Registered Environmental Health Specialist

THIS IS A REOPENING OF AN EXISTING EXAMINATION. IF YOU HAVE PREVIOUSLY APPLIED (OR STARTED AN APPLICATION) FOR THE REGISTERED ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SPECIALIST, EXAM # 17-5665-01, READ THIS ENTIRE BULLETIN. THERE ARE SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO REAPPLY FOR THIS RECRUITMENT. IN ORDER TO REAPPLY FOR THIS POSITION, PLEASE CONTACT THE EXAMINATION ANALYST AT NICOLE.LEWIS-BOLTON@ACGOV.ORG TO HAVE YOUR PREVIOUS APPLICATION RELEASED BACK TO YOU. 

THIS IS A REOPENING OF AN EXISTING EXAMINATION. The scores and dispositions of candidates for this examination will be merged with previous exam participants. If you have previously submitted an application and choose to reapply, your new score/disposition will replace your current disposition.

Applications must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing. Postmarks are not accepted. Applications will only be accepted on-line.

Supplemental Questionnaire: A properly completed Supplemental Questionnaire must be submitted with each application. Applications and Supplemental Questionnaires must be in the possession of the Human Resource Services Department by 5:00:00 p.m. on the Last Day for Filing. Failure to submit the Application or Supplemental Questionnaire will result in disqualification. 

QUALIFIED BILINGUAL PERSONS WHO SPEAK ENGLISH AND ARE ALSO FLUENT IN SPANISH, CHINESE, VIETNAMESE, CAMBODIAN, LAOTIAN, KOREAN, MIEN, TAGALOG, AMHARIC, FARSI, DARI, TIGRIGNA, RUSSIAN, ROMANIAN OR SIGN LANGUAGE ARE ESPECIALLY ENCOURAGED TO APPLY.  THERE IS AN ADDITIONAL BI WEEKLY COMPENSATION FOR PERSONS IN POSITIONS DESIGNATED BILINGUAL. 

Qualified candidates may be tested to demonstrate language proficiency.

THE COUNTY

Alameda County, located on the east side of San Francisco Bay, is California's seventh-largest county.  The County employs 9,080 full-time employees and operates on an annual budget of $2.39 billion.  Oakland, the County seat, is California's eighth largest city.  One and a half million people call Alameda County home and live in a variety of incorporated cities, unincorporated communities and rural areas.  As a major urban county, Alameda provides a full range of services to its citizens.  The County is a blend of culturally and ethnically diverse communities, and its mixture of cosmopolitan and suburban areas provides the perfect environment for families and their active lifestyles.  The County offers extensive cultural resources, countless recreational opportunities and an array of fine public and private colleges and universities.  

THE HEALTH CARE SERVICES AGENCY

The Mission of the Health Care Services Agency is to provide fully integrated health care services through a comprehensive network of public and private partnerships that ensure optimal health and well-being and respect the diversity of all residents. The Agency’s major services include Behavioral Health Care, Environmental Health, and Public Health programs; primary care services via community-based organization (CBO) contracts, and health care services for all County residents qualifying as medically indigent, as well as Health Care Administration. To read more about the department, please visit their website at: http://www.acgov.org/health.

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

Alameda County Department of Environmental Health operates various programs to protect the public.  For more information about the department of Environmental Health Care Services, please visit www.acgov.org/aceh/.

THE POSITION

Under general supervision, conducts inspections and investigations to enforce applicable state health and safety codes, regulations and local ordinances; and to perform related work as required.

Program responsibilities include, but are not limited to retail food facilities, consumer protection, public swimming pools/spas, public water systems, on-site sewage disposal/treatment systems, housing, recreational areas, institutions, work sites, solid waste, medical waste, hazardous materials, vector control and public health nuisances.

DISTINGUISHING FEATURES

Incumbents in this class are typically assigned to a geographical area or a specific program, in which they are responsible for maintaining disciplinary surveillance for assigned program areas, conducting routine inspections of all facilities on inventory, investigating disease outbreaks and responding to complaints as they arise.

Under the supervision of the Supervising Environmental Health Specialist, the Section Chief, or the Director, incumbents submit all completed inspection reports, records, correspondence and daily activity reports for review. Additional responsibilities include consulting with supervisors concerning technical matters, policy interpretation and legal action.

For a detailed listing of the duties and essential competency requirements for this position, please see the Registered Environmental Health Specialist job specification.

Certification:

Possession of a valid Certificate of Registration as an Environmental Health Specialist Issued by the California State Department of Health Services,

And

Education:

Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university (180 quarter units or 120 semester units) with major course work in environmental health science or a closely related field.

License:

Possession of a valid California driver’s license.

NOTE: The Civil Service Commission may modify the above Minimum Qualifications in the announcement of an examination.

NOTE: The level and scope of the following knowledge and abilities are related to duties listed under the “Examples of Duties” section of this specification.

The most suitably qualified candidates will possess the following competencies:

Knowledge of:

• Principles and practices of environmental health, including water supply, sewage disposal and treatment, refuse disposal, housing, recreational and industrial sanitation, vector control and land use.
• Principles and practices relating to sanitary food production, processing, and handling.
• Principles of zoonoses and control of rodents and arthropod vectors.
• Techniques of conducting environmental health inspection, preparing risk assessments and enforcing relevant laws.
• Provisions of the California Health and Safety Code, other statutes and regulations pertaining to environmental health.

