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The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality strives to build and sustain an inclusive environment that embraces and values diversity. Employees at all levels of the agency work together to foster fairness, equity, inclusion, and belonging. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, ethnicity, veteran, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, or physical or mental disability. Candidates from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and that candidate may not meet every one of our listed preferred qualifications. Lived experience may count towards the preferred qualification. If you are excited about this position, we encourage you to apply. If you are unsure as to whether or not you meet the qualifications of this position, please contact us to discuss your application.

Are you passionate about preserving, enhancing, and protecting Oregon’s environment? If so, please consider a career with the State of Oregon at the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). At DEQ, employees have the opportunity to work with a dynamic and supportive team of mission-focused individuals tasked with maintaining, restoring, and enhancing the quality of Oregon’s air, land, and water. Here is a video about DEQ: https://youtu.be/iP3K7JoLe1k

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has a full-time opportunity for a Program Plan Lead (Program Analyst 4) in Portland, Oregon.

Materials play a significant role in our health and the health of the planet. DEQ’s Materials Management Program plans and implements policies and programs to reduce impacts of materials and products throughout their full life cycle, from design and production through distribution, consumption and use, and management at end-of-life.

Product stewardship is an environmental management strategy in which all parties involved in the design, production, sale, and use of a product take responsibility for minimizing environmental and human health impacts. DEQ supports product stewardship as a way to reduce overall environmental impacts throughout the product’s full life cycle; increase reuse and recycling; reduce toxics and waste generation; and internalize and more equitably distribute the costs of products, including managing those products at the end of their useful life.

DEQ is a leader in product stewardship and extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs. Oregon has the oldest deposit and redemption program for beverage containers, which has operated (and been significantly expanded) since 1972.  Since then, Oregon has adopted and successfully implemented EPR programs for electronics, paint, and most recently, unwanted medicines.

In 2021, Oregon became one of the first states in the nation to pass legislation requiring producers of packaged products, food serviceware, and printing and writing paper to take responsibility for effective recycling and management of their products. Oregon’s landmark Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act establishes numerous precedents aimed at reducing environmental impacts and improving social outcomes across the life cycle of materials.

Please consider joining an innovative team, and work to advance our agency’s mission to protect and improve Oregon’s environmental quality. The Land Quality Division supports the agency’s mission by managing environmental cleanups, assessing cleanup sites, promoting manufacturing and recycling of non-toxic commercial products, safely managing the disposal of solid and hazardous wastes, overseeing the state’s underground storage tank and heating oil tank programs, ensuring timely response and cleanup of spills of oil and hazardous materials, and regulating safe discharge of ballast water to state waters. Click here to view a map of all of the DEQ offices.

What you will do!

You will be responsible for leading projects to modernize Oregon’s recycling system and implement the Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act, which will impact communities and community members throughout Oregon. This will be a system-wide update to Oregon’s recycling system, involving completely new processes and systems that do not currently exist. You will create policies, rules, and legislative concepts to develop the program; set program standards; guide local community programs; and develop programmatic and management aspects of the producer responsibility organizations (PROs) and related programs, including developing PRO standards and processes (and then overseeing them once developed and effectively operating). In addition, you will be responsible for reviewing and evaluating statewide implementation related to the product stewardship program statute and regulations; developing recommendations; setting standards; and developing program guidelines, processes, procedures, and rulemaking related to Producers and Producer fees, Producer Responsibility Organization responsibilities, and local governments.

What’s in it for you!

The opportunity to work in a productive and creative environment where no two days are ever the same! We offer a competitive benefits package that offers comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans for the employee and their qualified family members, as well as paid sick leave, vacation leave, personal leave, and 11 paid holidays a year. In addition, we offer membership in the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS), and you have the opportunity to potentially receive loan forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF). If you are passionate about Oregon’s environment, apply today!

This is a full-time, AFSCME represented position.

This recruitment may be used to fill future limited duration and permanent vacancies.

What are we looking for?

