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Environmental Specialist - Generalist

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Environmental Specialist - Generalist

Salary

$43.23 - $55.21 Hourly

Location

6543 N. Burlington Ave, OR

Job Type

Regular

Job Number

2025-00620

Bureau

Bureau of Environmental Services

Opening Date

07/14/2025

Closing Date

7/28/2025 11:59 PM Pacific

+ Description

+ Benefits

+ Questions

The Position

About the position

Job Appointment: Full time, Regular

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday - Flexible schedule available with either 8, 9, or 10 hour shifts in a 40 hour work week

Work Location: Hybrid - 50% - 6543 N BURLINGTON AVE, PORTLAND OR 97203-5452 for in person work; 50% Remote. Remote work must be performed within Oregon or Washington. For more information, click here (https://www.portland.gov/policies/human-resources-administrative-rules/employee-behavior-expectations/hrar-4045-employee#toc-geographic-work-location) .

Benefits: Please check our benefits tab for an overview of benefit for this position

Language Pay Premium Eligible: This position may be eligible for Language Pay Differential (https://www.portland.gov/bhr/class-comp/language-pay-differential-overview) for qualifying employees

Union Representation: (Professional & Technical Employees Local 17, PROTEC 17). To view this labor agreement, please click here (https://www.portland.gov/bhr/employee-relations/labor-relations/labor-agreements) .

Application Material: Please click APPLY to submit your application via the City of Portland’s online portal. You will need respond to the supplemental questions and attach a resume.

Position Summary

The City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services (BES) is seeking an Environmental Specialist to join the Industrial Permitting Program. The Industrial Permitting Program is responsible for protecting the City’s publicly owned treatment works, ensuring compliance with the City’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) waste discharge permit, protecting the health and safety of the public, city personnel, and the environment, and ensuring industrial users maintain compliance with their Industrial Waste Discharge Permits (IWDPs).

This position is a lead worker that will be responsible for the issuance of control mechanisms and/or IWDPs. Primary responsibilities include reviewing IWDP applications, correctly applying federal effluent guideline standards to industrial dischargers, and drafting and issuing IWDPs that meet local, state and federal requirements. This position is the lead worker responsible for producing the DEQ required Pretreatment Program Annual Report, directing and reviewing the work of the Industrial Permitting Program’s 6 Tech II (Permit Managers) and meeting the required elements of Portland’s DEQ approved Pretreatment Program.

Employees in this position have strong technical experience in pretreatment permitting and regulations. The Environmental Specialist is the subject matter expert in industrial treatment technologies, analytical analysis of pollutant loadings, and ensuring the City’s industrial user control mechanisms fulfill the legal authority of local, state, and federal regulations.

What you’ll get to do:

+ Write, issue, renew, and review all IWDPs and other City control mechanisms meeting required cycle times for permit issuance in compliance with the City’s federally mandated Pretreatment Program.

+ Initiate permit application reviews, industrial wastewater process analysis, and treatment system evaluation.

+ Ensure permit applications are complete and received within required time frames.

+ Inspect Industrial Users (IU) with Permit Managers and collaborate during permit renewal to ensure the permit reflects the IU’s process.

+ Oversee projects related to NPDES Pretreatment Program compliance, producing required periodic reports, and ensuring program documents are updated and meet local, state, and federal requirements

+ Lead and review the work of 6 Permit Managers.

+ Develop annual permit renewal work plan for Section.

+ Assist the Industrial Permitting Program Manager as requested to review and update program materials, such as local City Code, Administrative Rules, Pretreatment Program Implementation Manual, and associated procedures.

+ Maintain permit-related documents to include templates and program standard operating procedures.

+ Collaborate with Industrial Permitting staff as well as other program stakeholders to complete the program’s annual report to Oregon DEQ.

+ Effectively communicate with internal and external customers in a professional manner including the City’s Enforcement, FOG, Laboratory, and Field Operations staff.

+ Model pollutant loads to ensure City’s local limits are protective.

An ideal candidate will demonstrate through direct or transferrable experience:

+ Strong working knowledge of Industrial Pretreatment, Industrial Operations, and interpretation of analytical data.

+ Skill and experience in collaborating with and empowering professional technical staff

+ Ability to build and maintain effective relationships.

+ Ability to explain and present technical information in layperson language.

+ Ability to support the implementation of a strict regulatory program.

+ Ability to maintain working relationships with industries while ensuring compliance with City regulations.

