Description       

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 diversity, Ecology is a good fit.

The Northwest Straits Commission is looking to fill a Community Outreach & Environmental Educational Specialist 2 position. This is a full-time project position and includes a full state benefits package. This will work both remotely and from our Padilla Bay Office in Mount Vernon, WA. 

The Northwest Straits Commission is a governmental organization housed in the Department of Ecology’s SEA program and was established to protect and restore the unique, rich marine ecosystem of the Northwest Straits region of Puget Sound through a local-based approach.

The Northwest Straits Commission provides resources, coordination and technical support to seven county-based Marine Resource Committees (MRCs) and carries out marine conservation projects throughout the Northwest Straits region.

We are looking for applicants who have strong communication skills both written and verbal, possess the ability to thrive working independently and as a member of a small, highly-collaborative team, are deeply familiar with administration tasks, have experience with event, meeting and logistics planning, possess the ability to plan and implement communications strategies, have excellent time and task management skills, and possess a sense of humor and excellent diplomacy skills.

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 The Department of Ecology, please visit our website at www.ecology.wa.gov and follow, like or visit us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or our blog.

Duties

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.

In working toward this mission, Ecology:

• Values diversity and seeks to create an inclusive environment that results in decision-making informed by breadth of perspective.
• Works with respect for tribes and tribal sovereignty, and engages in meaningful tribal consultation.
• Strives to eliminate environmental and health disparities by prioritizing communities with environmental justice considerations.
• Values diversity and seeks to create an inclusive and respectful workspace.
• Is committed to providing people with disabilities access to information and services by meeting or exceeding the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

 
Program Mission: The Shorelands and Environmental Assistance (SEA) Program’s mission is to support community conservation efforts for our shorelands, wetlands, and floodplains.

The Community Outreach & Environmental Educational Specialist 2 position provides administrative, communications and outreach support to volunteer based Marine Resources Committees (MRC) and the Northwest Straits Commission. Primary activities include coordinating meetings and schedules, creation and distribution of related materials and event planning. The incumbent will also be a key figure in assuring the organization’s work reaches our intended audiences by creating, implementing and tracking the success of communications strategies, both internal and external. The position also serves a role in outreach support through participation in workshops, retreats, meetings, conferences and project development. Creativity is welcome as we seek new and improved communication methods and administrative efficiencies.

Some specific duties include:

• Coordinating and implementing NW Straits conferences, project workshops, virtual and in-person seminars and public Commission, External Relations, Executive, Science and other committee meetings.
• Serving as lead on all logistics; assists in presentation topic identification; speaker recruitment; agenda creation; disseminates all related meeting information; point of contact for public, elected, appointed and all other attendees; takes and distributes meeting minutes/notes.
• Tracking MRC and Commission member contact information and maintaining member database.
• Serving as the main point of contact for Commission and MRC material distribution lists.
• Organizing and updating photo library, curating images and maintaining resource library.
• Tracking Commission and committee meeting dates and deadlines.
• Researching, developing, updating and distributing communications and outreach materials such as brochures, focus sheets, pamphlets, and displays. This may include monthly NW Straits Commission newsletters, article authorship, managing distribution schedule and graphics; conference and public education displays; NW Straits Commission summary fact sheets; NW Straits Commission website content creation and maintenance.
• Collaborating on development, implementation, and assessment of communications strategies.
• Maintaining presence on a variety of social media outlets including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and use these and other resources for event promotion and project communications.
• Assisting with creation, implementation and evaluation of education and outreach projects, including establishing a plan to assess project successes and barriers.
• Providing technical assistance on MRC websites.
• Presenting environmental outreach information to multi-stakeholder groups, partners and the public.

Please note this is a project position that is funded until September 30, 2021. Extension of the position beyond this date is funding dependent. There is a strong possibility that the length of this position will be extended. 

Please note: During Stay Home, Stay Healthy, staff are working a combination of in-office and/or telework based on position and business need.  

Ecology is maintaining less than maximum building occupancy, and requiring masks, health screening questions before entry, and social distancing.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:
There are multiple ways to qualify for this position. See options below:

Option 1: A Bachelor’s degree in environmental science, education, communications or a related field AND one (1) year professional experience in community outreach, education, communications or closely related field .

Option 2: Additional qualifying experience will substitute year for year for education. See chart below:

Additional experience and education combinations that meet the requirements for this position: Possible Combinations, College credit hours or degree, Years of required experience.

• Combination 1 No college credit hours or degree, 5 years of experience
• Combination 2 I have 30-59 semester or 45-89 quarter credits, 4 years of experience
• Combination 3 I have 60-89 semester or 90-134 quarter credits (AA degree), 3 years of experience
• Combination 4 I have 90-119 semester or 135-179 quarter credits, 2 years of experience
• Combination 5 A Bachelor’s Degree, 1 years of experience

Desired Qualifications:

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

• One (1) year of experience working directly with volunteers.
• Experience planning events and meetings.
• Working knowledge of website management, social media, and communication strategies.
• Knowledge of NW Straits, Puget Sound, marine and nearshore conservation issues.
• Ability to work with a wide variety of interests including but not limited to ports, elected officials, businesses, environmental and Tribes.
• Knowledge of the Northwest Straits Initiative.
• Experience working with volunteer-based organizations.
• Familiarity with designing graphic/visual communications tools.

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

Special Requirements/Conditions of Employment:

Must have a valid driver’s license and must maintain first aid/CPR certification.

Why work for Ecology?

Joining Ecology means becoming a part of a team committed to protecting and restoring Washington State’s environment.

A career in public service allows you to help solve some of the most challenging problems facing our state, while keeping the health and financial security of you and your family a priority. We combine one of the most competitive benefits packages in the nation with a strong commitment to work/life balance.

Ecology employees may be eligible for the following:
Medical/Dental/Vision for employee & dependent(s), Public Employees Retirement System (PERS), Vacation, Sick, and other Leave*, 11 Paid Holidays per year*, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, Tuition Waiver,  Long Term Disability & Life Insurance, Deferred Compensation Programs, Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP),  Flexible Spending Arrangement (FSA), Employee Assistance Program, Commute Trip Reduction Incentives (Download PDF reader) (Download PDF reader), Combined Fund Drive, SmartHealth

Student debt and how working for Ecology can help
Employees may be eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program, which forgives the remaining balance on your Direct Loans after you have made 120 qualifying monthly payments under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time for a qualifying employer. See https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service for more details.

*See the Benefits tab in this announcement for more information

• Supplemental Information

• Application Instructions:

  Please include the following documents as an attachment to your application:

  • A cover letter describing how your experience, skills and abilities meet the required qualifications of this position.
  • A resume outlining your professional experience.
  • At least one outreach document sample you were the lead in producing.

  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.

  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.

  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.”

  Other Information:

  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 have specific questions about the position, please email Dr. Lucas Hart at: hart@nwstraits.org. Please do not contact Lucas to inquire about the status of your application.

  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.

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

  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.