HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SPECIALIST I

Orange County; Santa Ana (CA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

County of Orange, Health Care Agency (HCA) seeks a Hazardous Materials Specialist I to perform inspections, investigations, and compliance activities within environmental health programs. The role involves on-the-job training across hazardous materials, waste management, and related regulatory duties.

The HMS I position may require after-hours work and occasional off-hours assignments to support CALARP, CUPA, and LWQ program needs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited US college with ≥30 semester science units and at least one lab course in chemistry, physics, microbiology, biology or math.
• For Body Art programs, REHS certification from CDPH is required or preferred.
• Experience applying state and federal environmental laws and regulations in inspections and enforcement.

Responsibilities

• Perform inspections and complaint investigations at regulated facilities.
• Use protective equipment when handling hazardous materials and waste.
• Review laws, permits, and environmental plans for compliance.
• Prepare reports, memos, field notes, and briefing materials after investigations.
• Provide accurate, courteous information to internal staff and the public.
• Coordinate with internal and external stakeholders and support program oversight.

Skills

Technical Knowledge

Oral and Written Communication

Planning and Organization

Education

Bachelor's degree with 30+ science units

REHS certification (CDPH)

Tools

Geotracker

CERS

SWIS

EH data management system

Microsoft Word/Excel

Job description

HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SPECIALIST I

Salary may be negotiable within the range listed above, based on position requirements and successful candidate's qualifications, subject to appropriate authorization.

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

This recruitment will establish an open eligible list that will be used to fill current and future Hazardous Material Specialist I positions. The eligible list established may also be used to fill positions in similar and/or lower classifications throughout the County of Orange.

DEADLINE TO APPLY

This recruitment will be open for a minimum of five (5) business days and will close on Thursday, September 24, 2026, at 11:59 P.M. (PST).

HEALTH CARE AGENCY

The County of Orange, Health Care Agency (HCA) is a dynamic organization dedicated to creating and supporting an environment that promotes the achievement of optimal individual, family and community health. Under the leadership of the Agency Director, a dynamic executive team with an organizational structure comprised of five (5) service areas - Administrative Services, Behavioral Health Services, Correctional Health Services, Public Health Services, and Specialized Medical Health Services - is committed to meeting the health needs of the diverse Orange County community.

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH DIVISION

The Environmental Health Division (EH) is comprised of various programs aimed toward protecting the health and safety of Orange County residents and visitors from harmful conditions in the environment. Staff enforce laws and regulations and emphasize education to assist businesses with providing healthy and safe communities. Services include retail and wholesale food protection, foodborne illness investigations, public pool inspections, childhood lead exposure prevention, water quality, ocean water protection, solid waste facility oversight, hazardous materials surveillance and mitigation oversight, underground and aboveground storage tank oversight, body art facility and practitioner oversight, medical waste management inspections and a used oil recycling education program.

The Hazardous Materials Surveillance Section (HMSS) manages the Certified Unified Program Agency (CUPA), medical waste, and body art regulatory inspection programs. The CUPA programs consist of the hazardous materials, hazardous waste, above-ground petroleum tanks, underground storage tanks (UST), and the California Accidental Release Prevention (CalARP) inspection programs. In addition to the regulatory oversight programs, the HMSS manages two CalRecycle grants, the Waste Tire Enforcement grant and the Used Oil Recycling grant.

The Land & Water Quality (LWQ) Section manages the Site Mitigation program including Local Oversight programs (LOP) and Industrial Cleanup (IC), which provide regulatory oversight for cleanup of current/former industrial facilities and leaking underground storage tanks (UST). The LWQ Section also manages the Solid Waste (SW) program that protects public health and safety, and the environment by ensuring that solid waste is collected, stored, processed and disposed properly. Solid waste facilities in Orange County are required to hold permits from the Local Enforcement Agency (LEA).

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Hazardous Materials Specialist I (HMS I) is a trainee class in the Hazardous Materials Specialist series. Incumbents are expected to show increasing initiative and independence in performing related duties.

