Clean Energy Programmatic Eis Associate Planner (Environmental Planner 3)

The Shorelands & Environmental Assistance (SEA) program within the Department of Ecology is looking to fill a Clean Energy Programmatic EIS Associate Planner (Environmental Planner 3) position.

This position can be located in any one of the following offices:

Headquarters Office inLacey, WA.

Northwest Region Office (NWRO) inShoreline, WA.
Central Region Office (CRO) in Union Gap, WA.
Eastern Region Office (ERO) in Spokane, WA.

Upon hire, you must live within a commutable distance from the duty station.

Please Note: If the final location of this position is determined to be in our Northwest Region Office (NWRO) in Shoreline, WA. there will be an additional 5% pay increase due to its location in King County. In this instance the salary range will be $5,608-$7,543 per month.

Washington State recently passed new legislation expanding Ecology's role in siting Clean Energy in our state. This work is required as part of Governor-requested House Bill 1216 which is an integral component of Washington State's transition to a fully decarbonized energy sector. In this position, you will help support the goal as the Associate Planner for programmatic review of Clean Energy facilities, specifically Utility-Scale Solar Energy projects, Utility-Scale Onshore Wind Energy projects, and Green Electrolytic and Renewable Hydrogen projects.

The Washington Legislature has entrusted us to address the challenging and complex environmental issues affecting Washington. As the state's lead agency on climate change, we carry out policies that help slow the causes of climate change and support communities already impacted by its effects.

Agency Mission: The mission of the Department of Ecology's is to protect, preserve and enhance Washington's environment for current and future generations.

Program Mission: The mission of the Shorelands and Environmental Assistance Program is to create community conservation partnerships to protect and restore our shorelands, wetlands, and floodplains.

Please Note: This is a project position that is funded until 06/30/2025.

Tele-work options for this position:This position will be eligible for up to a 80% tele-work schedule.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 September 26, 2023. In order to be considered, please submit an application on or before September 25, 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

About the Department of Ecology

• 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.
• Opportunities to serve your community and make an impact through meaningful work.

Our commitment to DEIR
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.

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.

What makes this role unique?

As an Associate Planner helping develop Clean Energy Programmatic Environmental Impact Statements (PEIS), you will provide expertise, planning, and coordination to study and complete environmental reviews. Ecology is the lead agency for these reviews. You will be the key point of contact for coordinating with Ecology managers and technical staff, including with the Attorney General's Office, to ensure policy consistency on complex or controversial projects. You will also work with state, federal, local and Tribal staff, and a broad range of external stakeholders.

What you will do:

• Support and provide consultation and expertise to cross-programmatic teams for work on highly complex PEISs.
• Work with the Clean Energy Coordination (CEC) Section manager, Principal Planner, and the Senior Planner to implement PEIS work plans.
• Develop work plans involving multiple Ecology programs and regions and track progress on technical reviews for environmental impact analysis and mitigation.
• Provide consultation to Ecology managers and staff.
• Support coordination with technical staff from other state agencies, counties, cities, federal agencies and tribes on environmental reviews.
• Assist with multi-agency coordination of highly complex environmental reviews for planning purposes.
• Support Principal and Senior Planner in interactions with stakeholders and engagement with Tribes necessary to accomplish effective development of PEISs.
• Provide support and coordination for public meetings, hearings, and comment periods.

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.

Option One:

A Bachelor's degree in land use, urban, regional, environmental, or natural resource planning, geography, land use or environmental law, public administration with an environmental emphasis, or closely related field
AND
Four years of professional experience in land use, urban, regional, environmental, or natural resource planning, and/or program development.

Option Two:
A Master's degree or above with major emphasis in land use, urban, regional, environmental, or natural resource planning, geography, land use or environmental law, public administration with an environmental emphasis, or closely related field,
AND
Two years of professional experience in land use, urban, regional, environmental, or natural resource planning, and/or program development.

Option Three:
One year of experience as an Environmental Planner 2 at Department of Ecology.

Special Requirements/Conditions of Employment:

Must be able to possess and maintain a valid 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.

• Experience with facilitating discussions of controversial environmental issues and supporting large public meetings and hearings.
• Experience with project management of the Environmental Impact Statement process as lead agency.
• Experience with Tribal engagement and government-to-government consultation.

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 Accommodationin 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 on 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.
• A list of three professional references.

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 (such as 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 Diane Butorac at: diane.butorac@ecy.wa.gov Please do not contact Diane 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 Washingto...