The Water Quality Program within the Department of Ecology is looking to fill a Permit Development Unit Supervisor (Environmental Engineer 5) position.
This position is located in our Eastern Region Office (ERO) in Spokane, WA. Upon hire, you must live within a commutable distance from the duty station.
Interested in keeping Washington Waters clean? You will actively engage a team of specialists dedicated to writing wastewater discharge permits that protect surface and ground waters of the state. If you are the right person for this opportunity, you will be a strategic thinker with strong organizational skills with an understanding of process and performance management, teamwork, and stakeholder engagement.
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: This position will be eligible for up to a 60% tele-work schedule, with the expectation of up to two days a week in the office. 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.
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.
Ecology employees may be eligible for the following:
Medical/Dental/Vision for employee & dependent(s), Public Employees Retirement System (PERS), Vacation, Sick, and other Leave*, 11 Paid Holidays per year*, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, Tuition Waiver, Long Term Disability & Life Insurance, Deferred Compensation Programs, Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP), Flexible Spending Arrangement (FSA), Employee Assistance Program, Commute Trip Reduction Incentives (Download PDF reader), Combined Fund Drive, SmartHealth *Click here for more information
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.
We believe that DEIR is both a goal and an action. We are on a journey, honoring our shared humanity and taking steps to demonstrate our commitment to a vision where each of us is heard, seen, and valued.
Duties
What makes this role unique?
You will serve as a unit supervisor for the newly created Permit Development Unit to manage permit quality assurance. This unit writes and provides technical expertise for our water quality permits. In your role, you will work closely with the region’s Permit Management Unit and the Watershed Unit to ensure that permits can be implemented in a way that protects Washington State waters. You will be supervising a dedicated staff of 12 professional including hydrogeologists, engineers, and environmental specialists.
What you will do:
- Provide leadership to the Permit Development Unit staff tasked with writing and updating a portfolio of approximately 180 water discharge permits.
- Manage the permit development process and engage with the Permit Management Unit in quality assurance activities that support permit implementation and process improvement.
- Supervise the region’s water quality experts. Provide technical expertise to permittees and Ecology staff, including engineering review, hydrogeology, land treatment, reclaimed water, and funding guidance.
- Plan and schedule unit workload, coordinate annual planning, establish priorities, assign tasks, facilitate intra and inter-program project teams, monitor status of unit tasks and commitments, and ensure timeliness of employee assignments. Support staff learning and professional development opportunities.
- Manage recruiting and hiring of staff, with guidance from the program’s Human Resources consultant.
- Support effective communications throughout the agency.
- Maintain the highest standards of personal/professional and ethical conduct and support the state’s goals for a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce. Earn the trust, respect, and confidence of coworkers and customers through consistent honesty, forthrightness, and professionalism in all interactions.
- Build and maintain cooperative relationships characterized by a high level of acceptance and cooperation.
Learn more about what it is like to be an Engineer at the Department of Ecology.
Qualifications
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:
An Engineer-In-Training Certificate or a Bachelor’s degree with a major study in one of the following engineering fields: sanitary, civil, geotechnical, water resource, environmental, chemical, mechanical or related field.
AND
Registration as a professional engineer in the State of Washington or another state based on registration requirements equivalent to those in Washington AND five (5) years of experience in environmental engineering.
Option 2:
A Master’s degree with major study in one of the following engineering fields, sanitary, civil, geotechnical, water resource, environmental, chemical, mechanical or related field.
AND
Registration as a professional engineer in the State of Washington or another state based on registration requirements equivalent to those in Washington AND four (4) years of experience in environmental engineering.
Option 3:
A Ph.D. with a major study in one of the following engineering fields: sanitary, civil, geotechnical, water resource, environmental, chemical, mechanical or related field.
AND
Registration as a professional engineer in the State of Washington or another state based on registration requirements equivalent to those in Washington AND three (3) years of experience in environmental engineering.
NOTE: Requirements for professional registration as an engineer in the State of Washington are eight years of professional experience (which may include up to four years of college-level engineering education) and successful completion of sixteen hours of professional licensing exams. Applicants qualifying through the licensing equivalency option must achieve professional registration as an engineer in the State of Washington within six months of appointment to this class.
Note: Individuals who are interested in applying to this position, and believe they meet licensing requirements for the State of Washington based on reciprocity, are responsible for ensuring they meet licensing requirements for the State of Washington prior to submitting their application materials. These requirements can be found at the following website: WA State: Board of Registration for Professional Engineers: How to get your license: Professional engineer by comity.
Special Requirements/Conditions of Employment:
- Must have registration as a Professional Engineer in the state of Washington or another state based on registration requirements equivalent to those in Washington.
Desired Qualifications:
We highly encourage you to apply even if you do not have some (or all) of the desired experience below.
- Two years of supervisory experience.
- Demonstrated ability to build rapport and partner with others.
- Education or experience in negotiation and conflict resolution.
Note: Having some (or all) of this desired experience may make your application more competitive in a highly competitive applicant pool.
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.
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 Adriane Borgias at: adriane.borgias@ecy.wa.gov Please do not contact Adriane 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.
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.
