City of Palo Alto

  • Hazardous Materials Inspector

  • City of Palo Alto
  • Palo Alto, California United States View Map

Job Description

Description

Ready for a role where your inspection and regulatory expertise makes an impact? Join our Fire Prevention Bureau as a Hazardous Materials Inspector, working with a variety of facilities, complex regulations, and partner agencies to identify hazards, promote safe practices, and help protect our community.

The Department

The Palo Alto Fire Department is a professional team dedicated to safeguarding and enriching the lives of everyone it serves, anytime and anywhere, with compassion and pride. The department is focused on meeting the community’s evolving needs and strives to reflect the community through meaningful opportunities for diversity and inclusion. The department is comprised of highly trained professionals prepared to respond effectively to a wide range of emergencies, including structure and wildland fires, medical emergencies, hazardous materials incidents, technical rescues, code enforcement, and fire investigations. Administrative professionals also play an essential role in supporting the department’s operations and overall success. To learn more about the Palo Alto Fire Department, click here.

The Position

The Hazardous Materials Inspector conducts routine and special inspections and investigations of facilities and sites where hazardous classes of materials are stored, used, treated, or disposed; performs hazardous materials plan reviews, enforces appropriate regulations as assigned, and provides liaison with governmental agencies and monitors results of ongoing activities. May act as liaison with other City departments in the performance of duties. May be called upon to advise the Incident Commander during incidents involving release of hazardous materials.

Hazardous Materials Inspector is a one-position, classification found in the Hazardous Materials Bureau of the Fire Department. This position is responsible for enforcing complex local, State and Federal codes, documenting the storage of hazardous materials and identifying those sites where leaks, spills or releases may have occurred.

The ideal candidate brings strong technical knowledge, sound judgment, and experience in hazardous materials, fire inspection, environmental compliance, or code enforcement. They are confident navigating complex regulations, conducting inspections and investigations, and collaborating with City departments, government agencies, and the community. The role is well suited to a professional who values continuous learning and is ready to apply their expertise to challenging hazardous materials and environmental issues. Fire service experience and a California EMT license are highly desirable.

Great benefits. Excellent pay.

Apply Today!

Compensation (IAFF): Comprehensive compensation plan. To learn more, click here.

Essential Duties

Essential and other important responsibilities and duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • Assist with development of municipal hazardous materials management codes, guidelines, checklists and fee schedules
  • Conducts inspections of commercial and industrial properties to determine and enforce compliance with hazardous materials, environmental protection and fire safety laws, regulations, ordinances and codes
  • Assists with monitoring and tracking progress of the investigation and cleanup of locations and sites where hazardous materials and hazardous waste discharges have occurred and preparing status reports on such sites
  • Maintain records and prepare reports. Maintain and update computer databases as they relate to faculties, chemical storage and hazardous materials permitting
  • Through continuing education maintains a level of knowledge consistent with job requirements


For full job description, click here.

Minimum Qualifications

Sufficient education, training and/or work experience to demonstrate possession of the following knowledge, skills, and abilities which would typically be acquired through:
  • Equivalent to completion of a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry, biology, or other related science associated with the study of hazardous materials, soil or groundwater contamination, or the environment or providing the equivalent of required training for unified hazardous materials program staff as specified in California Code of Regulations, Title 27; and,
  • Two years related experience in inspection, investigation, sampling, code enforcement, permitting, groundwater clean-up, and regulatory functions


Special Requirements:
  • Possession of a valid California Driver's License


Preferred Qualifications

  • Forty-eight months of continuous sworn service in a Fire Department as a firefighter or higher rank.
  • Possession of a valid California Emergency Medical Technician License.


Supplemental Information

Recruitment Timeline (tentative):

Application Deadline: Sunday, October 11, 2026

Personal History Questionnaire (PHQ) Submissions: October 15, 2026

Personal History Questionnaire (PHQ) Submission Review: October 19, 2026
Panel Interviews (in-person): Week of October 26, 2026
Fire Chief Interviews (in-person): Week of November 9, 2026

Selection Process:
  • Applicants will receive recruitment status notifications via email (governmentjobs.com account also has notification status updates).
  • Applicants will be screened throughout the posting process, and highly qualified candidates may be invited to interview at any time.
  • The screening process for this position typically may include a virtual recorded interview and/or panel interviews preceding final interviews with the hiring manager or their designee.

Technical Support:

Our online application system is provided by NeoGov. If you have problems while applying online, please contact NeoGov's Live Applicant Support at (855) 524-5627 between 6:00 AM and 5:00 PM Pacific Time, Monday - Friday.

The City of Palo Alto is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City will provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the employer.

