- Employer: State of North Carolina
- Salary: $45,926.00 – $80,369.00 Annually
- Location: Forsyth County, NC
- Job Type: Permanent Full-Time
- Remote Employment: Flexible/Hybrid
- Job Number: 25-01013 DWR60034489
- Department: Dept of Environmental Quality
- Division: Water Resources
- Opening Date: 02/07/2025
- Closing Date: 2/14/2025 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time (US & Canada)
- Job Class Title: Environmental Specialist I
- Position Number: 60034489
- Section: Public Water Supply/Winston-Salem Regional Office
- Salary Grade: NC12
- Recruitment Range: $45,926 – $63,147
Description of Work
Are you passionate about the environment and want to make a difference?
DEQ has an open opportunity for an Environmental Specialist I.
Full time (40 hours per week) with State Benefits.
This position currently qualifies for a hybrid telework option with routine office and remote workdays. The NC Department of Environmental Quality trusts our employees to be self-motivated and successful in hybrid/remote roles. Telework options are subject to change at the discretion of management.
This Environmental Specialist I provides public health expertise to non-community public water supply systems and their owners/operators and implements and enforces the requirements of the federal and state drinking water acts and related regulations. This position must handle with tact, consistency, and sound judgment, the diversity of public contacts demanded in consultative services and enforcement.
This position requires: occasional overnight travel; ability to lift 50 pounds unassisted and move wellhead covers and wellhead tops for inspection; ability to walk several miles through rough terrain, over hills or ditches, during field investigations and tolerate exposure to loud noise, extreme weather conditions, insects, small animals, snakes, and chemical substances; proficiency with computers, internet research, word processing software and spreadsheets; and driving a state-owned vehicle, which requires a valid North Carolina driver’s license.
Key Responsibilities
- Sanitary surveys (inspections) of non-community public water systems
- On-site field investigations and evaluations of non-community public water systems
- Investigate and assist in resolving maximum contaminant level violations
- Maintain, coordinate, and upgrade regional database for non-community public water systems
- Provide technical and regulatory assistance to owners, operators, and customers of non-community public water systems in the region
- Prepare written correspondence/reports
The Division of Water Resources:
The Division of Water Resources is responsible for protecting North Carolina’s drinking, surface and groundwater for all waterbodies including lakes, streams, rivers, wetlands and aquifers. This environmental stewardship is accomplished through actions including permitting issuance, investigations, regulatory compliance and enforcement, monitoring and field assessments, certifications, laboratory analysis and testing, planning, water quality standards management, educational outreach and other efforts. The Division comprises six Sections: Water Quality Regional Operations, Water Sciences, Public Water Supply, Water Quality Permitting, Water Quality NPDES Permitting, and Water Planning. Learn more by visiting Division of Water Resources.
DWR’s Public Water Supply (PWS) Section promotes public health by ensuring that safe, potable water is available in adequate quantities to the residents and visitors of North Carolina served by PWS systems by assuring that such systems are properly located, constructed, operated, and maintained. PWS systems provide piped drinking water to at least 15 connections or 25 or more people 60 or more days per year. The section has branches and programs for: implementation of the mandates of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act; review and approval of plans and specifications for new and expanding or improving PWS systems; inspections, investigations, and technical assistance; emergency responses and complaint investigations; source water assessment, protection, and wellhead protection; capacity development; and administration of an operating fee permit program.
The NC Department of Environmental Quality:
The primary mission of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is to provide science-based environmental stewardship for the health and prosperity of all North Carolinians. DEQ is the lead stewardship agency for the protection of North Carolina’s environmental resources. The organization, which has offices from the mountains to the coast, administers regulatory programs designed to protect air quality, water quality, and the public’s health, and works to advance in all-of-the-above energy strategy that fits North Carolina’s needs. DEQ also offers technical assistance to businesses, farmers, local governments, and the public and encourages responsible behavior with respect to the environment through education programs provided at DEQ facilities and through the state’s school system. DEQ touches the lives of all North Carolinians in many ways to enhance and ensure our quality of life. Please visit our website at the Department of Environmental Quality for more information.
If you have student loans, becoming a state employee includes eligibility for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. Visit www.studentaid.gov to learn more.
Recruitment Range: $45,926 – $63,147
This position is located at: 450 W. Hanes Mill Road, Ste. 300, Winston-Salem, NC 27105
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities / Competencies
To qualify for this position, applicants must document on the application that they possess ALL of the following:
- Ability to apply the basic environmental concepts, practices, and theories involved in the design, development, review, permitting, and/or operations of projects/sites and their potential environmental and safety impacts.
- Ability to analyze, manipulate and evaluate information/data, including the use of software.
- Ability to formulate or assist in the development of management alternatives and recommendations.
- Ability to organize and direct moderately complex research or field studies.
- Ability to prepare written/verbal reports; and ability to work with considerable independence.
Minimum Education and Experience Requirements
Some state job postings say you can qualify by an “equivalent combination of education and experience.” If that language appears below, then you may qualify through EITHER years of education OR years of directly related experience, OR a combination of both. See oshr.nc.gov/experience-guide for details.
Bachelor’s degree in one of the agricultural, biological, engineering, environmental, or natural resource sciences or a closely related curriculum from an appropriately accredited institution or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
*Graduating Senior students with applicable degrees listed above with an anticipated graduation date will be considered. Job offers will be contingent upon completion of the degree.
Supplemental and Contact Information
The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is an Equal Opportunity Employer who embraces an Employment First philosophy which consists of complying with all federal laws, state laws and Executive Orders.
DEQ uses the Merit-Based Recruitment and Selection Plan to fill positions subject to the State Human Resources Act. Hiring salary will be based on relevant qualifications, internal equity, and budgetary considerations pertinent to the advertised position.
- Applicants seeking Veteran’s Preference must attach a DD-214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, to their applications.
- If applicants earned college credit hours but did not complete a degree program, they must attach an official transcript to each application to receive credit for this education.
- If applicants earned a foreign degree, foreign degrees require an official evaluation for U.S. equivalency, and must be submitted to Human Resources for verification. There are several organizations that perform this specialized service, feel free to use any service of your choosing. The National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) has several options on their website that can provide credential verification: https://www.naces.org/members.
Due to the volume of applications received, we are unable to provide information regarding the status of your application over the phone. To check the status of your application, please log in to your account and click “Application Status.” If you are selected for an interview, you will be contacted by management. If you are no longer under consideration, you will receive an email notification. If there are any questions about this posting other than your application status, please contact: Deborah Williams at deborah.williams@deq.nc.gov or 919-707-9195.
For technical issues with your application, please call the GovernmentJobs.com applicant support help line at 855-524-5627 or email support@governmentjobs.com.
Employer: State of North Carolina
Website: http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/guest
