Planner Jobs in Washington

Summary

The King County Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) is seeking a Senior Pollution Prevention Specialist (Water Quality Planner/Project Manager III) to support the division’s lines of business as a lead subject matter expert (SME) in matters of pollution prevention and source control practices and regulations, and technical support for issues in toxic contaminants and contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) that enter the County’s wastewater system. The Senior Planner role is a key team member in the division’s regulatory compliance work involving the Clean Water Act-NPDES and Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) and sediment management programs. The position also will help coordinate source control related work across the division’s other planning, operations, resource recovery and environmental monitoring programs. The Senior Pollution Prevention Specialist will help to influence the policies and strategic planning of meaningful and innovative programs to protect public health, improve Puget Sound water quality, and achieve the division’s fiscal and environmental stewardship commitments. The work will leverage the County’s resources and expertise involving legacy contaminants from historic operations (e.g., PCBs); and technology and management approaches for CECs such as PFAS, personal care products, and microplastics. Your expertise will be critical for communicating and educating diverse audiences on complex contaminant topics, collaborating with technical teams, engaging supervisors and division leadership, and building strong partnerships for the division’s work in wastewater, hazardous waste, recycled water, biosolids, and stormwater operations at WTD facilities. If you’re driven for experience in environmental regulatory compliance, strategic policy, problem-solving, and program development, this position offers exciting opportunities to grow your leadership skills and have a lasting regional impact.

About The Role:

The Senior Pollution Prevention Specialist will be a technical lead for teams and projects aimed at enhancing comprehensive approaches to contaminant source control activities and investments. The primary objective is to support teams and organize, develop, manage, and track actions to reduce the impacts from excess household and commercial/industrial products and chemical sources to domestic and industrial wastewater; stormwater (from WTD infrastructure) and CSO discharges; and our recovered products. You will serve in a pivotal position providing expertise and guidance in contaminant source identification, pollution reduction Best Management Practices, internal and external communications and education, and regulatory compliance issues. As a senior planner, you will help define and track program effectiveness, coordinate with activities across other divisions and County departments, recommend internal policies and compliance documentation, and develop annual and long-range program updates related to WTD’s NPDES permits. Senior planners also administer regulatory submittals, databases and records requests, and assist internal budget and financial processes, and provide technical program information for King County Council and committee processes (e.g., MWPAAC and RWQC). The environmental regulatory and permitting programs of most importance to this work that the position may coordinate with include:

• West Point Wastewater Treatment Plant NPDES permit (renewed 4/29/24) and federal Consent Decree for the CSO system, and NPDES permits for South Plant, Brightwater, Carnation, and Vashon Island wastewater treatment plants;
• King County’s Source Control Implementation Plan (SCIP) for the Lower Duwamish Waterway Superfund site and related CSO basin prioritization and source tracing studies;
• King County Industrial Waste (KCIW) pretreatment program;
• WTD’s resource recovery products and programs (e.g., biosolids, recycled water);
• WTD's coverage for facilities under Washington’s NPDES stormwater permits.

The Senior Pollution Prevention Specialist also will help to achieve objectives outlined in King County’s Clean Water Healthy Habitat Strategic Plan, PFAS Strategic Plan, 6-PPDQ Strategic Plan, and Equity and Social Justice Strategic Plan.

This position follows a hybrid work model, blending remote and in-person work.

About The Team:

WTD’s Environmental and Community Services Section is a diverse team of professionals responsible for supporting the division’s comprehensive planning and capital wastewater infrastructure delivery programs totaling over $600 million per year, and operations of three large regional wastewater treatment plants (and two small community systems) serving a population of 2 million located within numerous member sewer agencies. The West Point Wastewater Treatment Plant is the largest treatment facility in Washington serving the Seattle urban core and surrounding areas, and includes a large CSO system consisting of 38 permitted County CSO outfalls and five intermittent wet-weather treatment stations, and is managed cooperatively with the Seattle Public Utilities CSO service area with 120 CSO outfalls. The Environmental and Community Services Section plays a critical role in guiding strategic and regulatory decision-making for major investments in the region’s wastewater system with staff in Environmental Services, Community Services, Regulatory Compliance & Land Acquisition Services, King County Industrial Waste Program; and Education and Engagement units. The work we do has a lasting impact on public health, water quality, and the environment in the Puget Sound region, both now and for generations to come.

Commitment to Equity, Racial and Social Justice:

King County, named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is a diverse and vibrant community that represents cultures from around the world. Our True North is to create a welcoming community where everyone can thrive. We prioritize equity, racial and social justice, making it a foundational and daily expectation for all employees. In this role, you will actively apply these principles in all aspects of your work. Learn more about our commitment at http://www.kingcounty.gov/equity.

Apply now for a rewarding career at the Wastewater Treatment Division of King County Department of Natural Resources & Parks (DNRP). Join our talented workforce in protecting and restoring the natural environment and promoting more resilient, sustainable, and equitable communities. Enjoy training, comprehensive benefits, and growth opportunities.

