Program Specialist II (Contamination Specialist), Grade 21
Apply NowCompany: Montgomery County, MD
Location: Silver Spring, MD 20902
Description:
Salary : $68,501.00 - $108,899.00 Annually
Location : 2425 Reedie Dr Wheaton MD 20902 USA
Job Type: Permanent
Job Number: 2025-00177
Department: Department of Environmental Protection
Division: DEP 80 Recycling and Refuse Services
Opening Date: 03/18/2025
Closing Date: 4/1/2025 11:59 PM Eastern
FLSA: Exempt
About the Position
The expected salary range for this role on hire is $68,501 - $106,491
WHO WE ARE
The (DEP) is a nationally recognized and award-winning agency with the mission to enhance the quality of life in our community by protecting and improving Montgomery County's air, water, and land in a sustainable, innovative, inclusive, and industry-leading way while fostering smart growth, a thriving more sustainable economy and healthy communities. DEP is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals and values diverse perspectives, lived experiences, and cultures. DEP encourages BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color), immigrants, women, LGBTQIA+, individuals with disabilities and veterans to apply.
WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR
The Department of Environmental Protection is seeking to fill a full-time Program Specialist II in the Recycling and Resource Management Division, Recycling and Refuse Services Section to reduce the amount of unacceptable materials and contamination in the single-family residential curbside recycling program and increase recycling. This individual works in the field 90% of the time and will work independently and be self-motivated to monitor services of recycling and refuse collection contractors. This position also investigates and follows up on resident complaints, provides information to residents on the county's recycling and refuse collection program, and collects, records, and evaluates data on efforts to improve customer service, reduce waste, increase recycling, and provide efficient service delivery.
The successful candidate will have the following experience, knowledge, and skills:
What You'll Be Doing
This position will be responsible for reducing the amount of contamination and unacceptable materials in the county's single-family residential curbside recycling program by identifying examples of contamination and providing education directly to single-family residents.
Key duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:
To ensure a positive workplace and comply with federal, state, and County laws, the incumbent is responsible for completing mandatory trainings within the first three to six months or within the specified timeframe.
This position involves field work which will occur at work locations outside of the office. Occasionally, early morning, evening, or weekend work outside of normal business hours may be required.
This position requires possession of a valid driver's license and the ability to drive a County vehicle to inspect recycling containers set out by residents, observe loads of recyclable materials delivered to the Montgomery County Recycling Center, observe and inspect recycling and refuse collection service field operations, visit sites around Montgomery County to conduct field investigations and various surveys, attend meetings, participate in events and community activities, and perform other work at locations throughout Montgomery County, and in nearby jurisdictions or in remote areas that may not be readily accessible by public transportation.
Minimum Qualifications
Experience: Two (2) years of professional experience in field operations, code enforcement, recycling, waste reduction, trash collection or related field.
Education: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor's Degree.
Equivalency: An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted.
License: Possession and maintenance at all times of a valid Class "C" (or equivalent) driver's license from the applicant's state of residence.
Preferred Criteria, Interview Preferences
All Applicants will be reviewed by the Office of Human Resources (OHR) for minimum qualifications. Those applicants who meet minimum qualifications will be rated "Qualified," placed on the Eligible List, and may be considered for an interview. Employees meeting minimum qualifications who are the same grade or higher will be placed on the Eligible List as a "Transfer" candidate and may be considered for an interview.
Preference for interviews will be given to applicants with experience in the following. Please address this information in a separate section of the resume.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
The Office of Human Resources (OHR) reviews the minimum qualifications of all applicants, irrespective of whether the candidate has previously been found to have met the minimum requirements for the job or been temporarily promoted to the same position. This evaluation is based solely on the information contained in the application/resume submitted for this specific position.
Montgomery County Government(MCG) is an equal opportunity employer, committed to workforce diversity. Accordingly, as it relates to employment opportunities, the County will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, in accordance with the law. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should email OHR at OHR@montgomerycountymd.gov. Individual determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made in accordance with all applicable laws.
MCG also provides hiring preference to certain categories of veterans and veterans/persons with a disability. For more information and to claim employment preference, refer to the Careers webpage on Hiring Preference.
All applicants will respond to a series of questions related to their education, relevant experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities required to minimally perform the job. The applicant's responses in conjunction with their resume and all other information provided in the employment application process will be evaluated to determine the minimum qualifications and preferred criteria or interview preference status. Based on the results, the highest qualified applicants will be placed on an Eligible List and may be considered for an interview. Employees meeting minimum qualifications who are the same grade will be placed on the Eligible List as a "Lateral Transfer" candidate and may be considered for an interview.
