Director of Environmental Health

About DCHD:

Mission: To protect and promote healthier lifestyles through prevention and education.

As a certified health department, the Douglas County Health Department is responsible for several programs as well as many other public health services. Programs are grouped into divisions relating to either nursing, environmental health or health education. All programs have an educational component. The goal of this department is to increase the awareness and number of persons reached in this educational process.

Benefits:

• 13-15 Paid Holidays


• Vacation


• 3 days of Personal Time


• Accrual of 1 sick day per month (rollover)


• Employer paid employee health insurance premium


• Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF)


• Dental/Vision


• Life Insurance


• Tuition Assistance and Loan Repayment


• Flexible Schedules

Compensation: The full salary range for this position is $64,000–$76,000 annually. The anticipated starting salary is $66,000–$72,000, depending on the selected candidate’s directly related experience, education, licensure, certifications, and overall qualifications, as well as internal equity and available funding. An exceptionally qualified candidate may be considered above the anticipated starting range, but within the full approved salary range.

Status: Full-time, 40 hours

Working hours: M-F

Salary Exempt

Work Location: Onsite & Client Locations

Job Summary

The Director of Environmental Health is responsible for planning, developing, administering, and evaluating comprehensive environmental health and safety programs designed to prevent or eliminate environmental health and safety hazards in accordance with federal, state, and local laws and regulations.

The Director provides leadership and direct supervision to Environmental Health Division staff and is responsible for establishing work priorities, assigning responsibilities, monitoring performance, ensuring regulatory compliance, and supporting the professional development of assigned employees. The Director works collaboratively with other directors and managers to promote a high-performance environmental health and safety culture and to develop effective programs and processes that achieve high levels of environmental stewardship, public safety, and regulatory compliance.

The Director should possess emergency preparedness and first responder training and is responsible for managing, planning, implementing, and monitoring the Douglas County Health Department’s Emergency Management Program and the Douglas County Medical Reserve Corps program.

Supervisory Responsibilities

The Director of Environmental Health directly supervises employees assigned to the Environmental Health Division. Supervisory responsibilities include:

• Establishing division priorities, work plans, schedules, and performance expectations.


• Assigning and monitoring inspections, investigations, complaints, projects, reports, and other program responsibilities.


• Providing regular direction, coaching, feedback, and technical assistance to Environmental Health staff.


• Conducting employee onboarding, training, one-on-one meetings, staff meetings, and performance evaluations.


• Monitoring employee productivity, documentation, customer service, regulatory compliance, and completion of assigned work.


• Ensuring adequate staffing, cross-training, workload distribution, and program coverage.


• Reviewing and approving employee reports, inspection records, enforcement documentation, permits, correspondence, and other official records, as appropriate.


• Addressing performance, attendance, conduct, and workplace concerns in coordination with Human Resources and the Administrator.


• Making recommendations regarding hiring, promotion, professional development, corrective action, and separation of assigned employees.


• Supporting employees in maintaining required licenses, certifications, continuing education, and professional competencies.


• Promoting a professional, respectful, accountable, and collaborative work environment.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Plans, organizes, directs, controls, integrates, and evaluates the work of the Environmental Health Division.


• Administers comprehensive environmental health programs, including but not limited to septic systems, private water wells, food sanitation, tanning facilities, solid waste, radon, West Nile virus control, bioterrorism preparedness, nuisance complaints, and other environmental health or prevention programs administered by the Department.


• Develops division policies, procedures, protocols, forms, workflows, and quality assurance processes to ensure consistency and compliance.


• Establishes annual program goals, performance measures, work standards, and priorities for the Environmental Health Division.


• Monitors staff caseloads, inspections, investigations, complaints, enforcement activities, reporting deadlines, and completion of assigned responsibilities.


• Ensures inspections, investigations, enforcement activities, and regulatory decisions are completed accurately, consistently, professionally, and within required timeframes.


• Reviews complex or sensitive environmental health complaints and provides guidance regarding enforcement, corrective actions, and regulatory requirements.


• Responds to escalated concerns from residents, businesses, contractors, elected officials, partner agencies, and other stakeholders.


• Serves as a liaison and key spokesperson for the Department in dealings with federal, state, and local environmental regulatory agencies and organizations regarding compliance matters.


• Represents the Department before federal, state, and local agencies, boards, committees, community organizations, and other groups regarding environmental health issues.


• Oversees environmental regulatory compliance auditing and reporting.


• Ensures the maintenance of required records, files, inspection documentation, permits, reports, and enforcement records in compliance with applicable retention requirements.


• Ensures compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local reporting requirements.


• Develops, implements, and monitors work plans designed to achieve division and Department goals and objectives.


• Participates in the development of the Department and Environmental Health Division budgets and monitors expenditures against approved budgets.


• Identifies staffing, equipment, technology, training, and resource needs for the Environmental Health Division.


• Manages, supervises, and evaluates the development, implementation, and effectiveness of programs, work processes, systems, and procedures.


• Coordinates staff training and professional development related to environmental health regulations, inspection practices, enforcement procedures, customer service, documentation, safety, and emergency preparedness.


• Maintains sufficient knowledge of Environmental Health Division programs to provide technical guidance and operational coverage when necessary.


• Participates in Department leadership meetings, strategic planning, policy development, accreditation activities, and quality improvement initiatives.


