Tdec-Environmental Scientist 2* - 08102023-48886

Education and Experience: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree in environmental science, physical sciences (e.g. physics, chemistry, geology, meteorology), ecology, sustainability or applied science in sustainability, life sciences (e.g. biology, microbiology, health physics or biophysics), environmental health, pre-medicine, engineering or other acceptable science or natural resource related field and one year of full-time professional environmental program, natural resource conservation work or full-time professional work that involved ensuring compliance with radiation safety standards and/or regulations.

Substitution of Education for Experience: Graduate coursework in environmental science, biology, chemistry, geology, engineering, physics, ecology, sustainability, applied science in sustainability, or other acceptable science or natural resource related field may be substituted for the required experience, on a year-for-year basis, to a maximum of one year (24 semester hours or 36 quarter hours is equivalent to one year).

OR

One year of fulltime professional environmental, sustainability, or natural resource conservation program work with the State of Tennessee.

Necessary Special Qualifications: Applicants for this class must:

• Possess a valid motor vehicle operator's license at the time of appointment in some positions;

• Applicants not flexing from the TDEC Environmental Scientist 1, or Health Physicist 1, who are working in the Division of Radiological Health must successfully complete the training courses offered by the Division of Radiological Health. Failure to do so may result in termination;

• TDEC Environmental Scientist's 2, performing geologic duties the major portion of their time must: Either a.) have completed the required college course work at the time of appointment to be eligible to take the licensing examination offered by Tennessee's Department of Commerce and Insurance's Board of Professional Geologists, or b.) hold and maintain a current Geologic license from the State of Tennessee during employment or hold a current Geologic license from another State that Tennessee has evaluated and granted reciprocal licensing rights;

• Some TDEC Environmental Scientist 2, positions assigned to function as Biologists must meet the specific educational requirements for Biologists, as follows: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree, including at least 36 quarter hours (or 24 semester hours) in biology, in one of the following areas: (1) biology or biological sciences, (2) botanical sciences, (3) environmental or conservation sciences, (4) zoological sciences, or (5) aquatic, terrestrial, or wetland biology or ecology or other acceptable biological science related field.

Examination Method: Education and Experience,100%, for Preferred Service positions.

Summary: Under general supervision, is responsible for performing a wide variety of professional environmental, health physicist, natural resources, sustainability, laboratory, geological, and/or similar science related program work of average difficulty; and performs related work as required.

Distinguishing Features: This is the working-level in the TDEC Environmental Scientist sub-series. An employee in this class may perform a full range of environmental compliance activities, including inspections, monitoring, problem identification, sample collection, report writing, corrective action, emergency response, surveying, lab work, and enforcement duties in environmental regulatory, radiological health, natural resources, or sustainable practices program areas. An employee in this class may perform natural resource management and other non-regulatory duties.

This class is flexibly staffed with and differs from the TDEC Environmental Scientist 1, in that an incumbent of the latter functions at the entry-training level. This class differs from TDEC Environmental Scientist 3 in that an incumbent of the latter functions at an advanced level and may lead other staff.

Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others:

• Investigates complaints; develops corrective recommendations for identified problems, and if necessary, initiates legal action to effect compliance of established standards, laws, rules, regulations, or policies.

• Determine the validity and severity of an incident and appropriate response.

• Analyzes available information and makes recommendations to ensure the best solution is chosen to meet regulatory, project, and/or stakeholders' needs.

• Determines validity and severity of violation(s) and if an enforcement action is warranted.

• Review plans and reports to determine future regulatory actions.

• Interprets findings, results, (i.e. site inspections, permits, lab results, etc.) and communicates interpretation of regulations, policy, guidance to stakeholders.

• Prepare various publications, reports, technical documents, maps and plans.

• Prepares documentation (such as permits, designs, layout, blueprints, soil evaluations, etc.), in a concise and defensible manner, to ensure missions are met.

• Compile legally defensible environmental documents.

• Compiles, processes, and reviews records, data, operational plans, enforcement action requests, reports, etc.

• Reviews Quality Assurance/Quality Control parameters, specific to and required by acceptable methodologies, to ensure they are performed with each data set.

• Prepare statistical/metric reports for aquatic, terrestrial, and wetland evaluations.

• Prepare plans, maps or reports of findings relating to health and environmental data.

• Analyze environmental and/or other information, such as monitoring records, site inspections, sampling data to determine if further action is necessary and to evaluate trends.

• Assist in developing standards.

