ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIST 1/2/3

Salary : $1,672.80 - $2,467.20 Biweekly

Location : Baton Rouge, LA

Job Type: Classified

Job Number: 23-96 ESBR EB

Department: Department of Environmental Quality

Division: OEC WASTE ENFORCEMENT

Opening Date: 09/06/2023

Closing Date: 9/20/2023 11:59 PM Central

Supplemental Information

23-96 ESBR EB

Environmental Scientist 1/2/3

OEC/Enforcement/Waste Enforcement

This position is in the Waste Enforcement Section of the Enforcement Division within the Office of Environmental Compliance.

This position is domiciled in Baton Rouge, LA.

The Environmental Scientist 1/2/3 in this position enforces the environmental laws of the state based on the review and assessment of data collected by the Department and through the use of formal and/or informal administrative enforcement means. The overall function of this position is to enforce state environmental laws and regulations, specifically the Hazardous Waste Regulations (RCRA), Solid Waste Regulations, Radiation Protection Regulations and Underground Storage Tank Regulations. The main duties of Environmental Scientists in the Waste Enforcement section include: conducting technical reviews of inspection reports and other enforcement-related referrals for completeness and accuracy to determine compliance with state and Federal regulations and the applicable permit; drafting the appropriate enforcement actions for alleged violations; monitoring for compliance after issuance of an enforcement action and recommending escalated enforcement action as necessary; participating in/conducting enforcement meetings; preparing technical reports, compliance histories, and violation summaries; reviewing and evaluating technical reports from other sections within the Department as well as from outside sources; and, conducting compliance inspections and investigations to support an enforcement case.

This position will be filled using either the generic or lab option.

As part of a Career Progression Group, vacancies may be filled from this recruitment as an Environmental Scientist 1, 2 or 3 depending on the level of experience of the selected applicant. Please refer to the "Job Specifications" tab located at the top of the LA Careers "Current Job Opportunities page" for specific information on salary ranges, minimum qualification requirements and job concepts for each level.

There is a Special Entrance Rate (SER) for this position, as follows:Environmental Scientist 1 - $20.91 per hour or $1672.80 biweekly
Environmental Scientist 2 - $22.38 per hour or $1789.80 biweekly
Environmental Scientist 3 - $25.62 per hour or $2049.20 biweekly

For recruitment purposes, applicants who are within 90 days of graduating with a bachelor's degree may be eligible for this position.

No Civil Service test score is required in order to be considered for this vacancy.

To apply for this vacancy, click on the "Apply" link above and complete an electronic application which can be used for this vacancy as well as future job opportunities.

Applicants are responsible for checking the status of their application to determine where they are in the recruitment process by selecting the 'Applications' link after logging into their account.

*Resumes WILL NOT be accepted in lieu of completed education and experience sections on your application. Applications may be rejected if incomplete.*

Please make every effort to attach a copy of your transcript to your application if possible (PDF format preferred). The selected candidate will be required to submit original documentation upon hire.

Applications will be rejected if the applicant fails to meet the minimum qualifications, submits an incomplete application or fails to apply by the closing date of the announcement.

Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of an application listing complete work experience and education.

This agency participates in the E-Verify system for verification of citizenship and employment authorization.

Equal Opportunity Employer. Louisiana is a State as a Model Employer for individuals with disabilities.

For further information about this vacancy contact:

Emily Barthelemy
Human Resources
LA Department of Environmental Quality
P.O. Box 4303
Baton Rouge, LA 70821
Emily.Barthelemy@la.gov

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
A baccalaureate degree with a major in one of the following scientific fields: agronomy, animal science, atmospheric sciences, biological sciences, chemistry, engineering, environmental sciences, forestry, geosciences, health physics, health sciences, medical physics, nuclear science, physical geography, physics, soil sciences, statistics and quantitative methods, toxicology, or wildlife and fisheries sciences.

SUBSTITUTIONS:
A master's degree or Ph.D. in any of the qualifying fields will substitute for the baccalaureate degree.

NOTE:
Any college hours or degree must be from an accredited college or university.

NOTE:
The transcript must state that the applicant's major is in one of the specified fields. Baccalaureate degrees with majors in a field not listed above which included a heavy concentration in science courses will not be considered qualifying.

NOTE:
Some specific scientific fields that are not qualifying are agriculture, architecture, computer science, food science, horticulture, mathematics, and science education.