• Manages National Incident Management System compliance training for Department staff.


• Maintains and develops Department emergency response plans, including the Hazard Vulnerability Assessment, Integrated Preparedness Plan, and Capability Planning Guide assessment.


• Assists the County with the development and maintenance of All-Hazards Mitigation Plans.


• Maintains emergency preparedness inventory through the Inventory Management and Tracking System program.


• Coordinates with the local Emergency Management Agency in developing and maintaining county emergency response plans.


• Completes Public Health Emergency Preparedness grant deliverables.


• Completes required quarterly and annual Public Health Emergency Preparedness progress reports through CEMP, EGrAMS, and other required reporting systems.


• Develops and maintains the county Medical Reserve Corps recruitment, orientation, training, retention, and deployment program.


• Conducts routine after-hours Medical Reserve Corps meetings, exercises, trainings, and activities as necessary.


• Records Medical Reserve Corps training, meetings, volunteer participation, and public outreach activities in the appropriate online portal.


• Completes grant applications, deliverables, reports, and documentation for Medical Reserve Corps grants, including ORA, NACCHO STTRONG, and other related funding opportunities.


• Participates in emergency response exercises, drills, after-action reviews, and improvement planning.


• Serves in an assigned Incident Command System role during public health emergencies, disasters, or Department emergency responses.


• Maintains confidentiality and safeguards sensitive, protected, and enforcement-related information.


• Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications and Requirements

• Thorough knowledge of the theories, principles, policies, practices, and methods used in the design, development, implementation, and administration of comprehensive environmental health programs.


• Knowledge of federal, state, and local environmental health laws, rules, regulations, codes, standards, and enforcement procedures.


• Knowledge of supervisory and management principles, including employee development, performance management, workload planning, conflict resolution, corrective action, and team building.


• Ability to lead, motivate, supervise, and evaluate employees with varying levels of experience and responsibility.


• Ability to establish clear expectations, hold employees accountable, address performance concerns, and provide constructive feedback.


• Ability to organize and prioritize multiple programs, deadlines, inspections, complaints, projects, and staff assignments.


• Ability to interpret and apply laws, regulations, policies, ordinances, and technical guidance consistently and objectively.


• Ability to make sound decisions involving regulatory compliance, public health risks, enforcement actions, and emergency response.


• Ability to communicate professionally and effectively with employees, residents, businesses, contractors, elected officials, regulatory agencies, and community partners.


• Ability to prepare and review professional reports, correspondence, policies, procedures, grant documentation, enforcement records, and public information.


• Ability to handle difficult, sensitive, or confrontational situations calmly, professionally, and consistently.


• Experience developing and presenting educational programs, training sessions, and public presentations for groups of varying sizes.


• Training in the Incident Command System and National Incident Management System.


• Ability to respond outside normal working hours during emergencies, urgent environmental health matters, meetings, exercises, or other Department needs.


• Possession of a valid driver’s license and the ability to travel throughout Douglas County and to other locations as required.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year college or university with a major in environmental health and safety, environmental science, environmental engineering, public health, or a closely related field.


• Five years of progressively responsible experience in an environmental health or safety program, including supervisory, management, program coordination, or leadership experience; or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.


• Licensed Environmental Health Practitioner credential, or the ability to meet eligibility requirements and sit for the examination within one year of employment.


• Food sanitation manager certification and food sanitation instructor certification, as required for assigned responsibilities.


• Licensed tanning facility inspector.


• Preferred qualifications include licensure or certification as a wastewater installer, radon measurement professional, and larvicide applicator.


• Previous experience in local government, public health, regulatory enforcement, emergency preparedness, grant management, or employee supervision is preferred.

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions

The physical demands described below are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodation may be provided to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Frequently performs work in a typical office environment where the noise level is generally quiet.


• Frequently uses computers, phones, office equipment, inspection equipment, and electronic recordkeeping systems.


• Requires the ability to sit, stand, walk, bend, stoop, climb, reach, and move throughout office, field, residential, commercial, agricultural, and industrial environments.


• Requires the ability to drive to inspection sites, meetings, trainings, emergency response locations, and other work-related locations.


• May occasionally be exposed to extreme temperatures, inclement weather, moving mechanical parts, high or precarious locations, wet or humid conditions, vibration, fumes, airborne particles, sewage, waste, chemicals, biological hazards, animals, insects, and other environmental pollutants or hazards.


• May require the use of personal protective equipment.


• May require evening, weekend, holiday, or after-hours work during emergencies, meetings, trainings, exercises, investigations, or urgent public health situations.


• Must be able to perform field inspections and emergency response responsibilities safely and effectively.


• Douglas County Health Department is a smoke-free and drug-free workplace in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local requirements.

The Douglas County Health Department is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We embrace and encourage our employees' differences in age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make our employees unique.

Our employment practices are rooted in our dedication to equal opportunity for all individuals. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate in employment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

All employment decisions at the Douglas County Health Department are based on business needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications, without regard to the above-listed characteristics. We provide a work environment free of harassment and retaliation and ensure compliance with all applicable laws that protect the rights of applicants and employees. Our policies reflect and affirm the department's commitment to the principles of fair employment and the elimination of all discriminatory practices.

If you require assistance or accommodation during the application process due to a disability, please contact the Human Resources Department at 217-253-4137 X 1207.