Hazardous Materials Specialist

See the risk. Find the solution. Protect the community.

A chemical inventory tells you what a business stores. A site inspection tells you a bigger story.

Are incompatible materials stored together? Does the emergency plan reflect what is actually happening on site? Would first responders have the information they need when it matters most?

If those are the questions that get your attention, bring your curiosity, technical knowledge, and practical judgment to the City of Mountain View.

As our Hazardous Materials Specialist, you’ll help businesses operate safely, support firefighters with technical expertise, and protect the people and places that make up our community. Reporting to the Fire Marshal in the Fire and Environmental Protection Division, you’ll connect science, fieldwork, education, and enforcement with opportunities to see the direct impact of your work.

Picture your workday

Your morning might begin with reviewing hazardous materials business plans in the California Environmental Reporting System (CERS) for the sites that will be inspected. This includes familiarizing yourself with the site and their prior inspection history.

Later, you head into the field. An inspection gives you the chance to compare the paperwork with actual conditions, evaluate potential hazards, and explain corrective actions in clear, practical terms.

Back at the office, you could review construction plans, document inspection findings, or coordinate with another agency on a regulatory question. When a hazardous materials emergency occurs, you may be called on to provide technical guidance to the Incident Commander.

Across these assignments, your judgment matters and so does your ability to help people understand and act on it.

Real work. Visible impact.

Your assignments will connect you with work such as:

• Safer business operations: Review hazardous materials business plans, process permits, and help facilities understand and meet applicable requirements.
• Underground storage tank oversight: Inspect monitoring systems, installations, and removals to evaluate compliance.
• Construction and facility changes: Review proposed construction and hazardous materials facility closure plans for compliance with applicable requirements.
• Field inspections and follow-through: Investigate concerns, document findings, explain necessary corrections, and take enforcement action when needed.
• Emergency readiness and response: Educate firefighters, City employees, and industry safety personnel, and provide technical expertise during hazardous materials incidents.

Bring your science. Bring your people skills.

You can recognize a chemical hazard and explain why it matters to someone without your technical background. You ask thoughtful questions, write clear reports, and remain steady when circumstances change.

You understand that effective compliance takes both professional relationships and consistent follow-through. You’re comfortable helping someone work through a complicated requirement, and you can be firm when a condition needs to be corrected.

Relevant experience may come from hazardous materials compliance, environmental consulting, laboratory or industrial chemical safety, or other work involving hazardous materials storage and handling. Tell us how your background prepares you for this role.

Why bring your expertise to Mountain View? Help make innovation safe.

Mountain View is a place where people come to develop ideas, build businesses, and shape what comes next. As our Hazardous Materials Specialist, you’ll help create the conditions for that work to happen safely—with attention to the people handling hazardous materials, the firefighters responding to emergencies, and the community around them.

Here, your expertise reaches across the life of a facility: from reviewing proposed construction and hazardous materials business plans to conducting inspections, guiding corrective actions, and reviewing closure plans. You’ll have opportunities to understand how a business operates, identify what needs to change, and help turn a technical requirement into a practical solution.

You’ll also bring that knowledge directly into the Fire Department. Reporting to the Fire Marshal, you’ll support prevention efforts, help prepare first responders, and provide technical guidance during hazardous materials emergencies.

For someone who enjoys science, fieldwork, and working with people, that combination offers a compelling opportunity: build your expertise while seeing how your decisions help protect a whole community.

View the full job description here:  Hazardous Materials Specialist

What you’ll need

The classification calls for education equivalent to a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, biology, fire science/fire technology, or an environmentally related field, plus two years of recent full-time experience dealing with the storage and/or handling of hazardous materials. A combination of relevant experience, education, and training that satisfies the required qualifications will be considered.

Education, experience, and knowledge involving local, State, or Federal hazardous materials and fire prevention codes and regulations are also required.

You’ll need a valid California driver license upon appointment. Within six months of appointment, you must complete California Peace Officer Standards and Training PC 832 training and obtain ICC California Underground Storage Tank Inspector certification.

This position includes enforcement activities and response to hazardous materials emergencies. Work may involve strenuous physical effort, unpleasant environments, and potentially significant and unpredictable hazards.

Compensation
Full range $167,726 to $226,924 annually, with a control point of $197,325. Starting salary is flexible within the range based on experience, specialized expertise, and internal equity. The anticipated hiring range for this position is $167,726 to $197,325; initial salary placement will be based on the selected candidate’s qualifications, relevant experience, and alignment with the position.

Put your expertise to work for a whole community.

If you enjoy connecting technical details to practical solutions and want your work to help keep businesses, first responders, and the public safe we invite you to bring that perspective to Mountain View.

Application and Selection

Apply online through GovernmentJobs.com before November 20, 2026; 5 PM. Applications must be complete and received by the deadline.

Anticipated Date for Virtual Oral Boards: Mid January 2027

Anticipated Date for In-Person Interviews: Late January 2027

Anticipated Hire Date: Early March 2027

Accessibility and Accommodations

The City of Mountain View is committed to providing an accessible and inclusive recruitment process. If you need a reasonable accommodation to complete the application or participate in any stage of the selection process, please contact Human Resources at (650) 903-6309. Advance notice helps us make timely arrangements, but accommodation requests may be made at any stage of the process.

If you are unable to apply online, please contact the City of Mountain View Human Resources Department at (650) 903-6309 or visit the City’s Application Information webpage for assistance or an alternative application method.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The City of Mountain View is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants are considered based on job-related qualifications without regard to any status protected by federal, state, or local law.