Position Description
As the Solid & Hazardous Waste Lead Planner, you’ll manage a large, complex, multi-agency body of work, fulfilling the strategic business plans and regulatory requirements for the Solid Waste line of business. This is a critical position, with high visibility and potential to create a significant impact. Your work will enable the City to comply with solid waste regulations, ensure solid waste services are effectively provided and hazardous wastes are kept out of the landfill, the sewage treatment plant, and streams, lakes and Puget Sound.

Your primary focus will be leading the planning, program management, strategic analysis, and implementation responsibilities for Seattle’s Solid Waste and Hazardous Waste Programs. This will include developing and updating Seattle’s Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan, developing the Annual Waste Prevention and Recycling Report, developing and overseeing research and strategic planning efforts, and serving as a liaison to the Local Hazardous Waste Management Program (LHWMP). You’ll regularly advise and make recommendations to top management and support the briefing of elected officials on matters related to solid waste. These policies also serve the regions’ environmental quality and the health and safety of the regions’ residents.

About Seattle Public Utilities:
Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is a Community Centered Utility working to make Seattle the best place to live for everyone. We deliver high quality, vital services, across four major lines of business: providing water, solid waste, drainage and wastewater services for Seattle residents and businesses. In addition, SPU provides drinking water for 1.5 million regional customers in Seattle and other municipalities. Our customers depend on us to deliver high quality, reliable, and cost-conscious utility services and to achieve the highest benefits possible for every investment we make.

SPU commits to Our City Values, Workplace Expectations, and Racial Equity and Social Justice as core principles that guide our work. We support and hold ourselves accountable by eliminating barriers to access and providing employees with equitable opportunities for professional growth and advancement.

Job Responsibilities
As the lead planner for Solid Waste, you’ll:

Serve as the lead planner for SPU’s Solid Waste Line of Business with the responsibility of establishing priorities, strategies, programs, performance metrics, and resource funding needs.
Manage the research, development, and production of the City’s Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan – this is a multi-year process, involving complex coordination among diverse stakeholders.
Manage the research and development of the Annual Waste Prevention and Recycling Report, which must be approved by the Mayor’s Office and delivered to the City Council by a set date – this involves coordination of staff from throughout SPU and ensuring timely submittal of required reports by private sector businesses.
Recommend solid waste policies and priorities to upper management via Division Director, briefings, and/or reporting.
Serve as SPU’s liaison with LHMWP and set, manage, coordinate, deliver, and communicate program work plans, priorities, progress, budget, and other resources.
Recommend service policies and priorities for the City’s hazardous waste management as the liaison to LHWMP and its Management Coordinating Committee.
Assist in the development of the Planning and Program Management budget, helping to ensure that it aligns with relevant plans, policies, and priorities.
Advise, when needed, other solid waste service areas to ensure they are strategically budgeting in alignment with solid waste adopted plans, policies and priorities.
Assist with the oversight of revenues and expenditures connected to SPU’s services under the regional LHWMP.
Take the lead communicating with City staff, elected officials, and the public concerning the details and implications of the solid waste service and policy recommendations.
Serve as the main liaison with the Washington Department of Ecology with respect to all solid waste planning requirements.
Serve as the City’s representative on the inter-jurisdictional committee that runs the operations of the five-agency LHWMP.
Represent SPU on a variety of multi-department and interagency committees covering a range of topics.
Support, as needed, other Solid Waste LOB programs and projects.
Qualifications
Experience

Experience and familiarly with Solid Waste or Waste Management Industry
Minimum three (3) years of program management experience
Exceptional writing skill – you must demonstrate the ability to write at the level expected for Mayoral and Council review
Strong presentation and public speaking skills
Background in qualitative and quantitative analysis; QA/QC experience desired
Knowledge and experience with performance metric tracking
Positive attitude, flexible and adaptive approach to problem-solving
The ideal candidate will also have experience in a political environment, serving diverse communities.

Education
A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, or a certified equivalency for foreign studies
Combinations of appropriate education, training, certification, and experience will be evaluated on an individual basis for comparability to the minimum education and experience requirements.
Additional Information
Offers of employment are contingent on verification of information provided by the applicant as part of the application process.

Please note this job advertisement is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

**Resume and cover letter are required in order to be considered for this role. In addition, please submit a short, professional writing sample that showcases your writing skill.**

At Seattle Public Utilities, our job is to protect the area’s quality of life. We pledge to meet community and environmental needs by:

Maintaining some of the nation’s best drinking water
Preventing sewer backups, flooding, and landslides
Helping Seattle residents and businesses be recycling leaders
Protecting local waterways and the Sound from sewage overflows and polluted stormwater runoff.
We do this while always keeping in mind that we need to spend customers’ money wisely.

We are also making sure that as Seattle grows, it’s even better for future generations. A place where:
Less garbage is shipped to the landfill
The drinking water is protected
Utility infrastructure is well-built and maintained
And where salmon thrive in healthy waterways.

Seattle is known as a progressive leader in technology, innovation, and the environment.

As an employer, the City of Seattle is a leading local government in environmental stewardship, green building, and social justice, making our City what it is today and shaping our future. Our employees play an important role in making this possible.