• Analyze environmental data using mathematical and statistical methods.

• Interpret analytical results to determine data quality and usability.

• Review plans to ensure protection of human health and the environment.

• Performs laboratory or field tests based specific sample requirements.

• Perform studies of environmental pollution or ionizing radiation and any socioeconomic effects.

• Performs environmental or health investigations, remediation, and/or monitoring work, including sampling and evaluation of pollutants to determine compliance with environmental or other standards.

• Serve as a technical advisor to emergency responders for incidents/accidents.

• Coordinates and serves as technical lead for projects.

• Reviews monitoring data to determine permit compliance, environmental standards and/or ecological conditions.

• Comply with safe handling, storage and disposal procedures for samples, laboratory reagents and other chemicals.

• Verify expiration dates of chemicals and supplies, disposing of expired materials as required by safety rules and regulations.

• Perform inspections and/or investigations when required by a specific TDEC program area such as air pollution, water resources, remediation, underground storage tanks, solid waste management, radiological health, natural areas, etc., to determine compliance with laws, regulations, or standards.

• Enforce environmental or other standards, laws, rules, regulations, and/or administrative policies and procedures, taking corrective action as warranted.

• Determines if documents (i.e., permits, applications, National Environmental Policy Act, licenses, accreditations and certifications, etc.) may be approved by reviewing and evaluating information submitted by applicant or acquired by site inspections and/or other informative sources used for determining minimum environmental or other compliance with established standards.

• Ensures statutory obligations are fulfilled.

• Oversee environmental sampling and/or investigations to assure that acceptable procedures are followed.

• Reviews and evaluates applications, forms, plans, inspection documents, general correspondence, reports or other records to ensure technical adequacy.

• Adheres to requirements specified in Standard Operating Procedures and any applicable federal and/or state standards.

• Compares environmental and/or health related data to applicable criteria.

• Audits third party inspections of facilities to determine compliance with regulatory standards.

• Assesses fees based on the regulatory standards.

• Conduct inspections of equipment, structures and/or material, to ensure proper installation, maintenance, and/or operation.

• Possesses general knowledge and utilizes computer software including but not limited to: statistical programs, scientific instruments, modeling, Geographic Information System (GIS), databases, word processing, spreadsheets, email, etc.

• Generate reports and documents utilizing contemporary computer software.

• Provide technical expertise in handling events involving radiation and radioactive material, including transportation, and industrial incidents as well as natural catastrophes.

• Provide consultative, technical, or educational services to industry, municipalities, counties, individuals, or groups in the necessity and methodology of enhancing environmental stewardship, health or other standards, practices, and safety.

• Update regulatory information to stakeholders.

• Conducts, observes and/or oversees environmental or health surveys, sampling, inventories or monitoring, testing, including site evaluations.

• Perform regulatory and other research in order to stay current with local, state, and federal standards and procedures.

• Searches for and/or identifies entities or locations that should be regulated and inform those that need to be brought into compliance.

• Obtains and receives records, data, operational plans, enforcement action requests, survey information, etc.

• Collect environmental samples and/or monitoring data (e.g., soil, rock, air, water, sediment, sludge, biological), under physically demanding conditions.

• Perform physical activities, such as walking (i.e. ditches, uneven terrain, etc.), wading in water, climbing, lifting (such as coolers, generators, etc.), operating field equipment (backpack shockers, augers, core samplers, or probes), etc.

• Operates, carries or handles equipment/machinery unassisted that may weigh up to 50 pounds.

• Performs physically demanding, ecologically-based stewardship and natural resource management on state natural areas, (utilizing equipment, such as backpack sprayer, chainsaw, bush hog, lawnmower, tractor, etc. in the management of rare species habitat, controlled fire, trail maintenance, boundary maintenance, invasive species control, etc.)

• Build consensus among internal and/or external stakeholders in order to further TDEC's missions and goals.

• Prepares and maintains complete and accurate records, reports, logs, databases, chain-of-custody and correspondence based on established guidelines and procedures.

• Maintains records of observations made during field evaluations to document data collection, ambient site conditions, and the location of the evaluation.

• Documents all relevant work activities, contacts, and meetings.

• Maintains, repairs and calibrates electronic equipment, such as radiation detection meter, photo ionization detector, pH meter, GPS, and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) as needed.

• Provide expert testimony for legal hearings and proceedings.

• Participates and/or leads compliance review meetings with stakeholders to achieve compliance with regulations.

