Health and Environmental Investigator IV - Supervisor presso King County, WA

The Environmental Health Services Division, Food & Facilities Section is seeking skilled, enthusiastic, and dedicated individuals to fill two Career Service Heal and Environmental Investigator IV (Environmental Health Services Supervisor) positions. The successful candidates will have a passion for environmental public health and creating heathier lives for all people in King County, enjoy investing in professional development of staff and developing workforce and teams, possess strong analytical and problem-solving skills, and be effective at developing productive relationships with agency partners and regulated entities. The program is seeking innovative individuals who are able to provide oversight for technology-driven food safety and water recreation facility management systems, including supporting the adoption of new software and leading a team to produce data-driven results. The successful applicants will work with a team of supervisors in the section and will each directly supervise 10-12 people.

The positions will be located within the Food & Facilities Section of the Environmental Health Services Division of Public Health – Seattle & King County. The Environmental Health Services Division's mission is to identify and sustain environmental conditions that promote healthy people and healthy communities. The Food & Facilities Section contributes to healthy communities by permitting, educating and inspecting over 1,800 water recreation facilities, 12,500 permanent food businesses, 45 farmers markets, 3,500 temporary food vendors, and issues over 50,000 food worker cards annually. In addition, the section is responsible for permitting and inspecting 1,800 water recreational facilities, oversees the safety of fresh and marine water bathing beaches, and provides regulatory oversight of sewage releases and Harmful Algal Blooms affecting swimming beaches. We serve an incredibly diverse, culturally rich, and culinary innovative communities. Our incredibly talented and diverse 63-person team operates with a $15.5 million annual budget. The Food and Facilities Section strives to provide equitable service and applies an educational approach toward regulatory compliance.


The positions support and advance Environmental Health Services Division's values for fair and culturally competent service delivery, innovative, effective and efficient application of resources, building a culture of performance and expanding opportunities to seek input, listen and respond to industry and residents. The positions will be located within the Environmental Health Division of Public Health – Seattle & King County.

The Program is committed to the principles of racial equity and social justice and values diverse perspectives and life experiences in its workforce. People of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

This posting will create a list of qualified candidates that may be considered for selection of additional vacancies of the same position type over the next 6 months.

About the Environmental Health Services Division:
Through the work of 165+ dedicated employees, The Environmental Health Services Division’s mission is to identify and sustain environmental conditions that promote healthy people and healthy communities. Our vision is healthy, safe, and vibrant communities that are free of health disparities based on race, gender, or economic status. 

The Division’s core values include equity and social justice, integrity, community service, collaboration, a supportive work culture, and learning from each other and the communities we serve. We strive for fair and culturally competent service delivery, innovative, effective, and efficient application of resources, building a culture of performance and expanding opportunities to seek input, listen and respond to industry and residents. To learn more, please visit https://www.kingcounty.gov/ehs. Forbes named King County as one of Washington State's best employers.

Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.

Guided by our "True North", we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles - we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.

Supervision and Workforce Development: 

• Conduct and facilitate staff development and performance management activities. 

• Collaborate with staff, colleagues, Assistant Division Director, Deputy Assistant Division Director, Division and program management team; ensure compliance with Department and Division policies and procedures. 

• Ensure adequate staff and skills are available to support program needs; anticipate and participate in solving conflicts between other agencies/work groups and resolving labor issues. 

• Coach, mentor and train field and senior environmental health investigators. 

• Support and develop on-going programs and continuous improvement efforts. 

Program and Project Management: 

• Develop and evaluate performance dashboard to help make data driven decisions. 

• Implement program development efforts, such as supporting ongoing QA/QC activities. 

• Develop metrics and dashboards to help improve staff performance.

• Interpret and apply program guidance in managing projects, programs and services. 

• Identify community needs and characteristics to prioritize, influence and improve programs and services.

• Effectively and efficiently manage agency resources including staff, project resources, work plans and service agreements; ensure consistency with Department and Division policies. 

• Ensure that services are planned, delivered and evaluated in a culturally appropriate manner that reflects the needs of all stakeholders we serve across King County. 