+ Knowledge of treatment plant operations and biosolids

About the Bureaus

Bureau of Environmental Services

This is an exciting time to join the Bureau of Environmental Services (BES). Together we are re-imagining the work we do to ensure it aligns with Our Values:

+ We implement equity in our workplace, business practices, and service delivery.

+ We value our customers and partners.

+ We carefully manage our watersheds, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure, and financial resources.

+ We encourage leadership among our employees in our City and community.

+ We support a diverse, collaborative, healthy, and engaged workforce.

+ We urge respectful communication and transparency.

+ We advance innovative, sustainable, and resilient solutions.

At BES, we value our customers and partners; Portlanders’ sense of connection to their waterways; conscientious stewardship of our watersheds, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure, and financial resources; a diverse, collaborative, healthy, and engaged workforce; leadership among our employees and in our City and community; equity in our workplace, business practices, and service delivery; clear communication and transparency; innovative, sustainable, and resilient solutions.

BES is seeking talented individuals from diverse racial, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds with knowledge, ability, and experience working with a broad range of individuals and communities; and that desire to work collaboratively and creatively to broaden the variety of innovative ways to partner with and serve all Portland communities.

To learn more about the work we do at BES, click on the link: About Environmental Services | Portland.gov (https://www.portland.gov/bes/about)

Our BES 10-Year Strategic Plan can be found here: download (portland.gov) (https://www.portland.gov/bes/documents/bes-strategic-plan-2018-2027/download)

Portland Water Bureau

The Portland Water Bureau (PWB) serves almost a million people in the Portland area, about a quarter of Oregon's population. PWB employs over 600 people providing responsive service to build and maintain a water system that enhances public health and safety and contributes to the economic vitality and livability of the Portland metropolitan region.

Our mission: We serve excellent water every minute of every day.

Our vision: The water our community loves is safe and abundant for generations to come.

Our equity commitment: We work to uproot systemic inequities and their impacts on our employees and the people we serve. We commit to the difficult – and essential – work of transforming Water Bureau policies, practices, and culture to better serve historically and currently oppressed communities.

Our values:

Honor our responsibility. We take part in a long legacy of careful stewardship of natural resources, infrastructure, and public trust. We never forget that water is essential.

Serve our community. We know people depend on us. We are dedicated to listening, communicating, and acting with compassion.

Work well. Our strength lies in the skills, expertise, and creativity our employees bring to work every day. We work hard, we work safely, and we adapt.

Use money wisely. We work to control costs while maintaining high standards. We invest to make our water system stronger, more flexible, and better prepared for challenges ahead.

Future positions in the Portland Water Bureau

The Portland Water Bureau’s Water Quality Division, housed in the Operations Group, might have Environmental Specialist vacancies in the future. The core function of the Water Quality division is to support the bureau in providing safe drinking water and meeting all federal and state drinking water regulations. Environmental Specialists in this group are lead workers in the areas of regulatory compliance, water quality sampling, and source water management. Employees in these positions have strong technical experience in drinking water regulations, water chemistry and treatment, water quality field sampling and data analysis. This position might interpret and analyze lab data, produce regulatory reports, schedule and coordinate field work for a team of samplers, manage various sampling programs, use the Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS), manage lab contracts, and collect field data and laboratory samples.

Portland Permitting and Development

Portland Permitting & Development (PP&D) manages building permits, land use, inspections, code enforcement, and public works permits to ensure our built environment is safe and accessible. Our mission is to promote safety, livability and economic vitality through efficient and collaborative application of building and development codes. Portland Permitting & Development is committed to the elimination of racism and discriminatory practices in our services and in our workplace because we understand the positive value of equitable systems.

Equity: Conditions that allow everyone to flourish so that race, gender, ability and/or other held identities do not determine access or outcomes.

To learn more about the Portland Permitting and Development equity commitment, please visit our website: https://www.portland.gov/ppd/about-portland-permitting-development

Have a question?

Contact Information:

Anna Morgan, Senior Recruiter

Bureau of Human Resources

[email protected]

To Qualify

The following minimum qualifications are required for this position. Applicants must describe in their supplemental question responses and résumé how their education, training, work experience, and/or lived experience meet each of the following minimum qualifications:

+ Knowledge of relevant City, state, and federal policies, laws, statutes, codes, and regulations relating to wastewater, pretreatment, and/or environmental quality and protection, and/or drinking water, along with the ability to interpret and apply them.

+ Ability to review, organize, and direct the work of a work group; motivate and collaborate a work group.

+ Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with management, staff, representatives of other governmental agencies, the regulated public, and others encountered in the course of work.

