Stormwater Strategic & Marine Water Quality Implementation Leads (Env. Planner 4) (2 positions)

Keeping Washington Clean and Evergreen

The Department of Ecology is hiring two positions: Stormwater Strategic Implementation Lead (Environmental Planner 4) and Marine Water Quality Implementation Lead (Environmental Planner 4) within the Water Quality Program. Applicants interested in one or both positions are encouraged to apply.

These are project positions that are funded until June 30, 2028 and are highly likely to be extended pending award of additional funding from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Puget Sound Recovery National Program Office.

Location:

• Headquarters Office in Lacey, WA.
• Upon hire, you must live within a commutable distance from the duty station.

Schedule:

• Both positions are eligible for telework and flexible schedule options.
• A minimum of one day every other week is required in the office. You may telework most of your work time, with occasional in-person meetings and activities.
• Schedules are dependent upon position needs and are subject to change.

Application Timeline:

• Apply by June 22, 2026
• Applications submitted after the date above may not be reviewed unless additional qualified applicants are needed.

Duties

As the Stormwater Strategic Implementation Lead, you will be responsible for guiding the overall implementation and management of the Puget Sound Stormwater Strategic Initiative, which is investing $35 million over five years from the Environmental Protection Agency, with possible additional funding in the future. In this role, you will provide critical coordination within Ecology and across partner agencies to ensure the initiative operates smoothly and achieves targeted outcomes. You will provide high-profile environmental planning expertise to support the implementation of policies and short-term actions addressing wastewater, stormwater and toxics threats to Puget Sound. You will serve as a key point of coordination to keep work on track with the timelines and deliverables outlined in the cooperative agreement between Ecology and the Environmental Protection Agency. 

As the Marine Water Quality Implementation Lead, you will be responsible for guiding and implementing the Marine Water Quality Implementation Strategy, one of three water-quality focused strategies funded through the Environmental Protection Agency as part of the Puget Sound Stormwater Strategic Initiative. In this role, you will provide critical planning and coordination to identify and implement actions that improve marine water quality in Puget Sound. You will also support a subaward grant program by providing technical oversight and developing future subaward funding opportunities that support marine water quality investment priorities. This work involves close collaboration within Ecology and with other state agencies, the Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies, as well as local governments, Tribes, academics, and other interested partners. 
 

Both positions work closely with the Stormwater Strategic Initiative team lead, other team members, and partner state agencies involved in the Habitat and Shellfish Strategic Initiatives. Both roles are responsible for overall coordination, planning, and implementation of investment strategies that will improve Puget Sound’s water quality and contribute to its long-term health.

What you will do:

Stormwater Strategic Implementation Lead

• Serve as the Implementation Lead for the Puget Sound Stormwater Strategic Initiative.

• Work with other project staff to coordinate updates to the three implementation strategies: freshwater quality, toxics in fish, and marine water quality.

• Assist project staff with removing barriers to success: troubleshoot, identify resource needs, identify and resolve policy barriers, fill critical information gaps, or improve the processes used to implement the Stormwater Strategic Initiative.

• Coordinate closely with the Habitat and Shellfish Strategic Initiatives to ensure that timelines, systems, and processes are harmonized across the three Puget Sound strategic initiatives.

• Build relations with Tribes, environmental and community organizations, and the public, and create opportunities for them to interact, participate in, or provide input for implementation.

• Work closely with our interagency partners, experts, and other interested parties to ensure that implementation is coordinated, technically sound, and represents shared priorities for the Puget Sound recovery community.

Marine Water Quality Implementation Lead

• Guide and facilitate the strategic implementation of the Marine Water Quality Implementation Strategy.

• Represent the Marine Water Quality Implementation Strategy at public meetings; present progress and program goals, communicate effectively, and collaborate with other Ecology programs and state agencies to deliver effective, timely, and consistent information.

• Build relations with Tribes, environmental and community organizations, and the public, and create opportunities for them to interact, participate in, or provide input for implementation.

• Work with the other Implementation Strategy Leads in other state agencies (for example, Shellfish and Habitat Strategies) to identify key implementation actions within their respective implementation strategies that could have the dual benefit of meeting their objectives and the objectives in the Marine Water Quality Implementation Strategy.

• Run workgroups that provide a wide range of input to better inform the Puget Sound Investment Strategy with a focus on actions to improve marine water quality.

• Develop future subaward grant solicitation opportunities that make progress toward Marine Water Quality Investment Plan priorities, particularly focused on nutrients and phosphorous issues that degrade marine dissolved oxygen.

