Salary: $2,697.00 – $3,558.30 Monthly
Location: Thurston County – Lacey, WA
Job Type: Full Time – Non-Permanent
Department: Dept. of Ecology
Job Number: 2023-EAPT179-T183-03855
Closing: Continuous

The Environmental Assessment Program (EAP) program within the Department of Ecology is looking to fill 5 Watershed Health Monitoring (WHM) Etech (Environmental Technician) positions for the summer 2023 field season. The positions will be located in Lacey, WA with WHM work primarily focused in the area of the Lower Columbia region with some sample sites statewide. Travel and lodging will be reimbursed by the Department of Ecology. Upon hire, you must live within a commutable distance from the duty station.

The positions will start on June 16, 2023 and will go to no later than October 15, 2023. The end date of work is flexible and depends on how the field season goes. Students needing to return to school in the fall are still encouraged to apply. 

These entry-level positions give you the opportunity to use what you’ve learned in school and apply it to environmental sampling techniques. Some of the key work activities include: hiking, field navigation, biological monitoring, water quality sampling, habitat surveys and using different types of monitoring equipment. The information that you collect will help assess the condition of streams and watersheds. The data is used to describe the status and trends of watershed health, lakes and other environmental conditions to better inform natural resource conservation and management plans.
 
We are looking for applicants who are motivated, adaptable, team-oriented, dedicated and who have a desire to gain experience in environmental sampling. 

Application Timeline: This position will remain open until filled, we will review applications on March 24, 2023. In order to be considered, please submit an application on or before March 23, 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.  

The Environmental Assessment Program will provide Personal Protective Equipment. Travel and lodging will be reimbursed by the Department of Ecology.

Duties
Some of the key work activities for these positions may include: 

• Being responsible for field equipment maintenance and organization, including calibration of Hach and or YSI multi-probe. 
• Read QAPP/QAMP, SOPs, and other required protocols within the first two weeks in order to successfully assist in conducting all the field data collection events below. Assist with water quality sample collection. 
• Hike in remote areas with rugged terrain and a heavy pack.
• Help with habitat surveys. 
• Assist with benthic macroinvertebrate sampling. 
• Help assess fish assemblage. 
• Assist with boat operation duties. 
• Help with quality assurance review of environmental data. Participate in unit, section, and program meetings as appropriate. 
• Attend and stay current on required trainings, especially safety trainings.

Some of the key work activities of the WHM positions include:

• Under supervision and direction of professional staff, serve as field assistant on a 4- member crew conducting watershed health protocols including physical stream surveys, measuring various chemical parameters and collecting biological samples.
• Provide initial review of the raw data recorded in the field for completeness and overall quality. 
• Suggest refining data collection methods. 
• Collect water quality samples. Assist with field work preparation every week before the scheduled sampling. 
• Collect all samples following Standard Operating Procedures in a timely fashion. 

The five (5) WHM positions will start June 16, 2023, and end no later than October 15, 2023. The end date is flexible and depends on how the field season goes. These positions will be based in Lacey, WA. Travel and lodging will be reimbursed by the Department of Ecology. The field work schedule may include 10-hour shifts, work 4 days per week.

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.
 
Graduation from high school or GED equivalent AND Two (2) years of technical or clerical (level 3) experience such as performing the duties as an Office Assistant 3 in an environmental agency or an office.
 
NOTE: College-level course work in environmental, physical or natural sciences, or closely related field may be substituted, year for year, for the required experience.

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

Desired Qualifications
We highly encourage you to apply even if you do not have some (or all) of the desired experience below. 

• Experience operating boats and related equipment. Experience collecting water quality samples, and operating aquatic sampling equipment.
• Navigation skills and experience using paper maps.
• Read documents for accurate comprehension and action.
• The following is a list of office machines, equipment, tools, motor vehicles that may be used on the job: Computer, telephone, copy machine, network printer, continuous data monitors, field meters, electro-fisher, operate boats, database software, spreadsheet software, word processing software, statistics software, van/vehicle; Habitat measures (leveling rod, measuring tape, canopy densiometer, clinometer, compass; hand level, flow meter); Chemistry measures (Hydrolab minisonde); and GPS.

Note: Having some (or all) of this desired experience may make your application more competitive in a highly competitive applicant pool.

Physical Requirements

• Working in remote and rugged locations under a variety of weather conditions.
• Traveling long distances in agency vehicles.
• Frequent fieldwork that requires both overnight and day trips. 
• Traversing uneven and sometimes slippery terrain to access stream study sites.
• Ability to maneuver sampling equipment in a small boat.
• Ability to swim.
• Ability to lift and carry 50 lbs.
• Perform physical labor required to install monitoring equipment. 
• Work with a computer in a cubicle for long periods of time.

Special Requirements/Conditions of Employment

• Must have a valid driver’s license.
• Maintain current certification for first aid/CPR (training is provided by 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.
• A list of three professional references.

For more information and to apply: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/washington/jobs/3962403/watershed-health-monitoring-etech-environmental-technician-5-positions

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. 

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. 

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. 

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.   

Other Information
If you have specific questions about the position, please email Scott Collyard at: Scott.Collyard@ecy.wa.gov. Please do not contact Scott 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.

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. 

For more information and to apply: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/washington/jobs/3962403/watershed-health-monitoring-etech-environmental-technician-5-positions