About This Job
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.
Join the team that stands at the front line of protecting Louisiana’s air quality. As an Environmental Scientist in the Air Enforcement Section, you’ll turn complex technical data into meaningful enforcement action—ensuring facilities across the state comply with state and federal Clean Air Act requirements. If you’re driven by science, investigation, and real-world environmental impact, this role puts your expertise to work where it matters most.
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
- Review inspection reports, self-reported notifications, and required permit reports to determine compliance with state and federal air regulations.
- Identify violations, prioritize significant and High Priority Violations, and draft appropriate enforcement actions.
- Monitor facilities after enforcement actions, verify return to compliance, and recommend escalated action when necessary.
- Prepare penalty assessments and settlement documentation, including calculating economic benefit of non-compliance.
- Conduct compliance inspections and investigations to support enforcement cases and ensure accurate, defensible findings.
Position-Specific Details:
Appointment Type: Either a probationary appointment, a job appointment (a temporary appointment not to exceed four years), or promotion of a permanent classified employee. If the position is filled as a job appointment, it could be converted to a probational appointment should funding become available.
Location: East Baton Rouge
Career Progression: Environmental Scientist 1- Environmental Scientist 3, 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:
For further information about this vacancy, contact:
Heidi Seba
Human Resources
LA Department of Environmental Quality
P.O. Box 4303
Baton Rouge, LA 70821
225-219-3867
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.
As a State Employee, You Will Earn Competitive Pay, Choose From a Variety Of Benefits, And Have Access To a Great Professional Development Program:
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
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Are you a current employee of the Department of Environmental Quality?
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Do you have experience with determining compliance with state and/or federal regulations? Briefly describe your experience, if applicable.
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Do you have experience writing about technical subjects? Briefly describe your experience, if applicable.
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Do you prefer to work in an office or to work in the field?
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For consideration of this position, college transcripts are requested. Did you attach college transcripts?
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Are you expected to graduate within the next 90 days?
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If you answered 'yes' to the question above, please enter your anticipated graduation date below. If you answered 'no,' please enter N/A.
