Salary: $43,800.00 – $64,788.00 Annually
Location: Thurston County – Lacey, WA
Job Type Full Time – Permanent
Remote Employment: Flexible/Hybrid
Department: Dept. of Ecology
Job Number: 2023-WQ3729-05765
Closing: Continuous

The Water Quality program within the Department of Ecology is looking to fill a Permit Data and Compliance Professional (Environmental Specialist 3)(In-Training) position. 

This position is located in our Headquarters Office in Lacey, WA. Upon hire, you must live within a commutable distance from the duty station.

This position is an outstanding opportunity to use your project management skills to make tangible improvements to water quality in Washington. Our Permit Data and Compliance Professional works alongside of our team of water quality engineers and scientists to help issue and manage individual permits for municipal wastewater treatment and reclaimed water facilities throughout our southwestern region. You’ll provide administrative support for individual municipal permit issuance, compliance and quality assurance reviews of municipal permit data, technical assistance to permit holders, and enforcement administration. This position also provides specialized expertise and technical assistance to staff, permittees, and the public on our Permit and Reporting Information System (PARIS) database, Public PARIS database, and WebPortal reporting sites. You’ll also handle regulatory oversight of facilities covered under the Water Treatment Plant general permit, including permit data quality assurance reviews, periodic compliance inspections, and permit administration.

Note: This position offers a career path and on-the-job training. This position allows you to progress through the Environmental Specialist field and achieve the goal class of an Environmental Specialist 3. Candidates will be considered at the Environmental Specialist 2 and the Environmental Specialist 3 levels, depending on their qualifications. For salary levels for each, please see the qualifications section. 

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.    

Tele-work options for this position: This position will be eligible for up to a 90% tele-work schedule. Applicants with questions about position location options, tele-work, and flexible or compressed schedules are encouraged to reach out to the contact person listed below in “other information.” Schedules are dependent upon position needs and is subject to change.

Application Timeline: This position will remain open until filled, with an initial screening date of May 11, 2023. In order to be considered for initial screening, please submit an application on or before May 10, 2023. The agency reserves the right to make an appointment any time after the initial screening date.

Duties
As our Permit Data and Compliance Professional, you will be the point of contact for the Southwest Water Quality Program and the face of the agency for communities and local governments seeking information and instructions related to their wastewater discharge permit, PARIS and the WebPortal. You will build trust and confidence with our communities through honest, reliable, and consistent interactions over time, as they move through the permit application and issuance processes and into implementation. You’ll also be a critical resource for our permit managers and compliance specialist, helping to ensure that data submitted under the permits is complete, identifying compliance issues in permit data, administering enforcement documents, and overseeing the Water Treatment Plant general permit in the southwest region.

What you will do:

• Finalize and circulate individual municipal permit documents for acceptance, comment, and issuance; arrange for public notice; and final issuance.
• Independently perform data quality assurance reviews of individual municipal permit data and prepare and distribute monthly permit violation reports to unit staff.
• Organize and facilitate unit permit compliance review meetings; makes recommendations for corrective actions; and draft correspondence indicating non-compliance (warning letters).
• Independently manage and provide technical assistance to stakeholders for the PARIS database, Public PARIS database, and WebPortal reporting sites. Ensures that regional data stored in PARIS is complete and accurate.
• Interpret and provide technical assistance to permittees and the public in interpretation of water quality laws, regulations, permit conditions, policies, procedures, and guidance documents.
  Represent the Section on the Enforcement Work Group, Permit Data Quality Workgroup, and Accessibility Super User Workgroup.
• Make recommendations to senior staff regarding new or modified procedures, process improvements, and database improvements.
• Provide regulatory oversight of facilities covered under the water treatment plant general permit. Regulatory oversight includes data review and compliance evaluations, technical assistance, inspections and compliance support, and facility coverage issuance; but does not include engineering review.

Qualifications
Required Qualifications:
Experience for both required and desired qualifications can be gained through various combinations of formal professional employment, educational and volunteer experience. See below for how you may qualify.

Environmental Specialist 2 level (In-Training): Salary Range 45 ($3,650-$4,892 monthly) 
Five (5) years of combined experience and/or education:

• Education: environmental, physical, or one of the natural sciences, environmental planning or other allied field. 
• Experience: In environmental analysis or control or environmental planning. Experience may include:
  • Environmental permit management,
  • Large/complex database management, 
  • And/or regulatory compliance work.    

All experience and education combinations that meet the requirements for this position:

OR

One year of experience as an Environmental Specialist 1 at the Department of Ecology. 

Environmental Specialist 3 (goal class): Salary Range 49 ($4,013-$5,399 monthly)
Six (6) years of combined experience and/or education:

• Education: environmental, physical, or one of the natural sciences, environmental planning or other allied field. 
• Experience: In environmental analysis or control or environmental planning. Experience may include:
  • Environmental permit management,
  • Large/complex database management, 
  • And/or regulatory compliance work.    

All experience and education combinations that meet the requirements for this position:

OR

One year of experience as an Environmental Specialist 2 at the Department of Ecology.

Special Requirements/Conditions of Employment: 

• Must possess and maintain a valid State’s driver’s license.

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

• Experience assisting businesses or public agencies with regulatory requirements.
• Training and/or experience developing and maintaining databases and web applications.
• Training and/or experience with data management and quality assurance programs.

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

Other Information
If you have specific questions about the position, please email Steve Ogle at: Steven.Ogle@ecy.wa.gov. Please do not contact Steve to inquire about the status of your application. To request the full position description: email careers@ecy.wa.gov

Application Instructions
It’s in the applicant’s best interest to submit all of the documents listed below. Applications without these documents may be declined.

• A cover letter describing why you are interested in this position.
• A resume outlining your experience and education (if applicable) as it relates to the minimum qualifications of this position.
• Three professional references.

Additional Application Instructions for Current 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.

Application Attestation: 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. 

For more information and to apply: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/washington/jobs/4019709/municipal-permit-data-and-compliance-professional-environmental-specialist-3in