• Description 

• The Department of Ecology’s priority during the Covid-19 health crisis is to keep our staff, candidates, and the public safe.  We are still hiring and encourage you to apply to open positions.  The majority of our staff are currently working from home; we have transitioned to a virtual recruitment process, to include web-based interviews.

  Keeping Washington Clean and Evergreen

  Protecting Washington State’s environment for current and future generations is what we do every day at Ecology. We are a culture that is invested in making a difference. If you want to join a team that is highly effective, collaborative, has leadership that embraces the value of people, and believes in the fun factor, Ecology is a good fit.

  Are you a problem solver that enjoys a challenge? Do you want to make a difference by making a positive impact on the environment? If so, then join a great team that shares your interests!

  The Spill Prevention, Preparedness, and Response (Spills) program within the Department of Ecology is looking to fill a Lead Spill Responder (Environmental Specialist 4) position. This position is located in our Eastern Regional Office (ERO) in Spokane, WA.

  The Lead Spill Responder position acts as a section expert for responding to and cleaning-up oil and hazardous materials spills and drug labs. The Environmental Specialist 4 (ES4) Responder trains and mentors other staff and is assigned responsibility for more complex and difficult projects. The Environmental Specialist 4 position responds to larger spills in a leadership role and may direct non-agency employees. Senior Responders provide technical direction to professional staff for complex and controversial spills, issues and enforcement actions. This position assists the Regional Supervisor to manage workload in the region, prioritizes and assigns staff work, tracks work completion, tracks training and certification compliance, and manages other administrative issues. This workload includes enforcement reviews, reports, and case follow-up. Identifies and notifies the supervisor of issues important to the agency.

  The compelling motivation for this work is public service and the ability to use science to solve environmental and public health challenges. We are looking for applicants who possess a strong public service ethic, are comfortable working in a leadership role, who excel working in a team environment, thrives working in a dynamic ever-changing work environment, with shifting priorities, and schedule changes, enjoys a mix of field work and office work and are motivated by making a difference protecting human health and the environment.

  As an agency, our mission is to protect, preserve and enhance Washington’s environment for current and future generations. We invest in our employees to create and sustain a working environment that encourages creative leadership, effective resource management, teamwork, professionalism and accountability.

  To learn more about The Department of Ecology, please visit our website at www.ecology.wa.gov and follow, like or visit us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or our blog.

  Local efforts… Diverse people… Statewide impacts

• Duties

• The mission of the Spill Prevention, Preparedness, and Response (Spills) program is to protect, preserve, and restore Washington’s environment., The Response Section supports this mission through maintaining 24/7 response capability, aggressively responding to oil and hazardous materials spills, providing training and developing local response partnerships, and cleaning up clandestine drug labs.

  This position reports directly to the supervisor of a regional spill response unit. The successful candidate will ensure rapid and aggressive response actions 24/7 to spills and releases of oil and hazardous materials into the environment and will clean up clandestine drug labs.

  This position develops and maintains a high level of readiness to respond to pollution events and applies program policies, procedures and current standards of safety, technology, incident management and coordination to spill responses. This position also promotes the team structure used in the Spill Response section and ensures that personal behavior contributes to effective team work.

  The successful candidate will interact with the public in potentially contentious and high stress situations and will be required to perform after hours, on-call duty.

  This position is required to serve as a duty officer for after-hours pager duty on a regular rotation. Upon completion of the required training and successful medical surveillance baseline examination, the candidate will be assigned to the Emergency Spill Response Team and will be eligible for a 10% assignment pay.

  Some of the key work activities of the Lead Spill Responder (Environmental Specialist 4) are:

  • Responds to and cleans-up spills of oil, hazardous materials and drug labs.
  • Serves as State On-Scene Coordinator for complex spill responses with other federal, state, local and tribal agencies.
  • Performs hands-on clean-up work, including opening unknown drums/containers, sampling, over pack chemicals, and transports waste.
  • Takes enforcement actions, including penalties and cost recovery actions.
  • Provides training and mentoring to other employees and other agencies.

  This position:

  • Maintains response readiness, including equipment, training and certifications.
  • Responds to spills during business hours and after-hours.
  • Wears safety equipment, including chemical protective clothing and respiratory protection.
  • Participates in an after-hours on-call duty rotation.
  • Maintains excellent enforcement-quality incident documentation.

  Interesting aspects of this position:

  • This position leads complex multi-agency spill responses, works collaboratively with other agencies, responsible parties, and citizen groups.
  • The compelling motivation for this work is public service, work as part of a dynamic multidisciplinary team, and the ability to use science to solve environmental and public health challenges.

