Summary

About the Role:
If you want to use your communication skills to protect people, enhance the environment and improve equity, then the Wastewater Treatment Division’s (WTD) Community Services group looks forward to meeting you. We use the art of engagement to serve others and help our division do the same. We work together to communicate clearly and solve problems. We manage our work adaptively to get desired results. We know diverse perspectives make us better, so we welcome diversity and seek be mindful. As a member of WTD’s Community Services Unit, you will support all the division’s work. You will inform the public about our wastewater projects, operations, and services. You will engage communities in equitable decision-making, work one-on-one with individuals, businesses, and communities to understand and respond to their needs. This position will serve complex, high-risk capital projects and long-term strategic planning projects, and develop strategies to build public acceptance of changes. The position will also be tasked with navigating situations where established guidelines or procedures may not exist and must be developed for multi-disciplinary capital projects, planning, programs, operations, and Executive initiatives.

A successful candidate will support multiple complex capital infrastructure projects, including projects in planning, design and construction phases, and will navigate processes where established guidelines or processes may not exist and must be developed. The candidate will interact with communities affected by large-scale capital infrastructure projects in neighborhoods and public spaces. The person in this role will be expected to use an equity lens to reduce risks and increase opportunities for vulnerable communities. The candidate will support incident response efforts that focus on protecting the public from sewage spills or other unexpected dangers related to an emergency. The candidate will have opportunities to mentor junior staff on all elements of our work. 

This position performs work remotely and onsite.

About the Team:
The Community Services unit advances the values of King County and the Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) by protecting public health and the environment and providing equitable, inclusive services to residents and businesses across King County. To our agency, success means clean water. It means keeping a promise to the next generation that our beautiful environment will be there for them to enjoy. It also means being accountable to our ratepayers and operating a well-managed agency. We are committed to the principles of equity and social justice. We value diverse perspectives and life experiences in our workforce and are committed to building a culturally diverse and inclusive environment.

Commitment to Equity, Racial and Social Justice:
King County, named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is a diverse and vibrant community that represents cultures from around the world. Our True North is to create a welcoming community where everyone can thrive.  We prioritize equity, racial and social justice, making it a foundational and daily expectation for all employees. As a Community Relations Planner, you will actively apply these principles in all aspects of your work. Learn more about our commitment athttp://www.kingcounty.gov/equity.

Apply now for a rewarding career at the Wastewater Treatment Division of King County Department of Natural Resources & Parks (DNRP). Join our talented workforce in protecting and restoring the natural environment and promoting more resilient, sustainable, and equitable communities. Enjoy training, comprehensive benefits, and growth opportunities.

Job Duties

What You Will Be Doing:

• Develop, manage, and implement equitable community outreach plans on multiple capital and operating projects or programs supporting wastewater treatment facilities and processes including those where there are no established guidelines. 
• Work effectively with WTD project teams and affected community members to advance WTD project goals and activities Analyze community relations issues, threats and opportunities that may affect the success of a WTD project or initiative. Assignments will include capital projects with significant public involvement opportunities and/or construction impacts for the community.
• Provide planning, assessment, and advocacy for equity and social justice opportunities on WTD capital projects using County equity assessment tools.
• Use equitable communication strategies to reach communities where they are, including but not limited to plain language, translation/interpretation, and co-creation tactics, to effectively communicate the details of wastewater management and construction projects, plans and programs orally and in writing. Audiences typically include elected/appointed officials, agencies, environmental and business representatives, neighbors of construction sites and the general public.
• Provide strong customer service to internal and external customers. 
• Direct the work of consultants: delegate assignments appropriately; provide quality control and timely delivery of work products; and determine the best use of consultant and county staff resources. Participate in consultant procurement processes. 
• Support the community relations elements of Wastewater Treatment Division incident response program, which requires night and weekend availability on a rotating basis. Duties could include safely moving through industrial and construction sites and driving metal fence posts into the ground to close off public spaces affected by response activities.

Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills

Qualifications You Bring:    

• Experience managing public outreach successfully on numerous concurrent capital and/or long-term planning projects, and navigating situations where no established guidelines exist and must be developed. 
• Success in problem-solving and consensus building among people with different viewpoints, experiences, and backgrounds.
• Experience working effectively with racially, culturally, and socioeconomically diverse individuals and communities.
• Experience planning and implementing effective public outreach campaigns that include strategic goal identification, objective setting, tactic selection and service delivery schedule. Demonstrated skills designing accessible outreach and using equitable engagement tactics.

CompetenciesYou Bring:

• Being Resilient – Rebounding from setbacks and adversity when facing difficult situations.
• Customer Focus – Building strong customer relationships and delivering customer centric solutions.
• Manages Complexity – Making sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory, information to effectively solve problems.
• Drives Results – Consistently achieving results, even under tough circumstances.
• Interpersonal Savvy – Relating openly and comfortably with diverse groups of people.

It Would Be Great if You Also Bring:

• Demonstrated ability to write and speak about complex topics in plain language.
• Experience working to advance equity and social justice through community engagement.
• Experience planning and coordinating logistics for large and small events.
• Experience resolving problems, working one-on-one or in team settings.
• Experience supporting construction of large wastewater treatment facilities.
   

Supplemental Information

Working Conditions: 

• Remote and Onsite Work Details: Employees in this role work remotely from a home location, with onsite reporting requirements typically 2-3 monthly. The frequency of onsite work is determined by business needs and may be adjusted accordingly. Onsite reporting locations may be at various King County worksites including the collaboration space at King Street Center (201 S. Jackson St, Seattle, WA 98104). This work arrangement promotes work-life-balance and reduces carbon footprint under the department’s vision of Green Where We Work.
• Requirement: Employees must reside in Washington State and be within a reasonable distance to King County worksites to meet onsite reporting requirements.
• Work Schedule: This full-time position works a 40-hour work week. This position is exempt from the overtime provision of the Fair Labor Standard Act (FLSA) and is not overtime eligible.
• Union Representation: This position is represented by Technical Employee’s Association (TEA).
• Physical Requirement: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, and use hands to touch, handle or feel objects, tools or controls. The employee frequently is required to talk and hear. The employee is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms, and to stoop, kneel or crouch. Must occasionally lift and/or move up to 15 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus.    

Application and Selection Process:
We welcome applications from all qualified applicants. We value diversity, diverse perspectives and life experience and encourage people of all backgrounds to apply. Application materials will be screened for clarity, completeness and alignment with the experience, qualifications, knowledge, and skills essential for this role to determine which candidates may be invited to participate in one or more panel interviews.  
To apply, submit a:

• Complete Application
• Cover Letter 
• Responses to the supplemental questions

Note: Additional documents won’t be considered during minimum qualification screening.

Who to Contact: For more information regarding this recruitment, please contact Diana Eberly at diana.eberly@kingcounty.gov 

Discover More About the Wastewater Treatment Division: Visit our websiteand check us out at Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, and theWTD Blog.

Discover More About DNRP: Visit our DNRP website, explore an interactive map of our recent accomplishments and check us out at Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Keeping King County Green News. 

Sign up for Job Alertsto be notified of additional career opportunities with King County. Select the Natural Resources category for DNRP opportunities and explore other categories of interest.  

Forbes named King County as one of Washington State’s best employers. 
Together, with leadership and our employees, we’re changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation’s best places to live, work and play. 

Guided by our “True North”, we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles – we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer 
No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.

To Apply 
If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions, please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.

Agency: King County

Address: King Street Center
201 South Jackson Street
Seattle, Washington, 98104

Phone: 206-477-3404

Website: http://www.kingcounty.gov/