ENVIRONMENTAL SPECIALIST 4 (S28)

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 direction of a supervisory official in a state department or agency, supervises professional or non-professional staff as assigned, engaged in completion of environmental review and control tasks relative to assigned program/project areas; supervises and plans field studies, surveys, inspections or investigations relating to applications and associated Environmental Impact Statements to include the physical, natural, and/or human environment; enforcement of environmental laws and/or regulations; prepares evidence for use in reviews and legal actions; supervises the processing of contract, grant and/or loan applications; does other related duties as required.

Examples of work

• Supervise and plan enforcement activities concerned with requirements, prevention, and control of violations.
• May provide assistance to the office of the Attorney General in prosecution of violations.
• Serve as an expert witness in court.
• Supervise and plan field surveys to determine actual/potential environmental damage which may result from a proposed regulated facility.
• Supervise work operations and/or functional programs and has responsibility for employee evaluation and for effectively recommending the hiring, firing, promoting, demoting, and/or disciplining of employees.
• Supervises staff in the evaluation of contract documents used to bid, award and administer contracts for hazardous/non-hazardous site remediation projects, and oversees these activities in conjunction with other units and agencies.
• Reviews grant/loan applications and prepares and signs deficiency letters, withdrawal letters, and letters of denial; prepares grant/loan award recommendations for supervisor review/signature.
• Reviews, prepares and signs area of concern Notices of Deficiency (NOD's), Remedial Investigation Reports (RIR's), Remedial Investigation Workplans (RIW's), Remedial Action Progress Reports (RAPR's), Biennial Certification approvals, Preliminary Assessment/Site Investigation, extension letters for approvals/denials, potable well letters, indoor air letters, permits and Bureau of Operations Maintenance and Monitoring transfers with supervisor concurrence.
• Reviews and has approval authority for individual work orders up to $40,000 and individual change orders up to $40,000; prepares and supervises the preparation of open-competitive Requests for Proposals (RFP's) or Invitation to Bid (IFB's) and approves RPF's/IFB's up to $100,000 and sets priorities including case work assignments and conducts meetings to review cases within boundaries of specific job duties and/or responsibilities.
• Meet with professional groups, industrial management, private organizations, and government agencies to explain environmental precepts and promote environmental protection.
• Ensure that assigned staff contacts any necessary individuals, agencies, or groups to acquire complete information relevant to assessment of permit applications.
• Resolve conflicts between state/federal procedures when no precedent for such resolution has been established.
• Make determinations that take into account details of diversified factors of considerations which include social, economic, safety, and environmental aspects.
• Supervise and prepare field, office, and any necessary laboratory work, and preparation of reports on enforcement actions, all work leading up to decisions on permit applications, and all assigned studies.
• Supervise and/or provide direction and guidance to environmental consultants in the preparation of environmental studies and reports.
• Draft technical and other correspondence in the course of official duties.
• Supervise the preparation of clear, technically sound, accurate, and factual reports containing findings, conclusions, and recommendations.
• Review and submit comments and recommendations on proposed new legislation and/or amendments to existing legislation pertaining to the interest and jurisdiction of the various elements, bureaus, or offices within the department.
• Conduct conferences with state, county, and local officials, representatives of the federal government, other states, private interests, and applicants on complaints, applications, and other pertinent matters.
• Supervise 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.

Education

Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor's degree in one of the Physical Sciences, Environmental Sciences/Studies, Chemical Sciences, Biological Sciences, Environmental Planning, Physical Geography or in Civil Engineering, Sanitary Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Agricultural Engineering, Mining Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or Bio-resource Engineering.

Experience

Four (4) years of experience in environmental control work including field investigations, inspection, and preparing reports on the environment or the preparation or review of Environmental Impact Statements, one (1) year of which shall have included supervisory responsibilities including preparation of employee evaluations of staff involved in technical or scientific work.

License

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.

