The Department of Ecology is currently looking for a Municipal Stormwater Permit Implementation Planner (Environmental Planner 3) in our Water Quality Program, located at our Vancouver Field Office, in Vancouver WA. Ecology’s Vancouver Field Office houses a small, highly independent staff in the Portland Metropolitan Area.
This position develops policies, procedures, and standards of adequacy for municipal stormwater permit-related policies and efforts.
We are looking for applicants with expertise in water quality-related planning and implementation, experience developing, planning, and coordinating stormwater programs.
Our top candidate is self-driven, has excellent people skills and the ability to communicate with a diverse stakeholder group, possesses the ability to quickly assess situations and make decisions, and has a high level of emotional intelligence.
As an agency, we invest in our employees to create and sustain a working environment that encourages creative leadership, effective resource management, teamwork, professionalism, and accountability.
To learn more about The Department of Ecology, please visit our website at www.ecology.wa.gov and check us out on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or our blog.
DutiesAgency Mission: The mission of the Department of Ecology is to protect, preserve and enhance Washington’s environment, for current and future generations.
Program Mission: The mission of the Water Quality Program is to protect and restore Washington’s waters to support healthy watersheds and communities. Our work ensures state waters can support beneficial uses including recreational and business activities, supplies for clean drinking water, and the protection of fish, shellfish, wildlife, and public health.
Municipal Stormwater Permit Planning and Implementation: This position helps other Ecology staff and municipalities in developing, planning, and coordinating stormwater programs beneficial to water quality, and works as part of a state-wide team to develop guidance and to reissue the Municipal Stormwater Permit in order to improve our efforts to meet state and federal water quality requirements. This includes:
- Planning new stormwater-related initiatives and permit administration, and serving as a technical liaison between planners in other state departments and directors of regional, local, and federal planning agencies.
- Working with a team of other motivated municipal stormwater planners, permit writers, engineers and scientists to discuss regulations, inform decision-making and collaborate on policy-making.
- Coordinating with local jurisdictions to resolve complex and challenging stormwater management planning issues, and ensuring local planning efforts coordinate with other state agencies, federal agencies, tribes and/or other local governments.
- Developing, planning, and coordinating the implementation of stormwater and water quality-related Near Term Actions for review by and submittal to the Puget Sound Partnership.
Policy, Procedure, and Standards of Adequacy Development for MS4 Permits: This position leads the planning and coordination with local governments and Ecology staff to develop and facilitate new stormwater-related initiatives such as basin planning, adaptive management, and local program equivalency determinations. This includes:
- Serving as the planner for implementing the Lower Columbia and South Puget Sound’s Low Impact Development (LID) code update initiative and stormwater basin planning for municipal stormwater permittees.
- Developing policies, procedures, and standards of adequacy for LID efforts, and analyzing compliance related to the updating of municipal code to make LID the preferred and commonly-used approach to site development.
- Providing significant input and insight into standards of adequacy for equivalency reviews of Phase I permittee stormwater management manuals and related codes.
This position will remain open until filled. The initial screening date will be October 8, 2019 In order to be considered for the initial screening, please submit an application on or before October 7, 2019. The agency reserves the right to make an appointment any time after the initial screening date.
Please do NOT include your salary history. Wage/salary depends on qualifications or rules of promotion, if applicable.
QualificationsRequired Qualifications:
A Master’s degree or above with a major emphasis 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 AND two years of professional experience in land use, urban, regional, environmental, or natural resource planning, and/or program development.
OR
One year of experience as an Environmental Planner 2, provided a degree as described above has been obtained.
NOTE: Two years of professional level experience in land use, regional, environmental, or natural resource planning, and/or program development, will substitute for the Master’s degree provided a Bachelor’s degree in a field listed above or a natural science has been obtained.
Desired Qualifications
- Experience communicating technical or scientific information with diverse audiences.
- Experience reviewing and understanding complex technical documents.
- Experience with complex Clean Water Act-related statutes, regulations, and permits.
- Experience applying negotiation and conflict resolution skills.
- Water quality sampling experience or training.
- Project Management experience.
Special Requirements / Conditions of Employment:
Must obtain and maintain a valid driver’s license.