Solid Waste Engineer (Environmental Engineer 2)

Initial Posting Date:

08/26/2025

Application Deadline:

09/16/2025

Agency:

Department of Environmental Quality

Salary Range:

$6,122 - $9,409

Position Type:

Employee

Position Title:

Solid Waste Engineer (Environmental Engineer 2)

Job Description:

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality strives to build and sustain an inclusive and equitable environment that embraces and values diversity. Employees at all levels of the agency work together to foster fairness, equity, inclusion, and belonging. We strive to be a workplace where we share our authentic identities, while advancing our individual professional goals, and while collaborating to protect, preserve, and enhance the environment for current and future generations. We celebrate and appreciate diversity, champion equity, and treat each other with respect and dignity. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, ethnicity, veteran status, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, or physical or mental disability.

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.

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has a full-time opportunity available for a Solid Waste Engineer (Environmental Engineer 2) in Portland, Oregon.

Please consider joining an innovative team, and work to advance our agency’s mission to protect and improve Oregon’s environmental quality.

About DEQ!

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality is the primary regulatory agency of the government of the U.S. State of Oregon responsible for protecting and enhancing the state's natural resources. Here is a video about DEQ: https://youtu.be/E-Cs6M9AAlU

The Regional Divisions are responsible for implementation of Water Quality, Air Quality, and Waste Management and Cleanup Programs. The Regions provide the following services: compliance inspection of regulated entities; enforcement of permit requirements and administrative rules; issuance of air, water, and solid waste permits; investigation of complaints; issuance of subsurface permits; response to spills or other incidents with environmental impacts; direct contact and liaison with other governmental entities, industries, and the public; and technical assistance to regulated entities and the public. The Regions consist of Northwest, Eastern, and Western Region. This position is in Northwest Region.

The Northwest Region Materials Management / Solid Waste Program is responsible for oversight of non-hazardous solid waste management practices, including: planning, administration, and coordination of permit programs for solid waste disposal facilities (including municipal and industrial solid waste landfills, incinerators, transfer stations, materials recovery facilities, solid waste treatment facilities, conversion technology facilities, energy recovery facilities, recycling facilities, and household hazardous waste facilities); technical review of plans for construction, operation, monitoring, and closure of solid waste disposal sites; review and evaluation of disposal site operating and monitoring data; technical support, education and outreach, and policy analysis services to the public, local government, and industries; and administration of grant programs.

Click here to view a map of all of the DEQ offices.

What you will do!

As a Solid Waste Engineer, you will serve as a project manager providing engineering oversight for complex permitted solid waste disposal and treatment facilities; conversion technology facilities; beneficial use applications; permit exemption requests; site investigations; and corrective actions required or needed at disposal sites. You will provide engineering evaluation of permit applications, modifications, and required plans to ensure that all proposed actions are completed to the requirements of the law, and to the highest standards of engineering practice. You will conduct inspections and site investigations, and determine compliance with DEQ regulations. You will work  closely with DEQ’s cleanup staff to: manage disposal or beneficial use of solid waste from cleanup sites to prevent environmental impacts, to address redevelopment of old landfills in ways that address potential environmental impacts including methane migration, groundwater contamination, or ecological risks, and assist with project management and clean up of solid waste orphan disposal sites. In addition, you will serve as an engineering resource and provide technical expertise for other staff.

What’s in it for you!

The opportunity to work in a productive and creative environment where no two days are ever the same! DEQ cares deeply about employee wellness and benefits. 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 vacancies.

What are we looking for?

Minimum Qualifications:

• 5 years of engineering experience, OR 2 years of engineering experience and a Bachelor's degree in an engineering field, such as environmental, chemical, civil, or mechanical.
• 1 year of experience in an environmental protection/control program.

Candidates who are most competitive will also reflect the following desired attributes:

• Demonstrated understanding of environmental justice and the historical impacts for marginalized and underrepresented communities; ability to take personal responsibility for increasing their knowledge of environmental justice and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
• Extensive experience in solid waste management and landfill gas management.
• Engineering expertise in solid waste management, including solid waste management technology, and solid waste disposal and treatment facilities.
• Experience evaluating permit applications and modifications and ensuring that all proposed actions are completed to the highest standards of engineering practice.
• Working knowledge of geology, hydrogeology, chemistry, and chemical principles.
• Experience conducting field work including site investigations and inspections of complicated disposal sites or environmental cleanup sites such as active and closed landfills, conversion technology, material recovery, compost, and transfer station facilities, and former industrial sites that have a legacy of contamination from waste disposal. 
• Experience making compliance determinations and recommendations for corrective action that ensure compliance with local, state, and federal regulatory requirements.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; experience communicating complex technical information or controversial environmental issues to interested parties and lay people; ability to communicate technical data to audiences unfamiliar with the subject matter.
• Experience representing an agency or organization at public hearings and meetings; skill in writing concise and clear reports describing complex industries and regulatory determinations.
• Demonstrated experience building and fostering relationships with a diverse group of partners including colleagues, interested parties, communities, organizations, and businesses; skill in conflict resolution, negotiation, and collaboration.
• Experience researching complex waste, cleanup technologies, or other environmentally complex issues and proposing solutions. Experience serving on technical committees to evaluate environmental issues and provide recommendations
• Strong project management skills, including the ability to manage multiple complex projects concurrently, with shifting priorities and different interested parties.

Working Conditions:

DEQ believes in a diverse and inclusive work environment. All employees are expected to contribute to a work environment that collectively values and benefits from respecting its diversity and promotes a culture of inclusiveness.

This position will be based out of DEQ’s Northwest Region office in Portland, however, the successful candidate may be eligible for hybrid work. The logistics of hybrid work will need to be worked out with the Hiring Manager prior to your hire and may be changed at any time given specific job duties and business needs. DEQ will provide necessary hardware (laptop, monitor, keyboard, mouse, and cell phone) for an employee to successfully work from home. At DEQ sites, you will have access to a workspace, however, it may be shared with other employees.

There will be regular travel by car to attend site visits, meetings, seminars, public hearings, town halls, conferences, and trainings, some of which may involve evening work, weekend work, and/or overnight stays. During site visits, there is the potential for exposure to adverse weather conditions, pollutants, chemicals, contaminated soil and water, fumes, airborne contaminants, fall or tripping hazards, uneven terrain, and odors.

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 knowledge article for assistance.

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Help Your Application Rise to the Top!

Your application materials are the perfect opportunity to highlight your interest in the position and showcase your amazing skills and experience. 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 materials.

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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. Instead, you will be asked to submit those at a later time as part of a future task in Workday.

Equal Pay Analysis:

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 DEQ’s Recruitment Team at jobs@deq.oregon.gov or 503-229-5107. TTY users: please use the Oregon Telecommunications Relay Service at 1-800-735-2900.