Implementation Specialist jobs in Olympia, WA

Keeping Washington Clean and Evergreen

The Water Quality Program within the Department of Ecology is looking to fill two Watershed Implementation Lead (Environmental Specialist 4) positions. The positions are located in our Eastern Region Office (ERO) in Spokane, WA. Upon hire, you must live within a commutable distance from the duty station.

Are you interested in restoring streams and protecting aquatic habitat in beautiful eastern Washington? Can you see yourself developing clean-up plans and implementing water quality actions such as riparian rehabilitation for regional rivers and streams?  How about working with a fabulous group of dedicated implementation leads? If so, this position is for you!

We are hiring two Watershed Implementation Leads – one with a focus in the Palouse Watershed including tributaries such as Union Flat Creek and Rock Creek and the other with a focus on the Mid-Columbia tributaries including Crab Creek, Esquatzel Coulee, and Moses Lake. 

As a Watershed Implementation Lead, you will coordinate with landowners and watershed stakeholders to identify and control nonpoint source water pollution and restore streams using technical assistance, grant funding, and regulatory tools. You will implement existing water quality clean-up plans and develop new clean-up plans designed to achieve water quality standards and protect aquatic habitat.  

Agency Mission: Ecology's mission is to protect, preserve and enhance the environment for current and future generations.

Program Mission: The mission of the Water Quality Program is to ensure that all aquatic life and communities in the watershed experience cool, clean water to refresh and sustain us in a changing climate.
 
Tele-work options for this position: Both positions will be eligible for up to a 80% tele-work schedule with the expectation of working in the office one day per week plus time in the field as needed. 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 are subject to change.

Application Timeline: These positions will remain open until filled; we will review applications on March 6, 2024. To be considered, please submit an application on or before March 5, 2024. 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. 

Please Note: We will review all applications received before the date above. Additional reviews after this date typically only occur if we have a small applicant pool, or if a successful Hire was not made.

About the Department of Ecology

• A healthy life/work balance by offering flexible schedules and telework options for most positions.
• An Infants at Work Program that is based on the long-term health values of infant-parent bonding and breastfeeding newborns.
• Continuous growth and development opportunities. 
• Opportunities to serve your community and make an impact through meaningful work.

Our commitment to DEIR
Diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect (DEIR) are core values central to Ecology’s work. We strive to be a workplace where we are esteemed for sharing our authentic identities, while advancing our individual professional goals and collaborating to protect, preserve, and enhance the environment for current and future generations.

What makes this role unique? 

The positions offer an exciting opportunity to engage in the development and implementation of water quality clean-up plans. You will serve as the Regional Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) and Straight to Implementation (STI) lead for either the Palouse or Mid-Columbia watersheds. TMDLs and STI strategies are types of water quality clean-up plans designed to meet water quality standards when streams are polluted. You will collaborate directly with landowners and local partners to perform site-specific critical planning and implementation work to restore eastern Washington streams. 

Eastern Washington is a beautiful place to live and work! The Department of Ecology’s Eastern Region incorporates the Selkirk Mountains to the North as well as the Palouse hills and Walla Walla wine country to the south.  

What you will do:  

• Create site-specific restoration plans and provide technical assistance to landowners to help them implement and achieve compliance with water quality laws.
• Develop nonpoint source TMDL plans, load allocations, and nonpoint implementation plans; create STI and TMDL process strategies and messages, prioritize issues, and make recommendations for addressing water quality impairments.
• Understand and clearly communicate the best management practices or steps needed to restore a stream along with the scientific rationale behind these actions.
• Provide information and support on available financial assistance to proactively carry out stream restoration activities.  
• Evaluate land use impacts and utilize existing scientific information to identify critical water quality issues and projects needed in assigned watersheds.
• Organize public meetings, prepare information for public review, and coordinate TMDL and STI goals with local groups; help prepare press releases, focus sheets, basin databases and contact lists, and public notices for meetings. 
• Develop partnerships with local governments for water quality improvement projects and manage grants and loans for local agencies performing watershed implementation projects. 
• Track agency and partner implementation towards meeting the goals and milestones of the TMDLs and STIs.

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.

A total of 9 years of experience and/or education as described below:

• Experience in environmental analysis or control, or environmental planning.
• Education: involving a major study in environmental, physical, or one of the natural sciences, environmental planning, or other closely related field.
   

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

OR

Two years of experience as an Environmental Specialist 3, at the Department of Ecology.

Special Requirements/Conditions of Employment: 

• Must possess and maintain a valid driver’s license. 

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

• General knowledge of water pollutants and their sources. 
• Experience reviewing environmental clean-up plans, laboratory reports, and scientific studies. 
• Ability to communicate scientific or technical information to a diverse audience. 

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

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.   

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.

Note: References will only be contacted during the final steps of the recruitment process for candidates selected as finalists. References will not be contacted without the candidate’s formal authorization.

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. 

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. 
 
Other Information:

If you have specific questions about the position, please email Chad Atkins at: Chad.Atkins@ecy.wa.gov. Please do not contact Chad 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.
 
To learn more about The Department of Ecology, please visit our website at www.ecology.wa.gov and follow, like or visit us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or our blog.

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

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.