Environmental Scientist

Job Description and Duties

Are you interested in a meaningful and impactful career? Would you like to contribute to protecting people and the environment and accelerating a statewide transition to sustainable pest management? The Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) could be the place for you!

Under the close supervision of the Environmental Program Manager I (Supervisory), the Environmental Scientists will participate in the less complex scientific, analytical, and technical work to support the Department of Pesticide Regulation’s (DPR) Pesticide Use Reporting (PUR) Program. These positions support DPR’s mission to protect public health and the environment by improving the accuracy, accessibility, and understanding of pesticide use data statewide. The Environmental Scientists will demonstrate DPR’s organizational values of Accountability, Integrity, Collaboration, and Continuous Improvement while carrying out program responsibilities.

You will find additional information about the job in the .

Working Conditions

• Work in an office building in a climate-controlled environment and under artificial lighting. 
• Ability to sit for long periods at a time and must be able to use a computer monitor, mouse, and keyboard for up to 8 hours per day. 
• Ability to lift at least 10 pounds. 
• Occasional travel, sometimes requiring overnight stays, to conduct site visits or attend training events or workshops may be required. Site visits may require walking in agricultural fields and orchards and in natural areas with moderate slopes, unpaved grounds, and uneven surfaces, such as ploughed fields and grassy meadows, undeveloped roads, ditches, levees, and other structures located adjacent to agricultural fields. Site visits may also occur in urban and suburban environments. Site visits will occur under various climatic conditions that may require exposure to high heat, full sun, high humidity, wind, and rain.

Note : These positions may be eligible for hybrid telework under Government Code 14200 for eligible applicants residing in California, subject to the candidate meeting telework eligibility criteria set forth in the CalEPA telework policy and/or future program need. Employees not residing in California are not eligible for telework. Regardless of telework eligibility, all employees may be required to report to the position’s designated headquarters location, as indicated on their duty statement, at their own expense.

Beginning July 1st, 2026, it is anticipated these positions will be office-centered and employees will be expected to report to the office at least four days per week.

Special Requirements

• These positions are designated Conflict of Interest and requires disclosure of economic interests.

• If education is required to meet the minimum qualifications, you must include a copy of your degree and/or unofficial transcripts in order to verify you meet the minimum qualifications. If you use unofficial transcripts to verify you meet the minimum qualifications, you must provide official transcripts prior to your start date, if selected for the position. 

• Please do not include any confidential information on any documents you submit for this job vacancy. Confidential information includes, but is not limited to: basis of eligibility, examination results, LEAP status, Social Security Number (SSN), birthdate, marital status, age, national origin, medical conditions, and use of medical leave.

Desirable Qualifications

In addition to evaluating each candidate's relative ability, as demonstrated by quality and breadth of experience, the following factors will provide the basis for competitively evaluating each candidate:

• Experience working with environmental, agricultural, urban, or natural-systems data, especially related to pesticide use, pest management, or other regulatory or scientific programs 
• Proficiency using analytical and programming tools such as SQL, PL/SQL, Python, R, or similar languages for data querying, cleaning, validation, and analysis
• Experience working with large or complex datasets, including performing QA/QC, identifying errors, and documenting data workflows 
• Familiarity with Geographic Information System (GIS) tools and spatial analysis, or willingness and ability to learn GIS to support program efforts
• Strong analytical and critical-thinking skills, including the ability to interpret trends, assess data quality, synthesize technical information, and communicate findings 
• Ability to work independently and as part of a multi-disciplinary team 
• Knowledge or experience working with diverse cultural communities 
• Awareness of diverse communities and regional demographics
• Ability to communicate respectfully and with sensitivity

Critical Job Competencies

Communication: make clear and convincing oral presentations to individuals or groups; inform, persuade, build consensus; know the audience; facilitate open exchange of ideas/opinions; select and use appropriate communication approach; actively listen; effectively use e-mail; avoid mixed messages – the body language says one thing, the words another; apply business writing principles to all written communications.

Self-motivation, Optimism, Sustained Commitment, Perseverance, and Patience: demonstrate a bias toward optimism and maintain sense of humor; retain stamina and bounce back from setbacks; view mistakes as opportunities for growth/positive learning experiences.

Ethics/Integrity: create culture if trusting relationships; promote organizational vision and values through leadership principles.

Problem Solving: persevere in the face of obstacles such as diminishing financial resources; there is more than one way to get to the destination; anticipate problems and encourage a culture of proactive problem solving; ensure comprehensive evaluation of the costs and benefits of all options in determining the preferred solution.

Emotional Intelligence/Interpersonal Awareness: demonstrate recognition of and compassion to the various psychological and emotional needs of people; express feelings clearly and directly; balance feelings with reason, logic, and reality; initiate and develop relationships with others as a key priority.

Teamwork: facilitate and maintain cooperative working relationships; value and encourage the input and expertise of others; work toward accomplishment of group goals; foster commitment, team spirit, pride, and trust.

Technical Credibility: understand and appropriately apply procedures, requirements, policies, and regulations related to specialized expertise; translate concepts and ideas into strategies and action steps.

Customer Service Orientation: balance interests of a variety of clients, internal and external; readily adjust priorities in response to changing client needs; put in place systems and processes to ensure clients receive high-quality information, that their feedback is acted upon, and that their complaints are handled effectively; develop trust and credibility with the client.

Flexibility/Adaptability: readily integrate changes midstream into work processes and outputs; demonstrate openness to new organizational structures, procedures, and technology; shift gears comfortably.

Project Management: garner support for projects; develop work plans with tasks, timeframes, milestones, resources, and dependencies; use resources efficiently and manage effectively within budget limits; anticipate potential and institute controls and contingency plans to address them; monitor project progress.

Benefits

Benefit information can be found on the CalHR website and the CalPERS website.

Supplemental Questionnaire

You must answer each supplemental question in its entirety and follow all instructions for answering the questions in order to be considered interested/eligible in the position.

Instructions:
Each response should no more than two (2) pages in total length, using 12-point font, that addresses the following questions.

Questions:

1. Describe your experience working with large datasets, including the tools and methods you used (such as SQL, Python, R, or other statistical or database software). Provide a specific example of a project where you cleaned, validated, or transformed data to prepare it for analysis. What challenges did you encounter, and how did you address them? 
2. What interests you most about working in the Pesticide Use Reporting (PUR) Program, and how do your experiences and professional goals align with DPR’s mission and values?

Note: Resumes, letters, and other materials will not take the place of the supplemental application.

Required Application Package Documents

The following items are required to be submitted with your application. Applicants who do not submit the required items timely may not be considered for this job:

• Current version of the State Examination/Employment Application STD Form 678 (when not applying electronically), or the Electronic State Employment Application through your Applicant Account at All Experience and Education relating to the Minimum Qualifications listed on the Classification Specification should be included to demonstrate how you meet the Minimum Qualifications for the position.
• Resume is required and must be included.
• Degree and/or School Transcripts
• Supplemental Application - A response to the supplemental questions is required to be considered interested/eligible in the position. The supplemental questions and instructions are listed in the "Supplemental Questionnaire" section of this advertisement. You must answer each supplemental question in its entirety and follow all instructions for answering the questions in order to be considered interested/eligible in the position.