Land Use Health Educator (Health Department)

This position is open until filled.
A cover letter and resume are required with your online application in order for your application to be considered complete. Uploading your resume to auto-fill portions of the application does not automatically attach it to your application. Incomplete applications will not be considered for this position.
This position is represented by a bargaining unit.

Under direction of the Land Use Supervisor, or designee, the Health Educator plans and provides health education to the public and community partners regarding Environmental Health activities and regulations. The individual assigned to this position is expected to apply considerable knowledge of health education and public health principles to situations involving people from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and socioeconomic circumstances.

This position will work closely with other team members of Environmental Health to develop education and outreach material for a varied number of topics. The initial focus of this position will be education and outreach related to onsite sewage disposal system monitoring and maintenance but can include other areas of Environmental Health. This position will work closely with the public around Land Use activities and regulations, promoting proper septic system care and maintenance, and operating programs to provide financial incentives to septic system owners. The position will also facilitate meetings of the public, or of subject matter experts in the areas of Land Use and onsite sewage.

Work is performed under limited supervision requiring independent judgment and discretion. The supervisor sets the overall objectives and resources available. The incumbent and supervisor work together to develop the deadlines, projects, and work to be completed. Incumbent is responsible for the work, plans and carries out the assignment, resolves most conflicts that arise, coordinates work with others, and interprets policies on own initiative in terms of established objectives. Incumbent keeps supervisor informed of progress, potentially controversial matters, or far-reaching implications. Work is evaluated for competency of professional judgment and achievement of goals and objectives.

This individual is expected to operate with considerable latitude and apply sound judgment to make recommendations, decisions and solve problems consistent with public health experience and science. Specific examples of work will include, but not be limited to the following:

Education

• Develops, maintains, updates, and implements various health education activities and materials.
• Provides educational presentations to groups, specific to identified audience needs.
• Develops accessible networks of personnel and resources for assessed health education.
• Participates in staff meetings, committees, task forces, coalitions, and focus groups.
• Prepares reports as requested.
• Participates in meeting facilitation with internal and external partners.

Partnership and Collaboration:

• Acts as a liaison, serves as a resource person to individuals, groups, agencies, and other professional disciplines.

Communication:

• Contributes to the development and implementation of media campaigns to promote Environmental Health and Public Health.
• Presents information sensitively, effectively, and professionally with persons from diverse cultural, socioeconomic, educational, racial, ethnic and professional backgrounds and persons of all ages and lifestyle preferences.

Associated Duties:

• Performs other related duties as requested.
• Participates in continuing education courses as appropriate to meet learning needs.

Successful incumbents for this position will have the:

• Knowledge of presentation delivery skills.

• Knowledge of health education practices, principles of health promotion and prevention.
• Knowledge of assessment change theory, planning, implementation and evaluation.
• Ability to demonstrate a commitment to valuing diversity and contributing to an inclusive working and learning environment.
• Ability to support the District's mission, vision, and organizational goals.
• Ability to communicate ideas clearly, both orally and in writing.
• Ability to work on an interdisciplinary team.
• Ability to participate in the planning and presentation of public health information regarding vaccine-preventable diseases.
• Ability to facilitate discussions among community groups and agencies.
• Ability to work effectively with a wide range of community members and the public.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with SHD staff, representatives from agencies, organizations, community groups, professionals, and the public.
• Ability to utilize a wide variety of audio-visual equipment and educational aids.
• Ability to learn, use and integrate a variety of software applications, including word-processing, spreadsheets, presentations including PowerPoint, and database programs.
• Ability to work sensitively with persons of various ages, cultures, backgrounds, and professions.
• Ability to exercise initiative, tact, discretion and judgment in carrying out position responsibilities.
• Ability to have a flexible schedule to meet with communities at times and places where they are available.

Job Location, Working Conditions and Equipment Utilized:

Work is performed in a variety of settings, such as an office cubicle and various community-based settings utilizing agency vehicles, telephones, audio-visual equipment and other standard office equipment including a personal computer. The incumbent will generally work in an office setting or out in the community at various settings. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. Work may include traveling to community organizations such as schools, hospitals, clinics and social service agencies; other travel may include local or statewide for meetings and other forums. Travel is required to locations both in and out of the County, including some early morning and evening meetings, with potential for overnight travel for state meetings.

Physical demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Working conditions and physical demands vary by assignment.

• Requires manual and finger dexterity and hand-eye-arm coordination to write and to operate computers and a variety of general office equipment. Requires mobility to accomplish other desktop work, retrieve files, and to move to various District locations.
• Requires visual acuity to read computer screens, printed materials, and detailed information; specific vision abilities required by this classification include close vision, distance vision and color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
• Required to use hand to eye coordination, handle, feel or operate objects, tools, or controls.
• May involve occasional kneeling, squatting, crouching, stooping, crawling, standing, bending, climbing (to stack, store or retrieve supplies or various office equipment or files).
• The incumbent is frequently required to stand and/or walk for extended periods of time; walk on uneven surfaces; sit; climb or balance; stoop, kneel crouch, or crawl in the performance of field and office duties.
• Duties require the incumbent to carry supplies and/or equipment up and down stairs as well as into and out of a vehicle.
• Lifting and carrying up to 20 pounds is required continuously, and up to 50 pounds occasionally with or without assistance (example: a box of copy paper).

• Requires the ability to communicate with others orally, face to face and by telephone.

Skills for the position may be gained through education, certification, relevant job experience or a combination, such as:

Education: A bachelor's degree in health education or a related field.

Experience: A minimum of one year's experience in teaching or providing health education.

Licenses, Certifications and Other:

• Two years' experience in teaching or providing health education, preferred.
• Fluency in second language appropriate for job related functions, preferred.
• Master's degree in health education or a closely related field, preferred.
• Experience working in public health, preferred.

• Valid Washington State Driver's license or ability to obtain one within 30 days of hire and a driving record which meets the requirements of Snohomish Health District's insurance carrier.
• Successful completion of a background check pursuant to RCW 43.43.830.