This classification receives on-the-job training in various disciplines including hazardous materials, hazardous waste management, waste tires enforcement, complaint investigation, and environmental sampling. Incumbents in this class may be assigned to HMSS and/or LWQ programs. At the EH Division’s request, HMS I may be required to conduct assignments during after-hours including early mornings, evenings, weekends, and holidays.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES

• Performing inspections and complaint investigations (of hazardous materials, hazardous waste, solid waste, and related environmental concerns) at regulated facilities
• Using specialized protective clothing and equipment when collecting or evaluating hazardous waste
• Compliance review and enforcement of laws, regulations, permits, business plans, and environmental standards
• Preparing documentation including comprehensive reports, memos, field notes, data analysis, and oral briefings resulting from investigations and inspections
• Providing responsive, high-quality customer service to county employees, representatives from outside agencies, and members of the public by providing accurate, complete, and up-to-date information in a courteous, efficient, and timely manner
• Coordinating and communicating with internal staff, external agencies, industry representatives, responsible parties, and the public, including providing technical support for environmental health programs, including plan reviews, remediation oversight, grant implementation, and monitoring oversight

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS AND CORE COMPETENCIES

The ideal candidate will possess a bachelor's degree from an accredited U.S. college or university, or a certified foreign studies equivalency with at least 30 semester units of basic biological, physical, or environmental science courses including at least one laboratory course in one of the following fields: chemistry, physics, microbiology, biology, and a mathematics course of college algebra or higher.

For Body Art programs, the ideal candidate will be in possession of the following: a valid certificate of registration as an Environmental Health Specialist (REHS) issued by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).

In addition, the ideal candidate will also have extensive experience in the following core competencies:

Technical Knowledge

• Ability to learn State and Federal laws and regulations regarding environmental compliance, hazardous materials, business emergency plans, hazardous waste, underground storage tanks, aboveground petroleum storage tank programs, solid waste, and management of various cleanup projects
• Knowledge of and physical capability to wear personal protective equipment including specialized chemical suits and air-purifying respirator
• Proficiency with computer hardware and software to enter and retrieve data, review state forms, complete reports, and maintain compliance with uploading requirements within the following databases: EH data management system, Geotracker, California Environmental Reporting System (CERS), and/or Solid Waste Information System (SWIS), and a variety of productivity software, such as, Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Access, Outlook, etc.

Relationship Building

• Establishing and maintaining professional working relationships and continuously work to improve relationships, contacts, and networks with peers, supervisors, managers, clients, and the public
• Understanding of the interrelationships, roles, and responsibilities of internal and external stakeholders, such as, Federal and California Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), CalRecycle, fire authorities, County departments (e.g. OC Public Works, OC Waste & Recycle, District Attorney, County Counsel)
• Interacting with diverse customers, fostering positive relationships grounded in sensitivity, respect, fairness, and consistency

Planning and Organization

• Organizing priorities and assignments to accomplish tasks efficiently and independently
• Maintain adequate preparation time for scheduled meetings/deadlines
• Applying critical thinking to identify and analyze problems, gather relevant data and information, draw valid conclusions, and provide solutions or recommended course of action
• Identifying when issues need to be escalated to higher authorities and effectively alert appropriate stakeholders.

Oral and Written Communication

• Communicating effectively, both verbally and in writing, explaining regulations varying in difficulty and complexity and using active listening to fully understand questions, concerns, and stakeholder needs
• Reviewing, evaluating, and summarizing data in writing and presenting information clearly and in an organized manner through written inspection reports, technical and enforcement letters, public meetings, and similar methods
• Providing education to promote understanding, compliance, and informed decision-making within the community and regulated businesses

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

Upon hiring or transferring to this classification, incumbent must possess or complete the following certifications within 180 days of hire:

• 40-hour HAZWOPER course
• APSA (Aboveground Petroleum Storage Act) Tank Inspector Certification, if assigned to the Hazardous Materials Surveillance Section
• International Code Council "California UST Inspector" Certification, if assigned to the Hazardous Surveillance Section

NOTE

Foreign degrees require an evaluation of U.S. equivalency by an agency that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (N.A.C.E.S.).

ORANGE COUNTY, AS AN EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER, ENCOURAGES APPLICANTS FROM DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS TO APPLY.