Health and Environmental Investigator III (Field Operations Team Lead)

About the Department

The Environmental Health Services Division, Food & Facilities Section is seeking a skilled, enthusiastic, and dedicated individual to fill a Term-Limited Temporary/Special Duty Assignment position of Field Operations Team Lead (Health & Environmental Investigator III). The HEI III position is a key member of the Food & Facilities Section leadership team and works collaboratively with businesses, trade associations, agencies, staff and the public. Examples of responsibilities for this position may include, but are not limited to: Staying up to date on emerging food processes and enterprises; training field investigators and new hires; supporting field staff in conducting inspections of challenging food and water recreational facilities; implementing the program's ongoing quality assurance and quality control needs; coordinating investigations for foodborne outbreak illnesses and injuries/drowning accidents at water recreational facilities; coordinating inspections of temporary and farmer's market events; developing and interpreting public health and environmental health codes, regulations and policies; and addressing unpermitted vending. 

The Food & Facilities Section contributes to healthy, diverse communities by permitting, educating and inspecting over 1,800 water recreation facilities, 12,500 permanent food businesses, 40 farmers markets, 3,000 temporary food businesses, and issues over 50,000 food worker cards annually. In addition, the section is responsible for permitting and inspecting 1,800 water recreational facilities, oversees the safety of fresh and marine water bathing beaches, and provides regulatory oversight of sewage releases and Harmful Algal Blooms affecting swimming beaches.

The successful candidate will have a passion for environmental public health and creating heathier lives for all people in King County, enjoy developing people and teams, possess strong problem-solving skills and be effective collaborators with community partners, agency partners, and colleagues. The successful applicant will work with a team of colleagues across the Food & Facilities Section, including supervisors, plan reviewers, field investigators, and educator specialists. The successful applicant will work with a team of supervisors and other team leads in the section and will directly lead a field operations team of 6 to 8 people.

About the Environmental Health Services Division:
Through the work of 190+ dedicated employees, EHS' mission is to identify and sustain environmental conditions that promote healthy people and healthy communities. Our vision is healthy, safe, and vibrant communities that are free of health disparities based on race, gender, or economic status. The Division’s core values include equity and social justice, integrity, community service, collaboration, a supportive work culture, and learning from each other and the communities we serve. We strive for fair and culturally competent service delivery, innovative, effective, and efficient application of resources, building a culture of performance and expanding opportunities to seek input, listen and respond to industry and residents.

To learn more, please visithttps://www.kingcounty.gov/ehs.

Temporary opportunity. Term-Limited Temporary (TLT) positions are "at-will" positions but are eligible for benefits. This TLT is currently anticipated to last 1 year. However, funding sources for this work remain uncertain and dependent upon decisions actively being made at both the federal and local levels. As a result, the end date of this position may be adjusted based on those decisions. The County and the Department continue to work to secure long term funding sources.

This vacancy can also be filled as a Special Duty opportunity. For Special Duty Assignment interest, you must be a Career Service, Career Service Exempt or other regular (non-temporary) employee in King County who has completed their initial County probation. You must have supervisor approval prior to taking a Special Duty Assignment.

Note: This posting will create a list of qualified candidates that may be considered for selection of additional vacancies of the same position type over the next 6 months.

Commitment to Equity and Social Justice:

Named after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., one of the most influential civil rights leaders in our nation's history, King County is a vibrant international community with residents that represent countries from around the world. It is a region with increasing diversity that cherishes the traditions of many cultures.?

The county government has a deep commitment to equity and racial justice and advancing practices, strategies, and policies that promote fairness, justice, and opportunity for all – in our workplaces and our communities. With this commitment, King County has adopted a pro-equity agenda to advance regional change and ensure that residents from all communities are incorporated into our emergency planning and public outreach efforts.?

We recognize that structural racism consists of principles and practices that cause and justify an inequitable distribution of rights, opportunities, and experiences across racial groups. Since declaring Racism is a Public Health Crisis in June 2020, King County and Public Health committed to being intentionally anti-racist and accountable to Black, Indigenous and People of Color communities.?

To learn more, please visithttp://www.kingcounty.gov/elected/executive/equity-social-justice.aspx?

Work Schedule

This full-time position is subject to the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and is eligible for overtime. The normal workweek is Monday to Friday. Occasional evenings, weekends, on-call work, and some travel are required.

