Water Quality (WQ) Specialist

Water Quality (WQ) Specialist

Salary

$60,840.00 - $101,388.00 Annually

Location

Boulder County, CO

Job Type

Full-time

Job Number

6918(EH1/EH2)

Department

Public Health

Division

PHD Environmental Health

Opening Date

10/26/2026

Closing Date

11/8/2026 11:59 PM Mountain

FLSA

Exempt

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

Description

Boulder County Public Health Department is seeking to hire a Water Quality (WQ) Specialist. Under minimal supervision, this position performs a variety of duties and responsibilities in the Water Quality (WQ) Program to assure compliance with rules and regulations, prevent disease transmission, and mitigate health risks. Program activities include permitting onsite wastewater treatment systems (OWTS); conducting water quality investigations and applicable follow-up and enforcement; providing education and outreach; and engaging in partner and state and local regulatory groups, as needed.

Environmental Health Specialist I- Entry to Mid-Level Environmental Health Specialist These positions perform basic to intermediate environmental health inspections and investigations in accordance with Colorado and Boulder County regulations. Training is provided for inspections of various facilities, handling complaints, and other functions, as required. They document violations and recommend the initiation of enforcement action to supervisor.

Environmental Health Specialist II - Advanced to Senior Environmental Health Specialist These positions also conduct inspections and investigations but with higher proficiency and broader responsibility. They document violations, recommend enforcement actions, and participate on specialized teams. Senior-level staff (EHS II) demonstrate mastery across all assigned EH programs, manage program implementation within assigned areas, work independently, train staff, and develop special projects with supervisors. These positions may assume limited supervision as needed. Staff at this level must be standardized or demonstrate capacity to perform independent inspections, permitting and licensure in the field. They must work with their respective supervisor on the development and execution of special projects as necessary.

This position is eligible to be hired as an EH1 or EH2 depending on experience. If hired as an EH1, employees will be eligible to move into EH2 when they are able to demonstrate competency by meeting a standardized set of programmatic criteria.

This position is eligible for a hybrid work schedule after initial training and 9-month introductory period has been completed. Typical schedule for this team requires 2 to 3 days in the office/out doing inspections with 2 or 3 days working remotely.

This is a full-time, benefited position that will work Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm. This position will work out of 3450 Broadway St., Boulder, Colorado. Under Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) guidelines, this position is exempt.

Boulder County requires its employees to reside in the state of Colorado as of the first day of work.

Environmental Health Specialist I Hiring Salary Range: $60,840.00 - $74,178.00 Annually

Environmental Health Specialist I Hiring Salary Range: $70,428.00 - $85,908.00 Annually

Tentative Hiring Timeline:

• Phone Screening: Week of November 9th
• First Round Interviews: Week of November 16th
• Second Round Interviews: Week of November 30th
• Language Proficiency Test (if applicable): Week of November 30th
• Reference Check: Week of November 30th

New employees receive an 80-hour bank of vacation at the time of hire, in addition to 8 hours of both vacation and medical leave accruals each month (Must not have been employed at Boulder County during the 12 months prior to re-hire date to qualify). Boulder County offers bountiful benefits, including pension contributions.

Boulder County employees may qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). Visit studentaid.gov for more information.

Examples of Duties

Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems (OWTS)

• Write permits and perform inspections to ensure OWTS meet all state and local regulations
• Review technical engineer designs for compliance with regulations, conduct site investigations to determine soil and site suitability, and inspect OWTS installations
• Conduct detailed review of OWTS records to determine adequacy of systems for property transfer certification
• Conduct investigations of OWTS complaints and complete all necessary follow-up and enforcement activities to reach resolution
• Maintains database and carefully tracks all correspondence regarding properties
• Collaborates and supports the team to meet the OWTS program inspection and permit workload
• Support the Water Quality team to implement projects related to private well water sources or other small, community water systems
• Surface water and stormwater
• Support the Water Quality team response to instances of impacts to surface water and stormwater infrastructure

Water resource management

• Support work on water quality issues that occur in our community
• Perform epidemiological investigations related to waterborne illnesses

Environmental Planning

• Support team by providing input regarding land use development referrals from Community Planning and Permitting (CP&P)

Emergency Preparedness

• Support environmental health teams in the incident command structure during emergency response

Additional Responsibilities

• Maintain knowledge and ability to interpret and apply water quality and environmental health regulations and serve as a resource to the public and WQ professionals on compliance with these requirements
• Enforce federal, state, and local regulations and ordinances related to water quality; work closely with lead staff in selecting appropriate methods and procedures to use in resolving specific problems; receive training in and work toward independent enforcement of regulations and ordinances outside of assigned specialty
• Contribute to annual reports and program planning by detailing program activities, demonstrating progress towards goals, assessing program effectiveness, identifying opportunities for improvements, and goal setting for the programs
• Contribute to evaluation and planning efforts of water quality programs for effectiveness, efficiency and achieving goals and planning efforts
• Foster teamwork and open communication among staff; participate in team-building activities
• Confidently navigate stressful situations and deescalate conflict with colleagues and the community
• Respond to incidents that may result in exposure to disease, epidemiological investigations related to foodborne illness, hazardous materials, or toxic substances
• Organize and conduct special community educational events and presentations at the local and state levels
• Attend a variety of meetings, conferences, and training sessions
• Work with and leads projects with interns and volunteers
• Performs related work, as required
• May be reassigned during emergency situations

Required Qualifications

PLEASE NOTE: When completing your application describe all relevant education and experience, as applications are assessed based on the required qualifications listed. Resumes and other attachments are not accepted in lieu of completed applications and will not be reviewed in the initial screening process. Any personally identifiable information (PII) such as name and address will be redacted from applications that meet the minimum screening requirements and are forwarded to the hiring manager. If the hiring manager selects you to advance in the hiring process, your attachments will then be shared with the hiring team.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:

Boulder County is looking for well qualified candidates to fill our positions. Any combination of relevant education and experience is encouraged. In this position, we are looking for a minimum of:

Environmental Health Specialist I:

• 4 (four) years of experience in a related program

Environmental Health Specialist II:

• 6 (six) years of experience in a related program

Additional related education may count towards required experience.