+ Ability to work with a multicultural workforce, promote an equitable workplace environment, and apply equitable program practices to diverse and complex City services.

Although not required, you may have one or more of the following:

+ Bachelor’s degree in environmental science, chemistry, biology, or a related field;

+ Four to six years of progressively responsible environmental or natural resource experience; preferably focused on pretreatment and wastewater processes.

+ Four to six years of progressively responsible experience with drinking water systems.

The Recruitment Process

STEP 1: Apply online between July 14, 2025 – July 28, 2025

Required Application Materials:

+ Resume

+ Answer to the Supplemental Questions (click on the Questions tab to preview the questions)

Optional Application Materials:

+ If you wish to request Veteran's Preference, please submit your veteran documents (e.g., DD214-Member 4, VA Benefit Letter) by the recruitment's closing date.

We have recently updated our veteran preference process. As of March 3rd, 2025 if you made the eligible list and met the eligibility to receive veteran preference, you will no longer need to submit veteran documents for future recruitments.

If you need to update or remove your veteran preference for a specific recruitment or from your master profile, please contact the recruiter listed in the job announcement.

Application Tips:

+ Your responses to the supplemental questions should include details describing your education, training and/or experience, and where obtained, which clearly reflects your qualifications for each of the numbered items in the "To Qualify" section of this announcement.

+ Your résumé should support the details described in your responses to the supplemental questions.

+ How We Determine Pay: The City of Portland is covered by the Oregon Equal Pay Act (https://www.oregon.gov/boli/workers/pages/equal-pay.aspx) . Your salary is determined based on the experience listed in your resume that is directly related and equivalent to the position for which you are applying. It is strongly encouraged to include any transferable experience (paid or unpaid regardless of how recent) to ensure your offer is reflective of all your relevant experience.

+ Do not attach any additional documents.

+ Please note, all completed applications for this position must be submitted no later than on the closing date and time of this recruitment.

+ You can use AI tools to assist with your job application, but please make sure to personalize your responses to supplemental questions. Avoid copying and pasting. We encourage using AI to generate ideas and then tailor them to reflect your own experiences and skills.

+ All applications must be submitted via the City's online application process.

+ E-mailed and/or faxed applications will not be accepted.

STEP 2: Minimum Qualification Evaluation : Week of July 28th

+ An evaluation of each applicant's training and paid and unpaid experience, as demonstrated in their resume and supplemental questions, weighted 100%.

+ Your résumé and responses to the supplemental questions will be the basis for our evaluation of your qualifications for this position. Incomplete or inappropriate information may result in disqualification.

+ You have 14 days from the notice of the minimum qualification evaluation results to let us know if you would like to review and discuss your evaluation result. Please read the City of Portland Administrative Rule 3.01 (https://www.portland.gov/policies/human-resources-administrative-rules/employment/hrar-301-recruitment-processes#toc-examination-review) for complete information.

+ Additional evaluation may be required prior to establishment of the eligible list and/or final selection.

STEP 3: Establishment of Eligible List: Early August

Candidates who meet the minimum qualifications will be placed on the equally ranked eligible list.

STEP 4: Selection (Interview): Mid-August

+ Hiring bureau will review and select candidates for an interview

STEP 5: Offer of Employment: Late August

+ Some positions will require those offered employment to complete and sign a criminal background statement before being considered for employment.

STEP 6: Start Date: Early September

+ A start date will be determined after all conditions of employment have been met.

*Timeline is approximate and subject to change.

Additional Information

Click here (https://www.portland.gov/bhr/career-center/recruitment-policy) for additional information regarding the following:

+ City of Portland Core Values

+ Recruitment Process - Work Status

+ Equal Employment Opportunity

+ Veteran Preference

+ ADA, Pregnancy, and Religious Accommodations

An Equal Opportunity /Affirmative Action Employer

A Career with the City of Portland offers many Employee Benefits

We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including but not limited to

+ Health Care (Medical, Vision and Dental)

+ Carrot Fertility

+ Wellness Benefits

+ Life Insurance

+ Long-term disability coverage to eligible employees and their families.

+ Employee Assistance Plan

+ Flexible Spending Accounts

+ Retirement

+ Oregon Public Employees Retirement System (PERS), including contributions to the PERS IAP plan paid by employer

+ Family Medical Leave

+ City Paid Parental Leave

AND SO MANY MORE!

Benefits may vary depending on bargaining unit and employment status. Click here to review the many different benefits the City of Portland offers (https://www.portland.gov/bhr/benefit-offerings/benefits-quickstart-guide/benefit-plan-summaries-highlight-guides) .

