• Description

In this position, you will be responsible for permit management for Industrial Stormwater, Boatyard, and Upland Fin-Fish Hatchery permits in the South area of Southwest Region.  This includes Clark, Cowlitz, Lewis, Skamania, and Wahkiakum counties. You will administer state and federal water pollution laws, regulations, and permit programs for all assigned industrial facilities.

We are looking for applicants who possess excellent people skills, the ability to quickly assess a situation and make a decision, work effectively in a stressful environment, manage workload and meet deadlines, and communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with regulated facilities and the public.

Duties

Agency Mission: The mission of the Department of Ecology is to protect, preserve and enhance Washington’s environment, for current and future generations.

Program Mission: The mission of the Water Quality Program is to protect and restore Washington’s waters to support healthy watersheds and communities. Our work ensures state waters can support beneficial uses including recreational and business activities, supplies for clean drinking water, and the protection of fish, shellfish, wildlife, and public health.

What will you do?

This position supports the program mission as a primary Ecology contact for assigned Industrial Stormwater, Boatyard, and Upland Fin-Fish Hatchery permits in the South area of Southwest Region In this position, you will:

• Provide comprehensive permit management for Industrial Stormwater, Boatyard, and Upland Fin-Fish Hatchery permits in the South areas of the Southwest Region.
• Help facilities come into compliance with their permit. Meet on site to inspect permitted and unpermitted facilities with their staff to discuss the permit and investigate any compliance issues. If technical assistance isn’t effective, collect evidence and prepare recommendations for enforcement.
• Represent Ecology as a technical lead in all discussions involving permit requirements, compliance, and regulatory interpretation. You may also serve as an expert witness, testifying before hearings boards or courts.
• May issue warning and monetary penalty tickets in the field during inspections at noncompliant sites. Anticipate and seek to resolve disagreements in a constructive manner.
• Function independently and make appropriate decisions based on available information.

Why join the team?

• This position gets to work with a diverse set of entities including all types of business and industry, both small and large.
• This is an opportunity to learn about and apply complex water quality laws and permit programs to prevent detrimental impacts to state waters from stormwater and other discharges.

Please note: During Stay Home, Stay Healthy, staff are working a combination of in-office and/or telework based on position and business need.

Ecology is maintaining less than maximum building occupancy, and requiring masks, health screening questions before entry, and social distancing.

This position will remain open until filled, with an initial screening date of May 5, 2021. In order to be considered for initial screening, please submit an application on or before May 4, 2021. The agency reserves the right to make an appointment any time after the initial screening date.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

There are multiple ways to qualify for this position. See options below:

Option 1:

Nine (9) years of combined education and experience:

• Experience: In environmental analysis or control, or environmental planning, which includes one year equal to an Environmental Specialist 3 or above or two years equal to an Environmental Specialist 2 or above (see descriptions below).
• Education: Involving major study in environmental, physical, or one of the natural sciences, environmental planning or other allied field

Option 2:

• Five (5) years of experience in environmental analysis or control, or environmental planning, which includes one year equal to an Environmental Specialist 3 or above or two years equal to an Environmental Specialist 2 or above (see descriptions below).

• A Bachelor’s degree involving major study in environmental, physical, or one of the natural sciences, environmental planning or other allied field.

Option 3: 

• Three (3) years of experience in environmental analysis or control, or environmental planning, which includes one year equal to an Environmental Specialist 3 or above or two years equal to an Environmental Specialist 2 or above (see descriptions below).

• A Master’s degree involving major study in environmental, physical, or one of the natural sciences, environmental planning or other allied field.

Option 4:

• Two (2) years of experience in environmental analysis or control, or environmental planning, which includes one year equal to an Environmental Specialist 3 or above or two years equal to an Environmental Specialist 2 or above (see descriptions below).

• A Ph.D. in environmental, physical, or one of the natural sciences, environmental planning or other allied field

Option 5:

• Two (2) years of experience as an Environmental Specialist 3 at the Department of Ecology.

More information on types of experience:

All experience and education combinations that meet the requirements for this position:

Possible Combinations College credit hours or degree Years of required experience

• Combination 1 No college credit hours or degree, 9 years of experience
• Combination 2 I have 30-59 semester or 45-89 quarter credits, 8 years of experience
• Combination 3 I have 60-89 semester or 90-134 quarter credits (AA degree), 7 years of experience
• Combination 4 I have 90-119 semester or 135-179 quarter credits, 6 years of experience
• Combination 5 A Bachelor’s Degree, 5 years of experience
• Combination 6 A Master’s Degree, 3 years of experience
• Combination 7A PhD, 2 years of experience

  Desired Qualifications:

  We highly encourage you to apply even if you do not have some (or all) of the desired experience below.

