The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality strives to build and sustain an inclusive and equitable environment that embraces and values diversity. Employees at all levels of the agency work together to foster fairness, equity, inclusion, and belonging. We strive to be a workplace where we share our authentic identities, while advancing our individual professional goals, and while collaborating to protect, preserve, and enhance the environment for current and future generations. We celebrate and appreciate diversity, champion equity, and treat each other with respect and dignity. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, ethnicity, veteran status, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, or physical or mental disability.

Are you passionate about preserving, enhancing, and protecting Oregon’s environment? If so, please consider a career with the State of Oregon at the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). At DEQ, employees have the opportunity to work with a dynamic and supportive team of mission-focused individuals tasked with maintaining, restoring, and enhancing the quality of Oregon’s air, land, and water.

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has a full-time opportunity available for an Environmental Remediation Coordinator (Operations and Policy Analyst 3) in Portland, Oregon.

Please consider joining an innovative team, and work to advance our agency’s mission to protect and improve Oregon’s environmental quality.

About DEQ!

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality is the primary regulatory agency of the government of the U.S. State of Oregon responsible for protecting and enhancing the state's natural resources. Here is a video about DEQ: https://youtu.be/E-Cs6M9AAlU

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.

Click here to view a map of all of the DEQ offices.

What you will do!

You will play a key role in implementing the State of Oregon vs. Monsanto Settlement Fund by providing expertise in environmental remediation and supporting the Environmental Restoration Council. This fund was created through legislation (SB 1561) passed in the February 2024 Legislative Session. The legislative intent for this fund is that earnings are used to supplement efforts by recognized tribal governments, executive branch agencies, and disproportionately impacted communities for environmental remediation or restitution projects, or for purposes or projects having a nexus with environmental harms to air, water, soil, or other natural resources or human health caused by environmental contamination, particularly the presence of PCBs.

You will work as part of a closely coordinated, interagency team that includes the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB) and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) to develop rules, establish grant programs, and identify environmental restoration priorities that benefit human health and the environment. You will lead outreach and engagement efforts, particularly with disproportionately impacted communities, to ensure transparent and effective investment of settlement funds. In addition, you will work across agencies to integrate priorities into programs, guide the distribution of settlement funds, and adapt program implementation based on interested party feedback.

What’s in it for you!

The opportunity to work in a productive and creative environment where no two days are ever the same! DEQ cares deeply about employee wellness and benefits. We offer a competitive benefits package that offers comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans for the employee and their qualified family members, as well as paid sick leave, vacation leave, personal leave, and 11 paid holidays a year. In addition, we offer membership in the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS), and you have the opportunity to potentially receive loan forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF). If you are passionate about Oregon's environment, apply today!

This is a full-time, AFSCME represented position.

This recruitment may be used to fill future vacancies.

What are we looking for?

Minimum Qualifications: 7 years of experience performing professional-level evaluative, analytical, and planning work.

Substitutions:

• Bachelor’s degree in business or public administration, behavioral or social sciences, finance, political science, or a closely related field may substitute for 3 of the required years of experience.

Candidates who are most competitive will also reflect the following desired attributes:

• 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.
• Experience conducting in-depth evaluations of program rules, policies, and operations, and adapting or creating new procedures to solve program issues.
• Education and experience in natural sciences; experience implementing a technical environmental science program for a government agency.
• Strong research and policy analysis skills and experience.
• Excellent program or project management skills, including the ability to track and coordinate projects tasks and participation by project team members.
• Demonstrated experience building and fostering relationships with a diverse group of partners including colleagues, interested parties, communities, organizations, and businesses.
• Skill in conflict resolution, negotiation, collaboration, and engagement; strong interpersonal skills with an ability to break down traditional barriers that exist between programs, challenging people to take a coordinated rather than independent perspective.
• Highly motivated; a willingness to take initiative; ability to work creatively to find solutions; innovative; and excellent problem-solving skills involving detailed thinking for solving complex issues.
• Experience with community engagement; experience coordinating committees representing diverse perspectives in order to reach a common goal.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; ability to provide clear, concise, and compelling communication of policy, program, or technical information tailored to the needs of diverse audiences; skill in writing and presenting clear and concise program briefs or reports that include analyses, recommendations, and conclusions to diverse audiences.
• Environmental science, natural resources, or community focused public policy program and project management and analysis experience, including development, implementation, and evaluation of projects; or experience developing program performance metrics.

Working Conditions:

DEQ believes in a diverse and inclusive work environment. All employees are expected to contribute to a work environment that collectively values and benefits from respecting its diversity and promotes a culture of inclusiveness.

This position will be based out of DEQ’s office in Headquarters office in Portland, however, the successful candidate may be eligible for hybrid work. The logistics of hybrid work will need to be worked out with the Hiring Manager prior to your hire and may be changed at any time given specific job duties and business needs. DEQ will provide necessary hardware (laptop, monitor, keyboard, mouse, and cell phone) for an employee to successfully work from home. At DEQ sites, you will have access to a workspace, however, it may be shared with other employees.

This position requires occasional travel by car for field activities, meetings, conferences, trainings, advisory committees, public hearings, and workshops, some of which may involve extended work hours, overnight stays, and /or weekend work. During field activities, there is the potential for exposure to adverse weather conditions, fall or tripping hazards, stairs, substantial walking, pollutants, chemicals, contaminated soil and water, fumes, and airborne contaminants.

How to Apply: (complete the application in full)

• 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 knowledge article for assistance.

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Help Your Application Rise to the Top!

Your application materials are the perfect opportunity to highlight your interest in the position and showcase your amazing skills and experience. In addition to your related work experience and education, DEQ will use the desired attributes and minimum qualifications above, under the “What are we looking for?” section to determine whom to interview. Please make sure your attributes and minimum qualifications are clearly demonstrated in your application materials.

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Veterans Information:

DEQ provides veterans’ preference points to all eligible veterans. For more information on veterans’ preference, please visit Veterans Resources, or call the Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs at: 1-800-692-9666. For privacy reasons, please do not attach veterans’ preference documents when initially applying. Instead, you will be asked to submit those at a later time as part of a future task in Workday.

Equal Pay Analysis:

As an employer, the State of Oregon complies with HB 2005, the Pay Equity Bill. We do not discriminate on the basis of protected class in the payment of wages, and we do not screen applicants on the basis of their current or past compensation. Please visit http://www.oregon.gov/das/hr/pages/equity.aspx for more information. Please note: the salary listed is the non-PERS qualifying salary range. If the successful candidate is PERS qualifying, the salary range will reflect an additional 6.95% (6% goes to PERS and .95% covers payroll taxes). Please review the Classification and Compensation page for more details.

Work Authorization:

DEQ does not offer visa sponsorships. On the first day of employment, all hires will be required to complete the US Department of Homeland Security’s Form I-9, confirming authorization to work in the United States. In addition, hires will have three business days from their first day of employment to present documents that establish employment authorization and identity. DEQ is an E-Verify employer and will use E-Verify to confirm that hires are authorized to work in the United States.

Questions/Need Help?

If you have questions about the recruitment or need assistance to participate in the application process, please contact DEQ’s Recruitment Team at jobs@deq.oregon.gov or 503-229-5107. TTY users: please use the Oregon Telecommunications Relay Service at 1-800-735-2900.