Salary: $61,632.00 – $82,896.00 Annually
Location: Multiple Locations – Western Washington, WA
Job Type: Full Time – Permanent
Remote Employment: Flexible/Hybrid
Department: Dept. of Ecology
Job Number: 2023-WQ4167-03673
Closing: Continuous

The Water Quality program within the Department of Ecology is looking to fill a Municipal Stormwater Permit Planner (Environmental Planner 3) position. This position can be located in either of the following offices:

Southwest Region Office (SWRO) in Lacey, WA.
Vancouver Field Office (VFO) in Vancouver, WA.

Upon hire, you must live within a commutable distance from the duty station.

Are you passionate about protecting the water quality in Washington State? As the population grows, urban development increases. This means more people, more developed land, and an increase in stormwater runoff and pollution to Washington’s waters. Ecology issues permits under federal and state laws to control surface and groundwater pollution from runoff. We are looking for applicants to join our team who have knowledge in water quality-related planning and implementation, experience developing, planning, and coordinating stormwater programs, and the ability to communicate with a diverse stakeholder group.

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 are subject to change.

Application Timeline: This position will remain open until filled, we will review applications on April 3, 2023. In order to be considered, please submit an application on or before April 2, 2023. If your application isn’t received by this date, it may not be considered. The agency reserves the right to make a Hire any time after the initial screening date. 

Duties
Municipal stormwater general permits regulate discharges from municipal stormwater systems. These drainage systems are separated from sanitary sewer systems and are owned or operated by cities, counties, and other public entities. As a Municipal Permit Planner, you serve as an independent project manager responsible for guiding the development and implementation of municipal stormwater programs beneficial to water quality at the city and county level in the Southwest Region– including Clark, Lewis, Cowlitz, and Thurston Counties.

What you will do: 
You will guide the development and implementation of municipal stormwater programs at the city and county level in the Southwest Region. You will:

  • Provide consultation and planning assistance to local government agencies.
  • Assist municipalities in developing, planning, and coordinating stormwater programs beneficial to water quality.
  • Coordinate activities for the reissuance of the Municipal Stormwater Permit to improve efforts to meet water quality improvement plans and other state and federal water quality requirements.
  • Respond to inquiries, complaints, and other requests for compliance/enforcement information from permittees and the public.
  • Initiate enforcement actions as needed.

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.

Option One:

A Bachelor’s degree with major emphasis in land use, urban, regional, environmental, or natural resource planning, landscape architecture, geography, land use or environmental law, public administration with an environmental emphasis, or closely related field  

AND 

Four years of professional experience in land use, urban, regional, environmental, or natural resource planning, and/or program development.

Option Two:

A Master’s degree or above with major emphasis in land use, urban, regional, environmental, or natural resource planning, landscape architecture, geography, land use or environmental law, public administration with an environmental emphasis, or closely related field. 

AND 

Two years of professional experience in land use, urban, regional, environmental, or natural resource planning, and/or program development.

Option Three:

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

Special Requirements/Conditions of Employment: 

  • Must possess and maintain a valid 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 communicating technical or scientific information with diverse audiences.
  • Experience applying negotiation and conflict resolution skills.
  • Project Management experience. 

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

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.

For more information and to apply: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/washington/jobs/3956983/municipal-stormwater-permit-planner-environmental-planner-3

Please do NOT include your salary history. Wage/salary depends on qualifications or rules of promotion, if applicable.  
 
For Your Privacy:
When attaching documents to your application (such as 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. 

Per Governor Inslee’s Directive 22-13.1, state employees must be fully vaccinated effective November 4, 2022. Providing proof of being fully vaccinated is a condition of employment and your vaccine status will be verified prior to starting work. Being fully vaccinated means two weeks after you have received the second dose in a two-dose series of a COVID-19 vaccine or a single-dose COVID-19 vaccine authorized for emergency use, licensed or otherwise authorized or approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or listed for emergency use or otherwise approved by the World Health Organization. If you have questions, please contact Careers@ecy.wa.gov with “COVID-19 vaccination” in the subject line.

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. 

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

Why work for Ecology?
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.

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 your health and financial security a priority. We combine one of the most competitive benefits packages in the nation with a strong commitment to life/work balance.

To learn more about The Department of Ecology, please visit our website at www.ecology.wa.gov

Note: 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. 

For more information and to apply: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/washington/jobs/3956983/municipal-stormwater-permit-planner-environmental-planner-3

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