Environmental Program Specialist II/III

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Position Overview

The Department of Environmental Conservation, Division of Spill Prevention and Response is seeking to hire an Environmental Program Specialist III position.
  
The incumbent works under the general supervision of the Central Alaska Response Team's Cook Inlet/Kodiak Supervisor to respond to medium to highly complex spill incidents. The incumbent may serve as the SOSC Field Representative, temporarily delegated as the Deputy SOSC, or section chief/technical specialist within the state's or a unified incident management team for releases of oil and hazardous substances in the Cook Inlet/Kodiak region or statewide.

The incumbent will: investigate complaints and spill notification reports; and provide state oversight or manage spill cleanup in the non-emergency phase of response to responsible parties, environmental consultants or state term contractors. 

Duties in the non-emergency phase includes: evaluating the potential threat to human health and the environment, including the fate and transport of contaminants to surface water and/or groundwater; reviewing site assessment or characterization reports; reviewing and approving cleanup and site sampling plans; and determining when cleanup is complete.  

The incumbent also has oil discharge prevention and contingency plan duties including the Cook Inlet and Kodiak Subarea contingency plans and assisting with reviews of contingency plans for non-crude oil terminal facilities, marine vessels and nontank vessels operating in the region.  This position is prepared to respond to spills at any time of the day in local or remote areas of the state for up to two weeks duration.

Responsibilities

• Receive reports of oil and hazardous material incidents both during business hours and occasionally after hours and on the weekends.
• Conduct site visits and work with responsible parties and environmental consultants during emergency spill response or follow-on non-emergency phase of cleanup in order to achieve site closure under an established regulatory framework.
• Represent the State during spill responses as a member of the State incident management team within the Incident Command System.
• Complete projects and assist in review of government and industry plans to help maintain and improve the State's preparedness to spills.
• Independently reviews and evaluates the adequacy of oil discharge prevention and contingency plans (C-plans).
• Participate in inspections, audits, drills, exercises, investigations, compliance checks and facility or vessel visits, as necessary.
• Maintains effective working relationships with regulated entities, citizens groups, and trade organizations to facilitate a greater understanding of state laws and regulatory requirements for spill prevention and response preparedness.
• In close coordination with the Unit Supervisor, determine the need for enforcement activities in response to noncompliance issues and with supervisory approval conduct appropriate enforcement action.
• Conduct public outreach to educate and prevent oil and hazardous substance releases.
• Assist in implementing a regional public education and outreach service to educate the regulated community and the public on state and federal regulatory requirements.

Qualifications

A bachelor's degree from an accredited college in an environmental, physical, biological, or natural science; engineering; planning; natural resources; or public or business administration.

And Either:

• One year of professional entry/trainee experience developing knowledge and skills in environmental regulations, pollution control, environmental damage recovery, or programs to improve or protect environmental quality.
• This experience is met by service as an Environmental Program Specialist I with the State of Alaska, or the equivalent with another employer.

Or

• One year of trainee professional experience learning to evaluate the potential environmental and socio-economic impacts of construction projects; prepare environmental documentation; and determine, negotiate, and monitor permitted activities.
• This experience is met by service as an Environmental Impact Analyst I with the State of Alaska, or the equivalent with another employer.

Or

• 2 years of entry professional experience in the development, administration, analysis or implementation of programs to manage land, water, mineral, forest, oil, gas, agricultural, natural and cultural history, and related surface and subsurface resources of the state.
• The required experience includes work such as a Natural Resource Specialist I, Forester I, Geologist I, Hydrologist I, Agronomist I, Historian I, Archaeologist I, Fishery Biologist I, Wildlife Biologist I, Habitat Biologist I, Cartographer I, or Planner I with the State of Alaska, or the equivalent with another employer.

Or

• A master's degree from an accredited college in an environmental, physical, biological, or natural science; engineering; planning; or natural resources.

Substitution:

• 4 years of any combination of experience in environmental or scientific field work, sampling, and analysis; environmental regulation compliance; site remediation; emergency response; hydrologic or geologic studies; environmental planning; or environmental engineering and post-secondary education in an environmental, physical, biological, or natural science; engineering; planning; natural resources; or public or business administration from an accredited college (3 semester or 4 quarter hours equal one month) will substitute for the required degree.

The ideal applicant will possess some or all of the following knowledge, skills, abilities and experience.  In your cover letter you must respond specifically and individually to all of the traits listed below and provide supporting experience as it relates to these traits in your applicant profile.  If you don't have experience in one or more of the traits listed below simply say so in your cover letter.  Ideal traits include:

• Expertise working with the public, governmental and non-governmental agencies and the media, ability to communicate clearly, and experience speaking in front of groups.
• Willing to be on call 24/7 and respond to local spills immediately, and statewide with a two-hour notice.
• Understanding of oil and hazardous substance spill prevention and contingency plans.
• Understanding of response policies, statutes, and regulations.
• Experience or training in writing or reviewing site characterization/assessment reports, and cleanup and sampling plans for oil spills to land.
• Experience or training in marine oil spill response.
• Experience or training in the Incident Command System (ICS) at the ICS-200 or higher levels.
• Experience reviewing, evaluating, or writing C-plans.
• Ability to work independently, but also as a compatible team member.
• Ability to write professional documents (including reports and letters) that present technical information in a manner which is easy to understand, accurate, and grammatically correct.
• Experience using or working on equipment like generators, pumps, air compressors or outboard motors.
• Expertise in using Microsoft Office software, including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Experience working outside in Cook Inlet region, Kodiak or other temperate climates and willingness to ride in small planes, helicopters, and boats of all sizes.