Remote and Onsite Work

The Food & Facilities team works in a hybrid model, with days in the office as well as telecommuting. The ratio of remote to onsite work will be dependent on business needs and is subject to change. The primary onsite location is (Chinook Building 401 5th Suite 1000, Seattle, WA 98104). 

Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.

King County has a robust collection of tools and resources to support working remotely. The individual selected for this opportunity will join an innovative and progressive team that is redefining how we work as we transition to the department's hybrid environment. Employees will be provided with a County-issued laptop and must maintain a home workspace with an internet connection where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours.

Position Duties

• Contribute to a collaborative and empowered work team and work environment
• Effectively and efficiently lead teams and manage resources including staff, project resources, work plans and service agreements; ensure consistency with Department and Division policies.
• Conduct and facilitate staff trainings. Coach, mentor and train current and new HEI I and II field investigators and other HEI IIIs.  
• Perform quality assurance/quality control activities. Review inspection reports of food and water recreational facilities, provide constructive feedback to investigators and evaluate and support ongoing training needs.  
• Anticipate and participate in solving conflicts between colleagues and other agencies/work groups. 
• Provide coordination and response for field investigations of foodborne outbreak illnesses and injuries and drownings and incidents at water recreational facilities.
• Stay up-to-date  on new and cutting-edge food policies, practices and processes to enable the program to be responsive to the changing food and environmental health climate.
• Participate in the implementation and monitoring of the food safety rating system, including training staff and conducting on-going quality assurance and control. 
• Coordinate and conduct plan reviews and field investigations of temporary and farmer's market events.
• Provide backup and support to other seniors and supervisors as needed, and other duties as assigned by program supervisors and managers. 
• Coordinate and respond to complaints related to unpermitted street food vendors and makeshift commissary kitchens.
• Collaborate with code enforcement teams across the county to ensure food safety.
• Provide support to staff who will be conducting after hour and weekend inspections. 

Program and Project Management Duties:

• Prepare new or amended Food Program and Water Recreation Program policies, procedures, and rules and regulations for consideration by program supervisors, managers and the King County Board of Health (BOH). 
• Provide culturally competent education, technical assistance, and regulatory compliance guidance to industries, facilities, the media, and the general public. In collaboration with businesses, trade associations, agencies, staff and the public, participate in the development of environmental-best management practices, regulations and initiatives. 
• Participate in the development, implementation and evaluation of long-and short-range plans for overall program and quality assurance efforts. Assist with program development initiatives, quality assurance efforts and program evaluations such as participation in the Food and Drug Administration Voluntary Standards Program.

Minimum Qualifications

Ideal Candidate:

• Within six months of hire, Registered Environmental Health Specialist/Registered Sanitarian (REHS/RS) from the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) or from the Washington State Board of Registered Sanitarians (WSBRS). See below detailed information about this requirement.
• Knowledge of, and experience applying, the Washington State Retail Food Code, the King County Food Code or food codes in other state or local jurisdictions.  
• Demonstrated cultural competence working with diverse populations including race, ethnicity, gender, ability, age, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status. Demonstrated ability applying principles of equity and social justice while providing government services. 
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams and create a climate in which people want to do their best and an ability to motivate and enable co-workers to grow and succeed through instruction, encouragement, and constructive feedback.
• Demonstrated ability to facilitate meetings and provide presentations to a wide range and size of audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with the public, program staff and other agencies; and to participate effectively on committees and work groups to collaboratively discuss and resolve issues and develop recommendations for long term program evaluation and planning.
• Demonstrated knowledge of food safety and water recreation facility statutes, rules and regulations. 
• Demonstrated ability to research and draft program policies, procedures, correspondence, and technical reports.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively in oral and written formats.
• Demonstrated proficiency with computer systems, Microsoft Office suite, and keeping detailed records in databases.
• Possess a current, Valid, WA State Driver License or the ability to obtain one prior to starting work if selected for this position; ability to drive a car.