  Note: Having some (or all) of this desired experience may make your application more competitive in a highly competitive applicant pool

  • Experience conducting NPDES inspections and preparing compliance and enforcement actions such as warning letters, notice of violations, administrative orders, and notice of penalties.
  • Demonstrated ability to understand and implement state and federal water pollution laws and regulations, permit programs, and policies.
  • Demonstrated ability to review and comment on complex technical documents and issues.

  Special Requirements/Conditions of Employment:

  • Must obtain and maintain a valid Driver’s License

  Why work for Ecology?

  Joining Ecology means becoming a part of a team committed to protecting and restoring Washington State’s environment.

  A career in public service allows you to help solve some of the most challenging problems facing our state, while keeping the health and financial security of you and your family a priority. We combine one of the most competitive benefits packages in the nation with a strong commitment to work/life balance.

  Ecology employees may be eligible for the following:
  Medical/Dental/Vision for employee & dependent(s), Public Employees Retirement System (PERS), Vacation, Sick, and other Leave*, 11 Paid Holidays per year*, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, Tuition Waiver,  Long Term Disability & Life Insurance, Deferred Compensation Programs, Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP),  Flexible Spending Arrangement (FSA), Employee Assistance Program, Commute Trip Reduction Incentives (Download PDF reader), Combined Fund Drive, SmartHealth

  Student debt and how working for Ecology can help
  Employees may be eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program, which forgives the remaining balance on your Direct Loans after you have made 120 qualifying monthly payments under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time for a qualifying employer. See https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service for more details.

  *See the Benefits tab in this announcement for more information

• Supplemental Information

• Application Instructions:

  Please complete the short on-line application, supplemental questions and upload:

  • Your current chronological resume;
  • A cover letter explaining how you fit the requirements of the position;
  • Three professional references with current contact information.

  Important Note:

  When attaching documents to your application (Resume, Cover Letter, Transcripts, DD-214, etc.):

  • Please be sure to remove private information such as your social security number, date of birth, etc.
  • Do not attach documents that are password protected as these documents may not be reviewed and may cause errors within your application when downloaded.

  Please to do NOT include your salary history. Wage/salary depends on qualifications or rules of promotion, if applicable.  

  Please complete the applicant profile when applying for this position. Or, you may paste the text of your resume within the profile’s resume text field.

  Please read the supplemental questions carefully and answer completely. Incomplete responses, including “please see resume,” may disqualify you from further consideration.

  It is in the candidate’s best interest to submit all of the documents requested above. Applications without these documents may be declined.

  Department of Ecology employees, please make sure to answer the agency-wide questions regarding permanent status as a classified employee within the Washington General Service or Washington Management Service. Do not forget to select Department of Ecology as a response to question 2, and type your personnel ID number for question 3. If you are not sure of your status or do not know your personnel ID number, please contact Human Resources.

  If you are reading this announcement in print format, please visit www.careers.wa.gov to access the online recruitment system. Click on “Look for Jobs” and select Dept. of Ecology under the “Department” search list. Click “Apply Search.”

  Other Information:

  If you need assistance applying for this job, please e-mail careers@ecy.wa.gov. Please do not send an email to this address to follow-up the status of your application. You can view the latest status of your application on your profile’s main page.

  If you have specific questions about the position, please email Steve Eberl at: Steven.Eberl@ecy.wa.gov. Please do not contact Steve to inquire about the status of your application.

  The act of submitting application materials electronically is considered affirmation that the information is complete and truthful. The state may verify this information and any untruthful or misleading answers are cause for rejection of your application or dismissal if employed.

  This is a position covered by a bargaining unit for which the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE) is the exclusive representative.

  This recruitment may be used to fill other positions of the same job classification across the agency. Once all the position(s) from the recruitment announcement are filled, the recruitment may only be used to fill additional open positions for the next sixty (60) days.

  The Washington State Department of Ecology is an equal opportunity employer. We strive to create a working environment that includes and respects cultural, racial, ethnic, sexual orientation and gender identity diversity. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, persons of disability, persons over 40 years of age, veterans, military spouses or people with military status, and people of all sexual orientations and gender identities are encouraged to apply. Persons needing accommodation in the application/testing process or this job announcement in an alternative format may call (360) 407-6186. Applicants who are deaf or hard of hearing may call the Washington Relay Service by dialing 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6388.