Director of Environmental Health

Job Description

Job Description:\n\nAbout DCHD:\nMission: To protect and promote healthier lifestyles through prevention and education.\nAs a certified health department, the Douglas County Health Department is responsible for several programs as well as many other public health services. Programs are grouped into divisions relating to either nursing, environmental health or health education. All programs have an educational component. The goal of this department is to increase the awareness and number of persons reached in this educational process.\n \n \nBenefits:\n\n13-15 Paid Holidays\nVacation\n3 days of Personal Time\nAccrual of 1 sick day per month (rollover)\nEmployer paid employee health insurance premium\nIllinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF)\nDental/Vision\nLife Insurance\nTuition Assistance and Loan Repayment\nFlexible Schedules\n\n \n \nCompensation: The full salary range for this position is $64,000–$76,000 annually. The anticipated starting salary is $66,000–$72,000, depending on the selected candidate’s directly related experience, education, licensure, certifications, and overall qualifications, as well as internal equity and available funding. An exceptionally qualified candidate may be considered above the anticipated starting range, but within the full approved salary range.\n\nStatus: Full-time, 40 hours \nWorking hours: M-F\nSalary Exempt\nWork Location: Onsite & Client Locations\n\nJob Summary\nThe Director of Environmental Health is responsible for planning, developing, administering, and evaluating comprehensive environmental health and safety programs designed to prevent or eliminate environmental health and safety hazards in accordance with federal, state, and local laws and regulations.\n \nThe Director provides leadership and direct supervision to Environmental Health Division staff and is responsible for establishing work priorities, assigning responsibilities, monitoring performance, ensuring regulatory compliance, and supporting the professional development of assigned employees. The Director works collaboratively with other directors and managers to promote a high-performance environmental health and safety culture and to develop effective programs and processes that achieve high levels of environmental stewardship, public safety, and regulatory compliance.\n \nThe Director should possess emergency preparedness and first responder training and is responsible for managing, planning, implementing, and monitoring the Douglas County Health Department’s Emergency Management Program and the Douglas County Medical Reserve Corps program.\n \nSupervisory Responsibilities\nThe Director of Environmental Health directly supervises employees assigned to the Environmental Health Division. Supervisory responsibilities include:\n\nEstablishing division priorities, work plans, schedules, and performance expectations.\nAssigning and monitoring inspections, investigations, complaints, projects, reports, and other program responsibilities.\nProviding regular direction, coaching, feedback, and technical assistance to Environmental Health staff.\nConducting employee onboarding, training, one-on-one meetings, staff meetings, and performance evaluations.\nMonitoring employee productivity, documentation, customer service, regulatory compliance, and completion of assigned work.\nEnsuring adequate staffing, cross-training, workload distribution, and program coverage.\nReviewing and approving employee reports, inspection records, enforcement documentation, permits, correspondence, and other official records, as appropriate.\nAddressing performance, attendance, conduct, and workplace concerns in coordination with Human Resources and the Administrator.\nMaking recommendations regarding hiring, promotion, professional development, corrective action, and separation of assigned employees.\nSupporting employees in maintaining required licenses, certifications, continuing education, and professional competencies.\nPromoting a professional, respectful, accountable, and collaborative work environment.\n\nDuties and Responsibilities\n\nPlans, organizes, directs, controls, integrates, and evaluates the work of the Environmental Health Division.\nAdministers comprehensive environmental health programs, including but not limited to septic systems, private water wells, food sanitation, tanning facilities, solid waste, radon, West Nile virus control, bioterrorism preparedness, nuisance complaints, and other environmental health or prevention programs administered by the Department.\nDevelops division policies, procedures, protocols, forms, workflows, and quality assurance processes to ensure consistency and compliance.\nEstablishes annual program goals, performance measures, work standards, and priorities for the Environmental Health Division.\nMonitors staff caseloads, inspections, investigations, complaints, enforcement activities, reporting deadlines, and completion of assigned responsibilities.\nEnsures inspections, investigations, enforcement activities, and regulatory decisions are completed accurately, consistently, professionally, and within required timeframes.\nReviews complex or sensitive environmental health complaints and provides guidance regarding enforcement, corrective actions, and regulatory requirements.\nResponds to escalated concerns from residents, businesses, contractors, elected officials, partner agencies, and other stakeholders.\nServes as a liaison and key spokesperson for the Department in dealings with federal, state, and local environmental regulatory agencies and organizations regarding compliance matters.\nRepresents the Department before federal, state, and local agencies, boards, committees, community organizations, and other groups regarding environmental health issues.\nOversees environmental regulatory compliance auditing and reporting.\nEnsures the maintenance of required records, files, inspection documentation, permits, reports, and enforcement records in compliance with applicable retention requirements.\nEnsures compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local reporting requirements.\nDevelops, implements, and monitors work plans designed to achieve division and Department goals and objectives.\nParticipates in the development of the Department and Environmental Health Division budgets and monitors expenditures against approved budgets.\nIdentifies staffing, equipment, technology, training, and resource needs for the Environmental Health Division.\nManages, supervises, and evaluates the development, implementation, and effectiveness of programs, work processes, systems, and procedures.\nCoordinates staff training and professional development related to environmental health regulations, inspection practices, enforcement procedures, customer service, documentation, safety, and emergency preparedness.\nMaintains sufficient knowledge of Environmental Health Division programs to provide technical guidance and operational coverage when necessary.\nParticipates in Department leadership meetings, strategic planning, policy development, accreditation activities, and quality improvement initiatives.\nManages National Incident Management System compliance training for Department staff.\nMaintains and develops Department emergency response plans, including the Hazard Vulnerability Assessment, Integrated Preparedness Plan, and Capability Planning Guide assessment.\nAssists the County with the development and maintenance of All-Hazards Mitigation Plans.\nMaintains emergency preparedness inventory through the Inventory Management and Tracking System program.\nCoordinates with the local Emergency Management Agency in developing and maintaining county emergency response plans.\nCompletes Public Health Emergency Preparedness grant deliverables.\nCompletes required quarterly and annual Public Health Emergency Preparedness progress reports through CEMP, EGrAMS, and other required reporting systems.\nDevelops and maintains the county Medical Reserve Corps recruitment, orientation, training, retention, and deployment program.\nConducts routine after-hours Medical Reserve Corps meetings, exercises, trainings, and activities as necessary.\nRecords Medical Reserve Corps training, meetings, volunteer participation, and public outreach activities in the appropriate online portal.\nCompletes grant applications, deliverables, reports, and documentation for Medical Reserve Corps grants, including ORA, NACCHO STTRONG, and other related funding opportunities.\nParticipates in emergency response exercises, drills, after-action reviews, and improvement planning.\nServes in an assigned Incident Command System role during public health emergencies, disasters, or Department emergency responses.\nMaintains confidentiality and safeguards sensitive, protected, and enforcement-related information.\nPerforms other duties as assigned.\n\nQualifications and Requirements\n\nThorough knowledge of the theories, principles, policies, practices, and methods used in the design, development, implementation, and administration of comprehensive environmental health programs.\nKnowledge of federal, state, and local environmental health laws, rules, regulations, codes, standards, and enforcement procedures.\nKnowledge of supervisory and management principles, including employee development, performance management, workload planning, conflict resolution, corrective action, and team building.\nAbility to lead, motivate, supervise, and evaluate employees with varying levels of experience and responsibility.\nAbility to establish clear expectations, hold employees accountable, address performance concerns, and provide constructive feedback.\nAbility to organize and prioritize multiple programs, deadlines, inspections, complaints, projects, and staff assignments.\nAbility to interpret and apply laws, regulations, policies, ordinances, and technical guidance consistently and objectively.\nAbility to make sound decisions involving regulatory compliance, public health risks, enforcement actions, and emergency response.\nAbility to communicate professionally and effectively with employees, residents, businesses, contractors, elected officials, regulatory agencies, and community partners.\nAbility to prepare and review professional reports, correspondence, policies, procedures, grant documentation, enforcement records, and public information.\nAbility to handle difficult, sensitive, or confrontational situations calmly, professionally, and consistently.\nExperience developing and presenting educational programs, training sessions, and public presentations for groups of varying sizes.\nTraining in the Incident Command System and National Incident Management System.\nAbility to respond outside normal working hours during emergencies, urgent environmental health matters, meetings, exercises, or other Department needs.\nPossession of a valid driver’s license and the ability to travel throughout Douglas County and to other locations as required.\n\nEducation and Experience\n\nBachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university with a major in environmental health and safety, environmental science, environmental engineering, public health, or a closely related field.\nFive years of progressively responsible experience in an environmental health or safety program, including supervisory, management, program coordination, or leadership experience; or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.\nLicensed Environmental Health Practitioner credential, or the ability to meet eligibility requirements and sit for the examination within one year of employment.\nFood sanitation manager certification and food sanitation instructor certification, as required for assigned responsibilities.\nLicensed tanning facility inspector.\nPreferred qualifications include licensure or certification as a wastewater installer, radon measurement professional, and larvicide applicator.\nPrevious experience in local government, public health, regulatory enforcement, emergency preparedness, grant management, or employee supervision is preferred.\n\nPhysical Requirements and Working Conditions\nThe physical demands described below are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.\n\nFrequently performs work in a typical office environment where the noise level is generally quiet.\nFrequently uses computers, phones, office equipment, inspection equipment, and electronic recordkeeping systems.\nRequires the ability to sit, stand, walk, bend, stoop, climb, reach, and move throughout office, field, residential, commercial, agricultural, and industrial environments.\nRequires the ability to drive to inspection sites, meetings, trainings, emergency response locations, and other work-related locations.\nMay occasionally be exposed to extreme temperatures, inclement weather, moving mechanical parts, high or precarious locations, wet or humid conditions, vibration, fumes, airborne particles, sewage, waste, chemicals, biological hazards, animals, insects, and other environmental pollutants or hazards.\nMay require the use of personal protective equipment.\nMay require evening, weekend, holiday, or after-hours work during emergencies, meetings, trainings, exercises, investigations, or urgent public health situations.\nMust be able to perform field inspections and emergency response responsibilities safely and effectively.\nDouglas County Health Department is a smoke-free and drug-free workplace in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local requirements.\n\nThe Douglas County Health Department is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We embrace and encourage our employees' differences in age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make our employees unique.\n \nOur employment practices are rooted in our dedication to equal opportunity for all individuals. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate in employment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.\n \nAll employment decisions at the Douglas County Health Department are based on business needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications, without regard to the above-listed characteristics. We provide a work environment free of harassment and retaliation and ensure compliance with all applicable laws that protect the rights of applicants and employees. Our policies reflect and affirm the department's commitment to th