Salary
The successful candidate’s starting pay will fall within the pay range listed below. Base salary is localized according to an employee’s work location. Ranges are market-dependent and may be modified in the future.
For candidates living in Boston, MA, Denver, CO, New York, NY, Los Angeles, CA, Sacramento, CA, San Diego, CA, and Washington, DC, the pay range is $69,300 - $80,550.
Position Summary
This position requires that the employee reside within the DC, Maryland or Northern Virginia area.
The Specialist, Environmental Health, provides programmatic support for APHL’s US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-funded work to strengthen public health laboratory efforts around wastewater surveillance for chemicals. APHL’s wastewater surveillance efforts have focused on infectious diseases to date; this new initiative will utilize those existing connections to expand to chemicals testing. The Specialist, Environmental Health, will provide administrative support for a new APHL wastewater surveillance for chemicals workgroup and related activities.
The Specialist, Environmental Health, will collaborate with a variety of partners in order to expand public health laboratory wastewater surveillance testing efforts for chemical targets. Partners may include CDC, wastewater utilities, academic institutions, commercial laboratories, and national associations. This person will work with the Environmental Health Senior Specialist, the Environmental Health Senior Program Manager and other team members to implement project activities, develop resources, and facilitate member training.
At this time, this position is funded through July 1, 2027 and is dependent upon continued availability of funds.
The Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) works to strengthen laboratory systems serving the public’s health in the U.S. and globally. APHL’s member laboratories protect the public’s health by monitoring and detecting infectious and foodborne diseases, environmental contaminants, terrorist agents, genetic disorders in newborns and other diverse health threats.
Duties & Responsibilities
Provides project management, strategic thinking, and administrative support to implement and execute activities related to wastewater surveillance for chemicals:
- Administers contract with consultant to develop an ethical framework to guide wastewater surveillance for drugs and other chemicals for public health practice.
- Manages new Wastewater Surveillance for Chemicals Workgroup to inform the direction of work. This includes coordinating regular calls and convening an annual in-person meeting.
- Initiates a laboratory scientist community of practice, providing a digital and bi-monthly call forum for all state and local laboratory scientists to network and learn from each other and other experts in the field.
- In collaboration with APHL marketing and communications department, develops communication materials (e.g., guidance documents, Lab Matters articles) that help laboratory scientists perform all relevant activities (e.g., policy, scientific, and management) to meet wastewater testing for chemical targets needs in their jurisdictions.
- Shares timely information and resources about wastewater surveillance for chemicals through APHL’s communication platforms.
- Connects this wastewater surveillance for chemicals work to APHL’s national Environmental Laboratory Science Committee and Environmental Health Committee and all state and local environmental health laboratories through calls and annual meetings.
- Works on Environmental Health Committee and Environmental Laboratory Science Committee projects as needed.
Tasks to successfully complete these activities include:
- Takes meeting notes, writes summary reports and articles for newsletters and other publications, and conducts research and analysis to develop survey, report, and other project drafts.
- Maintains communication with APHL committees, CDC and other partners by email, telephone, and direct meetings and represents APHL interests at meetings, scientific conferences, trainings, workshops and site visits.
- Organizes and coordinates committee activities, workgroup meetings, trainings, webinars, and associated staff and member travel.
- Manages and monitors consultant and vendor contracts and reviews and evaluates technical and non-technical reports prepared by consultants and
- Enlists APHL member and staff experts and non-member experts to support implementation of activities, organizes project teams, manages communities of practices, monitors overall project performance and reports on project
- Tracks financial activities and writes corresponding reports for assigned
- Communicates program activities and cooperative agreement reporting requirements with CDC project officers and other partners via written reports and phone calls.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
Travel: Four visits to Bethesda, MD and four conferences/planning meetings.
Other duties as assigned.
Employment Standards - Education and Experience
- The Specialist is responsible for providing professional support for programs or internal functional activities and typically performs analysis, research, writing, and project coordination, usually under the direction of a Manager or Director.
- Work at this level requires that the Specialist understand the concepts, practices and procedures of the area of specialization and can apply them to work that may be difficult in nature.
- Specialists work under supervision and have limited latitude and decision making authority; but they have sufficient knowledge and experience that they can carry projects out fairly independently once a plan is in place.
- A Specialist may have frequent contact with outside organizations or internal customers that may involve project coordination, information sharing, or resolution of problems.
- Incumbents at this level typically have a specialty gained through a college degree, two to five years of relevant on the job experience or advanced technical training or experience. An advanced degree may be substituted for work experience.
- On occasion, extensive practical experience may be substituted for formal education, particularly if the technical specialty is unusually complex or when long experience has greater value to the organization than conceptual understanding.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Knowledge -
Chemistry, wastewater surveillance, and/or environmental public health and project management.
Skills -
Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, and Outlook email systems, as well as an adaptive nature to new computer programs and other digital tools. Excellent organizational, verbal and written communication skills.
Abilities -
Ability to establish working relationships with diverse groups, work independently and switch between a variety of departmental activities, and organize work projects and complete tasks within assigned timeframes.
APHL Weeks:
APHL Week is a Conference/Convention that is held at the APHL Home Office Bethesda, MD. This event is mandatory for all employees to attend. Travel and lodging will be reimbursed by APHL.
Please Note: Reimbursement for travel and lodging may not be possible for employees that are local to the APHL Home Office.
Position Description Status:
The duties and responsibilities listed in this job description are illustrative ones anticipated for this position. Other duties and responsibilities may be assigned as required. Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) reserves the right to amend or change this job description to meet the needs of its programs. This job description and any attachments do not constitute or represent a contract.
Work Environment:
Work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations will be made for known physical or mental limitations to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the role.
Physical Demands:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by a colleague to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations will be made for known physical or mental limitations to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the role.
During the job, the colleague may need to sit for extended periods, use a computer keyboard to type, read information visually, and communicate orally through a computer monitor.
Equal Opportunity Employment Statement:
Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability, protected veteran status, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin or any other characteristics protected by applicable law.
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Bethesda, MD 20814
