Senior Hydrogeologist (Hydrogeologist 4)

Salary
$64,296.00 – $84,384.00 Annually
Location
Spokane County – Spokane, WA
Job Type
Full Time – Permanent
Department
Dept. of Ecology
Job Number
2017-EAP4409-08386
Closing
Continuous
Description

     An image without description     An image without description     An image without description     An image without description

An image without description         


Keeping Washington Clean and Evergreen

Protecting Washington State’s environment for current and future generations is what we do every day at Ecology. We are a culture that is invested in making a difference. If you want to join a team that is highly effective, collaborative, has leadership that embraces the value of people, and believes in the fun factor, Ecology is a good fit.

The Environmental Assessment Program (EAP) program within the Department of Ecology is looking to fill a Senior Hydrogeologist (Hydrogeologist 4) position. This position will be located in our Eastern Regional Office (ERO) in Spokane, WA.

We are looking for experienced applicants with project management experience, who are comfortable in field, office, and public settings; who are confident, motivated, and self-directed; who possess strong technical skills in hydrogeology; who enjoy data collection, evaluation, and interpretation; who have excellent written and oral communication skills and are interested in working collaboratively with other hydrogeologists and environmental scientists on groundwater issues of regional and statewide importance; who have excellent management/supervisory skills, knowledge, and abilities as well as staff recruitment/retention and budget management.

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. Maybe you’ve seen some of our recent stories on TwitterFacebookInstagram or our blog.

To learn more about our agency, please visit our website at www.ecy.wa.gov.
 
Local efforts… Diverse people… Statewide impacts


Duties
An image without description

The Environmental Assessment Program  provides a range of scientific, monitoring, laboratory, and quality assurance services. Its mission is to measure and assess environmental conditions in Washington State.

Some of the key work activities of the Hydrogeologist 4 are:

Serves as a senior hydrogeologist in-charge of independently planning, developing, directing, conducting and/or overseeing hydrogeologic projects or investigations for surface water and/or groundwater investigations as well as supervising a technical group.
 
Conducts surface water or groundwater quality studies and analyzes environmental data.

  • Develops surface water and hydrogeologic study designs, and site conceptual models.
  • Establishes, reviews, and evaluates water resource and water quality data collection and analysis.
  • Directs and manages major hydrogeologic projects or investigations for surface water and/or groundwater investigations as well as technical evaluations and their applications to hydrogeology.
  • Develops Quality Assurance Project Plans.
  • Plans and implements field logistics and data collection.
  • In coordination with Ecology’s other water programs, develops and manages regional surface and/or groundwater monitoring networks.
  • Performs quality checks on raw water level and water quality data and loads monitoring data into the agency’s environmental database (EIM).
  • Performs analysis of hydrogeologic data/information, prepares written reports of study findings, and presents oral and/or written briefings of findings for the Program Manager, Ecology managers and others as needed.
  • Manages projects as directed by the Section Manager or Program Manager.


This position manages a highly technical staff of research scientists. The position directs work activities in Surface Water, Groundwater, Stream Biological Habitat Assessment, and Effectiveness Monitoring studies as well as participates in policy and program development of applied environmental monitoring design activities. This position is also required to perform the following administrative duties and tasks:

  • Manages recruiting and hiring of staff in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement by and between the State of Washington and Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE) and with civil service rules.
  • Plans, leads, organizes, and controls the work performed by the unit.
  • Ensures appropriate and optimal use of the unit’s resources and enhance the effectiveness of employees through timely appraisal and professional development opportunities.
  • Supports effective communications throughout the agency.
  • Maintains the highest standards of personal/professional and ethical conduct and support the state’s goals for a diverse workforce.
  • Plans and schedules unit workload, coordinates annual planning, establishes priorities, assigns tasks, facilitates intra- and inter-program project teams, monitors status of unit tasks and commitments, and ensures timeliness of employee assignments.
  • Evaluates unit staffing needs, initiates personnel actions, prepares position descriptions and essential functions analyses, recommends staff hires, arranges training and professional development opportunities, evaluates staff performance, and initiates or recommends corrective actions.
  • Manages unit budget and monitors expenditures; approves leave, timesheets, training requests, travel expense vouchers, and purchasing requests.
  • Assures the timely completion of required or appropriate scientific reports, technical publications, Environmental Indicators, and other required products.
  • Provides a detailed review of QAPPs, memoranda, and technical reports to ensure the scientific validity of research methods, SOPs, findings, and recommendations.
  • Ensures that staff findings and recommendations are consistent with state and federal laws, regulations, policies, and guidelines.
  • Assures the long-term storage, archival, maintenance, and public access of quality assured Surface water, Groundwater, Stream Biological Habitat Assessment, and Effectiveness Monitoring data.
  • Prepares unit goals and objectives; communicates section, program, and agency activities to unit staff; communicates staff recommendations to management; coordinates monitoring activities with other unit supervisors; and prepare the unit’s monthly report.
  • Serves as lead contact for policy and program development for the ERO Unit and serves as a program liaison on inter-program and inter-agency work groups; and coordinates with relevant governmental, professional, and industry officials.
  • Serves as the Management Sponsor for TMDL Effectiveness Monitoring TCT Group.
  • Directs and controls the unit’s biennial operating budget, and manages the budget to a positive variance over the course of a biennium.
  • Recommends personnel actions to section and program manager.