Ability to:

• Explain and interpret rules, regulations and laws.
• Establish effective working relationships with others.
• Write and communicate effectively.
• Read and interpret structural plans and blue prints.

THE EXAMINATION WILL CONSIST OF THE FOLLOWING STEPS:  1) A review of candidates' applications to verify possession of minimum requirements. Those candidates who possess the minimum requirements for the class will move on to the next step in the examination process; 2) A screening of applications and/or Supplemental Questionnaires to select the best qualified candidates. Those selected will move on to the final step in the examination process.  3) Those candidates who have passed the Supplemental Questionnaire screening for the class will be placed on the eligible list based on an evaluation of education, training, and expertise.

CANDIDATES MUST ATTAIN A QUALIFYING RATING ON EACH PORTION OF THIS EXAMINATION. 

***We reserve the right to make changes to the announced examination components***

Alameda County utilizes a Civil Service Selection System founded on merit.  Such a system is competitive and based on broad recruitment efforts and equal opportunity for qualified applicants to test in an examination process designed to determine the qualifications, fitness and ability of competitors to perform duties of the vacant position.  Many of our recruitments are targeted and specific to the needs of a current vacant position, in which case, the eligible list may be exclusively used for that current vacant position.  Other recruitments many be more broadly used for both current and future vacancies, or for other alternate jobs with comparable scopes of work.

To learn more about our recruitment and selection process, please visit the “What You Need to Know” section of our website, www.acgov.org/hrs.

Applicants will be informed via email with reasonable notice in advance of any examination process which will require their attendance.  The following dates are tentative and subject to change based on the needs of the Agency:  

TENTATIVE SELECTION PLAN: 

Deadline for Filing	5:00pm, Monday, March 5, 2018
Review of Minimum Qualifications and Supplemental Questionnaire	March 12, 2018
Departmental Hiring Interview	TBD

WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE ANNOUNCED RECRUITMENT & SELECTION PLAN

Alameda County and the Human Resource Services Department will make reasonable efforts in the examination and/or selection process to accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities and/or medical conditions in accordance/compliance with the State Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Alameda County’s Reasonable Accommodation Policy and applicable statues.  To request an accommodation due to a disability/medical condition during this or other phases of the examination/selection process, please contact the assigned Human Resources Representative listed on the job announcement before the last date of filing. Alameda County requires applicants to provide supporting documentation to substantiate a request for reasonable accommodation. In order to qualify for a reasonable accommodation, applicants must have a disability/medical condition pursuant to the ADA, FEHA and applicable statutes.

For more information regarding our Reasonable Accommodation procedures, please visit our website, www.acgov.org/hrs

Alameda County offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that affords wide-ranging health care options to meet the different needs of a diverse workforce and their families. We also sponsor many different employee discount, fitness and health screening programs focused on overall well being.  These benefits include but are not limited to*:

For your Health & Welfare Benefits

• Medical – HMO & PPO Insurance
• Dental – PPO & DHMO Insurance  
• Vision
• Basic Life Insurance 
• Supplemental Life Insurance (with optional dependent coverage) 
• County Allowance
• Health Flexible Spending Account
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
• Accident, Critical Illness & Hospital Indemnity
• Employee Assistance Program

For your Financial Future

• Short-term Disability Insurance
• Long-Term Disability Insurance
• Retirement Plan – (Defined Benefit Pension Plan)
• Deferred Compensation Plan

For your Work/Life Balance

• 11 paid holidays
• Vacation and sick leave accrual
• Vacation purchase program
• Management Paid Leave**
• Group Auto/Home
• Commuter Benefits Program
• Guaranteed Ride Home
• Employee Wellness Program (e.g. At Work Fitness, Incentive Based Programs, Gym Membership Discounts)
• Employee Discount Program (e.g. theme parks, cell phone, etc.)
• Child Care Resources
• 1^st United Services Credit Union 

*Eligibility is determined by Alameda County and offerings may vary by collective bargaining agreement.  This provides a brief summary of the benefits offered and can be subject to change.

** Non-exempt management employees are entitled to up to three days of management paid leave. Exempt management employees are entitled to up to seven days of management paid leave.

All notices related to County recruitments for which you have applied will be sent/delivered via email. Please add @acgov.org and alamedacountyHR@acgov.org as accepted addresses to any email blocking or spam filtering program you may use. If you do not do this, your email blocking or spam filtering program may block receipt of the notices regarding your application for recruitments. You are also strongly advised to regularly log into your County of Alameda online application account to check for notices that may have been sent to you. All email notices that will be sent to you will also be kept in your personal online application account. You will be able to view all of your notices in your online application account by clicking on the "My applications" button on the Current Job Openings page.

Please take the steps recommended above to insure you do not miss any notices about a recruitment for which you have applied. The County of Alameda is not responsible for notices that are not read, received or accessed by any applicant for a County recruitment.

NOTE: All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. Replies to the email box alamedacountyHR@acgov.org are routed to an unmonitored mailbox. All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. If you have questions please go to our website at www.acgov.org/hrs. You may also contact the Human Resources Analyst listed on the job announcement for the recruitment for which you have applied.

Nicole Lewis-Bolton, Human Resources Analyst II

Human Resource Services, County of Alameda

(510) 272-6468 • nicole.lewis-bolton@acgov.org