Environmental Law Specialist; Environmental Law Specialist – Two

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, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, age, or physical or mental disability in the administration of our programs and activities. Visit DEQ’s Civil Rights and Environmental Justice page.

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 two (2) full-time opportunities available for an Environmental Law Specialist 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.

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality is the primary regulatory agency of the U.S. State of Oregon responsible for protecting and enhancing the state's natural resources.

The Office of Compliance and Enforcement (OCE) has statewide responsibility for issuing formal enforcement actions, including civil penalties and corrective actions, against persons, companies, municipal governments, and other governmental agencies that violate environmental laws, rules, and permits. In addition, OCE represents DEQ in the appeal process of formal enforcement actions, including settlement negotiations, presenting contested case hearings to the Office of Administrative Hearings and the Environmental Quality Commission (EQC).

OCE receives referrals for formal enforcement actions from DEQ Regions and Divisions as well as Counties and DEQ agents. The Office of Compliance and Enforcement (OCE) is not located within any Region or any Division. This position is located at DEQ Headquarters within the Office of the Director.

OCE’s enforcement of environmental laws is necessary to DEQ’s mission of restoring, maintaining, and enhancing the quality of Oregon’s air, land, and water by stopping unlawful acts that put those resources at risk, by mitigating adverse impacts, by deterring future violations, and by creating a level playing field for the regulated community.

For a visual representation of DEQ’s offices and their locations, view our DEQ Offices and Vehicle Inspection Testing Stations map.

You will analyze and evaluate facts and evidence, as well as applicable rules, laws, and policies; review the violator’s compliance history; refine cases; develop appropriate enforcement or compliance strategy; write legal documents to initiate and conclude the formal enforcement processes; prepare cases for contested case hearings and for appeals to the EQC and Court of Appeals; act as the Department’s lay representative in contested case hearings and before the EQC;

meet with violators and/or their attorneys; and negotiate and draft settlements and consent orders. In addition, you will provide advice and assistance to DEQ staff and assist Divisions in developing enforceable rules, permits, and policies that will ensure compliance and deterrence.

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,…