Salary: $76,677.00 – $87,630.00 Annually
Location: Thurston County – Olympia, WA
Job Type: Full Time – Permanent
Department: Puget Sound Partnership
Job Number: 2023-PSP-001
Closing: 2/6/2023 11:59 PM Pacific

Description
The Puget Sound Partnership is a non-regulatory state agency leading the region’s collective effort to restore and protect Puget Sound. We are also one of the Executive Cabinet agencies under Governor Inslee’s Office. The Partnership brings together hundreds of partners to mobilize action around a common agenda, advance Sound investments, and advance priority actions by supporting partners.

We are proud to offer a suite of “Employer of Choice” initiatives and benefits in addition to state government’s full compensation and benefits. All of the Partnership’s employees have access and are welcome to enjoy the following:

• A healthy/work balance by offering flexible and alternative work schedules.
• Active and engaging equity and inclusion programs, including an affinity group and an employee-led Accountability Buddy Program.
• Exclusive access to the Employee Assistance Program’s Work/Life web portal that provides additional benefits and resources to Partnership employees.
• An Infant at Work Program that is based on the long-term health values of infant-parent bonding and breastfeeding newborns. 
• An agency-paid ORCA card for public transit use in the Puget Sound region.
• A tax-free hiring incentive that includes a one-time $200 Amazon allowance for ordering at-home office equipment or preferred supplies to support the telework experience.  
• An annual professional development allowance for gaining skills that advance the employee’s career in their current field of work.

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

Position Details
This full-time unrepresented position is exempt from civil service law and has a duty station at our Headquarters building in Olympia, Washington. Within the organizational chart, this position is part of the Salmon Recovery Team within the Integrated Planning Program. We are looking for someone that meets the experience and education requirements listed below, but we also are looking for lived experience. Please consider applying if your lived experience meets the competencies of the requirements.

The Partnership offers a modern hybrid work environment, which includes both remote and office building settings in Olympia, Tacoma, and Seattle. All staff are required to report to offices and work sites as needed, including this position. You may be required to work in an office setting more frequently than others if you’re unable to effectively conduct work remotely or as business needs arise. You will be expected to report to the Olympia office on your first day of employment for onboarding.

Regular travel throughout the state may be necessary for this position.

The annual range of compensation is between $76,677 – $87,630 depending upon qualifications, although the expected hiring salary will typically be less than the top of the range, to allow for growth and development movement.

We encourage applicants from outside of Washington to apply! The successful candidate would be required to relocate to Washington state within 30 days of the appointment date. The expectation of this position’s starting appointment date is March of 2023. 

A little bit about the Salmon Recovery Team
The Salmon Recovery Team resides within the Integrated Planning Program and focuses on managing and implementing the Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Plan and the Puget Sound Acquisition and Restoration (PSAR) fund to support projects and programs that protect and recover salmon habitat in Puget Sound.

Duties
Some of the duties include:

• Assist in developing an implementation plan for strategies in the updated Recovery Plan, including working with Partnership Boards, advisory groups, and other partners to ensure accountability.
• Serve as the subject matter expert advising Partnership staff and agency boards, including the Salmon Recovery Council, on the development of salmon recovery policy issues, strategies, and actions.
• Lead the application and implementation of adopted policies that support salmon recovery in Puget Sound. 
• Apply adaptive management standards and best practices to products and processes associated with the Recovery Plan.
• Actively participate in the internal Partnership matrixed Salmon Recovery Team to develop and implement agency salmon recovery policy priorities.
• Implement vision and process for updates to local watershed chapters of the Recovery Plan.
• Collaborate with the Adaptive Systems Lead and other Partnership staff in target-setting and the application of indicator data and assessments into local watershed recovery chapters.
• In consultation with the Salmon Recovery Manager and Ecosystem Recovery Coordinators, support and advise entities or individuals working to update their local watershed salmon recovery chapters.
• Lead Partnership staff in the development of a results-based adaptation process for local recovery chapters, including clear linkages between metrics and evaluations.
• Develop and maintain working partnerships with Partnership programs, other state agencies, local governments, tribes, salmon recovery partners, and other stakeholders and interested parties.
• Support the Salmon Recovery Manager and PSAR Program Manager in representing the Puget Sound regional recovery organization at statewide salmon recovery forums and with Partnership Boards and advisory groups.