01

Thank you for considering joining the City of Portland. We sincerely value your time and hope to make your application experience as positive as possible.

The following supplemental questions are an important step in the examination and selection process to assist us in determining if you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities to succeed in the posted vacancy.

A lack of a complete and thorough response to each of the supplemental questions in the space provided may result in disqualification from the examination. In addition, the selections you make and responses you provide in the questionnaire must accurately reflect what is documented in your resume.

Have you read and understood the information listed above?

+ Yes

+ No - If you have any questions, please contact the recruiter on the announcement.

02

Where did you first learn about this job opportunity? (If on a website or job board, please specify which one)

03

The City of Portland sometimes gets requests for public records. Please choose the response that best fits your preference:

(Your choice will not affect your application process.)

+ I want my application to stay private. I understand that the City of Portland will keep my information confidential unless required to share it by law.

+ I allow my application to be shared. I understand that by choosing this option, my information is no longer private.

04

Do you have knowledge of relevant City, state, and federal policies, laws, statutes, codes, and regulations relating to wastewater, pretreatment, and/or environmental quality and protection, along with the ability to interpret and apply them?

+ Yes

+ No

05

Provide a detailed example(s) of your knowledge of relevant City, state, and federal policies, laws, statutes, codes, and regulations relating to wastewater, pretreatment, and/or environmental quality and protection, along with the ability to interpret and apply them.

In your response, include details that clearly reflect how you meet this minimum qualification. Such as:

+ Examples of when you used the knowledge skill or ability.

+ Role you served in (professional, internship, volunteer).

+ The impact and/or results of your of experience.

+ Skills, training, transferable skills or lived experience you have that will help you in this area.

+ Total years of experience applying the knowledge, skill, or ability.

06

Do you have the ability to review, organize, and direct the work of a work group; motivate and collaborate a work group?

+ Yes

+ No

07

Provide a detailed example(s) of your ability to review, organize, and direct the work of a work group; motivate and collaborate a work group.

In your response, include details that clearly reflect how you meet this minimum qualification. Such as:

+ Examples of when you used the knowledge skill or ability.

+ Role you served in (professional, internship, volunteer).

+ The impact and/or results of your of experience.

+ Skills, training, transferable skills or lived experience you have that will help you in this area.

+ Total years of experience applying the knowledge, skill, or ability.

08

Do you have the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with management, staff, representatives of other governmental agencies, the regulated public, and others encountered in the course of work?

+ Yes

+ No

09

Provide a detailed example(s) of your ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with management, staff, representatives of other governmental agencies, the regulated public, and others encountered in the course of work.

In your response, include details that clearly reflect how you meet this minimum qualification. Such as:

+ Examples of when you used the knowledge skill or ability.

+ Role you served in (professional, internship, volunteer).

+ The impact and/or results of your of experience.

+ Skills, training, transferable skills or lived experience you have that will help you in this area.

+ Total years of experience applying the knowledge, skill, or ability.

10

Do you have the ability to work with a multicultural workforce, promote an equitable workplace environment, and apply equitable program practices to diverse and complex City services?

+ Yes

+ No

11

Provide a detailed example(s) of your ability to work with a multicultural workforce, promote an equitable workplace environment, and apply equitable program practices to diverse and complex City services.

In your response, include details that clearly reflect how you meet this minimum qualification. Such as:

+ Examples of when you used the knowledge skill or ability.

+ Role you served in (professional, internship, volunteer).

+ The impact and/or results of your of experience.

+ Skills, training, transferable skills or lived experience you have that will help you in this area.

+ Total years of experience applying the knowledge, skill, or ability.

12

Please note the following question will not be considered during minimum qualification review. The information provided will be reviewed during the selection process.

Although not required, please provide information for any of the following preferred qualifications:

+ Bachelor’s degree in environmental science, chemistry, biology, or a related field;

+ Four to six years of progressively responsible environmental or natural resource experience; preferably focused on pretreatment and wastewater processes.

(Enter N/A if you do not have relevant experience)

13

Which bureau(s) are you interested in working in? You may select more than one.

+ Bureau of Environmental Services (currently hiring)

+ Portland Water Bureau (currently hiring)

+ Portland Permitting and Development (future vacancies)

14

If your preference is a position in the Portland Water Bureau, please tell us about your knowledge of working with drinking water.

Required Question

Employer

City of Portland

Address

1120 SW 5th Ave, Room 987 Portland, Oregon, 97204

Website

http://www.portlandoregon.gov/jobs

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