Salary: $92,000.00 – $106,000.00 Annually
Location: Thurston County – Olympia, WA
Job Type: Full Time – Permanent
Department: Puget Sound Partnership
Closing: 12/28/2022 11:59 PM Pacific

Who We Are
The Puget Sound Partnership is a non-regulatory state agency leading the region’s collective effort to restore and protect Puget Sound. It is 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. The Partnership is on a journey working to transform a vision where everyone can bring their intersectionality and true self to the workplace. The commitment to creating equitable and inclusive work environments that support the success of the full range of staff is grounded in recognizing that each person needs different things to thrive. Agency leadership believes that employees who feel valued and respected will create policies, programs, practices, and services that effectively meet the needs and exceed the expectations of the increasingly diverse partner populations.

 
The Partnership is proud to offer a suite of “Employer of Choice” initiatives, including:

• A healthy/work balance by offering flexible and alternative schedules
• Generous professional development and at-home office allowances
• Active and engaging equity and inclusion programs, including an affinity group
• Comprehensive benefits package, including additional Employee Assistance Program benefits
• Fully vested in modern workplace practices and design
• An Infant at Work Program that is based on the long-term health values of infant-parent bonding and breastfeeding newborns. 

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. This position will lead the agency’s Strategic Funding Team and collaborate with local partners, Strategic Initiative Leads, state and federal funding programs, the Partnership’s Executive Director’s Office and External Operations Program, and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and other partners and parties as needed. 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 will be necessary for this position, including overnight stays.

The annual range of compensation is between $92,000.00- $106,000.00 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 will be early as­­­ February.

Duties
Some of the duties include:
Lead Strategic Funding for Puget Sound recovery:

• Lead the Puget Sound Partnership’s Strategic Funding Initiative, including developing and implementing its vision, strategy work, and business plans
• Lead teams of staff work groups in achieving the work plan, goals, and projects of the Strategic Funding Initiative 
• Acquire funding from the substantial pools of funds that are becoming available for ecosystem recovery
• Comply with administrative and management requirements of our BIL agreement with the EPA

Facilitate collaborative engagement:

• Implement the Partnership’s collaborative agreement with the EPA under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
• Maintain a close, collaborative partnership with Region 10 of the EPA that includes strong, strategic planning and relationship management
• Manage the Partnership’s execution and fulfillment of all the objectives
• Comply with all reporting, accountability, and auditing requirements
• Exercise diplomacy to convene or support collaborative discussions among local partners and tribal officials to support productive paths forward in alignment with the agency’s mission and vision and work to remove key barriers to progress
• Consult regularly with agency leadership and programs to leverage funding and remove barriers, for projects with co-benefits and alignment for ecological, environmental justice, and human well-being outcomes
• Work with the Communications Team to tell our success stories at leveraging funding
• Work closely with internal PSP programs and partners to remove barriers, leverage opportunities, and implement solutions for funding Puget Sound recovery priorities
• With guidance from the Tribal Liaison, help facilitate tribal consultation and engagement to promote alignment with tribes for funding
• Consult routinely with the agency leadership and management teams, to help promote alignment between boards and external groups on strategic funding

Provide technical assistance to build sustained capacity:

• Develop and successfully execute innovative approaches to strategic funding for Puget Sound recovery
• Oversee the development, maintenance, and communication of a system that matches funding opportunities with funding needs
• Work closely with the Puget Sound Federal Task Force and state partners to align funding opportunities with Puget Sound recovery priorities 
• Provide targeted analysis of funding opportunities

Supervisory:

• Provide leadership and guidance to assigned staff responsible
• Direct, coordinate and review the work of the assigned staff, oversee their activities and projects, monitor workflow, set expectations, and provide appropriate resources to ensure their professional growth
• Create and maintain practices that develop, retain, and invest in employees
• Encourages and maintains a quality improvement culture within the team that leverages opportunities to improve service delivery and partnerships

Qualifications
Required Qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree in environmental management, public policy, planning or related field AND four (4) year experience managing and leading projects and initiatives

OR

Master’s degree focusing on environmental management, public policy, planning, or related field AND two (2) years managing and leading projects and initiatives

OR

Eight (8) years of professional experience managing and leading projects and initiatives

• At least two years of experience developing, implementing, and reporting on agreements with a local, tribal, state, or federal government entity
• Experience working with local communities on environmental protection, conservation, and/or restoration initiatives
• At least one year of experience mobilizing or managing funding for a large-scale program
• At least two years of supervisory experience
• Demonstrated success and breadth of experience in brokering meaningful compromises between polarized constituencies on controversial issues
• Commitment to advancing justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts

The professional experience requirements above could be gained concurrently

Preferred:

• Demonstrated success in mobilizing funding for large-scale recovery projects
• Familiarity with West Coast marine recovery and salmon recovery policy issues
• Three years or more of experience leading teams and/or supervising staff
• Experience and familiarity with environmental justice initiatives and/or working with disadvantaged communities

CONDITIONS OF THE WORKING ENVIRONMENT:
   With or without accommodations, I am willing and able to:

• Work indoors, at a desk/workstation for 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
• 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 report in person at Puget Sound agency offices and meetings on a weekly basis.
• Be fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus

As an exempt employee, the incumbent is expected to be available to work as needed beyond normal (8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.) work hours, including evenings and weekends. Regular travel, including overnight stays, may be required.
 
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?

Intrigued?  We’d love to hear from you. 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.

Supplemental Information
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 a 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 the interview) 

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 HRVV@des.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.
 
Persons with a disability, who need assistance with their application or need this announcement in an alternative format, may call (360) 664-1960 or toll-free (877) 664-1960. TTY users should first call 711 to access the Washington Relay Service.

We understand your time is valuable. Our plan is to have our new employee onboard and contributing as early as­­­ February 20th. Our first review of resumes will take place on January 9th. We are planning for first-round and second-round interviews in January. You can expect timely communication throughout the process. Should you have any questions regarding this position or the online application, contact Ebony.Ware@des.wa.gov or email jobs@des.wa.gov.