Health Protection Scientist
Company: Bernalillo County
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Date Posted: December 23, 2024
Application Deadline: January 14, 2025
Employment Type: Full Time
Salary: $25.34 - $39.84
Employees at Bernalillo County enjoy the ability to team up with each other to build a high quality of life for our county residents, communities, and businesses. In addition to being an organization with a strong focus on work-life balance, building a culture of flexibility, learning, and belonging the County offers many benefits. Employees of Bernalillo County enjoy many thoughtful rewards such as, but not limited to generous leave accruals; career development opportunities; remote & flex-work options as appropriate; longevity pay; education assistance program; health benefits; lucrative retirement; and so much more.
Health Protection Scientist will perform professional levels of inspection, education, and compliance services for a broad variety of environmental health codes. Work with diverse populations and provide excellent customer service to the public, customers, and other county employees.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Assist with on-site facility inspections, under guidance from Heath Protection Scientist II, will conduct field investigations and ensure compliance with applicable rules, regulations, and codes; authorize the issuance of permits to meet code and sanitation compliance.
- Enforce the laws and regulations governing public swimming pools, food processing establishments, food service establishments, solid waste, health and sanitation and noise.
- Receive and investigate routine environmental complaints and recommend corrective action plans; develop and prepare written recommendations outlining corrective action and/or proper methods to protect public health.
- Collect field samples, environmental/public health related data and/or information for laboratory or trend analysis;
- Develop and prepare written recommendations outlining corrective action and/or methods to protect public health.
- Prepare and present reports of analysis information and may present like findings to select clients, outside agencies, forums, to also include the general public and other county departments.
- Perform site visits and all types of inspections routinely conducted by the health protection team; provide operational plan reviews for food service and food processing establishments.
- Prepare and coordinate cases that are scheduled for court hearing.
- Interpret environmental health ordinances, rules and procedures and respond to questions from the public.
- Develop, conduct, and evaluate public health education regarding the prevention of public health diseases.
- Work in cooperation with private and governmental agencies to strengthen environmental health practices aimed at protecting public health and safety.
- Prepare reports and correspondence and maintain records for inspections and investigations.
- Incumbent(s) in this classification may handle sensitive and/or confidential records, plans, documents or decisions that require maintaining confidentiality of sensitive information.
- Any one position may not include all duties listed. However, the allocation of positions will be determined by the amount of time spent performing the essential duties listed above.
*The above information on this job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties and responsibilities required of all employees assigned to this job.
Qualifications
Minimum
- Bachelor’s Degree in Physical, Natural, Environmental Science, or related field, and two (2) years of work experience in environmental health, code enforcement, food protection, and/or inspection. Any equivalent combination of related education and/or experience may be considered for the above requirements.
- Health Protection Scientist Level I requires advanced certification from National Swimming Pool Foundation as a certified pool operator obtained within nine (9) months from date of hire.
- Successful completion of Food Protection Manager Certification of equivalent within nine (9) months from date of hire.
Additional Requirements
The offer of this Bernalillo County position requires compliance with the following:
- Employee must successfully complete the post-offer employment medical examination and background investigation.
- Employee must comply with the safety guidelines of the County.
- Employee must complete required FEMA training(s) as assigned to position.
- Employee must have a valid New Mexico driver’s license by employment date and maintain a valid NM driver’s license while employed in this position.
- Health Protection Scientist Level I requires advanced certification from National Swimming Pool Foundation as a certified pool operator obtained within nine (9) months from date of hire.
- Must have Food Protection Manager Certification within nine (9) months from date of hire.