ENVIRONMENTAL SPECIALIST 2
DEFINITION:
Under the limited supervision of a supervisory official in a state department, institution, agency, or local government agency, performs complex technical or scientific work including field and office studies, surveys, inspections, or investigations associated with enforcement of environmental laws and/or regulations, and environmental review and control work, or organizes and carries out programs/projects designed to study and evaluate environmental impact of specific projects on the environment; organizes and develops tests and reports to assess environmental impacts on physical, natural, and/or human environments; investigates environmental complaints concerning projects; conducts contract, grant, and/or loan processing; may be required to function as a lead worker providing guidance to lower-level Environmental Specialists; does other related duties as required.
NOTE: Positions in the Department of Environmental Protection may be assigned to any of the environmental fields such as Air Pollution Control, Coastal Resources, Laboratory Certification, Pesticide Control, Soil Science, Tideland Delineation, Site Remediation, Water Resources, or Waste Management.
NOTE: Positions in the Department of Environmental Protection assigned to the Division of Publicly Funded Site Remediation have responsibility for approving various documents with certain monetary value thresholds as assigned to the various levels within the series. Positions assigned to the Division of Responsible Party Site Remediation have signature authority for specified documents as assigned to the various levels within the series.
NOTE: Positions in the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT), with the exception of the Environmental Services Support Unit (ESSU)/Facilities Hazard Compliance Monitoring, consistent with federal and state environmental regulations, have responsibility for the evaluation of environmental impact of specific projects at NJDOT that include assessment of impact on social, economic, and natural environments. This involves review or preparation of technical memoranda, studies, impact statements, etc., prepared pursuant to state and/or federal environmental regulations.
NOTE: The examples of work for this title are for illustrative purposes only. A particular position using this title may not perform all duties listed in this job specification. Conversely, all duties performed on the job may not be listed.
EXAMPLES OF WORK:
Participates as technical or scientific member of review team to assess Environmental Impact Statements received under the requirements of state and/or federal statutes and regulations.
Conducts investigations studies, inspections, tests, or environmental surveys for evaluating a proposed facility.
Gathers technical or scientific data to assist with assessment of the social impact of a proposed facility.
Interprets bacteriological and chemical analyses and compiles reports on data collected for evaluation of Environmental Impact Statements.
Identifies and interprets information collected on diverse communities of various cultures and values and how they could be affected by a proposed action.
Conducts tests to collect data for permit evaluation.
May provide technical guidance to lower-level consultants.
Investigates complaints of violations or social concerns and reports them.
Conducts inspections of permitted activities to ensure compliance with permit requirements.
Examines plans, specifications, reports, and resolutions for construction of proposed facilities and provides analyses.
Conducts field investigations of proposed projects to assess potential environmental impact on physical, natural, and/or human environments as the basis for the level of environmental studies and documentation.
Develops, prepares and evaluates contract documents used to bid, award, and administer contracts for hazardous/non-hazardous site remediation projects and coordinates in conjunction with other units and agencies.
Reviews grant/loan applications and prepares, and signs deficiency letters.
Prepares grant/loan award recommendations and letters of withdrawal and denial for supervisor review and signature.
Reviews, prepares, and signs Remedial Action Progress Reports (RAPR's) and Biennial Certification approvals with supervisor written delegation.
Reviews and has approval authority for individual work orders and change orders up to $10,000; prepares Request for Proposals (RFP's) and Invitation to Bid (IFB's) and approves RFP's/IFB's up to $10,000 with supervisory concurrence as deemed appropriate; and identifies potential priority casework.
Prepares material for inclusion in Environmental Impact Statements, Environmental Assessments, and other environmental documents.
Prepares and writes technical environmental studies on the effects of transportation projects.
May run computer programs to predict noise levels resulting from proposed transportation projects; determines mitigation measures to reduce noise levels by use of barriers, roadway design, or acoustic shielding.
May run computer models that predict future levels of pollutants from specific projects.
Participates in field identification determining extent of impact on ecosystems and recommends techniques to mitigate impact.
Prepares scopes of work and personnel cost estimates for projects requiring use of environmental consultant services.
May provide guidance to lower-level environmental consultants in preparation of environmental studies and reports.
Reviews and comments on work prepared by environmental consultants including proposals, technical reports, Environmental Impact Statements, and other environmental documents.
Conducts onsite field investigations during construction of projects to determine the effectiveness of environmental mitigation and control measures.
Meets with citizens, public officials, and others on environmental matters.
May prepare evidence for use in court actions and hearings and give testimony under oath.
May assign projects and provide instruction to designated employees.
Prepares material for inclusion in Environmental Impact Statements and related reports.
Prepares correspondence in the course of official duties.