This will establish an Eligible List that may be used to fill both current and future vacancies.
If selected for consideration for this position, you may be required to provide evidence that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities indicated on your resume.
Montgomery County Ethics Law: Except as provided by law or regulation, the County's "Public Employees" (which does not include employees of the Sheriff's office) are subject to the County's ethics law including the requirements to obtain advanced approval of any outside employment and the prohibitions on certain outside employment. The outside employment requirements of the ethics law can be found at 19A-12 of the County Code. Additional information about outside employment can be obtained from the Ethics Commission website.
Leave Benefits
Our generous leave package starts with non-MLS permanent and term employees earning 15 days of sick leave and 15 days of annual leave in their first year, as well as up to three additional personal days each calendar year. Positions in MLS earn 35 days of paid time off each year. In addition, we offer all employees 10 paid holidays. Our leave policies adhere to the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993, and we provide six weeks of paid parental leave for new parents.
Retirement Benefits
All permanent and term positions are eligible for robust retirement plans. Public safety positions are eligible for a defined benefit pension plan in which they are vested after only five years. Employees in non-public safety positions can participate in retirement plans that contribute up to 12 percent of their annual salary. All employees can also participate in a supplemental retirement plan, the 457 Deferred Compensation Plan, to contribute even more to their retirement goals.
Tuition Assistance & Student Loan Forgiveness
Montgomery County employees are eligible to participate in the Federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. Participants who meet all requirements may qualify for forgiveness on the remaining balance on their Direct Loans after making 120 qualifying monthly payments under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time in a qualifying public service position. To learn more about PSLF, please visit the Student Loan Repayment Benefits page. Our tuition assistance program allows you to receive up to $2,130 annually in tuition assistance to help you achieve a degree that supports your career path.
Free Mass Transit Benefit
County employees are entitled to use the RideOn Bus service for free with a valid County-employee ID. This benefit can be used any time of the day or evening, including weekends. We also offer a pre-tax flexible spending account to reduce the cost of other mass-transit options such as MARC trains and Metro.
Reduced Child and Health Care Costs
Working for Montgomery County also entitles permanent and term employees to participate in healthcare and childcare Flexible Spending Accounts. These plans allow eligible employees to save on a pretax basis for healthcare and dependent care costs incurred during the plan year.
Employee Wellbeing
We deeply care about your holistic wellness. Our award-winning wellness program, LiveWell, will support you in improving and maintaining your physical, mental, financial, social, and intellectual well-being.
Learn more about our wonderful benefits available to you once you join our team. Montgomery County Benefits
01
MQ Question PROGRAM SPECIALIST II (000836)
How many years of professional experience do you have working in field operations, code enforcement, recycling, waste reduction, trash collection or related field?
02
MQ Question PROGRAM SPECIALIST II (000836)
What is your highest level of completed education?
03
MQ Question PROGRAM SPECIALIST II (000836)
Do you have a degree in Environmental (Law/Science/Studies/Education/Management), Urban & Environmental Policy/Planning; Natural Resources, or related field?
04
MQ Question PROGRAM SPECIALIST II (000836)
Do you possess and currently maintain a VALID driver's license from your state of residence?
Required Question
Location : 2425 Reedie Dr Wheaton MD 20902 USA
Job Type: Permanent
Job Number: 2025-00177
Department: Department of Environmental Protection
Division: DEP 80 Recycling and Refuse Services
Opening Date: 03/18/2025
Closing Date: 4/1/2025 11:59 PM Eastern
FLSA: Exempt
About the Position
The expected salary range for this role on hire is $68,501 - $106,491
WHO WE ARE
The (DEP) is a nationally recognized and award-winning agency with the mission to enhance the quality of life in our community by protecting and improving Montgomery County's air, water, and land in a sustainable, innovative, inclusive, and industry-leading way while fostering smart growth, a thriving more sustainable economy and healthy communities. DEP is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals and values diverse perspectives, lived experiences, and cultures. DEP encourages BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color), immigrants, women, LGBTQIA+, individuals with disabilities and veterans to apply.
WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR
The Department of Environmental Protection is seeking to fill a full-time Program Specialist II in the Recycling and Resource Management Division, Recycling and Refuse Services Section to reduce the amount of unacceptable materials and contamination in the single-family residential curbside recycling program and increase recycling. This individual works in the field 90% of the time and will work independently and be self-motivated to monitor services of recycling and refuse collection contractors. This position also investigates and follows up on resident complaints, provides information to residents on the county's recycling and refuse collection program, and collects, records, and evaluates data on efforts to improve customer service, reduce waste, increase recycling, and provide efficient service delivery.
The successful candidate will have the following experience, knowledge, and skills:
- Considerable knowledge of recycling and refuse collection services provided to single-family residents, including single-family homes and town homes
- Considerable knowledge of recycling and refuse collection service operations, including equipment, personnel, and routing requirements.
- Knowledge of the County's solid waste code and recycling regulations.
- Ability to identify examples of a wide variety of packaging materials to identify contamination.
- Ability to explain solid waste program requirements both orally and in writing to diverse audiences.
- Ability to deal tactfully, effectively, and equitably with people.
- Ability to prepare and conduct surveys, record and evaluate data collected from single-family residents.
What You'll Be Doing
This position will be responsible for reducing the amount of contamination and unacceptable materials in the county's single-family residential curbside recycling program by identifying examples of contamination and providing education directly to single-family residents.
Key duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:
- Monitoring the set out of recycling containers to identify contamination, tagging contaminated recycling containers with special notification tags, providing educational and informational materials to residents, and documenting instances of recycling contamination.
- Inspecting loads of recyclable materials delivered to the Montgomery County Recycling Center to identify contaminated loads and working with the county's recycling collection contractor to identify specific routes that require additional education.
- Monitoring day-to-day contractor performance to ensure recycling and refuse collection services are provided in accordance with the terms of the County's recycling and refuse collection contracts and County law.
- Using computer and automated office technology (i.e., GPS systems) to ensure contractor performance and proper routing of collection vehicles.
- Investigating and following-up on resident complaints including missed collections and other service-related issues, researching and reconciling complaints, and resolving the matter between the resident and the collection contractor.
- Collecting, recording, and evaluating data for various surveys designed to reduce waste, increase recycling, improve service delivery, and improve customer service.
- Attending meetings and community events to provide information on collection services, discussing community concerns, and developing recommendations to resolve collection issues.
- Performing solid waste-related outreach activities, including delivery of recycling containers and informational materials to residents on request, inspecting contents of recycling and refuse containers, and participating in presentations.
- Conducting code enforcement, but not limited to, issuing verbal warnings, Notice of Violations, and citations as needed to ensure compliance with Montgomery County Code Chapter 48.
To ensure a positive workplace and comply with federal, state, and County laws, the incumbent is responsible for completing mandatory trainings within the first three to six months or within the specified timeframe.
This position involves field work which will occur at work locations outside of the office. Occasionally, early morning, evening, or weekend work outside of normal business hours may be required.
This position requires possession of a valid driver's license and the ability to drive a County vehicle to inspect recycling containers set out by residents, observe loads of recyclable materials delivered to the Montgomery County Recycling Center, observe and inspect recycling and refuse collection service field operations, visit sites around Montgomery County to conduct field investigations and various surveys, attend meetings, participate in events and community activities, and perform other work at locations throughout Montgomery County, and in nearby jurisdictions or in remote areas that may not be readily accessible by public transportation.
Minimum Qualifications
Experience: Two (2) years of professional experience in field operations, code enforcement, recycling, waste reduction, trash collection or related field.
Education: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor's Degree.
Equivalency: An equivalent combination of education and experience may be substituted.
License: Possession and maintenance at all times of a valid Class "C" (or equivalent) driver's license from the applicant's state of residence.
Preferred Criteria, Interview Preferences
All Applicants will be reviewed by the Office of Human Resources (OHR) for minimum qualifications. Those applicants who meet minimum qualifications will be rated "Qualified," placed on the Eligible List, and may be considered for an interview. Employees meeting minimum qualifications who are the same grade or higher will be placed on the Eligible List as a "Transfer" candidate and may be considered for an interview.
Preference for interviews will be given to applicants with experience in the following. Please address this information in a separate section of the resume.
- Experience in providing or overseeing single-family residential recycling and refuse collection service operations.
- Experience in recycling and refuse collection fleets, including equipment, personnel, and routing.
- Experience resolving customer complaints.
- Experience in written and oral communication to a wide variety of audiences.
- Experience analyzing complex problems and developing course of action.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
The Office of Human Resources (OHR) reviews the minimum qualifications of all applicants, irrespective of whether the candidate has previously been found to have met the minimum requirements for the job or been temporarily promoted to the same position. This evaluation is based solely on the information contained in the application/resume submitted for this specific position.
