Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Waste Program Officer

🎯 Role Definition

The Waste Program Officer is a subject-matter expert and program manager who develops policy and operational programs to minimize environmental impacts from waste generation and disposal. This role oversees permit compliance, conducts inspections and investigations, manages contracts and grants, coordinates community outreach and education, analyzes program data to optimize diversion and cost outcomes, and advises leadership on regulatory, technical and budgetary decisions related to waste management and pollution prevention.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Environmental Technician or Recycling Coordinator with 1–3 years of hands-on field experience in solid/hazardous waste operations.
Compliance or Environmental Health Specialist involved with inspections, permits, or enforcement.
Project Coordinator in sustainability, public works, or environmental services with program delivery responsibilities.

Advancement To:

Senior Waste Program Officer / Waste Program Manager overseeing multiple programs or a regional portfolio.
Environmental Programs Manager / Solid Waste Manager responsible for departmental strategy, capital projects and policy development.
Director of Environmental Services or Chief Sustainability Officer leading cross-functional environmental initiatives.

Lateral Moves:

Environmental Compliance Officer or Regulatory Affairs Specialist.
Sustainability or Circular Economy Program Lead.
Grants and Funding Manager for environmental or public works programs.

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Develop, implement and manage comprehensive waste management programs (including solid waste, hazardous waste, recycling, organics, C&D and special wastes) by drafting program plans, standard operating procedures (SOPs), performance metrics and multi-year implementation schedules to achieve diversion and compliance goals.
Interpret and apply federal, state and local regulations (e.g., RCRA, CERCLA, state hazardous waste statutes, solid waste codes, air and water permits and DOT rules) to ensure program activities, contracts and facilities remain fully compliant and to prepare clear guidance for staff and stakeholders.
Lead the permitting process for waste handling facilities and operations, including permit application preparation, technical documentation, public notices, responses to agency comments and coordination with regulators to obtain and maintain necessary licenses and authorizations.
Plan, coordinate, and conduct routine and complaint-driven inspections of waste facilities, transfer stations, collection routes, drop-off events, and remediation sites; document findings, issue corrective action directives, and track enforcement outcomes to resolution.
Oversee hazardous waste management and disposal programs, including waste characterization, manifesting, on-site accumulation, off-site transport coordination, and ensuring contractor controls meet regulatory and health/safety standards.
Manage procurement, administration and oversight of contracts for waste collection, processing, recycling, composting, haulage and disposal services; develop scopes of work, evaluate vendor proposals, monitor contractor performance and enforce contract terms.
Prepare and manage program budgets and grant-funded projects: develop cost estimates, track expenditures, ensure compliance with funding terms, prepare fiscal reports, and identify opportunities for external funding and cost recovery.
Design and implement waste diversion and recycling initiatives (e.g., curbside recycling, organics collection, construction & demolition diversion, EPR programs) using best practices, pilot studies and stakeholder input to increase diversion rates and reduce landfill dependency.
Build and maintain robust monitoring and data systems (waste tonnage tracking, contamination rates, program participation metrics), analyze trends, generate monthly/quarterly/annual reports and dashboards, and make data-driven recommendations to optimize operations and policy.
Draft, review and revise policy proposals, ordinances and guidance documents to support waste reduction, extended producer responsibility, landfill regulations and sustainable procurement; prepare clear, persuasive briefing materials for elected officials and senior leadership.
Lead community engagement, outreach and education campaigns tailored to residential, commercial and institutional audiences; coordinate public meetings, educational workshops, multilingual materials and media outreach to increase program participation and public understanding.
Serve as the primary liaison with community groups, municipalities, businesses, haulers, processors, non-profits and regulators to resolve complaints, negotiate service agreements and align regional approaches to waste management and recycling.
Research and evaluate new technologies, markets and service models (e.g., anaerobic digestion, advanced sorting, chemical recycling, pay-as-you-throw) and develop business cases, pilot programs and vendor evaluations to modernize service delivery and improve environmental outcomes.
Conduct compliance investigations into illicit dumping, illegal disposal, spills and hazardous waste violations; coordinate emergency response with public safety agencies, oversee remediation actions and document enforcement cases for potential civil or criminal follow-up.
Coordinate collection and disposal logistics for special events, household hazardous waste (HHW) collection days, bulky item pickups and community cleanup efforts, ensuring safety, regulatory compliance and efficient resource allocation.
Develop and deliver training for internal staff, contractors and partners on regulatory requirements, safety protocols, waste handling best practices, contamination reduction and customer service standards.
Ensure workplace health and safety compliance for operational staff and contractors by implementing safety plans, enforcing PPE usage, conducting HAZWOPER/OSHA training verification, and participating in accident/incident investigations and corrective actions.
Support procurement and capital project planning for infrastructure investments such as transfer stations, material recovery facilities (MRFs), composting sites and landfill expansions by preparing technical specifications, participating in design reviews and evaluating lifecycle costs.
Monitor market conditions for recyclables and residual materials, negotiate commodity contracts, and implement strategies to mitigate revenue volatility and contamination-related costs.
Prepare comprehensive technical reports, grant applications, program evaluations and presentations for council/staff briefings and public hearings that clearly communicate program impact, cost-effectiveness and regulatory status.
Maintain accurate records and permit logs, manage inspection schedules, track corrective actions and maintain audit-ready documentation for regulatory inspections and program evaluations.
Develop metrics and continuous improvement plans to measure service quality, customer satisfaction and environmental impact; implement corrective actions and process improvements to meet performance targets and control costs.
Support enforcement activities by preparing case files, issuing notices of violation, assisting legal staff with administrative hearings or litigation and tracking outcomes to closure.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis to inform program adjustments, grant reporting and operational decisions.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap by recommending data capture improvements, dashboard requirements and KPIs for waste programs.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering or IT requirements for system integration and automation.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within cross-functional teams when developing digital tools or dashboards for program management.
Assist with outreach materials, social media content and public-facing FAQs to amplify behavior-change campaigns and reduce contamination in recycling streams.
Provide back-up support for emergency response coordination related to spills, illegal dumping or hazardous material incidents, liaising with environmental health and emergency management teams.
Coordinate interagency and intermunicipal working groups to harmonize policies, service levels and reporting standards across jurisdictions.
Assist in the preparation of RFPs and evaluations for technology pilots, facility upgrades and vendor selection processes.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Regulatory compliance expertise: deep working knowledge of RCRA, state hazardous/solid waste regulations, local ordinances, permitting processes and enforcement procedures.
Waste characterization and audit skills: ability to plan and execute waste audits, contamination assessments, load inspections and generate statistically-valid diversion metrics.
Permit writing and technical report preparation: skilled at drafting permit applications, technical memos, environmental assessments and regulatory correspondence.
Data analysis and reporting: proficiency using Excel (advanced functions, pivot tables), GIS for spatial analysis of collection routes and facilities, and experience with databases or BI tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau) to produce dashboards and KPIs.
Contract and vendor management: experience preparing scopes of work, evaluating bids, writing performance metrics and managing contractor compliance and invoicing.
Grants and funding administration: experience identifying funding opportunities, writing competitive grant proposals and administering grant budgets and compliance reporting.
Hazardous waste operations and safety: knowledge of hazardous materials handling, manifest systems, hazardous waste accumulation rules, transport requirements and OSHA/HAZWOPER safety protocols.
Project management: demonstrated ability to plan and manage multi-stakeholder projects, timelines, budgets and risk using formal project management tools and methodologies.
Familiarity with landfill, transfer station and MRF operations: technical understanding of facility processes, equipment and environmental controls.
Public procurement and budgeting: experience with municipal procurement processes, cost estimating, budget tracking and lifecycle cost analysis.
Policy analysis and ordinance development: ability to draft policy language, conduct regulatory impact analysis and provide evidence-based recommendations.
GIS and spatial planning: ability to map service areas, calculate route efficiencies and integrate spatial data into planning and outreach strategies.