See our Benefits at a Glance Bookletfor more details.
Learn more about our Memorandum of Agreements (MOAs) between the City and its bargaining units, by clicking HERE.

Closing Date/Time: 10/11/2026 11:59 PM Pacific
City of Palo Alto

City of Palo Alto

650-329-2376

The Community


The birthplace of Silicon Valley, Palo Alto, is a community of approximately 68,000 residents and nearly 100,000 jobs. Located on the mid-Peninsula between San Francisco and San Jose, Palo Alto is recognized worldwide as a leader in cutting-edge technology, medicine, and green innovation. The community's treelined streets and historic buildings reflect its California heritage, and, at the same time, many world-class businesses maintain or started offices here, such as Stanford Health Care and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Amazon, Broadcom, Hewlett-Packard, Houzz, Rivian, SAP and SAP Ariba, Tesla, and Varian Medical Systems. Numerous start-ups are also at home in Palo Alto, arguably making it the start-up capital of the world. Stanford University is foundational to the history and prestige of Palo Alto, reflected in the community's dedication to lifelong learning. Stanford's cultural and educational offerings are integral to the vibrancy and charm of Palo Alto, while the City's exceptional K-12 school district ranks among the top public-school systems in the country. With more than 50% of adult residents holding a graduate degree or higher, Palo Alto is frequently listed as one of the most educated cities in the nation. Palo Alto boasts a genuine sense of community and an active citizenry with strong environmental values. Beautiful neighborhoods are complemented by vibrant commercial corridors and a bustling economy featuring premium shopping and dining options. Excellent healthcare facilities, performing arts, and diverse recreational opportunities are some of the community's incredibly desirable and cherished amenities. To learn more, visit https://www.paloalto.gov/Departments/City-Manager/Latest-News

City Government

Palo Alto is a full-service charter city with a council-manager form of government. The seven-member City Council is elected at large, and the City Council annually selects the Mayor and Vice Mayor from among its members. The Mayor and City Council appoint the City Manager, City Attorney, City Clerk, and City Auditor. The City Manager is responsible for the strategic direction and day-to-day operations of the City. Palo Alto is organized into 15 departments/offices with 1,093.10 authorized positions in FY 2025. There is also a FY 2025 capital budget of $316.2 million. Palo Alto owns and operates its own utilities, including electricity (carbon-neutral), gas, water, wastewater, and an expanding fiber network. This dynamic municipal environment ensures an ever-engaging platform for unique problem-solving and advances new initiatives, including sustainability, broadband, and effective service delivery. Community assets also include five libraries, 36 parks, five community centers, a museum and zoo, youth centers, a general aviation airport, an 18-hole golf course, a regional water treatment plant, and wildland open space preserves at the San Francisco Bay and in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains offering 41 miles of walking/biking trails in addition to its police, fire, and ambulance services. Palo Alto has long been a leader in sustainability, and the City's ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goals are part of what sets it apart. Since the City's first Climate Protection Plan was passed in 2007, Palo Alto has set goals that exceed State and Federal targets. Today, the City's goal to reduce emissions 80% below 1990 levels by 2030 (the "80x30" goal) and achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 guides sustainability efforts. An award-winning City, Palo Alto is recognized nationally as innovative and well-managed. City services and performance also receive impressive marks from community members in the Palo Alto Community Survey.

Many of those ratings put City programs and services in the highest percentiles among the hundreds of benchmark cities. Palo Alto makes decisions through comprehensive processes and proactively seeks to involve its extremely informed, educated, and engaged residents. Projects are naturally a cooperative effort among the City Council, Boards, Commissions, Committees, engaged residents, neighborhoods, businesses, property owners, and staff.

Join an Award Winning Team 

Palo Alto is an award-winning City recognized nationwide as innovative and well-managed. Palo Alto is one of a small number of California cities with a AAA bond rating. Recently, Palo Alto became one of the most livable cities in the U.S. by Livability.com. It's the only city to receive the Platinum Beacon Award in sustainability best practices by California’s Institute for Local Government. We offer a variety of career paths that relate to building and improving communities. The City has fourteen departments employing 1,000 full-time staff. Police officers, fire fighters, paramedics, and building inspectors keep us safe. Engineers and public works staff build and re-build the physical infrastructure. City planners help envision and shape future community growth. Recreation, arts and library professionals enhance community life. Utilities provides electric, gas, water, sewer and other services. Internal services departments help manage, staff, and protect the City.

Want to learn more about our benefits? Learn more by reviewing our "Benefits at a Glance Booklet."

Contact Us

Phone: 650-329-2376   

Email: [email protected]   

Location: City Hall, 1st Floor | 250 Hamilton Ave 94301 | View Map

 

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