Environmental Engineering Trainee

Full Job Description

If you are passionate about protecting the environment and exploring a future in environmental engineering, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has an exciting opportunity waiting for you.

We’re looking for a motivated individual to join our team as an Environmental Engineering Trainee—a role designed to help you learn, grow, and build a strong foundation in a supportive, hands-on setting.This position offers a meaningful pathway into a rewarding career while allowing you to contribute directly to DEP’s mission of safeguarding the health of Pennsylvania’s residents and the integrity of its natural ecosystems.

If you’re ready to take on new challenges and embrace the impact of this essential work, we encourage you to apply and begin a career that truly makes a difference in your community.

Requirements

As an Environmental Engineering Trainee, you will take part in a one-year combination of formal instruction and on-the-job training designed to prepare you for the role of Environmental Engineering Specialist. Working within the Safe Drinking Water (SDW) Program in the Northwest Regional Office, you will learn to review and analyze technical engineering information related to the Safe Drinking Water and Water Allocation Programs.

You will assist with field inspections for new or modified public water systems requiring departmental permits, and you’ll support the review of construction permit applications, permit transfers, and engineering plans and specifications to ensure they meet regulatory and engineering standards. Throughout your training, you will also learn how to provide technical assistance during inspections and contribute to resolving operational issues at water treatment facilities, including during emergency situations.

Additional skills you will develop include training field sanitarians on technical topics such as corrosion control, cross-connection control, taste and odor management, water chemistry, facility design, and permitting procedures. You will also gain experience serving as a technical witness during enforcement actions and assisting municipalities and water system representatives in securing state or federal funding for system improvements through various loan and grant programs.

Interested in learning more? Additional details regarding this position can be found in the position description.

Work Schedule and Additional Information:

• Full-time employment
• Work hours are 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday - Friday, with a 30-minute lunch.

Telework: You may have the opportunity to work from home (telework) part-time, up to 3 days a week.

In order to telework, you must have a securely configured high-speed internet connection and work from an approved location inside Pennsylvania.

If you are unable to telework, you will have the option to report to the headquarters office in Meadville. The ability to telework is subject to change at any time.

Additional details may be provided during the interview.

• Salary: Selected candidates who are new to employment with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will begin employment at the starting annual salary of $66,328.00 (before taxes).
• You will receive further communication regarding this position via email. Check your email, including spam/junk folders, for these notices.
  

Qualifications

QUALIFICATIONS

Minimum Experience and Training Requirements:

• A bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering, or in any engineering field that includes or is supplemented by 9 credits in environmental engineering; or
• One year of experience in environmental engineering, and possession of a valid Engineer-in-Training certificate issued by or acceptable to the Pennsylvania State Registration Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors and Geologists.
• Applicants will be considered to have met the educational requirements once they are within 3 months of graduating with a qualifying degree/credits.

Conditions of Employment:

• This position requires possession of a valid Pennsylvania driver’s license.

Other Requirements:

• You must possess and maintain a REAL ID or passport for this position. Proof of possession will be needed at the time of a conditional offer of employment.
• You must meet the PA residency requirement. For more information on ways to meet PA residency requirements, follow the link and click on Residency Guidelines.
• You must be able to perform essential job functions.

How to Apply:

Resumes, cover letters, and similar documents will not be reviewed, and the information contained therein will not be considered for the purposes of determining your eligibility for the position.

Information to support your eligibility for the position must be provided on the application (i.e., relevant, detailed experience/education).

If you are claiming education in your answers to the supplemental application questions, you must attach a copy of your college transcripts for your claim to be accepted toward meeting the minimum requirements. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable.

Your application must be submitted by the posting closing date. Late applications and other required materials will not be accepted.

Failure to comply with the above application requirements may eliminate you from consideration for this position.

Veterans:

• Pennsylvania law (51 Pa. C.S. §7103) provides employment preference for qualified veterans for appointment to many state and local government jobs. To learn more about employment preferences for veterans, go to www.pa.gov/agencies/employment/how-to-apply.html and click on Veterans.

Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS):

• 711 (hearing and speech disabilities or other individuals).

If you are contacted for an interview and need accommodations due to a disability, please discuss your request for accommodations with the interviewer in advance of your interview date.

The Commonwealth is an equal employment opportunity employer and is committed to a diverse workforce.

The Commonwealth values inclusion as we seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most qualified people to serve the citizens of Pennsylvania.

The Commonwealth does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, ancestry, union membership, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, AIDS or HIV status, disability, or any other categories protected by applicable federal or state law.

All diverse candidates are encouraged to apply.

Additional Information

• Completing the application, including all supplemental questions, serves as your exam for this position. No additional exam is required at a test center (also referred to as a written exam).
• Your score is based on the detailed information you provide on your application and in response to the supplemental questions.
• Your score is valid for this specific posting only.
• You must provide complete and accurate information or:
  • your score may be lower than deserved.
  • you may be disqualified.
• You may only apply/test once for this posting.
• Your results will be provided via email.