Salary: $5,268.00 – $7,085.00 Monthly
Location: Thurston County – Tumwater, WA
Job Type: Full Time – Permanent
Remote Employment: Flexible/Hybrid
Department: Dept. of Health
Job Number: DOH7189
Closing: 4/2/2023 11:59 PM Pacific

As the principal planning consultant of the Wastewater Management Program, at the direction of the Wastewater Program Section Manager, the Environmental Planner 4 (HSC4) is responsible for:

• Independently performing policy analysis on emergent issues in onsite wastewater management to ensure that public health and the environment are protected from the risks associated with onsite wastewater treatment and management.  
• Engaging impacted communities and agencies in collaborative planning and policy, rule, and guidance development to address important emergent issues in wastewater management, with a focus on:
  • Onsite sewage system (septic system) inspection programs
  • Climate impacts in wastewater management
  • Impacts from nitrogen and phosphorus from septic systems
  • Impacts from wastewater contaminants of emerging concern
  • Verification of wastewater treatment technology efficacy
  • Septage management
• Facilitating and assisting in development and revision of wastewater rules, standards, guidance documents, reports, and similar documents.
• Leading development and revision of planning documents to guide long term and strategic activities of the Wastewater Management Section.
• Lead development strategic goals and development and tracking of indicators and metrics to track success towards these goals.

This position serves as a technical expert with detailed experience and knowledge of onsite sewage systems, wastewater management, and/or water reuse systems. They use well developed ethical collaborative planning, research, project management, and facilitation skills to lead and support policy processes and conversations. They liaise and coordinate with subject matter experts, planners, and policy experts to develop policy solutions and options and track progress toward policy and strategic goals. 

Ideal Candidate
Has a driving passion for the work, brings humility to their job and interactions, and understands how their actions affect others. They see the needs and objectives of others and take them into account while achieving their objectives, and they adapt their approach and expectations accordingly. They demonstrate resilience and outward behaviors even when confronted with others who are not open or collaborative. 

Required Qualifications
Option 1.) Five (5) years of professional experience in land use, urban, regional, environmental, or natural resource planning, and/or program development, with at least one year of experience working on issues related to onsite sewage systems, wastewater management, and/or water reuse systems.

Option 2.) A Bachelor’s degree or above with 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 three (3) years of professional experience in land use, urban, regional, environmental, or natural resource planning, and/or program development, with at least one year of experience working on issues related to onsite sewage systems, wastewater management, and/or water reuse systems.

Option 3.) A Master’s degree or above with 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 two (2) years of professional experience in land use, urban, regional, environmental, or natural resource planning, and/or program development, with at least one year of experience working on issues related to onsite sewage systems, wastewater management, and/or water reuse systems.

Application Process

• A cover letter (without any personal pictures), describing how you meet the qualifications and why you are interested in this position.
• A current resume (without any personal pictures).
• Three (3) or more professional references, to be listed in your profile under the references section which includes at least one supervisor, peer, and (if you have supervised staff) someone you have supervised or led.

For more information and to apply: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/washington/jobs/3955951/wastewater-environmental-planner-hsc4-doh7189

Important Note: Do not attach any documents that include photos, letters of recommendation, or private information (social security number, year of birth, transcripts, etc.).   

Applicants wishing to claim Veterans Preference should attach a copy of their DD-214 (Member 4 copy), NGB 22, or signed verification of service letter from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs to their application. Please remove or cover any personally identifiable data such as social security numbers and year of birth.

Work that matters: Public health promotes and protects the health of the people of the state of Washington, in the communities where they live, learn, work and play. The agency realizes that our efforts to achieve more equitable health outcomes for the communities we serve begins with our ability to operationalize and institutionalize equity throughout our internal policies, systems, and practices.  View Celebrating Public Health

Join a great team and lead us into the future: The mission of the Department of Health’s Office of Environmental Health & Safety (OEHS) is to improve the health of people in Washington state by reducing and preventing, where possible, human exposure to a variety of environmental hazards and disease pathogens associated with the treatment and disposal of wastewater, the food we eat, the schools our children attend, and the places we recreate and overnight.

About us
The Department of Health (DOH) works with others to protect and improve the health of all people in Washington state. We are committed to our cornerstone values of Equity, Innovation, and Engagement (EIE) to reenergize our commitment to health for all — creating policies and conditions so everyone can live their healthiest lives. We cannot embark on this journey alone. We must collaborate with communities, community-based organizations, local public health entities, governmental partners, health care providers and systems, the private sector, Tribal Nations, and many, many more. Infusing our agency’s values into how we transform our services, go about our activities, and strengthen our core work, is critical to the bright and robust future ahead. Learn more about our Transformational Plan 

     Why DOH?

• One of the most competitive benefits package in the nation that is designed to meet the needs of you and your family. Beyond the traditional benefits such as Health, Life Insurance, Retirement, and related benefits, we offer Flex Spending Accounts, Dependent Care Assistance, Deferred Compensation and so much more.
• A commitment to work/life balance by offering flexible schedules and telework options for many positions.
• A commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion that fosters an inclusive environment. 
• Employees earn between 14 and 25 days of paid vacation per year depending on the length of employment. 
• A wellness program that offers education, access to healthy food, and fitness classes.
• An Infant at Work Program based on the long-term health values of breastfeeding newborns and infant-parent bonding.  
• Employee resource groups that provide forums for employees to gather and share ideas about matters that affect their personal and professional lives and support career development.   
• DOH is a qualifying employer for the Public Service Forgiveness Program (PSLF). See https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service for more details.

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

Conditions of Employment/Working Conditions
All employees engaging in work for the Department of Health must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before their hire date. The Office of Human Resources will verify proof of vaccination after an employment offer has been extended. 

Please reach out to Human Resources at HR@doh.wa.gov if you need information on a medical or religious accommodation.

     With or without an accommodation, I am willing and able to:

• Legally operate a state- or privately-owned vehicle OR provide alternative transportation while on state business.
• Must be willing and able to travel to meetings, training and field investigations, sometimes beyond normal work hours.
• Participate in emergency response exercises and emergency events/high-priority assignments, as assigned.

If you have questions, need alternative formats, or other assistance please April Gilreath at (360) 236-4545, april.gilreath@doh.wa.gov, or TDD Relay at 1-800-833-6384 or 7-1-1.

Technical support is provided by NEOGOV, 855-524-5627 (can’t log in, password or email issues, error messages).

Supplemental Information
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 are filled, the recruitment may only be used to fill additional open positions for the next sixty (60) days. 

Only applicants who follow the directions and complete the Application Process in-full will have their responses reviewed for consideration.

Experience and/or education selected, listed, and/or detailed in the Supplemental Questions must be verifiable on the detailed applicant profile submitted.

For more information and to apply: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/washington/jobs/3955951/wastewater-environmental-planner-hsc4-doh7189