Desired Candidate:

• Experience working in a highly collaborative government program or coalition.
• Established effective working relationships with program partner agencies.
• Bilingual in one of the most common non-English languages in King County (such as Spanish, Arabic, Somali, Hindi, Punjabi, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean)
• LICENSING/CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:
  Within six months of hire, Registered Environmental Health Specialist/Registered Sanitarian (REHS/RS) from the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) or from the Washington State Board of Registered Sanitarians (WSBRS). Both NEHA and WSBRS provide applications for REHS/RS credentialing by examination or via reciprocity.
  REHS/RS credentialing information is available from NEHA at:
  www.neha.org/professional-development/credentials/rehsrs-credential
  
  REHS/RS credentialing information is available from WSBRS at:www.wsbrs.org
  
  All required licenses and certifications must be maintained in active status without suspension or revocation throughout employment.
  Individuals cannot qualify for the REHS/RS Credential if they:
  • Do not hold a bachelor's degree, master's degree or PhD from a college or university accredited in the United States in any subject (and no international degree).
  • Have not earned 30 semester hours (or 45 quarter hours) of college credit in basic science coursework. Basic sciences include life sciences, natural sciences, physical sciences, or health sciences. Social science courses such as Sociology or Psychology do not count toward the basic science requirement.
  • Have not earned credit for a college level math or statistics class.

Other Qualifications

Forbes named King County as one of Washington State's best employers.

Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.

Guided by our "True North", we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles - we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer

No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.

To Apply

If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.

Who May Apply

This position is open to all qualified candidates.

The following items are required to be considered for this vacancy:

• NEOGOV Job Application (The responses on your job application should be thorough and complete and will be used in the screening process)
• Supplemental Questions (The responses to the supplemental questions should be thorough and complete and will be used in the screening process)

(Please note:  Additional attachments will not be reviewed as part of the evaluation process if not outlined as a required application material as outlined above).

Your application may be rejected as incomplete if you do not include the relevant information in the application. Cover letters and/or resumes are not accepted in lieu of a completed application. Applications and/or Supplemental Questionnaires that state "see my resume" or "see my personnel file" are considered incomplete and will not be accepted.

Necessary Special Requirements

• The selection process may include evaluation of application materials and supplemental questions, interviewing, and testing. You must completely fill out the application with your relevant education and work experience.
• The selected candidate must be able to provide proof of Basic Life Support (BLS) / CPR (if applicable).
• The selected candidate must be able to pass a thorough background investigation, but findings may not necessarily disqualify an applicant for employment. (and Pre-employment Physical, if applicable).
• For more information on our selection process, please refer to www.kingcounty.gov/depts/health/jobs/hiring. For tips on interviewing, please visit https://www.kingcounty.gov/~/media/audience/employees/learning-and-development/Interview_Tips.ashx?la=en. 
• Employees are required to protect the privacy and security of protected health information as defined in State and Federal Law.
• Public Health relies on office automation (Microsoft Office) and web-based enabled tools, therefore candidates must be proficient and comfortable with computer use to perform functions associated with on-going work.
• Employees are required to adhere to OSHA/WISHA guidelines including but not limited to completing their mandatory trainings on time and obtaining required immunizations.
• Regular and reliable attendance, effective communication skills, and development of effective working relationships are requirements of all Public Health positions.
• When Public Health responds to an emergency, and in accordance with relevant CBA language and/or KC policy and procedures, we may assign duties outside your regular job description. This may involve responding at any time, including nights and weekends, with possible deployment to locations other than the department. 
• If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact your recruiter listed on this job announcement.
• Working Conditions and Physical Requirements:
  This position requires the ability to perform work duties both indoors and outdoors in office environments, food establishments, schools, water recreation facilities and other field locations in a variety physical and weather conditions that may include:
  • Walking on wet and greasy floors, uneven terrain, up and down stairs and working around heavy machinery, strong odors, dusts, animals, and various types of chemical products and wastes.
  • Carrying, using, and maintaining in the field portable computers, environmental sampling equipment, and educational and enforcement documents.
  • Interaction with individuals from the public who are upset, angry, agitated, and sometimes hostile, requiring the use of conflict management and de-escalation skills.
  • This position may require strength enough to lift, carry, push, or pull equipment and other objects weighing up to 40 pounds as well as refrigerator and freezer doors.
  • Performance of job duties requires driving on a regular basis and a valid Washington State Driver's license.
  • This position may require the incumbent to occasionally access or travel by ferry or boat.

Union Membership

ProTec17 Union.

Contact

For more information about the application process please contact Alexis Owens at Alowens@kingcounty.gov

King County is an organization that provides services for the people in this area.