Communicates Surface water and hydrogeologic information to diverse audiences.

  • Works with senior hydrogeologists from Ecology’s Water Resources Program.
  • Writes professional technical reports for publication.
  • Presents study results orally to peers, managers, and to non-technical audiences.


This recruitment will remain open until filled. The initial screening will be October 6, 2017. In order to be considered for the initial screening, please submit an application on or before October 5, 2017. The agency reserves the right to make an appointment any time after the initial screening date.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:
A Bachelor’s degree involving major study in hydrogeology, hydrology, geology, or closely allied field. 
 
AND
 
Five (5) years of professional experience as a hydrogeologist, hydrologist, geologist, or closely allied profession at the Hydrogeologist 2 level, higher or equivalent.

OR

A Master’s degree with major study in hydrogeology, hydrology, geology, or closely allied field AND three (3) years of professional experience as a hydrogeologist, hydrologist, geologist, or closely allied profession at the Hydrogeologist 2 level, higher or equivalent.

OR
 
A Ph.D. degree as long as the majority of research was in hydrogeology, hydrology, geology, or closely allied field AND two (2) years of professional experience as a hydrogeologist, hydrologist, geologist, or closely allied profession at the Hydrogeologist 2 level, higher or equivalent.

Registration as a professional hydrogeologist in the State of Washington.
Desired Qualifications:
  • 40 Hour Hazardous Materials operator certification.
  • Demonstrated skill in writing clear technical reports.
  • Ability to deliver oral presentations on technical subject-matter.
  • GIS mapping skills.

The experience at the Hydrogeologist 2 level can include a combination of the following: (1) Provides professional hydrogeologic review and analysis of water quality and water quantity problems. (2) Provides technical hydrogeologic assistance to other sections or programs in the department. (3) Measures streamflow. (4) Estimates low streamflow, flood magnitude and frequency analysis. (5) Conducts drought and watershed yield analysis. (6) Locates and maps contaminant migration in ground water, unsaturated zone and surface water. (7) Determines hydrogeologic characteristics of drainage basins, aquifers, and waste sites. (8) Performs field duties on pump tests, slug tests, aquifer tests, and tracer studies to determine hydrogeologic characteristics such as potentiometric surface, seasonal water level variability, hydraulic conductivity, storage coefficient, dispersivity, velocity and direction of ground water flow, and well interference. (9) Analyzes project data, interprets results and reports conclusions. (10) Oversees and approves various phases of project development and implementation. (11) Provides project leadership of technicians and hydrogeologic staff on field projects. (12) Provides professional implementation and enforcement of state laws and regulations. (13) Responds to inquiries from public officials and private interests. (14) Assists in drafting and administering contracts for detailed hydrogeologic investigations and well construction. (15) Assists in drilling and administering contracts for detailed hydrogeologic investigations and well construction (16) Prepares technical reports and memoranda.

Special Requirements/Conditions of Employment:

Registration as a professional hydrogeologist in the State of Washington.

Valid drivers license.
Supplemental Information

Application Instructions:

Please include the following documents as an attachment to your application:
  • A cover letter describing how your experience, skills and abilities meet the required qualifications of this position.
  • A resume outlining your professional experience.

Please complete the applicant profile when applying for this position. Or, you may paste the text of your resume within the profile’s resume text field.

Please read the supplemental questions carefully and answer completely. Incomplete responses, including “please see resume” may disqualify you from further consideration.

Department of 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 at (360) 407-6186.

If you are reading this announcement in print format, please visit www.careers.wa.gov to access the online recruitment system. Click on “Look for Jobs” and select Dept. of Ecology under the “Department” search list. Click “Apply Search.”


Other Information:

If you need assistance applying for this job, please call Human Resources at (360) 407-6186 or e-mail careers@ecy.wa.gov. Please do not call this number or send an email to this address to follow-up the status of your application. You can view the latest status of your application on your profile’s main page.

If you have specific questions about the position, please email George Onwumere at: george.onwumere@ecy.wa.gov. Please do not contact George to inquire about the status of your application.

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.

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 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.
Agency
State of Washington
Address
View Job Posting for Agency Information

View Job Posting for Location, Washington, 98504.

Phone
View Posting for Agency Contact