Under direction, organizes and conducts projects designed to study and evaluate impact of specific projects on the environment.
Organizes and conducts studies to compile data from primary and secondary services to be used in making tests and reports.
Plans, organizes, and participates in field investigations concerning project complaints.
Collects and evaluates technical, scientific data for solutions to environmental problems.
Meets with planning, design, and construction personnel.
Prepares clear, technically sound, accurate, and factual reports containing findings, conclusions, and recommendations.
Maintains essential reports, records, and files.
Will be required to learn how to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.
REQUIREMENTS:
EDUCATION:
Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor's degree in one of the Physical Sciences, Environmental Sciences/Studies, Chemical Sciences, or Biological Sciences; or in Environmental Planning, Environmental Policy, or Physical Geography; or in Civil Engineering, Sanitary Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Agricultural Engineering, Mining Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or Bio-resource Engineering.
NOTE: The following education requirements are applicable to positions in the New Jersey Department of Transportation assigned to all programs except Environmental Services Support Unit (ESSU)/Facilities Hazard Compliance Monitoring.
Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor’s degree in one of the Physical, Natural, or Social Sciences; Environmental Science, Environmental Policy, Chemical Science, Biological Science, Geology, Natural Resource Management, Environmental Planning, Natural History, Anthropology, Historic Architecture, Historic Preservation, Archaeology, Sociology, Urban Studies, Geography, Economics, Agricultural Science, Marine Science, Urban Planning, Transportation Planning, or Geoscience; or a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering in one of the following disciplines: Environmental Engineering, Civil Engineering, Sanitary Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Agricultural Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or Bio-Resource Engineering.
NOTE: A valid Professional Engineer’s license issued by the New Jersey State Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors may be substituted for the Bachelor’s degree in Engineering.
EXPERIENCE:
Two (2) years of experience in environmental control work including field investigations, inspection, and preparing reports on the environment or the preparation or review of Environmental Impact Statements.
NOTE: A Master's degree in one of the fields specified above may be substituted for one (1) year of the above experience.
LICENSE:
Appointee will be required to possess a driver's license valid in New Jersey only if the operation of a vehicle, rather than employee mobility, is necessary to perform essential duties of the position.
KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITIES:
Knowledge of principles, methods, procedures, and purpose of field investigations and evaluation of the impact of human-made alterations to the natural, social, or economic environment or field monitoring and sampling.
Knowledge of environmental violations.
Knowledge of responsibilities, programs, standards, policies, and procedures for area of assignment.
Knowledge of state-of-the-art design requirements for effective abatement of pollution sources regulated by the State of New Jersey.
Knowledge of quality assurance procedures for environmental monitoring and sampling.
Knowledge of methods and procedures for calibration and maintenance of sophisticated monitoring and testing equipment.
Knowledge of typical problems encountered in studies of environmental impact.
Knowledge of scientific, engineering, contracting, and/or construction principles involved in hazardous/non-hazardous waste control, cleanup, removal, and disposal.
Knowledge of grant/loan process rules, regulations, and guidelines.
Knowledge of approval authority process for individual work orders and change orders, Request for Proposals (RFP's), and Invitation to Bid (IFB's).
Ability to organize assigned technical field and office work and develop effective work methods.
Ability to organize and participate in field testing, monitoring, and sampling programs, and perform field evaluations and analyses.
Ability to collect and supervise the collection of samples or perform tests in the field and make field evaluations and analyses.
Ability to investigate environmental problems using reference or research materials.
Ability to effectively communicate with the community and individual citizens on the impact of projects on the environment.
Ability to interpret and apply federal and state laws, rules, and regulations to the area of assignment.
Ability to compose correspondence and technical reports in a clear, sound, accurate, and informative manner.
Ability to conduct scientific studies or surveys under direction and prepare concise reports.
Ability to coordinate, document, assess, and/or contract for large-scale cleanup activities involving management and remediation of multimedia environmental contamination problems.
Ability to review grant/loan applications for approval process.
Ability to interpret scientific data and make evaluations and recommendations.
Ability to assign and instruct designated employees and review work, as required.
Ability to prepare reports on environmental matters based on field studies and research.
Ability to maintain essential reports, records and files.
Ability to supervise and to participate in collection of data from primary and secondary sources used for developing tests and reports.
Ability to learn how to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.
Ability to read, write, speak, understand, and communicate in English sufficiently to perform the duties of this position. American Sign Language or Braille may also be considered as acceptable forms of communication.
Persons with mental or physical disabilities are eligible if they can perform essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation. If the accommodation cannot be made because it would cause the employer undue hardship, such persons may not be eligible.
This job specification is applicable to the following title code(s) which
are different work week or work month and/or variants of the job class title:
