Environmental Health Specialist (HHS)

Walworth County, WI

Elkhorn (WI)

On-site

USD 43,000 - 57,000

Full time

22 hours ago

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Job summary

Walworth County is seeking a field-based Environmental Health Specialist in Elkhorn, WI to protect public health by inspecting water and food sources and enforcing environmental health codes. The role emphasizes fieldwork with county staff and collaboration with state regulations.

The position requires a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Health or related field with laboratory experience and strong analytical skills. Competitive hourly pay and full-time schedule are offered.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Health or related degree with at least 1 year of related experience.
Minimum of 80 hours of laboratory experience; ability to perform basic math and graph data.
Knowledge of Trauma Informed Care Principles is essential.

Responsibilities

Provide ongoing assessment of the county’s environmental issues to manage and implement the county’s environmental health program.
Ensure compliance with policies, procedures and ordinances related to the county’s public health code and Wisconsin statutes; take enforcement actions as needed.
Complete day-to-day operations of the water laboratory, training, certification, scheduling, recordkeeping, and NR 149/ATCP 77 compliance.
Maintain compliance with the Transient Non-Community Water System contract; sampling, reporting, record keeping and enforcement.
Investigate complaints, perform inspections and prepare written reports of violations with corrective action or enforcement.
Conduct recreational water monitoring and participate in emergency preparedness activities.

Skills

Trauma-informed care

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Health or related field

Job description

Applications are being accepted from current County employees as well as members of the public.

Salary

$31.37 - $41.11 Hourly

Location

Elkhorn, WI

Job Type

Full-time

Job Number

2026-00115

Department

Health & Human Services

Division

Public Health

Opening Date

10/01/2026

Closing Date

10/15/2026 11:59 PM Central

Description
Benefits
Questions

An Equal Opportunity Employer

Position Summary

This position provides environmental health services to citizens and protects the health and safety of the public from adverse environmental determinants. The position works to ensure access to safe water, food, air, and preventing or abating human health hazards. The position conducts environmental inspections and evaluations while taking action as established by procedure in programs governed by state and local public health statute or ordinances. This is a field-based role.

SCHEDULE

Division: Public Health

Days: Monday - Friday

Work Hours: 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Hours Per Shift: 8

Shifts Per Pay Period: 10

Position FTE: 1.00

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

This job description reflects management's assignment of essential functions; it does not prescribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned.

Provide on-going assessment of the county’s environmental issues to manage and implement the county’s environmental health program.

Ensure compliance to policies, procedures and ordinances related to the county’s public health code and Wisconsin Public Health Statutes including Wisconsin Chapters 251, 252, 254, 95, 163, 145 and NR 810 and 812. Take enforcement actions as established by procedure.

Complete day-to-day operations of the water laboratory, training, certification and scheduling, recordkeeping, and compliance with NR 149 and ATCP 77. Provide troubleshooting and problem solving for laboratory errors as necessary. Participate in annuals updates to the laboratory policies to reflect procedures appropriately and participate in quality review of the laboratory on an ongoing basis.

Maintain compliance with responsibilities as outlined in the Transient Non-Community Water System contract with the DNR including sampling, reporting, record keeping and enforcement.

Work in coordination with communicable disease surveillance program.

Investigate complaints, perform inspections and provide written formal reports of violations, that adhere to applicable code, with consultation for corrective action or enforcement on a variety of environmental health issues including but not limited to human health hazards, rabies, asbestos, lead, radon, vector monitoring and pest control in accordance with established laws, regulations and local ordinances. Follow-up may occur outside of normal business hours with supervisor approval. Issuance of orders or referrals is conducted in accordance to established protocols.

Conduct recreational water monitoring in support of Walworth County Code and WI Chapters 254 and 251

Participate in emergency preparedness training and activities for responding to public health emergencies in conjunction with local, state and federal emergency response teams. Lead discussions on environmental recovery as a part of preparedness exercises.

Develop and coordinate internship experiences for students. Coordinate interactions with area universities to further environmental health research and findings.

With direction, develop and implement expansion of service and quality improvement plans within the environmental health unit on an ongoing basis. Support all other public health programs and initiatives by providing an environmental health viewpoint. Evaluate program performance, manage and interpret environmental data, and coordinate community issues concerning environmental health programs. Participate as directed in other public health initiatives such as community health assessment and improvement, continuous quality improvement, and strategic planning.

Demonstrate commitment to development of skills aligned with the Core Competencies for Public Health staff.

Respond to Public Health emergencies, as needed, including outside regular office hours.

Demonstrate a commitment to county safety and risk management efforts.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education And/or Experience

Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Health or related degree in physical, chemical or biological sciences or related field with a minimum of one year of related experience (internships considered toward experience). Must have a minimum of 80 hours of laboratory experience, educational experience may qualify. Proven experience in ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions and decimals as well as ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs. Knowledge of Trauma Informed Care Principles is essential.

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations

Valid driver license.
Proof of minimum liability auto insurance coverage.
Access to reliable transportation to all assigned work locations daily.
National Incident Management Systems (NIMS) – Incident Command System (ICS) 100, 200 and 700 – within three (3) months of hire.
National Incident Management Systems (NIMS) – Incident Command System (ICS) 300certification required within twelve (12) months of hire.
LHRA or LHI within 12 months of hire.

Interactions & Communication

Provides specialized information and/or recommendations to others regarding an area of expertise.

Decision Making

This position has authority to make decisions that are consistent with policies and precedents; supervision and managerial direction is available as requested. Responsible for all lab decisions. These decisions directly impact performance at the department wide level and information is provided with additional research and observations which contributes to the decision making process.

Thinking & Problem Solving

In relation to established procedures, protocols and policies of the County, challenges and problems occurring in this position must be addressed within broader, department-wide procedures and practices.

Tools and Equipment Used

Telephone Copy Machine
Laboratory Analytical Equipment
Personal Computer/Printer
FAX Machine
Microscope
Calculator
Propane torch
Thermometer
Camera

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The work environment requires the ability to work in adverse weather conditions and challenging environmental locations. The noise level in the work environment varies.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to stand, walk, sit, and reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; and taste or smell. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, and distance vision.

Selection Process

To Include