Salary
$59,364.00 – $78,408.00 Annually
Location
Thurston County – Lacey, WA
Job Type
Full Time – Permanent
Department
Dept. of Ecology
Job Number
2020-WQ2434-07310
Apply here: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/washington/jobs/2899150/aquatic-pesticide-permitting-specialist-environmental-specialist-5
Closing
Continuous
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

Our Water Quality Program is looking to hire an Aquatic Pesticide Permitting Specialist at our Headquarters building in Lacey, WA

This position is the senior program expert on aquatic nuisance and noxious plants, aquatic plant and algae control, and pesticide use to control mosquitoes and gypsy moths, manage fisheries in lakes, and aquatic invasive species.

To learn more about The Department of Ecology, please visit our website at www.ecy.wa.gov and check us out on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or our blog.

Local efforts… Diverse people… Statewide impacts

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 does this position do?
As the Water Quality Program’s expert on aquatic plant and animal control, algae, invasive species, and aquatic pesticide use, you will:
  • Develop aquatic pesticide permits by interpreting the Clean Water Act and other applicable laws and regulations.
  • Serve as the agency’s expert for SEPA (State Environmental Policy Act) compliance of NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) permits and permit coverage for aquatic pesticide use. Provide technical review of risk assessments and environmental impact studies on pesticides.
  • Implement aquatic pesticide permits, which includes:
    • Permit administration.
    • Providing technical assistance to permittees and other staff.
    • Development of permit enforcement documents.
  • Represent the program on issues related to aquatic pesticide use, and recommend policy options to management. This includes:
    • Site visits and assisting with aquatic plant surveys.
    • Providing aquatic plant and algae management information to lakes groups.
    • Representing the agency at rapid response planning workshops for invasive species.
    • Providing information and presenting on pesticide risk and permit information.
  • Advise legislative staff and agency management about lake, algae, aquatic plant, and aquatic pesticide issues. Write bill analyses and executive correspondence.
  • Present work at state and national conferences and workshops.
Why join the team?

This is a great opportunity to:

  • Develop experience with NPDES general permits.
  • Develop experience with SEPA and SEPA document development.
  • Develop experience with aquatic pesticide use, aquatic pest management, and FIFRA.
  • Join a supportive and collaborative group of professionals developing NPDES permits and writing rules.
This position is open until filled, with an initial screening on November 17, 2020. In order to be considered for initial screening, please submit an application on or before November 16, 2020. The agency reserves the right to make an appointment any time after the initial screening date.
Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

A Bachelor’s degree involving major study in environmental, physical, or one of the natural sciences, environmental planning or other allied field AND six years of professional level experience in environmental analysis or control, or environmental planning, which includes two years equal to an Environmental Specialist 3 or above.

Additional qualifying experience will substitute, year for year, for education.

 OR

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

OR

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

OR

One year of experience as an Environmental Specialist 4 at the Department of Ecology.

The 2 years 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.

Desired Qualifications:
  • Experience with aquatic pesticide use and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).
  • Experience with National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permitting.
  • Experience reading, interpreting, and explaining scientific inforamaiton and data. This can include writing technical reports, presenting scientific information, or explaining scientific concepts to non-scientific audiences.

Special Requirements / Conditions of Employment

Must maintain a valid driver’s license

Supplemental Information

Application Instructions:

  • 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 include as attachments:
    • A cover letter describing how your experience, skills and abilities meet the required qualifications of this position.
    • A resume outlining your professional experience.
  • Please to do NOT include your salary history. Wage/salary depends on qualifications or rules of promotion, if applicable.
  • Please read the supplemental questions carefully and answer completely. Incomplete responses, including “please see resume,” may disqualify you from further consideration.

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It is in the candidate’s best interest to submit all of the documents listed 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 at (360) 407-6186.

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.”

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.

Other Information:

If you need assistance applying for this job, please call Human Resources at (360) 407-6186 or e-mail careers@ecy.wa.gov. Please do not call this number or 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 Nathan Lubliner at: nathan.lubliner@ecy.wa.gov. Please do not contact Nathan to inquire about the status of your application.

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

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.

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.