Montgomery County Government(MCG) is an equal opportunity employer, committed to workforce diversity. Accordingly, as it relates to employment opportunities, the County will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, in accordance with the law. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should email OHR at OHR@montgomerycountymd.gov. Individual determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made in accordance with all applicable laws.
MCG also provides hiring preference to certain categories of veterans and veterans/persons with a disability. For more information and to claim employment preference, refer to the Careers webpage on Hiring Preference.
All applicants will respond to a series of questions related to their education, relevant experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities required to minimally perform the job. The applicant's responses in conjunction with their resume and all other information provided in the employment application process will be evaluated to determine the minimum qualifications and preferred criteria or interview preference status. Based on the results, the highest qualified applicants will be placed on an Eligible List and may be considered for an interview. Employees meeting minimum qualifications who are the same grade will be placed on the Eligible List as a "Lateral Transfer" candidate and may be considered for an interview.
This will establish an Eligible List that may be used to fill both current and future vacancies.
If selected for consideration for this position, you may be required to provide evidence that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities indicated on your resume.
Montgomery County Ethics Law: Except as provided by law or regulation, the County's "Public Employees" (which does not include employees of the Sheriff's office) are subject to the County's ethics law including the requirements to obtain advanced approval of any outside employment and the prohibitions on certain outside employment. The outside employment requirements of the ethics law can be found at 19A-12 of the County Code. Additional information about outside employment can be obtained from the Ethics Commission website.
Leave Benefits
Our generous leave package starts with non-MLS permanent and term employees earning 15 days of sick leave and 15 days of annual leave in their first year, as well as up to three additional personal days each calendar year. Positions in MLS earn 35 days of paid time off each year. In addition, we offer all employees 10 paid holidays. Our leave policies adhere to the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993, and we provide six weeks of paid parental leave for new parents.
Retirement Benefits
All permanent and term positions are eligible for robust retirement plans. Public safety positions are eligible for a defined benefit pension plan in which they are vested after only five years. Employees in non-public safety positions can participate in retirement plans that contribute up to 12 percent of their annual salary. All employees can also participate in a supplemental retirement plan, the 457 Deferred Compensation Plan, to contribute even more to their retirement goals.
Tuition Assistance & Student Loan Forgiveness
Montgomery County employees are eligible to participate in the Federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. Participants who meet all requirements may qualify for forgiveness on the remaining balance on their Direct Loans after making 120 qualifying monthly payments under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time in a qualifying public service position. To learn more about PSLF, please visit the Student Loan Repayment Benefits page. Our tuition assistance program allows you to receive up to $2,130 annually in tuition assistance to help you achieve a degree that supports your career path.
Free Mass Transit Benefit
County employees are entitled to use the RideOn Bus service for free with a valid County-employee ID. This benefit can be used any time of the day or evening, including weekends. We also offer a pre-tax flexible spending account to reduce the cost of other mass-transit options such as MARC trains and Metro.
Reduced Child and Health Care Costs
Working for Montgomery County also entitles permanent and term employees to participate in healthcare and childcare Flexible Spending Accounts. These plans allow eligible employees to save on a pretax basis for healthcare and dependent care costs incurred during the plan year.
Employee Wellbeing
We deeply care about your holistic wellness. Our award-winning wellness program, LiveWell, will support you in improving and maintaining your physical, mental, financial, social, and intellectual well-being.
Learn more about our wonderful benefits available to you once you join our team. Montgomery County Benefits
01
MQ Question PROGRAM SPECIALIST II (000836)
How many years of professional experience do you have working in field operations, code enforcement, recycling, waste reduction, trash collection or related field?
- No Experience
- 1 Year Experience
- 2 Year's Experience
- 3 Year's Experience
- 4 Year's Experience
- 5 Year's Experience
- 6+ Year's Experience
02
MQ Question PROGRAM SPECIALIST II (000836)
What is your highest level of completed education?
- N/A
- High School/GED
- Associate's Degree
- Bachelor's Degree
- Master's Degree
- Juris Doctor
- Doctorate
03
MQ Question PROGRAM SPECIALIST II (000836)
Do you have a degree in Environmental (Law/Science/Studies/Education/Management), Urban & Environmental Policy/Planning; Natural Resources, or related field?
- Yes
- No
04
MQ Question PROGRAM SPECIALIST II (000836)
Do you possess and currently maintain a VALID driver's license from your state of residence?
- Yes
- No
Required Question