  The culture of the team:

  • Spill responders are a supportive, fun, dedicated and hard-working team that will always have your back!

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

  This position will remain open until filled, with an initial screening date of May 24, 2021. In order to be considered for initial screening, please submit an application on or before May 23, 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: A Bachelor’s degree involving a major study in environmental, physical, or one of the natural sciences, environmental planning or other allied field AND five years of professional-level 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.

Option 2: A Master’s degree in one of the above fields AND three years of professional – level experience as required above which includes one year equal to an Environmental Specialist 3 or above or two years equal to an Environmental Specialist 2 or above.

Option 3: A Ph.D. in one of the above fields AND two years of professional-level experience as required above which includes one year equal to an Environmental Specialist 3 or above or two years equal to an Environmental Specialist 2 or above.

Option 4: Two years of experience as an Environmental Specialist 3, as long as the Bachelor’s degree as listed above has been obtained.

For all education levels:

• Hazardous Materials Technician Certification per WAC 296-824 and 296-843 is required.
• NIMS Incident Command System (ICS) 100, 200, 700, and 800 certification is required upon entry into the position.

NIMS ICS training and certification can be obtained for free online at:

1. ICS 100:  https://training.fema.gov/IS/courseOverview.aspx?code=IS-100.c
2. ICS 200:  https://training.fema.gov/IS/courseOverview.aspx?code=IS-200.c
3. ICS 700:  https://training.fema.gov/is/courseoverview.aspx?code=IS-700.b
4. ICS 800:  https://training.fema.gov/is/courseoverview.aspx?code=IS-800.d

The 1 year of experience as an Environmental Specialist 3 can include a combination of the following: 1) investigating and / or resolving complaints involving science or technology content, 2) performing inspections, 3) drafting technical evaluations and reports, 4) develops plans for researching information used for technical projects, regulatory or policy development, 5) plan and facilitate public meetings and hearings, 6) project work requiring specialized knowledge of industry processes, pollutant sources or natural processes, 7) providing technical assistance for complex scientific content and/ or support for implementing scientific content programs, 8) conducting tests, analyzing and evaluating data, 9) using environmental databases to support technical projects, 10) developing scientific studies and resource management plans, 11) providing environmental technical and administrative assistance to grant/ contract/ loan recipients of environmental protection projects.

The 2 years of experience as an Environmental Specialist 2 can include assisting in any of the following areas: 1) performing field surveys or studies, 2) responding to complaints involving scientific or technical content, 3) preparing public meetings and hearings, 4) assistance with routine inspections or investigations requiring specialized knowledge of industry processes, pollutant sources or natural processes, 5) responding to routine inquires or requests for technical assistance involving scientific content, 6) special projects that are scientific in nature, 7) conducting routine sampling and testing analyses, interprets data, writing reports 8) performing basic sampling data review, 9) maintaining an environmental data base to support technical projects, 10) providing routine environmental technical and administrative assistance to grant/ contract/ loan recipients of environmental protection projects.

Desired Qualifications:

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

• Working Knowledge of the NW Area Contingency Plan.
• Experience working in Unified Command with the US Coast Guard and US EPA.
• Possess a high level of knowledge of air monitoring and collecting environmental samples.
• Working knowledge of Washington Labor and Industries’ HAZWOPER safety regulations and experience and developing site-specific health and safety plans.
• Previous experience with oil and hazardous materials response and cleanup.

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

Special Requirements / Conditions of Employment:

• Must hold and maintain a valid Washington State driver’s license and be able to operate a motor vehicle.
• Must pass employment medical surveillance physical and demonstrate and maintain the ability to wear respiratory protection and chemical protective clothing.  Must pass a physical agilities test.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC). Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC), which involves a detailed criminal history check.
• Must successfully complete Ecology’s initial SAFETRAC requirements and other required training outlined in Spills Program Policy and Procedures within 6 months of entering the position.
• Must be prepared for a minimum 3-day field deployment within 1 hour of notification.
• Must hold and maintain eligibility and certification (valid passport or enhanced driver’s license) to permit travel to Canada in the event of a transboundary spill.
• Must notify supervisor immediately if the employee is unable to obtain any of the above required licenses or certifications, or if any of the above are revoked, expired or suspended for any reason.
• This position is required to maintain a personal level of fitness necessary to pass a periodic medical surveillance exam, which may include a stress test.
• This position is identified as an Essential Agency Employee and is expected to work during facility closures and natural disasters.
• This position is required to perform after-hours on-call duty on a rotation.

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.  

  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 Sam Hun at: sam.hunn@ecy.wa.gov. Please do not contact Sam 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.