Minimum Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in business or public administration, behavioral or social sciences, or a related degree, AND 5 years of experience coordinating or administering a program (an equivalent combination of education and experience is acceptable).

Candidates who are most competitive will also reflect the following:

  • Understanding of the relationships between material production, marketing, and consumption, and an ability to identify reasonable regulatory and non-regulatory strategies to influence or shape market decisions; experience working with product stewardship or extended producer responsibility programs.
  • Excellent verbal and written communication, organization, and time management skills, with an ability to pay attention to detail, and an ability to work under tight deadlines with shifting priorities.
  • Project management experience, including development, implementation, and evaluation; experience developing program performance metrics.
  • Experience conducting in-depth evaluations of program rules, policies, and operations; conducting research; and adapting or creating new procedures to solve program issues.
  • Proven experience with process improvement and change management.
  • Ability to build collaborative partnerships with advisory committees and a wide variety of stakeholders; skill in conflict resolution, negotiation, and collaboration.
  • Skill in writing clear and concise technical and narrative reports that include analyses, recommendations, and conclusions.
  • Ability to interpret and implement federal, state, and local regulations and guidance, and communicate complex technical information to laypeople; effective presentation skills, and the ability to match presentation style to the needs of individual audiences.
  • Environmental science or natural resources program and project management experience; experience implementing a new environmental or permitting program.

Working Conditions:

Work is primarily in an office setting with occasional travel in-state and out-of-state for meetings, conferences, public hearings, and trainings, some of which may include evening work and/or overnight stays.

How to Apply: (complete the application in full)

  • External Applicants Click on the “Apply” button and submit your application. Click this link for the External Candidate job aid, and view this video for additional information.
  • Internal Applicants (current State of Oregon employees): Apply through your employee Workday account.  View this job aid for assistance.

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Please Note: In addition to your related work experience and education, DEQ will use the desired attributes and minimum qualifications above, under the “What are we looking for?” section to determine whom to interview. Please make sure your attributes and minimum qualifications are clearly demonstrated in your application material.

COVID-19 Vaccination Information:

The State of Oregon requires all executive branch employees to complete their COVID-19 vaccination series or have an approved exception to the requirement due to a medical condition or sincerely held religious belief. Successful candidates for this position must submit vaccination documentation or be approved for an exception prior to their first day of employment. Failure to provide proof of full vaccination or receipt of an approved exception will lead to withdrawal of the job offer. For more information, visit our policy listed here.

Veterans Information:

DEQ provides veterans’ preference points to all eligible veterans. For more information on veterans’ preference, please visit Veterans Resources, or call the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs at: 1-800-692-9666. For privacy reasons, please do not attach veterans’ preference documents when initially applying. You will be asked to submit those at a later time.

Pay Equity:

As an employer, the State of Oregon complies with HB 2005, the Pay Equity Bill. We do not discriminate on the basis of protected class in the payment of wages, and we do not screen applicants on the basis of their current or past compensation. Please visit http://www.oregon.gov/das/hr/pages/equity.aspx for more information. Please note: the salary listed is the non-PERS qualifying salary range. If the successful candidate is PERS qualifying, the salary range will reflect an additional 6.95% (6% goes to PERS and .95% covers payroll taxes). Please review the Classification and Compensation page for more details.

Work Authorization:

DEQ does not offer visa sponsorships. On the first day of employment, all hires will be required to complete the US Department of Homeland Security’s Form I-9, confirming authorization to work in the United States. In addition, hires will have three business days from their first day of employment to present documents that establish employment authorization and identity. DEQ is an E-Verify employer and will use E-Verify to confirm that hires are authorized to work in the United States.

Questions/Need Help?

If you have questions about the recruitment or need assistance to participate in the application process, please contact Maddy Ouye, Human Resources Analyst, at maddy.ouye@deq.oregon.gov or (503) 347-5759. TTY users: please use the Oregon Telecommunications Relay Service at 1-800-735-2900.

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