DRIVERS LICENSE & RELIABLE VEHICLE:

• Applicants must have a valid drivers license and a clean driving record
• Access to reliable transportation that is readily available for business use
• For more information regarding a clean driving record, please click here.
• This position performs inspection work in various terrain all throughout Boulder County and during occasional inclement weather. The Water Quality Team does have 2 county vehicles that can be used for driving to inspections

BACKGROUND CHECK:

• A job offer is contingent on passing a background investigation

Supplemental Information

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bilingual in English and Spanish

• Additional compensation will be provided based on the use of bilingual skills

• Knowledge of soil evaluation and visual and tactile analysis

• Knowledge of OWTS, stormwater quality protection, drinking water, and other water quality regulations

• Experience with GIS and Accela

• Knowledge of or experience in environmental planning and other environmental regulations

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, & ABILITIES:

• Must be able to interpret, understand, and apply statutes and regulations pertaining to WQ
• Must be a strong team player
• Excellent written, oral communication, and presentation skills
• Strong collaborator in the community and office environment
• Ability to work effectively with clients, staff, and other agencies and maintain productive working relationships
• Good project completion skills and attention to detail
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access) and database use
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, with the ability to interpret and communicate regulatory requirements with inclusive language
• Excellent collaboration skills, with the ability to establish and maintain strong and effective working relationships with coworkers, partners, clients, outside agencies, and the public
• Ability to foster teamwork and open communication among staff; participate in team-building activities
• Ability to confidently navigate stressful situations and deescalate conflict with colleagues and the community
• Ability to perform moderately complex problem-solving operations independently
• Must be culturally responsive, with the ability to respectfully work with people of various identities and socioeconomic backgrounds in an inclusive and nonjudgmental fashion; center health and racial equity and environmental justice in their work
• Knowledge of modern practices, procedures, and methods of environmental health, climate change and environmental justice/health and racial equity

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Ability to walk on uneven surfaces

Boulder County is a workplace dedicated to supporting individuals and families of all types and to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and respectful environment for all employees. We prohibit unlawful discrimination against applicants and employees on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

As well as offering competitive pay and a caring work environment, Boulder County offers employees an array of benefits. For all FTE and Term employees, we provide:

• Outstanding options of comprehensive health plans that include vision and dental coverage. Information can be found HERE.

• Additional Benefits include

• Family-forming benefits- infertility treatment, adoption and surrogacy reimbursements

• 12 weeks Paid Caregiver leave

• Breast feeding friendly-work environment

• Infants-at-work policy

• Access to LifeMart and Benefits Hub discount hub, including discounts on childcare centers, event tickets, travel and more!

• Access to a nationally-recognized wellness program

• Employee Assistance Program

• PERA 401k

• Social Security retirement plans

• Additional Life and Disability Insurance

• Critical Illness and Accidental Insurance

• County-paid tuition assistance

• Eligible for PSLF- Public Service Loan Forgiveness

• Free EcoPass

• Hospital Indemnity

• ID Theft Protection

• Pet Insurance

• 8 Hours of Paid Public Service Leave

• Generous paid time off

• Holidays

• New Years Day

• Martin Luther Kings Birthday January

• Presidents Day

• Memorial Day

• Juneteenth

• Independence Day

• Labor Day

• Indigenous Peoples Day

• General Election Day November (first Tuesday after the first Monday, even years)

• Veterans Day

• Thanksgiving Day November

• Friday after Thanksgiving*

• Christmas Eve- ½ day (full day off depends on day of the week)

• Christmas Day

• New Year's Eve- ½ day (full day off depends on day of the week)

• Vacation

• 80-hour bank of vacation at the time of hire

• Eight hours of vacation per month for the first year of continuous service, then accrue twelve hours of vacation per month after the first year of continuous service.

• Medical

• Eight hours of medical leave for each month employed.

• PERA- The County and all employees pay into both Social Security and PERA

• Employer contribution to Social Security: 7.65% of salary

• Employer contribution to PERA (Local Government Division- most county employees: 15.80%

• The District Attorney's Office observe Francis Xavier Cabrini Day on the first Monday in October and omit the Friday after Thanksgiving

Vacation and Medical leave are based off of full time FTE accruals. Part-time FTE/term employees accrue leave based on the percentage of time they work.

01

Do you have a valid drivers license, access to reliable transportation that is readily available for business use, and clean driving record? (Required)

• Yes
• No

02

Please describe how you meet the minimum requirement of 4 (four) years of experience in a related program.

03

Can you provide an example(s) of projects you have been responsible for leading that required collaboration and had competing priorities? Please include outcomes of the project(s).

04

Can you share details about how you have used the following technologies in previous work: GIS, Excel or similar tool for interpreting data, and databases?

05

How can a natural disaster (such as fire or flood) impact water quality? Consider different aspects of public health focus on water quality such as drinking water, wastewater, and surface water.

06

What kinds of experiences have you had working with others with different backgrounds than your own?

07

Please share an example that demonstrates your respect for people and their differences; how have you worked to understand the perspectives of others?

Required Question

Employer Boulder County

Address 2025 14th Street

Boulder, Colorado, 80302

Phone 303-441-3525

Website http://www.bouldercounty.org