Salary: $33,924.00 – $44,808.00 Annually
Location: Yakima County – Union Gap, WA
Job Type: Full Time – Permanent
Job Number: 2023-CRO3018-06171
Department: Dept. of Ecology
Division: Central Regional Office
Opening Date: 05/05/2023
Closing Date: Continuous

The Central Region Director’s Office within the Department of Ecology is looking to fill a Receptionist (Office Assistant 3) position. This position will be located in our Central Region Office (CRO) in Union Gap, WA. Upon hire, you must live within a commutable distance from the duty station.

In this role, you will serve as the receptionist and first point of contact for the Central Region Office (CRO). You’ll work with Ecology’s ten environmental programs, private stakeholders, and a variety of government agencies. You will direct calls, visitors, and staff; conduct records management, facility management, data entry, State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) routing, distributing and processing mail/packages and serve as backup for the Customer Service Specialist 2 (Fleet Coordinator). You will also be the first point of contact for incidents that require documenting pertinent information and transferring to the Environmental Report Tracking System (ERTS) Coordinator for follow up. This position embodies the One-Ecology philosophy, requires a high degree of professionalism, ability to multi-task and provide excellent customer service. The ideal candidate will be bilingual and able to communicate in both English and Spanish.

The mission of the Department of Ecology (Ecology) is to protect, preserve and enhance Washington’s land, air and water for current and future generations. The Central Regional Director’s team is a group of hardworking individuals that take pride in their work and being a “team.” It’s a supportive environment where members of the team are encouraged to find new and improved ways of doing things.

Telework options for this position: This position is required to work in the office Monday – Friday, 8 am – 5 pm. Applicants with questions about position location options, tele-work, and flexible or compressed schedules are encouraged to reach out to the contact person listed below in “other information.” Schedules are dependent upon position needs and is subject to change.

Application Timeline: The positions will remain open until filled, with an initial screening date of May 15, 2023. In order to be considered for initial screening, please submit an application on or before of May 14, 2023. The agency reserves the right to make an appointment any time after the initial screening date.

Duties
As our first point of contact, you will manage the front lobby area and our main Ecology phone line, responding to general inquiries from the public in both English and Spanish, government agencies and staff, both in person and over the phone so you will need to be able to multi-task while maintaining a high level of professionalism. You will engage with Ecology’s ten environmental programs and make determinations on directing inquiries. You’ll be responsible for coordinating emergency personnel (i.e. fire, police and medical) that come to the building in response to an emergency, serving as the first line of security for the Central Region Office.

What you will do:

  • Use a multi-functional telephone with five incoming lines.
  • Process outgoing and incoming mail.
  • Direct customers to appropriate staff for assistance, handling multiple forms of communication simultaneously, and providing courteous customer service.  
  • Use agency standard computer and computer software to:
    • Create, maintain, and print documents.
    • Access information on the web page.
    • Communicate through electronic mail.
    • Access the calendar and schedule time.
    • Schedule conference rooms.
  • Communicate effectively, verbally and in writing, with co-workers, agency staff, private sector and other government agencies. Maintain effective working relationships. 
  • Participate in group processes and on teams.
  • Provide positive, accurate and pleasant customer service to external clients.
  • Take accurate messages and forward messages to the appropriate personnel. 
  • Perform clerical support duties including but not limited to creating emails, typing letters, making copies, and scheduling meetings for the Region’s Business Administrator and other staff.
  • Research and produce copies of well logs for customers.

Qualifications
Required Qualifications:
Years of required experience indicated below are full-time equivalent years. Full-time equivalent experience means that any experience where working hours were less than 40 hours per week will be prorated in order to meet the equivalency of full-time. We would calculate this by looking at the total hours worked per week, divide this by 40, and then multiply by the total number of months worked. Examples of the proration calculations are:

  • 30 hours worked per week for 20 months: (30/40) x 20 months = 15 months full-time equivalent
  • 20 hours worked per week for 12 months: (20/40) x 12 months = 6 months full-time equivalent

Experience for both required and desired qualifications can be gained through various combinations of formal professional employment, education, and volunteer experience. See below for how you may qualify.

  • A high school diploma or GED AND Two (2) years of clerical experience.

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

  • Experience working with diverse communities.
  • Microsoft Office Suite.
  • Ability to communicate fluently and effectively in English and Spanish.

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

Other Information
If you have specific questions about the position, please email Joy Espinoza at Joy.Espinoza@ecy.wa.gov. Please do not contact Joy to inquire about the status of your application. To request the full position description: email careers@ecy.wa.gov

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.
  • A list of three professional references.

For more information and to apply: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/washington/jobs/4030605/receptionist-office-assistant-3