Climate Change: Clean Transportation Grants and Cultural Resources Specialist (ES 4)(In-Training)

Per Governor Inslee’s Proclamation 21-14.1, Washington State employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by October 18th, 2021. As a condition of employment, the successful candidate will be required to provide proof of their COVID-19 Vaccination as part of the hire process. Requests for medical and religious exemptions will be considered. If you have questions, please contact Careers@ecy.wa.gov with “COVID-19 Vaccination” in the subject line.

Keeping Washington Clean and Evergreen

The Air Quality Program (AQP) within the Department of Ecology is looking to fill a VW Settlement Grants and Cultural Resources Specialist (Environmental Specialist 4) position. This position is located in our Headquarters Office in Lacey, WA.

In this position, you will play a key role in reducing emissions and electrifying the transportation sector by overseeing the investment of settlement funds from the Volkswagen “Dieselgate” emissions violations. You will serve as the VW Team’s lead on Cultural Resources Reviews and implementation of agency and state environmental justice policy, ensuring protection of archaeological and tribal resources and compliance with Washington’s new Healthy Environment for All Act (HEAL). In this position, you will work collaboratively with other members of the VW Settlements Team to develop funding opportunities and negotiate, implement, and track grants. This is an ideal position for someone interested in clean transportation, cultural resources preservation, and environmental justice. Not yet an expert in all of these areas? No problem! We’re seeking smart, eager candidates and will provide on-the-job training as needed.

The mission of the Air Quality Program (AQP) is to protect and improve air quality in Washington. The Air Quality Program’s vision is clean, healthy air and climate for all of Washington. We have many goals to achieve this mission and vision.

Please Note: This is a project position that is funded until December 31, 2032.

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. Join a team that is highly effective and collaborative, with leadership that embrace the value of people.

Ecology cares deeply about employee wellness; we go beyond traditional benefits, proudly offering: • A healthy life/work balance by offering flexible schedules and telework options for most positions. • An Infants at Work Program that is based on the long-term health values of infant-parent bonding and breastfeeding newborns. • Continuous growth and development opportunities. • A wellness program that offers education, fitness classes, and an agency-wide fondness for outdoor meetings. • Opportunities to serve your community and make an impact through meaningful work.

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.

During Healthy Washington Roadmap to Recovery, employees are working a combination of in-office and/or telework based on position and business need. Ecology is following current state guidance regarding building occupancy, mask requirements, health screening questions before entry, and social distancing.

Application Timeline: This position will remain open until filled, with an initial screening date of February 28, 2022. In order to be considered for initial screening, please submit an application on or before February 27, 2022. The agency reserves the right to make an appointment any time after the initial screening date.

What makes this role unique? In this position, you will have broad responsibilities that include managing Volkswagen settlement grants, ensuring that funded projects follow policies for cultural resources protection, and incorporating environmental justice into funding programs. This work requires a diverse range of skills including literature and policy research, grant management, stakeholder support, project management, and giving public presentations.

What you’ll do: • In collaboration with the VW team, distribute and manage Volkswagen Settlement grants to fund projects such as electric vehicle charging stations, electric school buses, electric transit buses, and shore power for ships and other ocean-going vessels • Serve as the Air Quality Program’s Cultural Resources Review specialist, developing and maintaining expert working knowledge of principles in cultural resource reviews • Develop grant guidelines, scoring criteria, and application processes • Negotiate and implement grant contracts and manage projects • Track criteria pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions reductions associated with projects • Serve as the Volkswagen team lead on compliance with state environmental justice laws and policies (e.g., HEAL Act)

Required Qualifications: Experience for both required and desired qualifications can be gained through various combinations of formal professional employment, educational, volunteer experience. See below for how you may qualify. The goal class for this position is an Environmental Specialist 4 (ES4). We will consider applicants who meet the requirements for the Environmental Specialist 2, 3 & 4 levels. If the finalist meets the requirements for the ES2 or ES3 level, then they will be placed into a training program to become an ES4 within a specified period of time.

Environmental Specialist 2 (Salary Range 45: $3,535-$4,627 Monthly)

A total of Five (5) years of experience and/or education as described below:

Professional level Experience in: Environmental analysis or control or environmental planning. Experience may include: Work related to air quality, transportation, cultural resources assessment and preservation, equity and environmental justice, and energy.

Education: Involving a major study in environmental, physical, or one of the natural sciences, environmental planning or other allied field.

See chart below for a list of ways to qualify for this position: Possible Combinations. College credit hours or degree. Years of professional level experience.