Job Concepts
FUNCTION OF WORK:
To regulate environmental effects of industrial, commercial, governmental and construction activities through performance of permitting, certification, investigation, inspection, enforcement, emergency response, data collection and assessment, quality assurance, facility classification, laboratory analysis, and/or environmental assessment tasks.

LEVEL OF WORK:
Entry.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED:
Direct from an Environmental Scientist Supervisor or equivalent level technical supervisor. May be supervised by higher level personnel.

SUPERVISION EXERCISED:
None.

LOCATION OF WORK:
Department of Environmental Quality.

JOB DISTINCTIONS:
Differs from Environmental Scientist 2 by the absence of independent responsibility for basic level scientific projects.

The primary function of this level is to receive the necessary training and experience to prepare for the responsibility of higher levels. The focus is on formal and on-the-job training in the multi medias of air/water/waste or environmental laboratory analysis.
Examples of Work

EXAMPLES BELOW ARE A BRIEF SAMPLE OF COMMON DUTIES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS JOB TITLE. NOT ALL POSSIBLE TASKS ARE INCLUDED.

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIST/ GENERIC OPTION:

Assists in review of permit applications for minor sources of pollution or minor modifications to major sources of pollution.

May draft permits under close supervision.

Assists in routine inspection and complaint investigations.

Participates in emergency response activities.

Participates and/or assists in enforcement actions.

Assists in the operations of monitoring equipment and collection of monitoring data.

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIST/ LABORATORY OPTION:

Perform routine "wet-chemistry" analyses of water and wastewater samples for various chemical and physical parameters using titrimetric, gravimetric, and volumetric procedures.

Performs basic potentiometric analyses of water and wastewater samples.

Develops skills and assists in the analyses of various environmental samples (air water, wastewater, soils, sediments and aquatic organisms) using various instrumental procedures including atomic absorption spectrophotometry, automated colorimetry, ion chromatography, gas chromatography infrared spectrometry, mass spectroscopy, polarized light microscopy, or scanning electron microscopy.

Develops skills and assists in the required distillation/extraction of environmental samples prior to instrumental analysis, or the preparation and calibration of sampling devises used to collect ambient air samples.

Develops skills and assists in the preparation of necessary standard solutions and reagents required for laboratory operations.

Assist in the acquisition, formatting, reporting, and quality control of analytical data.

Assist in the calibration and maintenance of laboratory equipment.

Louisiana State Government represents a wide variety of career options and offers an outstanding opportunity to make a difference through public service. With an array of career opportunities in every major metropolitan center and in many rural areas, state employment provides an outstanding option to begin or continue your career.

As a state employee, you will earn competitive pay, choose from a variety of benefits, and have access to a great professional development program:

Insurance Coverage More information can be found at

Holidays and Leave - State employees receive the following paid holidays each year:

• New Year's Day
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day,
• Mardi Gras,
• Good Friday,
• Memorial Day,
• Independence Day,
• Labor Day,
• Veteran's Day,
• Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

***** Additional holidays may be proclaimed by the Governor

State employees earn sick and annual leave which can be accumulated and saved for future use. Your accrual rate increases as your years of service increase.

Retirement- State of Louisiana employees are eligible to participate in various retirement systems (based on the type of appointment and agency for which an employee works). These retirement systems provide retirement allowances and other benefits for state officers and employees and their beneficiaries. State retirement systems may include (but are not limited to):

• Louisiana State Employees Retirement System (). LASERS has provided this video to give you more detailed information about their system
• Teacher's Retirement System of Louisiana (),
• Louisiana School Employees Retirement System (), among others

01

Do you possess a baccalaureate degree with a major in one of the following scientific fields: agronomy, animal science, atmospheric sciences, biological sciences, chemistry, engineering, environmental sciences, forestry, geosciences, health physics, health sciences, medical physics, nuclear science, physical geography, physics, soil sciences, statistics and quantitative methods, toxicology, or wildlife and fisheries sciences? Please ensure this information is included on your application.

• Yes
• No

02

Do you anticipate graduating with a baccalaureate or graduate degree from a college or university accredited by a regional accrediting body in the next 90 days?

• Yes
• No

03

What is your anticipated date of graduation? If you answered "No" to the above question, enter N/A.

04

Provide the major as listed on your transcript for all baccalaureate and graduate degrees you hold below. If you do not hold a baccalaureate degree, enter N/A.

Required Question