Environmental Health Specialist I

Important Notice: Arlington County requires all applicants to thoroughly complete each section of the application, including prior job responsibilities, duties, and supplemental questions. While you may attach a resume, it will not replace a completed application. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Arlington County's Department of Human Services (DHS) is seeking an Environmental Health Specialist to perform regulatory inspections in licensed food establishments, water recreational facilities (pools and spas), and hotels to protect and promote public health in the community by preventing diseases spread by food, water, animals, insects, and environmental hazards. This individual works within the Public Health Division and collaborates with other agencies to assess and address public health risks and assure compliance. 

Arlington County DHS is committed to delivering client services in an effective, equitable, respectful, and trauma-informed manner. Our staff is dedicated to ensuring our clients are approached, engaged and cared for in ways that demonstrate competency, sensitivity and awareness of factors which impact the client experience including but not limited to: cultural identity, gender, racial, and ethnic diversity, religious/spiritual ascription, physical capability, cognitive and literacy levels, sexual orientation, and linguistic needs.

Specific duties include:

• Inspecting licensed food establishments, water recreation facilities (pools and spas), and hotels for adherence to local, state, and federal regulations; document findings;
• Following steps established by Code to ensure a fair process if enforcement action is needed;
• Responding to citizen concerns about licensed establishments;
• Conducting formal Plan Review of food service establishments, water recreation facilities, and hotels to assure compliance with Code;
• Providing public health and environmental health guidance to the public and/or agencies;
• Participating in Public Health Division response efforts to maintain readiness to respond to emergencies and outbreaks to include community outreach events;
• Inspecting temporary food vendors at special events; and
• Participating in suspected and active foodborne illness outbreak investigations.

Minimum: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Health, Public Health, or a directly related Natural Science area such as Biology or Chemistry, and 
• Some professional experience in environmental health inspection work such as regulatory food inspections. 

Substitution: Additional professional environmental health inspection or Public Health experience may be substituted for the education requirement on a year-for-year basis.

Desirables: Preference will be given to candidates with one or more of the following:

• Graduate or undergraduate degree in Environmental Health
• Experience in Food Safety protection
• Registration as an Environmental Health Specialist (REHS) with the National Environmental Health Association
• Certified Professional-Food Safety (CP-FS)
• Certified Pool Operator (CPO)
• CPR certification
• Lead Risk Assessor certification
• Demonstrated computer proficiency in Microsoft Office, Microsoft Teams, and local/state databases
• Virginia Department of Health Standardization Food Environmental Health Specialist certificate

Licenses/Certifications: 

• Must be a Standardized Environmental Health Specialist as defined by the Virginia Department of Health or successfully complete the Standardization process as defined by the Virginia Department of Health within 12 months from hire.
   
  
  Working Conditions:
• The worker must be available to work after hours and in emergency situations.
• The worker performs activities inside and outside.

Physical Requirements:

• Medium Work: Exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally and/or up to 20 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

Employee must obtain and maintain standardization as defined by the Virginia Department of Health within one year of hire. 

The applicant must possess, or obtain by the time of appointment, a valid motor vehicle operator's license from the applicant's place of residence and authorize Arlington County to obtain, or the applicant must provide, a copy of the applicant's official state/district driving record. An offer of employment may be contingent upon a favorable review of the applicant’s driving record. 

A pre-hire background check will be conducted an all candidates who are selected for employment. It may include checks of the following: criminal record, driving record, education, professional licensure, and credit history which will require the applicant to sign a release authorizing the County to obtain the background information. 

Pursuant to Section 27-9 of the Arlington Code, this position requires the completion of “Statement of Economic Interest” (Financial Disclosure) forms upon acceptance of employment and annually thereafter.

Must complete pre-hire federal background check and State of Virginia Central Registry check. 
 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Work Hours: Core hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Depending on need, work schedule may be extended beyond core hours. Seasonal weekend work is required. This employee may be asked to respond to calls from the Emergency Communication Center on nights and weekends.

The salary listed above is effective July 1, 2026.

Your responses to the supplemental questionnaire are considered part of the selection process and are required for this position. Please do not give “see resume as a response to the questions. Incomplete applications will not be considered. In order to receive full credit for your experience, please ensure that you have included details of all relevant work experience on your application and have completed the Supplemental Questionnaire in its entirety. 

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