Water Quality (WQ) Specialist

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

Salary: $60,840.00 - $101,388.00 Annually

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm

Office Location: 3450 Broadway St., Boulder, Colorado

Position Overview: 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. Position Levels Environmental Health Specialist I - Entry to Mid‑Level. 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.

Duties: Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems (OWTS)

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

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. 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. Driver's License & Reliable Vehicle Applicants must have a valid driver's 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

Preferred Qualifications: Bilingual in English and Spanish

Physical Requirements: Ability to walk on uneven surfaces

Benefits: 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 Year's Day Martin Luther King's Birthday January Presidents' Day Memorial Day Juneteenth Independence Day Labor Day Indigenous People's 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. Interview Questions 01: Do you have a valid driver's 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