsheets in Excel. Format documents for printing, comfortable using the printer menu to preview documents. Has ability to change the font, the margins, insert or delete pages and use the built-in spellchecker and grammar check.

• Advanced
• Intermediate
• Basic
• Entry Level
• Not proficient

Required Question