• Implement and monitor the food safety rating system, including conducting on-going quality assurance and control, training staff and processing appeals. 

• Manage projects of various types in support of food and water recreational programs. 

• Other duties as assigned by the Food & Facilities Assistant Division Director and other program managers.

Our ideal candidate will demonstrate the following (Minimum):

• At least 5 years of experience conducting inspections to ensure compliance with:
  • The Washington State Retail Food Code, the King County Food Code, or food codes in other state or local jurisdictions and
  • The Washington State Water Recreation Facilities Code or water recreation codes in other state or local jurisdictions
• At least 2 years of experience supervising or leading people, projects, or teams Environmental Health, preferably in food safety or water recreation, including: Training, coaching, and mentoring staff; providing subject matter expertise and technical assistance; and managing employee performance (e.g., providing feedback, working with HR to resolve personnel issues, writing performance appraisals).
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively, including: Strong and consistent leadership; experience creating, managing, or leading effective teams; delegating responsibilities; active listening; facilitation, negotiation, mediation and compromise; managing assignments to meet deadlines; resolving conflicts; ensuring appropriate transparency; and maintaining effective and positive relationships with peers, subordinates and management. 
• Program or project management experience, including: Demonstrated ability applying knowledge of local government program operations; strategic planning; developing and applying internal and external stakeholder strategies; developing, implementing, monitoring and improving programmatic/strategic outcomes; using data to guide decision-making; establishing priorities; and conducting or managing quality control/quality assurance.
• Demonstrated cultural competence working with diverse populations including race, ethnicity, gender, ability, age, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status. Demonstrated ability applying principles of equity and social justice in local government programs. 
• Ability to create a climate in which people want to do their best; can motivate many kinds of direct report, team or project members; enables co-workers to grow and succeed through feedback, instruction, and encouragement. 
• Excellent written and oral communications skills, including: Presenting information to lay audiences and technical subject matter experts, and drafting materials such as program policies, procedures, correspondence and technical reports.
• Within six months of hire, Registered Environmental Health Specialist/Registered Sanitarian (REHS/RS) from the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) or from the Washington State Board of Registered Sanitarians (WSBRS).Both NEHA and WSBRS provide applications for REHS/RS credentialing by examination or via reciprocity.

REHS/RS credentialing information is available from NEHA at:

www.neha.org/professional-development/credentials/rehsrs-credential

REHS/RS credentialing information is available from WSBRS at: www.wsbrs.org

• Valid Washington State driver's license.

All required licenses and certifications must be maintained in active status without suspension or revocation throughout employment.

The most competitive applicants will have the following experiences and qualifications (desired):

• Master's Degree in Public Health, Public Administration, or a closely related field or equivalent professional experience. 
• Experience working in a highly collaborative government program or coalition. 
• Experience creating effective working relationships with external program partners/agencies. 
• Responding to media and public records disclosure requests.
•  Knowledge of FDA Voluntary Retail Program Standards.
• Knowledge of food and pool plan review policies and procedures. 
• Bilingual in one of the most common non-English languages in King County (such as Spanish, Arabic, Somali, Hindi, Punjabi, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean). 
• Sufficient knowledge and experience working with recreational water facilities to lead this scope of work. Certified Pool & Spa Operator credentialing knowledge base.
• Knowledge of Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) programs.
• Knowledge and experience implementing “Train the Trainer” programs to promote workforce development and continuing education for staff. 
• Knowledge of regulatory oversight and experience applying this knowledge to education, enforcement, legal frameworks, and public health policy. 
• Knowledge and experience applying change management principles. 
• Skill and experience with emergency response. 
• Skill and experience with de-escalation techniques.
•  Knowledge and experience in addressing unpermitted stakeholder operations and non-traditional business models with respect to established Food and Water Recreation Facility code compliance in WA State. 
• Ability to network and establish collaborative partnerships through other agency and industry stakeholders. 
• Currently holds a valid Registered Environmental Health Specialist/Registered Sanitarian (REHS/RS) from the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) or from the Washington State Board of Registered Sanitarians (WSBRS)
• Experience conducting plan review