Soft Skills

Excellent written and verbal communication, able to craft persuasive briefings, technical memos and public-facing materials for diverse audiences.
Strong stakeholder engagement and conflict-resolution skills to build consensus among residents, businesses, haulers and regulators.
Strategic thinking with the ability to translate policy goals into operational plans and measurable outcomes.
High attention to detail for compliance tracking, data quality and documentation required for audits and enforcement.
Problem-solving and analytical mindset, comfortable turning complex technical data into clear programmatic decisions.
Project leadership and time management to coordinate multiple concurrent initiatives and meet deadlines.
Adaptability and resilience working in dynamic regulatory, market and political environments.
Customer-service orientation when interfacing with the public about services, rates and program changes.
Team collaboration skills to work effectively with cross-departmental teams and external partners.
Ethical judgment and professionalism when managing enforcement, confidential data and contract relationships.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science, Environmental Engineering, Public Health, Environmental Policy, Public Administration, Civil Engineering or a related field.

Preferred Education:

Master's degree in Environmental Management, Environmental Policy, Public Administration, Civil/Environmental Engineering, or Sustainability is preferred.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Environmental Science
Environmental Engineering
Public Administration
Sustainability / Resource Management
Public Health

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3–7 years of progressively responsible experience in solid/hazardous waste management, regulatory compliance, or environmental program administration.

Preferred:

5+ years of direct experience managing waste programs, permits, inspections and enforcement in a municipal, regional or state agency or a private-sector environmental services firm.
Demonstrated experience with grant writing/management, contract administration and stakeholder engagement.
Certifications that may be advantageous: Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM), Certified Professional in Solid Waste (CPSW or equivalent), OSHA HAZWOPER 40-hour, Project Management Professional (PMP) or equivalent.
Familiarity with local/state regulatory agencies, regional waste management authorities and solid waste markets.