Hydropower Projects Manager, SW Region (Environmental Specialist 4)

at  State of Washington Dept of Ecology

DESCRIPTION

The Water Quality Program within the Department of Ecology is looking to fill a Hydropower Projects Manager, SW Region (Environmental Specialist 4) position.
This position is located in our Headquarters Office (HQ) in Lacey, WA and works with hydropower projects in southwest Washington. Upon hire, you must live within a commutable distance from the duty station.
This is an opportunity to join our Water Quality Program and work with several utilities that own hydropower facilities in southwest Washington including dams and reservoirs on Nisqually, Lewis, Cowlitz rivers. You will manage these utilities’ water quality and habitat requirements to protect fish, recreation, habitat, and other important uses of these rivers. You will learn this specialized area of the Clean Water Act from five other Ecology staff who manage other hydropower dams across the state. We also work closely with the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife who assist on fish habitat and enhancement at these facilities. This position includes many annual and some seasonal site visits to allow you to work directly with the dam operators responsible for complying with our state Water Quality rules.
Agency Mission: Ecology’s mission is to protect, preserve and enhance the environment for current and future generations.
Program Mission: The mission of the Water Quality Program is to ensure that all aquatic life and communities in the watershed experience cool, clean water to refresh and sustain us in a changing climate.
Tele-work options for this position: This position will be eligible for up to an 80% tele-work schedule with the expectation of being in the office up to one day a week. Applicants with questions about position location options, tele-work, and flexible or compressed schedules are encouraged to reach out to the contact person listed below in “other information.” Schedules are dependent upon position needs and are subject to change.
Application Timeline: This position will remain open until filled, we will review applications on April 19, 2024. In order to be considered, please submit an application on or before April 18, 2023. If your application isn’t received by this date, it may not be considered. The agency reserves the right to make a Hire any time after the initial screening date.
Please Note: We will review all applications received before the date above. Additional reviews after this date typically only occur if we have a small applicant pool, or if a successful Hire was not made.
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 (Download PDF reader), Combined Fund Drive, SmartHealth *Click here for more information

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Years of required experience indicated below are full-time equivalent years. Full-time equivalent experience means that any experience where working hours were less than 40 hours per week will be prorated in order to meet the equivalency of full-time. We would calculate this by looking at the total hours worked per week, divide this by 40, and then multiply by the total number of months worked. Examples of the proration calculations are:

• 30 hours worked per week for 20 months: (30/40) x 20 months = 15 months full-time equivalent
• 20 hours worked per week for 12 months: (20/40) x 12 months = 6 months full-time equivalent

Experience for both required and desired qualifications can be gained through various combinations of formal professional employment, education, and volunteer experience. See below for how you may qualify.

A TOTAL OF 9 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AND/OR EDUCATION AS DESCRIBED BELOW:

• Experience in environmental analysis or control, or environmental planning.
• Education: involving a major study in environmental, physical, or one of the natural sciences, environmental planning, or other allied field.
  All experience and education combinations that meet the requirements for this position:

YEARS OF REQUIRED EXPERIENCE – AS LISTED ABOVE.

Combination 1
No college credit hours or degree.
9 years of experience
Combination 2
30-59 semester or 45-89 quarter credits.
8 years of experience
Combination 3
60-89 semester or 90-134 quarter credits (AA degree).
7 years of experience
Combination 4
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.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

We highly encourage you to apply even if you do not have some (or all) of the desired experience below:

• Experience or training with environmental compliance.
• Experience or training with water quality sampling and design.
• Experience working with hydropower or energy sector facilities.

Note: Having some (or all) of this desired experience may make your application more competitive in a highly competitive applicant pool

WHAT MAKES THIS ROLE UNIQUE?

Hydropower dams are an important renewable energy resource in Washington, but they also pose unique challenges for water quality and aquatic habitat. You will work with hydropower dam owners and operators in southwest Washington to find innovative solutions to minimize impacts these dams have on aquatic resources and maintain their compliance with state and federal regulations.

WHAT YOU WILL DO:

• Establish and implement permit requirements for public and privately owned hydropower dams to meet state and federal regulations.
• Review and approve water quality monitoring plans and compliance reports.
• Perform site visits at hydropower facilities to ensure compliance with permit conditions.
• Advise facilities of the need to implement best management practices (BMPs) or other measures to prevent or address water quality violations.
• Coordinate with local governments, federal agencies, Tribes, and other state agencies on issues related to hydropower.