• Explain the validity and severity of incidents to governmental agencies and other stakeholders.

• Communicate findings in applicable approval letters, notice of deficiencies, notice of violations, license or amendment agreement or enforcement action requests.

• Ensures all customers are serviced in a timely, professional and knowledgeable manner so as to meet the mission.

• Provide high-quality outreach, including design, distribution of information, and technical assistance to stakeholders.

• Uses tools, such as GIS, to inform and educate stakeholders and to improve or maintain environmental resources.

• Coordinate with stakeholders for consultations, meetings, workshops and joint projects.

• Participate in public participation opportunities as assigned.

• Ensures contractors' proposed work activities comply with established rates and/or approved scope of work.

• Provide technical oversight, review, and/or project management of ongoing state and/or federal grant/loan programs.

• Participate in a required on-call rotation to respond to incidents/accidents as assigned.

• Manages or assists in managing state programs including certifying officials/professionals; coordination and training; records management; and federal reporting requirements (e.g. the ginseng program, asbestos, lead based paint, etc.).

• Schedules assigned work to address compliance monitoring inspections, complaints and/or investigations, tasks, directives, correspondence, laboratory activities, biological surveys, etc.

• Train other staff, in the proper methods and procedures for performing environmental work as requested.

• Provides training to stakeholders who may require specific knowledge.

• Operates personal or assigned vehicles (such as, but not limited to watercraft, all-terrain vehicles, tractors, etc.), in accordance with agency policy and procedures, as well as all traffic laws.

• Develop work and study plans to identify specific goals and activities to ensure proper distribution of the workload.

• Organizes, plans and prioritizes work to ensure completion by a given deadline or other time constraint.

• Maintains, repairs, and/or calibrates mechanical equipment, such as ozone monitor, air monitoring, laser level and watercrafts as needed.

• Work with other agencies and organizations to ensure that operational and programmatic activities receive early concurrence and input from regional and statewide authorities.

• Works harmoniously with and ensures healthy relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

• Relate observations, conclusions, and opinions to co-workers/internal customers in a respectful and professional manner.

• Schedules, attends, observes, and/or participates in public meetings or public outreach, as required.

• Fulfill established educational, training, and safety requirements.

• Keeps up-to-date with technical developments, standard operating procedures and regulations and applies new knowledge to the job.

• Seek opportunities for professional development within and outside of the agency.

• Drafts and/or develops documents for review and signature within the required timeframe.

• Enter time and leave within the designated computer program in a proper and timely manner.

• Ensures all information is properly filed.

• Recognizes and coordinates interpretation or translation services, as needed.

• Complete required documentation for travel and/or field use of vehicle (e.g. mileage logs, travel time, vehicle inspection checklist).

• Distribute documents to appropriate parties to ensure proper routing.

• Ensures files are managed according to the Records Disposition Authorization.

• Provide relevant, effective and routine written or verbal communication to supervisors or peers.

• Advise management about work issues of concern as they occur.

• Disseminate information as appropriate within the agency.

• Recognizes, provides, and communicates potential areas of improvement.

Competencies:

• Written Communication

• Decision Quality

• Functional/Technical Competency

• Technical Learning

• Time Management

• Problem Solving

• Customer Focus

• Listening

• Planning

• Learning on the Fly

• Self-Development

• Chemistry

• Biology

• Geology

• Physics

• Law & Government

• Mathematics

• Customer & Personal Service

• Science

• Critical Thinking

• Judgment & Decision Making

• Active Listening

• Active Learning

• Time Management

• Complex Problem Solving

• Quality Control Analysis

• Equipment Selection

• Written Comprehension

• Written Expression

• Oral Comprehension

• Oral Expression

• Deductive Reasoning

• Inductive Reasoning

• Gross Body Coordination

• Stamina

• Static Strength

• Personal Computer/Tablet

• Telephone/Cell Phone/Pager

• Printer/Scanner/Copier/Fax

• Water Craft/Motor Vehicles

• Sampling, Monitoring Equipment and Supplies/Tools

• Radiation Detection Meter

• Tractors/All-Terrain Vehicles (ATV)

• Two-Way Radios

• Cameras and Optical Equipment

• Global Positioning System (GPS)

• Surveying and Measuring Equipment

• Safety and/or Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

• Outdoor Power Equipment and Hand Tools

• Projector

• Laboratory Equipment

• Personal Dosimetry

• Film Processing Equipment

• Radiation Survey Equipment