Portland, OR

Position Title: Material Recovery Specialist

Organization: Department of Environmental Quality

Location: Portland, OR

Organization Overview: DEQ’s mission is to be a leader in restoring, maintaining and enhancing the quality of Oregon’s air, land and water.

Position Overview: The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has a full-time opportunity available for a Material Recovery Specialist (Natural Resource Specialist 4) in Portland, Oregon.

Please consider joining an innovative team, and work to advance the agency’s mission to protect and improve Oregon’s environmental quality. The Land Quality programs support this mission by assessing and managing environmental cleanups, promoting manufacturing and recycling of non-toxic commercial products, safely managing the disposal of solid and hazardous wastes, administering the state’s underground storage tank and heating oil tank programs, and responding to spills of oil and hazardous materials.

This position sits within DEQ’s Materials Management Program, which is focused on reducing impacts of materials and products throughout their full life cycle, from design and production through distribution, consumption and use, and management at end-of-life. Within Materials Management, the Life Cycle Programs section supports this mission through innovative, collaborative, and research-based work. They work with partners statewide and beyond to pursue Oregon’s 2050 Vision for Materials Management  and Framework for Action in order to conserve resources, protect the environment, and enhance well-being.

Duties: You will act as the agency Materials Management Program coordinator and technical expert for land quality permitting activities, including planning, leading, and implementing materials management program functions performed by technical staff in the regions; helping coordinate guidance policy development projects; and coordinating program operation tasks in Headquarters. In addition, you will be responsible for providing process support and documentation of the Materials Management rule making process, as well as function as technical liaison to other DEQ programs, state agencies, and national organizations.

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in physical science, environmental science, natural resources, or a closely related field, AND 4 years of experience in a natural resource or environmental field (an equivalent combination of education and experience is acceptable). At least 1 year of experience at a technical or professional level performing activities in a natural resource program such as researching and analyzing data, conducting investigations, applying pertinent laws and regulations, or coordinating and monitoring project activities.

Candidates who are most competitive will also reflect the following:

• Demonstrated understanding of environmental justice and the historical impacts for marginalized and underrepresented communities; ability to take personal responsibility for increasing their knowledge of environmental justice and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
• Ability to envision alternative futures for production and consumption of materials, including reuse and recovery, and ability to collaborate with partners to identify reasonable strategies leading to these.
• Knowledge of business and consumer interests and practices related to production and consumption of materials and products; knowledge of regulatory and non-regulatory options influencing business and consumer decisions regarding production and consumption of materials and products.
• Knowledge of life cycle impacts of materials and products, including from toxic chemicals.
• Skills in conflict resolution, negotiation, collaboration, and engagement with partners and community members; ability to build coalitions and work with multiple parties with competing interests to achieve common goals.
• Working knowledge of Oregon’s rulemaking process; State policy experience a plus.
• Working knowledge of Oregon’s legislative process.
• Experience training staff on process steps and policy considerations
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; ability to provide clear, concise, and compelling communication of policy and technical information tailored to the needs of diverse audiences; skill in writing and presenting clear and concise reports that include qualitative and quantitative analyses, recommendations, and conclusions to diverse audiences.
• Experience reviewing proposed and newly published federal regulations and guidance on solid waste and materials management for applicability in Oregon, determining affected sources and fiscal and economic impacts, and assesses control requirements for affected sources.
• Experience evaluating the adequacy of federal regulation to control public and environmental risk in Oregon and substantiating need for further control.

Salary/Pay: $5,395 – $8,292

Application Deadline: August 23, 11:59pm

How to Apply:

• External Applicants Click on the “Apply” button and submit your application. Click this link for the External Candidate job aid, and view this video for additional information.
• Internal Applicants (current State of Oregon employees): Apply through your employee Workday account.  View this job aid for assistance