Knowledge, skills and abilities

Knowledge of principles, methods, procedures, and purpose of field investigations and evaluation of the impact of human-made alterations to the natural, social, or economic environment or field monitoring and sampling. Knowledge of principles of environmental protection or administration of the techniques involved in enforcement of regulations. Knowledge of sources, travel scope, and effect of industrial/domestic pollutants. Knowledge of the scientific, engineering, contracting and/or construction principles involved in the field of hazardous/non-hazardous waste control, cleanup, removal, and disposal. Knowledge of rules, regulations, and guidelines associated with grant/loan process. Knowledge of approval authority process involving individual work orders and change orders, Request for Proposals (RFP's) and Invitation to Bid (IFB's). Knowledge of related state/federal policies and procedures. Knowledge of social, economic, environmental, and safety considerations. Knowledge of methods used to evaluate Environmental Impact Statements. Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures used to evaluate program activities. Knowledge of problems and techniques involved in control of industrial/domestic wastes including chemical and other treatments designed to reduce pollution. Knowledge of supervisory methods and techniques. Ability to plan, organize, delegate, and control environmental activities. Ability to discuss and explain effects of contaminants on health, comfort, well-being, and property. Ability to coordinate, document, assess and/or contract for large-scale cleanup activities involving management and remediation of multimedia environmental contamination problems. Ability to review grant/loan applications for approval process. Ability to organize assigned technical and supervisory work, analyzes technical problems, and develops effective work methods. Ability to read, interpret, and apply knowledge of laws and rules, regulations, and codes of the Department of Environmental Protection relative to the assigned program area. Ability to plan and supervise field surveys for determination of environmental impact of a proposed facility. Ability to supervise assigned staff and plan, organize, and implement projects within the unit. Ability to talk with and establish/maintain cooperative working relationships with representatives of local governments, civic associations, and interested parties. Ability to supervise any required chemical, mechanical, and electronic analyses. Ability to review and assess reports on social cost of a proposed facility. Ability to compose technical correspondence. Ability to prepare reports containing findings, conclusions, and recommendations based on data assembled. Ability to maintain records and files. 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 essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation. If the accommodation cannot be made because it would cause the employer undue hardship, such persons may not be eligible. This job specification is applicable to the following title code(s) which are different work week or work month and/or variants of the job class title: Job Spec Code State, Local or Common Class of Service Work Week State Class Code Local Class Code Salary Range

Note

Positions in the Department of Environmental Protection may be assigned to any of the environmental fields such as Air Pollution Control, Coastal Resources, Laboratory Certification, Pesticide Control, Pesticide Control bilingual Spanish/English, Soil Science, Tideland Delineation, Site Remediation, Water Resources or Waste Management. Positions in the Department of Environmental Protection assigned to the Division of Publicly Funded Site Remediation have responsibility for approving various documents with certain monetary value thresholds as assigned to the various levels within the series. Positions assigned to the Division of Responsible Party Site Remediation have signature authority for specified documents as assigned to the various levels within the series. Positions in the Department of Transportation, with the exception of the Environmental Services Support Unit (ESSU)/Facilities Hazard Compliance Monitoring, consistent with federal and state environmental regulations, have responsibility for the evaluation of environmental impacts of specific projects at NJDOT, which includes an assessment of impacts to the social, economic, and natural environments. This involves review or preparation of technical memorandum, studies, impact statements, etc. prepared pursuant to state and/or federal environmental regulations. 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. The following education requirements are applicable to positions in the Department of Transportation assigned to all programs except Environmental Services Support Unit (ESSU)/Facilities Hazard Compliance Monitoring . Graduation from an accredited college with a Bachelor's degree in one of the following Physical, Natural or Social Sciences; Environmental Science, Environmental Policy, Chemical Science, Biological Science, Geology, Natural Resource Management, Environmental Planning, Natural History, Anthropology, Historic Architecture, Historic Preservation, Archaeology, Sociology, Urban Studies, Geography, Economics, Agricultural Science, Marine Science, Urban Planning, Transportation Planning and Geoscience or a Bachelor's of Science degree in Engineering in one of the following disciplines: Environmental Engineering, Civil Engineering, Sanitary Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Agricultural Engineering, Industrial Engineering or Bio-Resource Engineering. Note: A valid Professional Engineer's license issued by the New Jersey State board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors may be substituted for the Bachelor's degree in Engineering. A Master's degree in one of the fields specified above may be substituted for one (1) year of the above experience. CCNL2831S28-CCN42831S29- This job specification is for and government use. Salary range is only applicable to state government. Local salaries are established by individual local jurisdictions. 5/16/2015