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Outreach and Involvement Coordinator (Community Outreach and Environmental Education Specialist 4)



 
Keeping Washington Clean and Evergreen

 
The Department of Ecology's Hazardous Waste & Toxics Reduction (HWTR) Program is looking for an Outreach & Education Specialist in our Northwest Regional Office in Bellevue, WA.

This position serves as the program's senior Community Outreach & Environmental Education Specialist responsible for creating strategies to explain and inform the public and other stakeholders about Ecology activities, especially at Corrective Action and permitted Treatment, Storage, and Disposal sites in Washington State. 

Our top candidate will have excellent people skills, the ability to communicate with a diverse audience, have natural curiosity, and be a great listener with 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 Ecology, please visit our website at www.ecology.wa.gov and follow, like or visit us on LinkedInTwitterFacebookInstagram or our blog.
 

Local efforts... Diverse people... Statewide impacts



 
Duties


 
The HWTR Program enforces many of Washington's toxics laws. This includes hazardous waste laws that Washington businesses, both large and small, must follow. We also offer technical assistance to businesses to reduce or eliminate their use of hazardous chemicals, work to identify safer chemical alternatives, support the development of green chemistry, manage cleanup sites, and test consumer products for toxic chemicals.


What does the Outreach & Education Specialist do?

The main goal of this position is to help people understand the cleanup sites near them. The person in this position will need to figure out how to involve and inform people near these sites, including attending city and community councils, and cultural group events and fairs. To do this, this position will:
  • Conduct public engagement at high profile cleanup sites in Washington where risk communication, stakeholder engagement, and political factors can complicate decision-making and affect public trust.
  • Develop public participation plans and establish community outreach strategies.
  • Determine the appropriate level of public involvement required for each project, and strategize how to actively engage the public and local and regional stakeholders about decisions that need to be made.
  • Effectively plan and navigate politically contentious forums where the public and stakeholder concerns could become dynamic, unpredictable, and heated.
  • Develop and create appropriate outreach materials and tools for specific audiences, such as local interest groups, elected officials, tribes, federal agencies such as EPA, and statewide environmental advocacy groups. 
  • Identify and consider the emerging issues for each site that may require modification of the public involvement strategy.
  • Facilitate effective public and community participation for on-going site cleanups.
  • Develop, coordinate, and facilitate public notices, meetings, workshops, social media posts, web content, and other means for communicating dynamic subject matter. 
  • Develop, distribute, and evaluate results from tools (such as surveys) used to garner feedback on Ecology's outreach efforts.
  • Make adjustments to outreach methods or materials based on feedback from stakeholders.
  • Interpret state and federal regulations and rules (RCRA, DW, CERCLA, MTCA) to ensure that HWTR meets legal requirements for public outreach and involvement.
  • Maintain Corrective Action websites.
  • Be a responsive and respectful team member to site managers and representatives from HWTR HQ's Communications unit. 
  • Supports the Agency's efforts on Environmental Justice (EJ), compliance with publication accessibility and non-discrimination requirements under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. 


Who are we looking for?

The person in this position will need to be able to understand topics such as remediation methods, contaminant chemistry, breakdown products, vapor intrusion, health effects, health risks, impacts of soil structure on groundwater movement and environmental regulations, so that they can effectively explain them to a general audience.
 


Please Note: The salary posted above does not include the additional 5% premium pay that this position will receive due to this position's location in King County.


This recruitment will remain open until filled. The initial screening will be on January 2, 2020. In order to be considered for the initial screening, please submit an application on or before January 1, 2020. 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.


 
Qualifications
 
Required Qualifications:
 
Bachelor's degree involving major study in environmental, physical, or natural science, education, communications, marketing, or closely related field AND four years of professional experience involving environmental analysis or control, environmental planning, environmental education, community outreach, or communications activities.

A master's degree in one of the above fields will substitute for one year of the required experience.

Additional qualifying experience will substitute year for year for education.



Desired Qualifications:
 
  • At least one year of experience effectively communicating, orally and / or in writing, federal or state regulations.
  • Experienced facilitator of politically sensitive topics.


Special Requirements/Conditions of Employment

Must have and maintain a valid driver's license.



Why work for Ecology?

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 the health and financial security of you and your family a priority. We combine one of the most competitive benefits packages in the nation with a strong commitment to work/life balance.

Ecology employees may be eligible for the following:
 

Student debt and how working for Ecology can help
Employees may be eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program, which forgives the remaining balance on your Direct Loans after you have made 120 qualifying monthly payments under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time for a qualifying employer. See https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service for more details.
 
*See the Benefits tab in this announcement for more information



 
Supplemental Information
 
Application Instructions:

In order to be considered, please:
  • Attach the following documents to your application:A cover letter describing how your experience, skills and abilities meet the required/desired qualifications of this position.
  • A resume outlining your experience.
  • Complete the applicant profile. Or you may paste the text of your resume within the profile's resume text field.
  • Read the supplemental questions carefully and answer completely. Incomplete responses, including "please see resume", may disqualify you from further consideration.
 
Please do NOT include your salary history. Wage/salary depends on qualifications or rules of promotion, if applicable.

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.

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 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 have specific questions about the position, please email Christa Colouzis at: Christa.Colouzis@ecy.wa.gov. Please do not contact Christa 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.

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

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.