REGISTERED ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH INSPECTOR 3

Code: 03154 State Competitive Range: R26 (FY 2027)

Salary: $83,582.01 - $122,831.91/year FY 2027 schedule (last updated 2026-07-27)

Official job specification

The text below is the official specification published by the New Jersey Civil Service Commission. The plain-language summary and analysis above are derived from it by NJ Civil Service Navigator. Source: the official specification page at NJ CSC.

Definition

Under general supervision of a higher level official in a state department, institution, or agency, plans and supervises activities and assigned staff involved in performance of environmental health inspections concerned with enforcement of relevant public health laws within appropriate jurisdictions; does other related duties.

Examples of work

• Plans, supervises, and organizes technical field and office work of lower level Registered Environmental Health Inspectors and trainees and develops effective work methods.
• Plans and supervises programs for community information and education with regard to health hazards deriving from improper control of sanitary conditions affecting milk, food, drugs, cosmetics, water, sewage, general, and environmental sanitation.
• Supervises work operations and/or functional programs and has responsibility for employee evaluations and for effectively recommending the hiring, firing, promoting, demoting, and/or disciplining of employees.
• Plans, supervises, and participates in environmental health surveys designed to provide data necessary to document budgetary, personnel, and equipment needs.
• Plans, assigns, and conducts surveys and investigations of communicable diseases and epidemics which may be traceable to toxic substances, environmental sanitation, food, milk, water, and so forth.
• Plans, assigns, and conducts inspections of low acid food processing plants, canning factories, and pickling, and fermentation processes, and depuration plant processes.
• Plans, assigns, and conducts inspections and investigations; plans and directs demonstrations of current and appropriate methods for controlling insects and rodents.
• Plans, assigns, and conducts inspections and evaluations of individual, community, and noncommunity water supply systems such as wells and springs.
• Assembles, reviews, and utilizes articles, bulletins, demonstrations, and other educational methods and materials concerning varied phases of environmental, specialized, and general sanitation.
• Plans, assigns, and performs inspections, investigations, and evaluations of food plant, hospital, and other institutional water treatment operations.
• Plans and conducts inspections and evaluations of hospitals, nursing homes, intermediate care facilities, and other health care facilities.
• Plans and conducts inspections of wholesale food manufacturing plants, nonalcoholic beverage and water bottling plants, bakeries, food warehouses, cosmetic plants, and so forth.
• Confers with local officials, health officers, public health engineers, public health veterinarians, law enforcement personnel, and others on matters of general, special, and environmental sanitation as established in the laws, rules, and regulations of the NJ Department of Health and Senior Services.
• Plans, assigns, and conducts inspections of individual sewage disposal systems such as septic tanks, package treatment plants, and so forth.
• Plans, assigns, and conducts inspections, evaluations, and investigations of varied private, business, government, and institutional facilities including but not limited to child-care centers, swimming pools, recreational areas and facilities, health care facilities, and so forth.
• Utilizes and supervises the utilization of sophisticated instrumentation in the survey and inspection process.
• Conducts and supervises conduct of instructional programs for institutional food handlers relative to personal hygiene, food sanitation, and prevention of food borne illness.
• Plans, assigns, and conducts technical surveys and monitoring in varied health and sanitation areas and programs.
• Plans, supervises, and conducts orientation and inservice training courses for staff members of state and local (Health) environmental sanitation programs.
• Prepares and supervises preparation of technical reports which contain findings, conclusions, and recommendations.
• Plans, assigns, and conducts inspections of dairies, milk pasteurization and processing plants, frozen dessert establishments, and other types of food and beverage production, processing, and distribution facilities.
• Plans, assigns, and conducts regulated medical waste compliance inspections.
• Plans, assigns, and conducts inspections of lead and asbestos abatement sites for compliance with state and federal regulations.
• Plans, assigns, and performs investigations, evaluations, and inspections involving institutional sanitation such as correctional facilities, mental retardation centers, and so forth.
• Supervises the establishment and maintenance of records and files.
• Will be required to learn to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.

Experience

Three (3) years of experience in technical environmental sanitation work in the field of public health.

License

Applicants must possess a license as a Registered Environmental Health Specialist issued by the NJ Department of Health and Senior Services.