Qualifications

For detailed information on how we calculate experience and responses to other frequently asked questions, please visit our Recruitment website.

Required Qualifications:

Nine (9) years of experience and/or education as described below:

• Experience in: land use, urban, regional, environmental, or natural resource planning, and/or program development, landscape architecture, geography, land use or environmental law, public administration with an environmental emphasis, or closely related experience. 
• Education involving a major study 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.

Examples of how to qualify:

• 9 years of experience.
• 8 years of experience AND 30-59 semester or 45-89 quarter college credits.
• 7 years of experience AND 60-89 semester or 90-134 quarter college credits (Associate’s degree).
• 6 years of experience AND 90-119 semester or 135-179 quarter college credits.
• 5 years of experience AND a Bachelor’s degree.
• 3 years of experience AND a Master’s degree or higher.

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience in water quality (freshwater and/or marine), wastewater, stormwater, aquatic ecology, chemistry, and the Clean Water Act.
• Familiarity with Puget Sound recovery.
• Successfully implementing projects that involve collaboration with cross disciplinary teams, including state and local governments, the public, and environmental justice communities.
• Experience in group facilitation and project management.

If you are excited about either role and meet the required qualifications, we encourage you to apply. Desired qualifications reflect additional knowledge, skills, or experience that are nice to have but not required. Studies have shown that some applicants, especially women and people of color, are less likely to apply unless they meet every listed qualification. At the Department of Ecology, we are dedicated to building a diverse and authentic workplace centered in belonging, and we welcome applicants with varied backgrounds and unique perspectives.

Supplemental Information

Ecology does not use the E-Verify system; therefore, we are not eligible to extend STEM Optional Practical Training (OPT). For more information, please visit www.uscis.gov.

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.

Diversity: We celebrate and appreciate diversity; our unique perspectives and abilities enrich us all and lead to innovative approaches and solutions.

Equity: We champion equity, recognizing that each of us need different things to thrive.

Inclusion: We intentionally create and hold space so that we all have meaningful opportunities to participate and contribute to Ecology’s work.

Respect: We treat each other with respect and dignity, acknowledging the inherent worth of our diverse perspectives and lived experiences, even in times of uncertainty and disagreement.

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.

Application Process

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 job seekers from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

How to Apply

Click “Apply” at the top of this page. Complete the entire application, including full work history and responses to all supplemental questions, and attach:

• Cover letter, describing your interest in and qualifications for either or both positions
• Resume

Because we base our selection on the information you provide, it is in your best interest to complete the application thoroughly. A resume will not substitute for the “work experience” section of the application or vice versa. Applications with blank fields or supplemental question responses with comments such as “see resume” may be considered incomplete.

For detailed application information, please visit our Recruitment website.

Application Attestation: By submitting an application, you are affirming that the information contained in your application and on all attachments is complete and truthful. The state may verify this information, and any false or misleading answers may result in rejection of your application or dismissal if employed.

Need an Accommodation?

If you need reasonable accommodation during the application and/or screening process, including this job announcement in an alternate format:

• Please contact us at 360-407-6186 or careers@ecy.wa.gov
• If you are deaf or hard of hearing, you may call through the Washington Relay Service by dialing 711 or 1-800-833-6384.

Questions?

• For specific questions about the position location options, schedule, or duties, please contact Leslie Connelly at Leslie.Connelly@ecy.wa.gov
• If you need assistance applying for this job, are inquiring about the status of your application, would like to request the full position description, or have any other questions, please contact the Recruitment Team at careers@ecy.wa.gov

About the Water Quality Program

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. This position is within the Science, Policy and Emerging Issues Section within the Water Quality Program. Our section manages research projects, stormwater programs, and EPA grants on behalf of the program and the agency. You will join a team that also supports the Stormwater Work Group, Stormwater Action Monitoring Program, 6PPDQ stormwater research, and the Columbia River Toxics Reduction Lead.

About the Department of Ecology

As the State of Washington’s environmental protection agency, we are deeply committed to protecting, preserving, and enhancing Washington’s environment for current and future generations. Joining Ecology means becoming part of a team dedicated to protecting and sustaining healthy land, air, water, and climate in harmony with a strong economy. A career in public service at Ecology 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. We invest in our employees to create and sustain a working environment that encourages creative leadership, effective resource management, teamwork, professionalism, and accountability.

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, Combined Fund Drive, SmartHealth *Click here for more information

To learn more about Ecology, please visit our website, explore Working at Ecology, check out our Strategic Plan, and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, 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.

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

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.

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