Combination 1 No college credit hours or degree 5 years of experience

Combination 2 I have 30-59 semester or 45-89 quarter credits. 4 years of experience

Combination 3 I have 60-89 semester or 90-134 quarter credits (AA degree). 3 years of experience

Combination 4 I have 90-119 semester or 135-179 quarter credits. 2 years of experience

Combination 5 A Bachelor's Degree 1 years of experience

Combination 6 A Master's Degree 0 years of experience

Environmental Specialist 3 (Salary Range 49: $3887-$5102 Monthly)

A total of Six (6) years of experience and/or education as described below:

Professional level Experience in: Environmental analysis or control or environmental planning. Experience may include: Work related to air quality, transportation, cultural resources assessment and preservation, equity and environmental justice, and energy.

Education: Involving a major study in environmental, physical, or one of the natural sciences, environmental planning or other allied field.

See chart below for a list of ways to qualify for this position: Possible Combinations. College credit hours or degree. Years of professional level experience.

Combination 1 No college credit hours or degree 6 years of experience

Combination 2 I have 30-59 semester or 45-89 quarter credits. 5 years of experience

Combination 3 I have 60-89 semester or 90-134 quarter credits (AA degree). 4 years of experience

Combination 4 I have 90-119 semester or 135-179 quarter credits. 3 years of experience

Combination 5 A Bachelor's Degree 2 years of experience

Combination 6 A Master's Degree 1 years of experience

Combination 7 A Ph.D. 0 years of experience

Environmental Specialist 4 (goal class) (Salary Range 55: $4509-$5913 Monthly)

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

Professional level Experience in: Environmental analysis or control or environmental planning. Experience may include: Work related to air quality, transportation, cultural resources assessment and preservation, equity and environmental justice, and energy.

Education: Involving a major study in environmental, physical, or one of the natural sciences, environmental planning or other allied field.

See chart below for a list of ways to qualify for this position: Possible Combinations. College credit hours or degree. Years of professional level experience.

Combination 1 No college credit hours or degree 9 years of experience

Combination 2 I have 30-59 semester or 45-89 quarter credits. 8 years of experience

Combination 3 I have 60-89 semester or 90-134 quarter credits (AA degree). 7 years of experience

Combination 4 I have 90-119 semester or 135-179 quarter credits. 6 years of experience

Combination 5 A Bachelor's Degree 5 years of experience

Combination 6 A Master's Degree 3 years of experience

Combination 7 A Ph.D. 2 years of experience

OR

Two years of experience as an Environmental Specialist 3 at the Department of Ecology.

Special Requirements/Conditions of Employment: • Must obtain and maintain Driver's License. Desired Qualifications: We highly encourage you to apply even if you do not have some (or all) of the desired experience below. • Demonstrated experience in air quality and transportation infrastructure and planning. • Demonstrated experience in transportation climate policy. • Demonstrated experience using GIS, data visualization software (Power BI, Tableau, or similar), and grant award tracking databases. Note: Having some (or all) of this desired experience may make your application more competitive in a highly competitive applicant pool.

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 candidates from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Need an Accommodation in the application and/or screening process or this job announcement in an alternative format? • Please call: (360) 407-6186 or email: careers@ecy.wa.gov and we will be happy to assist. • If you are deaf or hard of hearing you can reach the Washington Relay Service by dialing 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6388. • If you need assistance applying for this job, please e-mail careers@ecy.wa.gov. Please do not 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 are reading this announcement in print format, please enter the following URL to your search engine to apply: https://ecology.wa.gov/About-us/Get-to-know-us/Jobs-at-Ecology. Application Instructions:

It's in the applicant's best interest to submit all of the documents listed below. Applications without these documents may be declined. • A cover letter describing why you are interested in this position. • A resume outlining your experience and education (if applicable) as it relates to the minimum qualifications of this position.

Please do NOT include your salary history. Wage/salary depends on qualifications or rules of promotion, if applicable.

For Your Privacy: When attaching documents to your application (Resume, Cover Letter, Transcripts, DD-214, etc.): • Please be sure to remove private information such as your social security number, date of birth, etc. • Do not attach documents that are password protected, as these documents may not be reviewed and may cause errors within your application when downloaded.

Additional Application Instructions for Current 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.

Application Attestation:

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.

Other Information:

If you have specific questions about the position, please email Molly Spiller at: mspi461@ecy.wa.gov. Please do not contact Molly to inquire about the status of your application.

To request the full position description: email careers@ecy.wa.gov

Why work for Ecology?

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.

Joining Ecology means becoming a part of a team committed to protecting and restoring Washington State's environment. A career in public service 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.

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 *See the Benefits tab in this announcement for more information

Student debt: how working for Ecology can help The Department of Ecology is a qualifying employer for the Public Service Forgiveness Program (PSLF). See https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service for more details.

To learn more about The Department of Ecology, please visit our website at www.ecology.wa.gov and follow, like or visit us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or our blog.

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

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. 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.

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.