Knowledge, skills and abilities

• Knowledge of available health organizations, community health, and professional agencies and programs.
• Knowledge of major communicable diseases, epidemiology, causative organisms, channels and reservoirs of infection, vehicles of infection, microbiology, bacteriology, and toxicology.
• Knowledge of thermal processing and retorting methods, heat resistance of microorganisms and spores, and pH and thermal death times for pathogenic and nonpathogenic microorganisms.
• Knowledge of chemical transformation of organic substances, and the action of enzymes on yeasts, molds and fungi, moisture, and acidity and salt contents of foods.
• Knowledge of entomology, classes, anatomy, physiology, and morphology of insects, diseases transmitted by insects/rodents, chemical, biological, and physical control of insects/rodents, chemistry of pesticides, mathematical sciences necessary for measuring insecticide concentrations, and the impact of insects and rodents on public health.
• Knowledge of the physical, biological, and chemical characteristics of water, biological and chemical contaminants and impurities, methods for bacteriological examination of water, methods of protecting water supplies, chlorine residuals, topography, and soil structure.
• Knowledge of principles of milk, food, and drug sanitation, sewage disposal, solid waste disposal, water purification, and stream and air pollution control.
• Knowledge of the biological and physical characteristics of shellfish, coliform organisms, toxic chemicals, pesticides, and detergents, pH and turbidity requirements of treatment waters, and ultraviolet sterilization techniques.
• Knowledge of aeration, coagulation, filtration, sedimentation, clarification, chlorination, and fluoridation processes, and mathematics for use in qualitative and quantitative analysis.
• Knowledge of environmental microbiology, sterilization and autoclaving techniques, bacteriology, epidemiology, biocontaminants, communicable disease control, nosocomial infections, germicides, cleaning chemistry, and disposal of hazardous wastes.
• Knowledge of biological, biochemical, and physicochemical aspects of food safety.
• Knowledge of problems encountered in planning, organizing, installing, and supervising sanitation programs.
• Knowledge of principles and elements of water and wastewater treatment disposal, biological and chemical contamination effects on soils and water, bacteriology of excreta and sewage, soil characteristics, aerobic, anaerobic, and facultative bacteria, chemical decomposition, and spread of enteric disease.
• Knowledge of waterborne organisms related to disease dissemination, entomological control of vectors, waterfront safety techniques, mosquito and fly control measures, poisonous and noxious weeds, elements of environmental pollution, microbiological and qualitative aspects of swimming waters, and filtration process for pools.
• Knowledge of milkborne diseases, biological and physical properties of milk, physical and chemical tests for milk, acceptable pasteurization techniques, appropriate cheese and frozen dessert mix production methods, dairy farm sanitation, and frozen dessert processing facilities.
• Knowledge of principles of entomology, bacteriology, biology, microbiology, chemistry, wastewater, sewage disposal, and communicable endemic institutional illnesses.
• Knowledge of principles of food and milk sanitation.
• Ability to organize and direct technical and supervisory field and office work, and develop effective work methods.
• Ability to work effectively with associates, supervisory officers, local health officers, federal officials, and with others interested in or concerned with environmental sanitation and sanitary inspection programs and problems.
• Ability to give assignments and instructions to individuals and groups, and to supervise performance of their work.
• Ability to provide professional guidance, and give technical assistance sanitarians, sanitarians, and sanitarian trainees associated with inspection of all types of facilities.
• Ability to conduct inspections and investigations.
• Ability to utilize sophisticated instrumentation in the survey and inspection process.
• Ability to plan, organize, install, and supervise sanitation programs of a broad, general, or specialized nature.
• Ability to analyze, comprehend, interpret, and apply rules, regulations, policies, procedures, standards, and methods of the NJ Department of Health and Senior Services and the laws of the NJ relating to special, general, and environmental sanitation and inspection to specific cases in accord with established procedures.
• Ability to apply methods of controlling the environment to the specific programs.
• Ability to assemble, prepare, and interpret reports and records.
• Ability to prepare clear, sound, accurate, and informative reports containing findings, conclusions, recommendations, and to supervise the preparation of records and reports by staff members.
• Ability to prepare detailed correspondence.
• Ability to establish and maintain records, files, reference materials, and equipment.
• Ability to plan and supervise collection of chemical and microbiological samples, and interpret results.
• Ability to present evidence and testify in court actions.
• Ability to conduct technical surveys and monitoring in varied health and sanitation areas and programs.
• Ability to represent the department at official gatherings, workshops, and conferences.
• Ability to learn state and federal regulations regarding the proper disposal of regulated medical waste.
• Ability to learn state and federal regulations pertaining to lead and asbestos abatement.
• Ability to learn current technologies regarding the mitigation and control of lead and asbestos hazards.
• Ability to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office or related units.
• Ability to read, write, speak, understand, and communicate in English sufficiently to perform the duties of this position. American Sign Language or Braille may also be considered as acceptable forms of communication.
• Persons with mental or physical disabilities are eligible as long as they can perform the essential functions of the job after reasonable accommodation is made to their known limitations. If the accommodation cannot be made because it would cause the employer undue hardship, such persons may not be eligible.
• CODES: 26/R26 - MCK 12/23/06

Note

The examples of work for this title are for illustrative purposes only. A particular position using this title may not perform all duties listed in this job specification. Conversely, all duties performed on the job may not be listed.

A Master's degree in Public Health, Health Administration, Environmental Health, Sanitation Food Technology, Environmental or Sanitary Engineering, Microbiology, or Public Administration may be substituted for one (1) year of indicated experience.

Appointee will be required to possess a driver's license valid in New Jersey only if the operation of a vehicle, rather than employee mobility, is necessary to perform essential duties of the position.