Salary: $78,120.00 – $105,096.00 Annually
Location: Multiple Locations – Western Washington, WA
Job Type: Project (limited duration)
Remote Employment: Flexible/Hybrid
Job Number: 2023-EXECP1238-07647
Department: Dept. of Ecology
Division: Executive
Opening Date: 06/15/2023
Closing Date: Continuous

The Executive Office within the Department of Ecology is looking to fill a Senior Environmental Planner, Climate Resilience Strategy (Environmental Planner 5) position. This position can be located in our Headquarters Office in Lacey, WA or our Northwest Region Office (NWRO) in Shoreline, WA. Upon hire, you must live within a commutable distance from the duty station.

Please Note: If the final location of this position is determined to be in our Northwest Region Office (NWRO) in Shoreline, WA. there will be an additional 5% pay increase due to its location in King County. In this instance the salary range will be $6,835 – $9,195 per month.

Please Note: This is a project position that is expected to end on September 30, 2024.

Located in the agency’s Executive Office, in this position, you will report to the Special Assistant to the Director. You will have a lead role in helping produce an updated statewide climate resilience strategy by September 30, 2024. You will have the opportunity to gain experience working with agency executive leadership and collaborating with other state agencies to design and execute the strategy update process. You will be primarily responsible for leading inter-program, interagency and other external coordination and collaboration to facilitate identification and resolution of highly complex climate resilience policy and planning issues. You will also help carry out engagement with external parties such as tribes, local governments, and communities on identifying and advancing recommended climate resilience actions.

Agency Mission: Ecology’s mission is to protect, preserve, and enhance Washington’s environment for current and future generations. Our innovative partnerships protect and sustain healthy land, air, water, and climate in harmony with a strong economy.

Program Mission: The Executive Office is responsible for executing the agency’s mission and advancing the agency’s strategic plan. Ecology is preparing for the future by understanding and reducing the effects of climate change on our communities, environment, and economy. We will reduce greenhouse gas emissions, promote community resilience, and prevent and remediate negative impacts with an emphasis on historically underserved and overburdened communities.

Telework options for this position: This position will be eligible for up to an 80% tele-work schedule with periodic travel to the Olympia area and other locations statewide, including occasional evening meetings. 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: The positions will remain open until filled, we will review applications on July 13, 2023. In order to be considered, please submit an application on or before July 12, 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.

What makes this role unique?
In this role, you will have the unique opportunity to help lead an exciting, timely project to advance the state’s work on climate resilience, support climate justice, and improve how the state prepares communities and ecosystems to handle the impacts of climate change. You will have the rare opportunity to coordinate with and align state government actions across 10 primary agencies bringing a more holistic approach to the state’s work on climate resilience.

What you will do:

• Consult and coordinate within Ecology and across agencies on the development of an updated climate resilience strategy, including summarizing and evaluating current agency plans, programs, policies and regulations, and identifying key gaps and recommended priority actions related to climate resilience and environmental justice goals. 
• Work statewide with Ecology staff and management; other state, local, tribal, and federal agencies; the Governor’s and Attorney General’s Offices; the Legislature; and external stakeholders to further the development of the statewide climate resilience strategy. Assist outreach and engagement staff in developing and executing an engagement plan and in gathering and incorporating input on the strategy.
• With assistance from the interagency work group, develop goals, metrics, actions, and designate lead agencies to enable reporting and tracking of strategy implementation.
• Consult with community-based organizations, non-governmental groups, individuals, and other interested parties on embedding and prioritizing environmental and climate justice outcomes in the strategy. 
• Serve as lead author and editor on the updated climate resilience strategy, including working with communications and outreach staff to format document(s) for accessibility and usability by diverse audiences. Ensure final strategy format clearly aids in communication and subsequent agency implementation, reporting, and tracking.
• Develop, write, and refine draft work products and reports, including synthesizing and incorporating input from interagency team and from outreach and engagement efforts.
• Attend and participate in interagency work group meetings and represent agency input to the strategy update process.

Required Qualifications:
Years of required experience indicated below are full-time equivalent years. Full-time equivalent experience means that any experience where working hours were less than 40 hours per week will be prorated in order to meet the equivalency of full-time. We would calculate this by looking at the total hours worked per week, divide this by 40, and then multiply by the total number of months worked. Examples of the proration calculations are:

• 30 hours worked per week for 20 months: (30/40) x 20 months = 15 months full-time equivalent
• 20 hours worked per week for 12 months: (20/40) x 12 months = 6 months full-time equivalent

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

Option 1: A Bachelor’s degree with a 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 seven years of professional experience in land use, urban, regional, environmental, or natural resource planning, and/or program development.

Option 2: A Master’s degree or above with a 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 five years of professional experience in land use, urban, regional, environmental, or natural resource planning, and/or program development.

The following is required for all options listed above: The ability to demonstrate a high level of knowledge of climate resilience and adaptation strategies; Washington state government, including climate laws and policies, related state agency roles, laws and regulations; climate resilience and planning principles; and the basics of climate change science and impacts in Washington.

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.
• A list of three professional references.
• A writing sample or communication example.

For more information and to apply: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/washington/jobs/4077019/senior-environmental-planner-climate-resilience-strategy-environmental-planner