Environmental Scientist

State of Louisiana

About This Job

The Department of Environmental Quality/Office of Environmental Compliance has a vacancy.

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality’s (LDEQ) mission is to provide service to the people of Louisiana through comprehensive environmental protection in order to promote and protect health, safety and welfare.

Step into a mission-critical position at the front line of radiological safety where every decision you make helps safeguard workers, the public, and the environment. In this role, you’ll apply technical expertise and regulatory insight to process radioactive material licenses, evaluate applications for LDEQ compliance, and guide facilities through initial licenses and amendments with precision. You’ll also take the lead in issuing NORM licenses and managing high-volume job requests, support industry operations by processing radioactive material license, x-ray, and reciprocity applications, and play a vital part in radiological emergency preparedness drills for nuclear power stations. This is a role for someone who thrives where technical rigor meets real-world impact.

Minimum Qualifications

A bachelor’s degree in an environmental, biological, atmospheric, chemical, health, nuclear or physical science field, an engineering field, a geography/geosciences field, a natural resources field, or in a statistics or quantitative methods field; OR

A master’s degree or doctorate in an environmental, biological, atmospheric, chemical, health, nuclear or physical science field, an engineering field, a geography/geosciences field, a natural resources field, or in a statistics or quantitative methods field.

Job Specification

The official job specifications for this role, as defined by the State Civil Service, can be found here.

Job Duties

Job Duties and Other Information

Process radioactive material licenses for facilities that need to acquire radioactive material.
Review and evaluate license applications for compliance with NRC and LDEQ regulations, technical accuracy, and completeness.
Process license amendments and requests for waivers and exemptions.
Issue Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM) licenses and track incoming job requests, as well as requests for release.
Process industrial radiography, x-ray applications, and reciprocity applications.
Serve on Radiological Emergency Preparation and Response drills as needed for the nuclear power stations.

Appointment Type: This position may be filled as either a probational appointment, job appointment (a temporary appointment not to exceed four years), or promotion of permanent classified employee. If the position is filled as a job appointment, it could be converted to a probational appointment should funding become available.

Domicile: East Baton Rouge Parish

Career Progression: This position may be filled as a Environmental Scientist 1, 2, 3, etc., depending on the level of experience of the selected applicant.

Compensation: This position offers a Special Entrance Rate (SER) listed below. This is the minimum compensation that may be offered. The job title and salary offered will be determined based on qualifications and experience.

Environmental Scientist 1: $20.91 per hour
Environmental Scientist 2: $22.38 per hour
Environmental Scientist 3: $25.62 per hour

Overview of the five major offices within the agency: It provides information on the mission, function, and organization along with a biography for each member of management.

Office of the Secretary
Office of Management and Finance
Office of Environmental Services
Office of Environmental Compliance
Office of Environmental Assessment

How To Apply

No Civil Service test score is required in order to be considered for this vacancy.

To apply for this vacancy, click on the “Apply” link above and complete an electronic application, which can be used for this vacancy as well as future job opportunities. Applicants are responsible for checking the status of their application to determine where they are in the recruitment process. Further status message information is located under the Information section of the Current Job Opportunities page.

Information to support your eligibility for this job title must be included in the application (i.e., relevant, detailed experience/education). Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of completed education and experience sections on your application. Applications may be rejected if incomplete.

Please make every effort to attach a copy of your transcript to your application if possible (PDF format preferred). The selected candidate will be required to submit original documentation upon hire.

You must submit an equivalency evaluation statement for any international degree(s) by the closing of this announcement.

For recruitment purposes, applicants who are within 90 days of graduating with a qualifying degree may be eligible for this position.

Contact Information

Kierra Smith

LDEQ/Office of Management and Finance

(225)219-3830

***email_hidden***

This agency participates in the E-Verify system for verification of citizenship and employment authorization.

Louisiana is a State As a Model Employer (SAME) that supports the recruitment, hiring, and retention of individuals with disabilities. Equal Opportunity Employer.

Louisiana State Government represents a wide variety of career options and offers an outstanding opportunity to make a difference through public service. With an array of career opportunities in every major metropolitan center and in many rural areas, state employment provides an outstanding option to begin or continue your career.

Insurance Coverage

More information can be found at https://info.groupbenefits.org/

Parental Leave – Up to six weeks paid parental leave

More information can be found at https://www.civilservice.louisiana.gov/Parental-Leave/Default.aspx

Holidays and Leave – State employees receive the following paid holidays each year:

New Year's Day
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day,
Mardi Gras,
Good Friday,
Memorial Day,
Independence Day,
Labor Day,
Veteran's Day,
Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
Additional holidays may be proclaimed by the Governor

State employees earn sick and annual leave which can be accumulated and saved for future use. Your accrual rate increases as your years of service increase.

Retirement – State Of Louisiana Employees Are Eligible To Participate In Various Retirement Systems (based On The Type Of Appointment And Agency For Which An Employee Works). These Retirement Systems Provide Retirement Allowances And Other Benefits For State Officers And Employees And Their Beneficiaries. State Retirement Systems May Include (but Are Not Limited To):

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System (www.lasersonline.org). LASERS has provided this video to give you more detailed information about their system
Teacher's Retirement System of Louisiana (www.trsl.org),
Louisiana School Employees Retirement System (www.lsers.net), among others

Are you comfortable working in a regulatory environment involving radioactive materials and radiation-producing equipment?

Do you have experience or education related to radiation safety, health physics, environmental science, engineering, physical sciences, or a related technical field?

This position may involve reviewing radioactive material licenses, x-ray registrations, and radiation safety documentation. Are you comfortable reviewing technical and regulatory documents in detail?

Are you willing to participate in radiological emergency preparedness drills and training activities?

Do you possess a bachelor's degree in an environmental, biological, atmospheric, chemical, health, nuclear, or physical science field, an engineering field, a geography/geosciences field, a natural resources field, or in a statistics or quantitative methods field?

If you answered yes to the previous question, please list the degree as it appears on your transcript. If you answered no, please list N/A.

Required Question