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 have 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, Ecology is a good fit.

The Nuclear Waste Program (NWP) is looking to hire a Cleanup Section Manager (WMS Band 2). The position will be located in our office in Richland, WA. However, the agency is transitioning to a Modern Work Environment approach that allows telework and flexible schedules which the new Section Manager will need to support and implement.

The Cleanup Section Manager position is a senior-level supervisor reporting to the NWP program manager and currently directly supervises 23 staff positions, a structural reorganization is expected over the next 6-12 months which will retain 19 staff positions yet add a supervisory role that reduces direct reports to 11 staff positions.

This position has final authority over work assigned to all section staff members, decisions on the appropriate cleanup for the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, and the determination of compliance with the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (Tri-Party Agreement) and the Washington versus Chu Consent Decree.

Decisions affect the long-term safety and viability of the groundwater and the Columbia River, which runs through the Hanford site, and for human health and the environment both for those working on the Hanford site and those living adjacent to, downstream or downwind of Hanford.

We are looking for applicants to have excellent people skills and the ability to build and nurture high performing teams. Strong applicants will have good organizational skills, experience managing a diverse group, a positive attitude and a proven ability to get things done and hold team members accountable.

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 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

Agency Mission: Ecology’s mission is to protect, preserve and enhance Washington’s environment and to promote the wise management of our air, land and water for the benefit of current and future generations.

Program Mission: The Nuclear Waste Program’s (NWP) mission is to lead the effective and efficient cleanup of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hanford Site, ensure sound management of mixed hazardous wastes in Washington, and protect the state’s air, water, and land at and adjacent to the Hanford site.

Some of the Key Work activities of the Clean Up Section Management position include the following:

• Administering and managing Washington State’s hazardous waste management, cleanup, air, and water regulations and associated federally delegated laws to assure protection of public health and the environment at the Hanford site and other associated facilities which treat, store, or dispose of hazardous or mixed radioactive and hazardous waste.
• Strategically plan, develop, and implement a plan for cleanup that will take over 40 years.
• It requires strong communication and negotiation skills with the ability to convey complex technical, regulatory, and policy issues to diverse audiences including elected officials, tribes, business, environmental groups, and state and federal agencies.

Challenging aspects of the position:

• Due to the complexity of Hanford contamination and cleanup, this position is under constant scrutiny from the tribes, stakeholders, and the public.
• Because of the financial investment and magnitude of the multiple areas of cleanup underway this position often faces challenges from highly trained technical and legal experts within and contracted to the USDOE.
• Persons holding this position are subject to close scrutiny and criticism by the USDOE, federal contractors, tribal officials, state and local legislators, and stakeholders.

The culture of the team:

• Our team cares about one another and the environment we are working to clean up.
• We are also committed as a Program to continuous improvement when it comes to office culture and our regulatory effectiveness.

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.

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.