The King County Noxious Weed Control Program works to prevent and reduce the economic, environmental and social impacts of noxious weeds in King County. The program’s focus is to achieve voluntary control of noxious weeds through education and technical assistance to landowners. Where this fails, regulatory compliance procedures may be used. The person hired for this position will work closely with the Regional Specialists Supervisor, Healthy Lands Project (HeLP) Manager and Program Manager and other agencies and private landowners to develop and implement noxious weed control activities in a defined region of the county. The person will be responsible for the noxious weed control outputs in that region as well as developing stewardship plans for properties as outlined in HeLP.  For more information about the Program, please see: www.kingcounty.gov/weeds.

Who May Apply: This position is open to all qualified applicants.

Permanent Telecommuting Requirement
The work associated with this position will be performed remotely on a permanent basis.  There will be situations where the employee is required to report to a County worksite. Employees must reside in WA state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.

Employees will be provided with a County issued laptop and must maintain a workspace with an internet connection (access may be supplemented in some situations) where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours. Please note that when an employee conducts work that is likely to bring them in contact with another individual, safety precautions are required by the department in alignment with the Public Health Directive from the Seattle & King County Public Health Officer. King County is doing its part to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and remains committed to reducing our carbon footprint.

To support employees during this time King County has a robust collection of tools and resources to support working remotely. The individual selected for this opportunity will be joining an innovative and progressive team.

Work Location: Primarily teleworking and the King Street Center 201 S. Jackson St., Seattle WA 98104

Work Schedule: This position is covered under the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and is overtime eligible. This full-time position works a 40-hour work week.

• Conduct field surveys to identify, document and map noxious weed infestations.
• Frequent contact with landowners to notify them about noxious weed infestations, assisting them with plant identification and providing technical assistance on best control options.
• Regular communications with the landowners outlining regulatory compliance requirements related to noxious weed infestations, respond to information requests from citizens/landowners and noxious weed reports/complaints.
• Work with municipal and other public agency staff and contractors to achieve control of noxious weeds on public property.
• Enter, maintain and interpret data in program databases (spatial and relational databases).
• Prepare written reports, letters and enforcement notices.
• Conduct and or gather research on the best methods for control or eradication of noxious weeds.
• Conduct field research involving setting up study plots, transects and analyzing results. Author technical papers/presentations explaining methodologies and results.
• Participate directly in weed control activities, including the physical removal of noxious weeds or utilizing other weed control methods including chemical control.
• Facilitate weed management efforts by working with volunteer and landowner groups.
• Responsible for implementation of special projects and major program components.
• Assist in the management of grants including planning and implementation of grant-funded activities, monitoring and reporting results.
• Develop stewardship plans in conjunction with the Healthy Lands Project.
• Job duties may include coordinating the work of field crews or other program staff to implement weed surveys or weed control projects.
• Conduct community outreach, public presentations training and educational events. Throughout the year, may serve at public events and fairs to answer questions about noxious weeds.   Will also provide workshops and presentations throughout the year.

• Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science, Botany, Forestry, Agriculture, Horticulture, or related field, and two years’ practical experience (beyond fieldwork conducted through educational coursework) in invasive plant management.  Or any combination of education and experience that clearly demonstrates the ability to perform the job duties of the classification.
• Ability to identify noxious weeds found in Washington. Knowledge of noxious weed taxonomy, biology, and impacts.
• Ability to identify native plants as well as common ornamental plants found in western Washington.
• Ability to identify natural phenomena such as wetlands, floodplains, river corridors, soil types and other environmental conditions.
• Knowledge of integrated pest management and weed control methods.  Demonstrated field experience (beyond field work conducted through educational coursework) and expertise in managing noxious weed infestations and their impacts to natural resources (including the use of herbicides where appropriate).
• Working knowledge of restoration techniques and theories.
• Knowledge of field equipment including safe operation and field maintenance of equipment such as hand tools, chainsaws, brush cutters, backpack and power sprayers.
• Ability to effectively communicate with the public on difficult, sensitive and technical issues, both verbally and in writing.
• Knowledge of Washington State Noxious Weed Control Law and other relevant local, state and federal laws.
• Knowledge of regulatory compliance and enforcement procedures as they pertain to noxious weed control.
• Ability to design, coordinate, manage and execute complex projects.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team with diverse backgrounds, coordinating with others to facilitate teamwork.
• Ability to perform multiple tasks simultaneously under tight deadlines, prioritizing work and managing own time.
• Ability to develop cooperative working relationships with Federal, State and local municipalities.
• Ability to gather, manipulate, and analyze data utilizing a computer and various other tools including: relational databases and ARC GIS system, ArcGIS for Mobile, Global Positioning Systems (GPS), and Microsoft Office applications.

Desirable QUALIFICATIONS:

• Oversee QA/QC of GIS and SQL server data with queries and scripts.
• Develop and maintain a program dashboard using Power BI and or ArcGIS.
• Develop and maintain GIS geodatabase schema.
• Able to perform geoprocessing tasks utilizing model building and Python scripts.

Necessary Special Requirements:

• A final offer of employment will be contingent upon successfully passing a pre-employment physical.
• Possession of a valid Washington State Driver’s license prior to employment.
• Ability to conduct noxious weed surveys from a car and on foot over terrain of varying difficulty, including steep areas and dense vegetation.
• Ability to control noxious weeds using Integrated Pest Management methods. Exposure to inclement weather conditions is to be expected.
• Must be able to travel and work occasional evenings and weekends.
• Must be able to obtain a Washington State Public Pesticide Operator license within 30 days of hire.

Physical Requirements:
This position requires the ability to perform extensive field work in occasionally difficult conditions, including: walking on uneven terrain and in slippery conditions; walking through mucky, brushy or densely forested sites; working in and around streams, rivers, and wetlands; carrying up to forty lbs. of field equipment. Long hours (10+ hour days) are sometimes needed for field work. Fieldwork may involve working in remote locations and during inclement weather.

Application and Selection Process: Application materials will be screened for clarity, completeness including online application, cover letter and resume, and responsiveness to the list of qualifications, skills, and abilities. The most competitive candidates may be invited to participate in one or more panel interviews. Applications without the following required materials may not be considered for this position.

• A letter of interest detailing your background and describing how your lived experiences meets the qualifications of this position and has prepared you to perform the duties of the job. At the least, all required qualifications should be addressed.
• Responses to supplemental questions.
• King County online application form.
• An optional resume, only if you wish to detail additional experience relevant to the position.

This application pool may be used over the next several months to fill temporary work unit openings (e.g., term-limited, temporary or special duty assignments).

Union Representation: Positions in this classification are not represented.

For more information regarding this recruitment, please contact:
Calvin Rivers, Senior Human Resources Analyst
crivers@kingcounty.gov
206-263-1986

Forbes recently named King County as one of Washington State’s best employers. 

Together, with leadership and our employees, we’re changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation’s best places to live, work and play. 

Guided by our “True North“, we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles–we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer
No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.

To Apply
If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact your recruiter listed on this job announcement.