Duties
What you’ll do:
- As a member of the Eastern Regional Office’s (ERO’s) Hazardous Waste and Toxics Reduction Program’s compliance team, you will include educate the regulated public, safely conduct compliance inspections and provide follow-up guidance to facilities to ensure they achieve compliance.
- Act as an integral part of ERO’s Spokane Office Dangerous Waste Management Team. In this role, you will work with other regional environmental programs (Spills, Water Quality, Toxics Cleanup, etc.) to ensure our own agency’s dangerous wastes are managed and disposed of properly.
- Contribute to and support a small group of HWTR regional compliance inspectors. You will participate in team meetings designed to discuss current issues related to implementing the rule, provide peer review of inspection reports, lead inspections, serve as a back-up inspector for others in the ERO region and occasionally across the state, and provide assistance to other regulatory agencies on interpretation and implementation of Dangerous Waste regulations.
- When necessary, you will work with state wide and regional leads, and the Washington State Attorney General’s Office to issue formal enforcement actions such as Administrative Orders and/or Penalties in response to immanent or actual threats to human health and/or the environment.
What makes this role unique?
- In this role, you will have the ability to make a difference in protecting our community through education, inspection, and formal enforcement of the Dangerous Waste regulations.
- You’ll work with a variety of staff with a broad range of expertise such as:
- HWTR Program staff and subject matter experts across the state,
- Other environmental program representatives within the Ecology’s ERO region,
- Other local, state, and federal environmental or regulatory agencies,
- The Washington State Attorney General’s Office.
- You will be provided the training and mentoring necessary to become proficient and safe in understanding and implementing a complex set of Washington State regulations.
- You will have the opportunity to safely visit and learn about a wide variety of industries and develop the interpersonal skills necessary to educate, assist, and persuade facility representatives to achieve compliance with the Dangerous Waste regulations.
- You will have the opportunity to develop regional expertise in topic areas related to the mission of the HWTR program.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications:
Experience for both required and desired qualifications can be gained through various combinations of formal professional employment, educational, volunteer and lived-experience. See below for how you may qualify.
At the Environmental Specialist 1 level: Pay Range 38 ($2,999 – $3,887 monthly)
Option 1:
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Experience: In environmental analysis or control or environmental planning.
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Education: Involving major study in environmental, physical, or one of the natural sciences, environmental planning or other allied science field.
- Investigating environmental complaints or violations
- Performing inspections or field investigations
- Planning, developing, and conducting data collection, and analyzing the results
- Assisting businesses with regulatory requirements, including explaining options for coming into compliance
Option 2:
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A Bachelor’s degree involving major study in environmental, physical, or one of the natural sciences, environmental planning or other allied field.
At the Environmental Specialist 2 level: Pay Range 45 ($3,535 – $4,627– monthly)
Option 1:
-
Experience: In environmental analysis or control or environmental planning.
-
Education: Involving major study in environmental, physical, or one of the natural sciences, environmental planning or other allied science field.
- Investigating environmental complaints or violations
- Performing inspections or field investigations
- Planning, developing, and conducting data collection, and analyzing the results
- Assisting businesses with regulatory requirements, including explaining options for coming into compliance
Option 2:
-
One (1) year of experience in environmental analysis or control, or environmental planning, which may include the experience described in Option 1.
-
A Bachelor’s degree involving major study in environmental, physical, or one of the natural sciences, environmental planning or other allied field.
Option 3:
-
A Master’s degree involving major study in environmental, physical, or one of the natural sciences, environmental planning or other allied field.
At the Environmental Specialist 3 level: Pay Range 49 ($3,887 – $5,102 – monthly)
Option 1:
-
Experience: In environmental analysis or control or environmental planning.
-
Education: Involving major study in environmental, physical, or one of the natural sciences, environmental planning or other allied science field.
- Investigating environmental complaints or violations
- Performing inspections or field investigations
- Planning, developing, and conducting data collection, and analyzing the results
- Assisting businesses with regulatory requirements, including explaining options for coming into compliance
Option 2:
-
Two (2) years of experience in environmental analysis or control, or environmental planning, which may include the experience described in Option 1.
-
A Bachelor’s degree involving major study in environmental, physical, or one of the natural sciences, environmental planning or other allied field.
Option 3:
-
One (1) year of experience in environmental analysis or control, or environmental planning, which may include the experience described in Option 1.
-
A Master’s degree involving major study in environmental, physical, or one of the natural sciences, environmental planning or other allied field.
Option 4:
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A PhD degree involving major study in environmental, physical, or one of the natural sciences, environmental planning or other allied field.
Special Requirements/Conditions of Employment:
- Must have a valid driver’s license
Desired Qualifications:
We highly encourage you to apply even if you do not have some (or all) of the desired experience below.
- Experience effectively communicating complex information to a variety of audiences
- Experience reviewing and understanding complex technical documents
- Experience applying negotiation and conflict resolution skills
Note: Having some (or all) of this desired experience may make your application more competitive in a highly competitive applicant pool.
Supplemental Information
Ecology seeks diverse applicants: We view diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect through a broad lens including race, ethnicity, class, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, immigration status, military background, language, education, life experience, physical disability, neurodiversity, and intersectional identities. Qualified candidates from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
Need an Accommodation in the application and/or screening process or this job announcement in an alternative format?
- Please call: (360) 407-6186 or email: careers@ecy.wa.gov and we will be happy to assist.
- If you are deaf or hard of hearing you can reach the Washington Relay Service by dialing 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6388.
- 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 are reading this announcement in print format, please enter the following URL to your search engine to apply: https://ecology.wa.gov/About-us/Get-to-know-us/Jobs-at-Ecology.
Application Instructions:
It’s in the applicant’s best interest to submit all of the documents listed below. Applications without these documents may be declined.
- A cover letter describing why you are interested in this position
- A resume outlining your experience and education (if applicable) as it relates to the minimum qualifications of this position
Please do NOT include your salary history. Wage/salary depends on qualifications or rules of promotion, if applicable.
For Your Privacy:
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.
Additional Application Instructions for Current 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.
Application Attestation:
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.
Other Information:
If you have specific questions about the position, please email Karen Wood at: Karen.Wood@ecy.wa.gov. Please do not contact Karen to inquire about the status of your application.
To request the full position description: email careers@ecy.wa.gov