As the Puget Sound Partnership’s Equity and Environmental Justice Manager, you will be an integral part of the Executive Director’s Office and will play a leadership role in how the organization strategically addresses environmental health and human wellbeing disparities across the Puget Sound. You’ll also spend a lot of your time working with other government agencies, tribal communities and various external partners in implementing our agency-wide planning initiatives for diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI), and environmental justice (EJ) policy work.

A little bit about the Partnership
The Puget Sound Partnership (Partnership) is the state agency leading the region’s collective effort to restore and protect Puget Sound. We bring together hundreds of partners to mobilize action around a common agenda and advance Sound investments.

We are proud to offer a suite of “Employer of Choice” initiatives, including:

• A commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion
• A Commute Trip Reduction program
• Focus on healthy work/life balance
• Fully vested in modern workplace practices and design
• An Infant at Work Program

For more information, visit our website: www.psp.wa.gov.

A little bit about the Executive Director’s Office
The Executive Director’s Office consists of the Executive Director, Legislative Policy Director, Special Assistant to the Executive Director, Executive Assistant, and the Equity and Environmental Justice Manager. This team supports the core strategic leadership initiatives of the agency.

What you will be doing
You will be given the opportunity to develop and oversee the execution of the DEI and EJ Action Plan, including the incorporation of strategic activities into the agency’s work programs. You’ll be our lead in the long-term evaluation and adaptive management of that Action Plan. We’ll count on your collaboration with all the programs of the organization in their work related to human and social aspects of ecosystem recovery, addressing inequitable impacts to various communities resulting from environmental planning decisions and advancing the work of more equitable access to recovery resources.  You’ll be in a supervisor role to the Tribal Liaison and Environmental Justice Coordinator, providing guidance and coaching that supports high performance and growth for those persons.

Who we are looking for
You share our vision that a more sustainable and healthier Puget Sound comes from a diversity of voices working together for change, and including the perspectives of those most impacted by environmental and systemic injustices. You understand that championing this work with other communities is critical. You have subject matter expertise and model humility, knowing that these goals for equity cannot be achieved alone. You are an outstanding ambassador for this work, recognizing that the Partnership can catalyze change but, in many instances, relies on our partners to achieve it.

You’re a relationship builder. You are a great communicator, listener and facilitator who can draw people into collaboration ensuring all voices are heard and valued.  You demonstrate sensitivity in relationships, conflicts and potentially emotionally charged situations.  You appreciate that other people’s individual journeys may vary in this work and you value accountability.

If you are passionate about disrupting oppression and disparities, managing projects, and engaging communities you’ll thrive in this position. The abilities to value others and diversity of thought, promote brave spaces for learning, and strive for equity are essential.

Some of the duties include:

• Organizational Baseline Assessment and Environmental Justice Community Assessment
  • Develop a full scope of work for, procure, and manage contract(s) to carry out a baseline organizational assessment and phased environmental justice community assessment
  • Use best practices for community engagement and relationship-building and establish and manage clear communication channels with communities for course correcting as needed
• DEI and EJ Action Plan
  • Lead the review of an organizational assessment and EJ community assessment results
  • Create the action plan to guide the agency’s and recovery community’s incorporation of DEI and EJ into Puget Sound recovery
  • Lead development and ongoing implementation of the action plan and all related tasks with agency executive leadership and the agency’s internal DEI working group
  • Coordinate with agency leadership and the Management Conference to pursue options for revising the Partnership’s governance structure and planning processes
• Consultation and Technical Advising
  • Serve as a senior advisor and agency expert to leadership and teams on DEI topics, EJ best practices and engagement
  • Lead development of policies, proposals, resolutions and agency commitments in coordination with other agency teams and external partners
  • Support the Tribal Liaison to ensure effective working relationships between the Tribes and the Partnership
  • Serve as technical advisor and EJ partner liaison for staff and the Management Conference to support meaningful incorporation of EJ strategies and actions into the Action Agenda updates and all Partnership products as appropriate, and analysis and story-telling of EJ outcomes for Puget Sound recovery efforts.
• Supervisory
  • Provide guidance, mentorship and coaching that supports high performance and growth
  • Demonstrate abilities in the area of accountability, including giving clear direction, defined objectives and managing performance based on agency policy and HR best practices
  • Identify capacity and help with work plan management of team

Other duties include:

• Assess equity and cultural competency training needs for agency staff and executive leadership
• Procure and manage contract support for ongoing internal staff training and capacity building

Success in this position requires that one be a team player, defined as possessing initiative and a driving passion for the work, having humility and practicing curiosity in interactions with others, and valuing the whole human in each of us.  

Leadership is expected of everyone in the organization and is defined as follows:

We are committed to achieving our mission of accelerating and advancing the recovery of Puget Sound. To ensure our success, we are equally committed to running our agency in a high-performance manner that focuses on high-quality products and processes and a collaborative approach. We achieve high performance by:

• Valuing one another, our diversity, and our contribution to the agency and the mission
• Embracing shared leadership, and empowering all staff, as critical thinkers, to make timely evidence-based decisions in a collaborative manner
• Promoting learning–and implementing what we learn–by using the adaptive management cycle for both programs and internal operations
• Optimizing our human and financial resources

Required Experience, Competencies and Technical Skills:
Bachelor’s degree or higher and two (2) years of working experience leading, developing, coordinating or implementing projects or programs that focus on diversity and inclusion, equity, employment disparities, social justice, community engagement and/or working with historically marginalized communities
OR
At least six (6) years working experience leading, developing, coordinating or implementing projects or programs that focus on diversity, and inclusion, equity, employment disparities, social justice, community engagement and/or working with historically marginalized communities

**Any combination of education and relevant experience totaling six years.

AND

• Two (2) years experience working on issues of justice, diversity, inclusion and equity, including deep awareness and analysis of systems of oppression, power, and privileges, and use of research-based strategies to transform government
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills (including active listening) to be applied to a broad variety of audiences and situations
• One (1) year of experience working with historically marginalized communities and tribes
• Knowledge of and successful implementation of diversity, inclusion and equity work with diverse groups, teams, and/or organizations
• Commitment to social change work and environmental justice
• Leadership and commitment to furthering a vision of supporting DEI throughout all facets of the agency and our with the recovery community
• One (1) year of experience working in high conflict situations and demonstrating sensitivity in navigating and maintaining relationships
• A clear understanding of and sensitivity to the environmental, social, political, and economic challenges of our state’s historically marginalized communities (such as communities of color and/or tribal, low-income, migrant and immigrant communities), particularly in relation to the Partnership’s efforts to provide equitable engagement with these populations

*Frequent travel to partner meetings throughout Puget Sound may be required.

PREFERRED:

• Master’s degree in organization design/development, communications and learning technology, education, human resources, social science, business or public administration, environmental management, public policy, planning or closely related field
• One (1) year of experience in managing contracts, monitoring and tracking progress
• Two (2) or more years of experience working with tribes
• Two (2) years facilitating learning and development related to DEI with demonstrated ability to lead engaging learning experiences
• Two (2) years leading teams of skilled professionals in achieving specific goals and objectives with demonstrated ability to track and report on progress, achievements and challenges
• Familiarity with the WA DEI Council and Governor Inslee’s 2018 Respectful Workforce Memo
• Experience establishing criteria and providing quality assurance oversight for delivering trainings
• Two (2) years professional experience related to natural resources policy, planning or management
• Experience and interest in brokering meaningful compromises between polarized constituencies on controversial issues
• Familiarity with the state legislative process
• Familiarity with federal, state and regional funding programs and annual/biennial funding cycles
• Experience working with government entities, particularly in the area of community engagement and process analysis
• A general understanding of roles and the interrelationships between local, county, tribal, state and federal entities
• Familiarity with/knowledge of ecosystem-based management
• Training or experience with environmental justice, Title VI and community involvement
• Familiarity with/knowledge of the Conservation Standards, Miradi, Structured Decision Making, and/or lean management principles
• Knowledge of and skill in development and use of relational databases, cloud-based, collaborative information sharing software (e.g. Box, SmartSheet, etc) and performance tracking and reporting systems.

CONDITIONS OF THE WORKING ENVIRONMENT:
With or without an accommodation, I am willing and able to:

• Work indoors, at a desk/workstation the majority of a workday, in an open office environment with possible conversation and other noise distractions at least once a week
• Work indoors, at a desk/workstation the majority of a workday in a home-based environment up to four days a week
• Work in a tobacco-free, drug-free, and alcohol-free environment
• Work a 40-hour work week (A flexible work schedule may be considered upon request and supervisory approval, after an initial review period)
• Occasionally work in excess of 40 hours per week and/or to adjust normally scheduled hours, which may include evenings and weekends, to meet program needs and critical deadlines
• Occasionally travel throughout the state, which may include overnight stays, as required, while performing the duties of this position
• Work in a fast-paced environment with multiple priorities and competing deadlines
• Maintain confidentiality regarding information accessed or discussed while performing the duties of the position
• Interact and work with partners and staff in a positive, friendly, and supportive manner that meets the needs and standards of the office and the agency

Application Process – Please read the instructions completely.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in our state, interviews will be conducted using a ZOOM or Teams videoconferencing platform. A telephone option is available as an alternative if videoconferencing is not possible.

We are a small, passionate, mission-driven, team-oriented, and fast-paced agency with an exceptional interdisciplinary staff.  If you enjoy building community and protecting our environment, we encourage you to apply!

Intrigued?  We’d love to hear from you. Click on “Apply” to submit your detailed application. Please attach the following documents in order to be considered, failure to do so may result in you not being considered for the position:

• A letter of interest that shows your personality and voice to describe why you are the successful candidate and how you meet the specific qualifications for this position;
• Current resume, detailing experience, and education.

** You will want to ensure you have a current list of at least three (3) professional references with current contact information attached or available to provide at the time of interview.

And that’s it!

The initial screening will be solely based on the contents and completeness of the application material submitted, and the supplemental questionnaire. By submitting materials, you are indicating that all information is true and correct. The state may verify information. Any untruthful or misleading information is cause for removal from the applicant pool or dismissal if employed.

Do not attach transcripts or other documents that are not requested in the application process, or that are password protected. These type of documents cause errors when downloading application materials and will not be forwarded to the hiring supervisor.

Should you have any questions regarding this position or the online application, contact Angie Anderson at (360) 407-8446 or jobs@des.wa.gov.

The Puget Sound Partnership (PSP) is an equal opportunity employer.  PSP strives to create a working environment that is inclusive and respectful.  It is our policy to prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, political affiliation, genetics, or disability in the recruitment, selection, and hiring of our workforce. Persons with a disability who need assistance with their application or that need this announcement in an alternative format, may call (360) 664-1960 or toll free (877) 664-1960. TTY users should first call 711 to access the Washington Relay Service.