Hazardous Materials/Environmental Compliance Specialist

Prince George's County Government; Upper Marlboro (MD); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Prince George’s County Government’s Health Department seeks a Hazardous Materials/Environmental Compliance Specialist (Environmental Health Specialist 3A) to perform professional, inspectional and investigative code enforcement work across environmental health areas.

The role manages difficult caseloads from inception to completion, conducts plan reviews for sewage sludge and waste facilities, performs facility inspections, collects samples, and enforces health and environmental laws to protect

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Health, Environmental, Biological or Engineering sciences.
• Minimum three years of professional environmental health investigation/enforcement experience.
• Certification as a registered Environmental Health Specialist per State rules.

Responsibilities

• Review proposals and plans for sewage sludge utilization/storage, solid waste handling, and environmental facilities.
• Respond to FOIA requests in writing using department records.
• Provide supervision and training to Environmental Engineering staff on facilities and waste management.
• Inspect facilities to determine compliance.
• Perform pre-opening, routine and follow-up inspections of environmental facilities.
• Collect samples and ensure valid laboratory submission.
• Respond to complaints about environmental contamination and improper waste disposal.

Skills

Environmental health investigations

Code enforcement

Field inspections

Facilities assessment

Education

Bachelor's degree in Health/Environmental/Engineering Sciences

Job description

Come join our team!

Prince George’s County Government provides a dynamic and inclusive workplace where employees can thrive, learn, and grow across its 30 diverse agencies, all dedicated to serving the County's residents with essential resources and services. Nestled just minutes away from Washington, DC, Prince George's County combines urban vibrancy with serene surroundings, offering an ideal setting to live, work, and enjoy life.

The Prince George’s County Health Department is currently seeking qualified applicants to fill a Hazardous Materials/Environmental Compliance Specialist (Environmental Health Specialist 3A) grade A24 position, in the Environmental Health and Disease Control Division.

About the Position

This is professional full-performance, inspectional and investigative code enforcement work performed to ensure compliance with County, State, and Federal health/environmental laws and ordinances, civil and criminal, related to environmental contamination incidents/sites, solid waste/recycling facilities, sewage sludge storage/utilization sites, refuse collection vehicles, and special medical waste incidents/facilities. Handles a caseload of the more difficult and complex inspection and code enforcement assignments and special projects from their initial inception to their ultimate completion. Work is performed independently within the framework of established standard operating procedures.

About the Agency

The Prince George's County Health Department's (PGCHD) vision is that all Prince Georgians are their healthiest at every age and every stage. Their mission is to lead, engage, and empower our community to work collaboratively towards disease prevention, health equity, and total well-being. The PGCHD works to protect and support the public’s health through numerous services that range from restaurant inspections and disease tracking to care coordination and health promotion. The department is composed of four divisions: Behavioral Health Services, Environmental Health and Disease Control, Family Health Services, and Health and Wellness, supported by the Office of Administration, Office of Human Resources and the Office of the Health Officer. The mandate of the department has been, and will remain, broad. This plan emphasizes improving core functions and operations, including protecting the public from health threats, implementing strategies to support healthy living, and maintaining a focus on vulnerable populations, while developing efficient internal processes to support these activities.

• Conduct the technical review of written proposals and plans for proposed sewage sludge utilization and/or storage sites, solid waste transfer, storage, processing and/or disposal facilities, recycling transfer, storage, and/or processing facilities, special medical waste transfer, storage, processing and/or disposal facilities, environmental contamination remediation plans, and other facilities/sites and special projects.
• Respond to Freedom of Information Act requests in writing, using information available in Departmental records.
• Provide technical supervision, assistance and training to Environmental Engineering staff regarding facilities including sludge utilization and storage sites, disposal facilities, recycling facilities, and transfer stations, trash trucks, special medical waste and environmental contamination sites.
• Inspect facilities as needed to determine compliance.
• Conduct pre-opening, routine and follow-up inspections of facilities that fall under the purview of the Environmental Engineering Program including swimming pools, percolation testing, septic installation, burn and raze applications, well installation, etc.
• Collect required samples using appropriate sampling techniques to produce a valid sample for submission to the laboratory for analysis.
• Respond to complaints involving the mishandling and improper disposal of solid waste, recyclable materials, sewage, sludge, special medical waste, and other materials, which cause/contribute to environmental contamination.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Health, Environmental, Physical, Biological or Engineering Sciences.
• A minimum of three (3) years of professional level experience in environmental health investigatory/enforcement work.
• Certification as a registered Environmental Health Specialist as outlined by the State Board of Environmental Health Specialists Registration and in conjunction with State law.
• A valid Maryland State driver's license is required upon appointment in order to perform job related duties and responsibilities.

Please note there is no equivalency for required certifications.

Salary Range Transparency

The salary range listed in this announcement reflects the anticipated offer range for this position. Offers made within this range are based on qualifications, experience, and internal equity.

Tentative Interview Dates

December 2, 2026. Please note that interview dates are subject to change and only selected candidates will receive confirmation and additional details.

Job Location

1701 McCormick Dr, Upper Marlboro, MD 20774

Conditions of Employment

• Meet all training and performance standards and demonstrate proficiency as required by the agency.
• Wear and use agency protective apparel and equipment in the performance of their assigned duties.
• Successfully pass preemployment checks which may include reference checks, background investigations, and drug screenings, where applicable.
• Be willing and able to serve as an essential employee. Essential employees are expected to report during standard or non-standard hours as operations necessitate, or during emergencies. Essential employees are expected to report or remain at work when other County employees are granted Administrative Leave.