Job Duties

Under general supervision of the Environmental and Community Services section manager, provide professional-level evaluation and management of activities as a subject matter expert for the wastewater treatment Division (WTD) for the following core duties:

• Coordinate pollution prevention program actions for individual NPDES permits for the wastewater treatment plants and the CSO system;
• Serve as point of contact for WTD’s division-wide contaminant source control activities, and monitor the state of science, technology, and regulations around contaminants for legacy pollutants and CECs;
• Coordinate actions under King County’s SCIP for the Lower Duwamish Waterway Superfund site including preparation of annual reports and 5-year updates;
• Assist with obligations for WTD facilities under the County’s Phase 1 Municipal Stormwater NPDES Permit supporting regulatory compliance for our permitted sites, including Green Stormwater Infrastructure;
• Coordinate various types of pollution prevention planning processes; problem definition, scoping, and budgeting; team building; document and deliverable approaches and content; prioritization and scheduling of tasks: and supporting decision-making processes;
• Communicate and coordinate teamwork, objectives and expected outcomes, instructions and guidance, data collection and analysis, information dissemination, and education and outreach for technical contaminant studies;
• Incorporate principles of sustainability and equity, as outlined in the County’s Equity, and Social Justice Strategic Plan;
• Manage work activities to meet or exceed all established standards for regulatory compliance and service to ratepayers;
• Navigate achieving results from people who do not report to you while maintaining consistently good working relationships with colleagues.

Along with technical expertise, the candidate will have strong project management skills and a passion for communicating technically complex material to a range of audiences.

Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills

Qualifications You Must Bring:

• Minimum 5-years experience in environmental pollution prevention, source control, or investigations with toxic contaminants in wastewater or stormwater OR 5 years of equivalent knowledge and similar progressive environmental experience such as inspection, regulatory compliance, waste management
• Demonstrated experience in the collection and interpretation of environmental information (e.g., regulatory, scientific, planning, or engineering) to support administrative records, reports, and meetings
• Strong written and verbal communication skills for conveying technical, regulatory, or complex information for diverse audiences
• Experience identifying approaches and methods to resolve problems or issues particularly where there may be ambiguity and lack of established procedures
• Experience coordinating or leading teams or projects

Competencies You Bring:

• Communicates Effectively - Developing and delivering multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences.
• Collaborates - Works cooperatively with others across the organization to achieve shared objectives. Represents own interests while being fair to others and their areas. Partners with others to get work done. Credits others for their contributions and accomplishments. Gains trust and support of others.
• Plans and Aligns - Planning and prioritizing work to meet commitments aligned with organizational goals.
• Resourcefulness - Securing and deploying resources effectively and efficiently.
• Manages Complexity - Making sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in a field of environmental regulatory compliance (e.g., Clean Water Act-NPDES, industrial pretreatment, Safe Drinking Water Act, RCRA/CERCLA)
• Direct experience preparing data, documents, reports, or compliance submittals for environmental programs (e.g., permits, regulatory development, or legislation)
• Experience applying an equity or environmental justice framework in work or other endeavor

Supplemental Information

Working Conditions:

• Remote and Onsite Work Details: The Environmental and Community Services Section works in a hybrid model, with days in the office as well as telecommuting. The ratio of remote to onsite work will be dependent on business needs and is subject to change. The primary onsite location is the Collaboration space at King Street Center, 201 S. Jackson, Seattle, Washington 98104 and King County Treatment Plants. Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements. King County has a robust collection of tools and resources to support working remotely. The individual selected for this opportunity will join an innovative and progressive team that is redefining how we work as we transition to the department's hybrid environment. Employees will be provided with a County-issued laptop and must maintain a home workspace with an internet connection where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours.
• Work Schedule: This full-time position works a 40-hour work week, Monday - Friday with occasional evenings and weekends to meet business need. This position is exempt from the overtime provision of the Fair Labor Standard Act (FLSA) and is not overtime eligible.
• Union Representation: This position is represented by Technical Employees’ Association (TEA) - Wastewater Treatment Division

Application and Selection Process:

We welcome applications from all qualified candidates. We value diverse perspectives, life experience and encourage people of all backgrounds to apply.

Application materials will be screened for clarity, completeness and alignment with the experience, qualifications, knowledge, and skills essential for this role to determine which candidates may be invited to participate in one or more panel interviews. Applications without the following required materials will not be considered for this position.

To apply, submit a:

• Complete Application
• Resume
• Cover Letter

Note: Additional documents won't be considered during minimum qualification screening.

Anticipated Timeline for this recruitment (subject to change):

• Virtual Technical Interviews (20 minutes) - Week of TBD
• Panel Interviews (50 minutes) - Week of TBD

Who to Contact: For more information regarding this recruitment, please contact: Angelia Remolana - anremolana@kingcounty.gov

Discover More about DNRP: Visit our website, explore an interactive map of our recent accomplishments and check us out at Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Keeping King County Green News.

Sign up for Job Alerts to be notified of additional career opportunities with King County. Select the Natural Resources category for DNRP opportunities and explore other categories of interest.

Forbes named King County as one of Washington State's best employers.

Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.

Guided by our "True North", we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles - we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer

No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.

To Apply

If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.