Job Description

Requisition No: 835127 

Agency: Environmental Protection

Working Title: ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANT - 37010667

 Pay Plan: Career Service

Position Number: 37010667 

Salary: $4,493.09 Monthly 

Posting Closing Date: 11/27/2024 

Total Compensation Estimator 

Environmental Consultant

State of Florida

Department of Environmental Protection

Previous applicants need not apply 

Our Organization and Mission:

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is the state’s lead agency for environmental management and stewardship - protecting our air, water and land. The vision of DEP is to create strong community partnerships, safeguard Florida’s natural resources and enhance its ecosystem.

The Work You Will Do:

The Environmental Consultant (37010667) is in the Division of Environmental Assessment and Restoration’s Water Quality Standards Program (WQSP), Aquatic Ecology and Quality Assurance Section (AEQAS), in Tallahassee. This advanced environmental professional position serves as DEP’s Quality Assurance (QA) Coordinator for the Regulatory, Ecosystem Restoration, and Land and Recreation programs. This senior position conducts a variety of critical duties within AEQAS, including performing data quality assessments, interacting with Department program managers and quality assurance officers on issues related to their QA activities, preparation of the Annual QA Report, conducting field and lab audits, development and delivery of QA training activities, and providing scientific review, evaluation and interpretation of chemical and biological data and reports in support of Section, Program, and Division projects.

The Difference You Will Make:

Water and natural resources are the foundation of Florida's communities, economy, and way  of life. The Division of Environmental Assessment and Restoration (DEAR) is charged with  protecting, maintaining, and improving the quality of Florida’s springs, rivers, lakes, estuaries,  and coastal waters. DEAR team members provide the department and other resource agencies  with the highest quality laboratory services available; provide technical support to the  department and the public regarding water quality analysis and data quality assurance (QA);  manage water quality data repositories for data storage and use by the department, other  agencies and the public; and work together to monitor and assess Florida’s surface water and  groundwater quality, develop strategies to reduce pollution, and work closely with local  stakeholders to implement comprehensive restoration strategies that improve the lives of all  Floridians and preserve aquatic resources for generations to come.

How You Will Grow:

DEP encourages its leaders to constantly innovate and seek efficiencies. We believe in supporting and encouraging you as you take on important and often complex projects while offering you the opportunity to gain valuable experience quickly.

Where You Will Work:

Tallahassee - Tallahassee, Florida’s Capitol City, lined with rolling hills, oak trees, and canopied roads combines old world charm with a modern pace of life. Home to two major universities as well as state government, Tallahassee is a mid-sized city in the heart of Florida’s Big Bend. Tallahassee is a highly desirable location for both those seeking their first job or those ready to enter the next exciting chapter in their career.

The Benefits of Working for the State of Florida: 

Working for the State of Florida is more than a paycheck. The State’s total compensation package for employees features a highly competitive set of employee benefits including:

• Annual and Sick Leave benefits ;
• Nine paid holidays and one Personal Holiday each year;
• State Group Insurance coverage options, including health, life, dental, vision, and other supplemental insurance options ;
• Retirement plan options, including employer contributions ( For more information, please click );
• Flexible Spending Accounts;
• Tuition waivers;
• And more!

For a more complete list of benefits, visit .

Pay:

$4,493.09 Monthly

Your Specific Responsibilities:

In carrying out the duties of this position, the incumbent is expected at all times to be aware of and abide by the Department’s Standards of Conduct, as well as any and all departmental and/or work unit rules, directives, policies, procedures, and/or general orders applicable to performing the duties of this position. If position is supervisory, incumbent is also expected to actively support and work toward fulfilling the Agency’s Affirmative Action objectives.

This is a highly advanced professional position that serves as DEP’s Quality Assurance (QA) Coordinator for the Regulatory, Ecosystem Restoration, and Land and Recreation programs.

This position serves as the DEP liaison with the Florida Department of Health Environmental Lab Certification Program, The NELAC Institute (TNI), and EPA Region 4 QA representatives, to meet DEP QA requirements and address issues and questions from DEP staff and external stakeholders. Maintains the DEP QA Rules, Chapter 62-160, Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C)., and incorporated documents, and proposes rule revisions approximately every five years or sooner, if necessary, following required State of Florida rulemaking procedures. Documents incorporated into the QA Rules include the DEP standard operating procedures (SOPs) for sample collection, field testing, field bioassessments, and laboratory taxonomic identifications. Revises and distributes the Quality Management Plan (QMP) for the Regulatory, Ecosystem Restoration, and Land and Recreation programs as required by EPA. Represents the Department on the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan QA Oversight Team (QAOT).