Qualifications
Required Qualifications:

• At least six years of professional experience or lived experience equivalent to competencies in natural science or natural resource planning-related field work (e.g., management of salmon hatcheries, expertise developed from Tribal, Native, and Indigenous knowledge and practices, etc.) 

-OR-

• Bachelor’s degree and at least four years of professional experience or lived experience equivalent to competencies in natural science or natural resource planning-related field work (e.g., management of salmon hatcheries, expertise developed from Tribal, Native, and Indigenous knowledge and practices, etc.) 

-OR-

• Master’s degree and at least two years of professional experience or lived experience equivalent to competencies in natural science or natural resource planning-related field work (e.g., management of salmon hatcheries, expertise developed from Tribal, Native, and Indigenous knowledge and practices, etc.)

-AND-

• Strategic thinker, with the ability to provide critical analysis of plans and processes and provide timely, well considered recommendations
• Excellent technical writing skills and oral communication skills
• Able to work cooperatively and build relationships with a diverse group of agencies, Tribal communities, governments and stakeholders, scientists, planners, local jurisdictions, practitioners, and policy makers
• Proficient in project management, including leading project management with internal and external partners
• Excellent experience in meeting deliverables in tight timeframes 
• Familiarity with the Washington salmon recovery 
• Able to work effectively both independently and as part of a team
• Demonstrated ability to manage conflict successfully and equitably 
• Demonstrated ability to facilitate conversations that result in successful and equitable outcomes
• Commitment to advancing justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts

The professional experience requirements above could be gained concurrently

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in Open Standards or natural resource monitoring and adaptive management 
• Experience in contract management and managing budgets
• Knowledge of Endangered Species Act recovery planning
• Knowledge of ecology and population biology of salmonids
• Knowledge of the Puget Sound Action Agenda
• Knowledge of the Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Plan

CONDITIONS OF THE WORKING ENVIRONMENT:
   With or without accommodations, 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 
• 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
• Permanently reside in Washington state and available to report in person at Puget Sound agency offices and meetings on a weekly basis.
• Be fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus.

What does “EMS” mean? Exempt Management Service (EMS) is the term used to identify positions exempt from state civil service law. These positions do not have the same rights as classified positions. What does exempt from state civil service law mean?

Supplemental Information
If you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every preferred qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles. If you have lived experience that is equivalent to the required experience and education mentioned above, please apply! Tell us about it in your cover letter and how that experience qualifies you for this work. For example, 

To apply
Please provide 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 describes why you are the successful candidate and how you meet the specific qualifications for this position. You are welcome to include the name and pronoun you would like to be referred to in your materials and we will honor this as you interact with our organization.
• A current resume, detailing experience, and education

A current list of at least three (3) professional references with current contact information (attached or available to provide at the time of interview)

Apply here: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/washington/jobs/3890197/salmon-policy-advisor

Things we ask you NOT include in your submission:

• Please remove any private or personal information such as your social security number, date of birth, marital status, family status, etc. 

• Do not attach documents that are password protected.
• Do not include your vaccination records or verification. 

NOTE:  By submitting these materials, you are indicating that all information is true and correct. The state may verify the information. Any untruthful or misleading information is cause for removal from the applicant pool or dismissal if employed. A resume will not substitute for completing the “duties summary” section of the application.  Please do not say “refer to resume for detail” in your question responses, or your application may be disqualified.  

Conditions of Employment
COVID Vaccination Requirement: Per Governor Inslee’s Directive 22-13.1, state employees must be fully vaccinated. 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.. Please reach out to the HR Office at denise.ross@psp.wa.gov if you need information on medical or religious accommodation. Please do not attach your vaccination verification to your application as it will be removed. Details on how to proceed with verification or accommodation will be provided once a conditional offer has been made.

The Puget Sound Partnership celebrates our differences and we are committed to a workplace that supports equal opportunity employment and inclusion regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity diversity, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We will also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local laws.

Contact Information: For questions about this recruitment, please contact Ebony.Ware@des.wa.gov or email jobs@des.wa.gov. Applicants who are deaf or hard of hearing may call through the Washington Relay Service by dialing 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6388.

We understand your time is valuable. Our plan is to have our new Salmon Policy Advisor onboard and contributing as early as late March 2023. Our first review of resumes will take place in early February. We are planning for first round interviews in late February with second round in early March. You can expect timely communication throughout the process. 

Apply here: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/washington/jobs/3890197/salmon-policy-advisor