Description
Keeping Washington Clean and Evergreen: The Water Quality program within the Department of Ecology is looking to fill a Permit Data and Compliance Professional (Environmental Specialist 3) 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.

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.

About the Department of Ecology
Protecting Washington State’s environment for current and future generations is what we do every day at Ecology. We are a culture that is invested in making a difference. Join a team that is highly effective and collaborative, with leadership that embraces the value of people. To learn more, check out our Strategic Plan. 

• A healthy life/work balance by offering flexible schedules and telework options for most positions.
• An Infants at Work Program that is based on the long-term health values of infant-parent bonding and breastfeeding newborns.
• Continuous growth and development opportunities. 
• A wellness program that offers education, fitness classes, and an agency-wide fondness for outdoor meetings.
• Opportunities to serve your community and make an impact through meaningful work.

Our commitment to DEIR
Diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect (DEIR) are core values central to Ecology’s work. We strive to be a workplace where we are esteemed for sharing our authentic identities, while advancing our individual professional goals and collaborating to protect, preserve, and enhance the environment for current and future generations.

Diversity: We celebrate and appreciate diversity; our unique perspectives and abilities enrich us all and lead to innovative approaches and solutions.

Equity: We champion equity, recognizing that each of us need different things to thrive.

Inclusion: We intentionally create and hold space so that we all have meaningful opportunities to
participate and contribute to Ecology’s work.

Respect: We treat each other with respect and dignity, acknowledging the inherent worth of our diverse perspectives and lived experiences, even in times of uncertainty and disagreement.

We believe that DEIR is both a goal and an action. We are on a journey, honoring our shared humanity and taking steps to demonstrate our commitment to a vision where each of us is heard, seen, and valued.

Duties
What makes this role unique? 
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.

Option 1: 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.    

Option 2:

• A Bachelor’s degree involving major study in environmental, physical, or one of the natural sciences, environmental planning or other allied field. 
• Two (2) years of experience in environmental analysis or control or environmental planning, which may include experience as listed in Option 1. 

Option 3:

• A Master’s degree involving major study in environmental, physical, or one of the natural sciences, environmental planning or other allied field. 
• One (1) year of experience in environmental analysis or control or environmental planning, which may include experience as listed in Option 1. 

Option 4:

• A PhD involving major study in environmental, physical, or one of the natural sciences, environmental planning or other allied field. 

Option 5:

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

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

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.

Supplemental Information
Ecology seeks diverse applicants: We view diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect through a broad lens including race, ethnicity, class, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, immigration status, military background, language, education, life experience, physical disability, neurodiversity, and intersectional identities. Qualified candidates from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Need an Accommodation in the application and/or screening process or this job announcement in an alternative format?

• Please call: (360) 407-6186 or email: careers@ecy.wa.gov and we will be happy to assist.
• If you are deaf or hard of hearing you can reach the Washington Relay Service by dialing 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6388.
• 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 on the status of your application. You can view the latest status of your application on your profile’s main page.
• If you are reading this announcement in print format, please enter the following URL to your search engine to apply: https://ecology.wa.gov/About-us/Get-to-know-us/Jobs-at-Ecology.   

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.

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.

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.

APPLY HERE: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/washington/jobs/3831041/permit-data-and-compliance-professional-environmental-specialist-3

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

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.

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), Combined Fund Drive, SmartHealth *See the Benefits tab in this announcement for more information 

Student debt: how working for Ecology can help
The Department of Ecology is a qualifying employer for the Public Service Forgiveness Program (PSLF). See https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service for more details.

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.

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

Equal Opportunity Employer: 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.

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. 

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.