Ensures QA support activities are performed for DEP programs related to the QA Policy, including regularly communicating with program QA Officers, providing training to QA officers and DEP staff, ensuring that each agency program has a quality plan, completing the Annual QA Report to the Secretary, and holding QA Officer teleconferences, meetings and trainings. Independently evaluates the effectiveness of the department’s Quality System and initiates corrective actions, where warranted. Provides support for the preparation of the Annual QA Report to the DEP Secretary on all QA activities, including recommendations for improving the department’s Quality System. Provides support for Quality of Science reviews for specific DEP programs when requested by the program, or when warranted by specific data quality issues.

Plans, develops curricula, and implements a statewide QA training program, targeted for State, regional and local government employees, the environmental sampling and laboratory industry, and regulated communities and residents of Florida. This training program includes all applicable training needed to ensure that Statewide scientific data collection, analyses, and interpretation comply with DEP’s QA policies and regulations. The goal of this program is to develop educated data producers and consumers so that all water quality and related environmental measurements performed by or for DEP are scientifically valid, defensible, and of known and acceptable precision and accuracy.

Conducts system and performance audits of DEP activities, other State governmental agencies, local programs, and outside contractors and respondents required to adhere to the DEP QA Rules. These audits are performed to ensure compliance with DEP QA requirements. Reviews and approves QA documents for DEP sampling and analysis activities and for those outside DEP responding to DEP regulatory and contractual requirements.

Participates in sample collection for WQSP projects, as needed, in order to supplement the fundamentals of other core job duties, including field performance audits, trainings, and questions related to sample collection.

Functions as a DEP-wide consultant and communications facilitator on issues concerning the appropriateness and quality of scientific information generated for environmental decision-making. This function includes training/consulting with DEP program managers and stakeholders on issues related to sampling, analysis, data quality assessment, water quality standards implementation, and data validation.

Provides timely responses to all questions and requests for information and document reviews. Performs other duties as assigned.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

1. Knowledge of environmental field sampling techniques, terminology, principles and methodologies.
2. Knowledge of environmental laboratory analytical methods, principles and terminology.
3. Knowledge of Quality Assurance (QA) principles and measures, including laboratory, field, and data validation activities.
4. Familiarity with the requirements of Chapters 62-160, F.A.C., and 64E-1, F.A.C., as applicable to the environmental field sampling and laboratory analysis industry.
5. Knowledge of the DEP SOPs and NELAC standards.
6. Ability to conduct laboratory and field audits.
7. Knowledge of computer software programs including Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
8. Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
9. Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
10. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with others.
11. Ability to determine work priorities, document activities, and ensure proper completion of work assignments.
12. Ability to give public presentations to a variety of audiences.
13. Ability to travel, including long days and overnight travel.
14. Ability to maintain a valid Driver’s License.

  Required or Preferred Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, engineering sciences, environmental science, natural sciences, biological sciences, physical sciences, environmental policy, public health, or computer science from an accredited university or college and 3 years of related verifiable experience; or any combination of post-secondary education or verifiable related experience, as described above, for a total of 7 years.

Other Job Related Requirements for this position:

Valid Driver’s License.

Occasional overnight travel.

DEP is committed to successfully recruiting and onboarding talented and skilled individuals into its workforce. We recognize the extensive training, experience, and transferrable skills that veterans and individuals with disabilities bring to the workforce. Veterans and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to contact our recruiter for guidance and answers to questions through the following email addresses:

HR_VeteransPreference@dep.state.fl.us

The State of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer, and does not tolerate discrimination or violence in the workplace.

Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority and/or People First Service Center (1-866-663-4735). Notification to the hiring authority must be made in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.

The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with Section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act.

VETERANS’ PREFERENCE. Pursuant to Chapter 295, Florida Statutes, candidates eligible for Veterans’ Preference will receive preference in employment for Career Service vacancies and are encouraged to apply. Certain service members may be eligible to receive waivers for postsecondary educational requirements. Candidates claiming Veterans’ Preference must attach supporting documentation with each submission that includes character of service (for example, DD Form 214 Member Copy #4) along with any other documentation as required by Rule 55A-7, Florida Administrative Code. Veterans’ Preference documentation requirements are available by clicking here . All documentation is due by the close of the vacancy announcement. 

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