The Nuclear Waste Program (NWP) within the Department of Ecology is looking to fill two Section Manager (WMS Band 2) positions--the Waste Management Section Manager and the Compliance and Regulatory Assistance Section Manager. The positions are both located in our Richland Field Office (RFO) in Richland, WA. Upon hire, you must live within a commutable distance from the duty station.

These positions are two of four critical section manager positions in the NWP that are responsible for cleanup and compliance decisions dealing with statewide policy issues. As a Section Manager, you will play an integral part in our program’s leadership team, helping to make complex regulatory decisions and positive changes in our office. You will have the opportunity to make a difference by overseeing the cleanup and management of the nuclear and dangerous waste facilities throughout the state of Washington, to include the Hanford Site, Perma-Fix Northwest and Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. These positions also manage strong technical teams of environmental specialists, scientists and engineers and represent Ecology in public, local community, and tribal meetings.

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

Program Mission: To fulfill Ecology's mission, NWP has established the mission to ensure sound management of nuclear waste statewide and to promote the sound management and protection of the Environment at and adjacent to, the U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford site.

Tele-work options for this position: This position will have flexibility of a hybrid schedule, empowering work from home and office, providing less time in traffic and shrinking your carbon footprint. This position will be eligible for up to a 60% 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:

•  Apply by: December 17, 2024

• This position will remain open until filled. The agency reserves the right to make a hire at any time after application review begins. Applications received after December 17, 2024, may not be considered.

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

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 embraces the value of people. To learn more, check out our Strategic Plan.

• 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.

Duties

What makes this role unique?

As a Section Manager in the Nuclear Waste Program, you will have the opportunity to develop or enhance your knowledge of environmental regulations, cleanup frameworks and agreements, manage a section budget, and directly supervise staff. You will also have the ability to lead complex negotiations on legal agreements and regulatory decisions throughout the program and build strong external relationships with other state and federal agencies. 

What you will do:

• Manage, plan, organize, and oversee the work performed by the Waste Management Section or Compliance and Regulatory Assistance Section. 
• Directly supervise staff, assuring appropriate and optimum use of the section resources, and enhance the effectiveness of employees through timely appraisal and professional development opportunities. 
• Manage the section’s budget.
• Implement, enforce, and ensure compliance to laws, rules, and policies and develop procedures to protect and manage cleanup of Hanford in the best public interest. 
• Communicate effectively across a broad spectrum of professional/managerial levels and maintain strong relationships with local partners, other governmental agencies, and residents. Deliver quality oral presentations, share appropriate information internally and externally, manage meetings effectively, possess effective listening skills, communicate clearly and concisely in verbal and written language. 
• Understand complex planning and policy issues related to nuclear and hazardous waste facilities.  
• Work effectively in a stressful environment, managing workload to meet requirements and deadlines, including working effectively with staff and management to identify and resolve conflicts. 

The Waste Management Section Manager directly supervises 11 staff, including a supervisor, and manages a section of 21 staff. This position manages staff responsible for the regulatory and non-regulatory elements of these federal and state laws, including: 

• Permitting hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal facilities. 
• Permitting state wastewater discharge permits at Hanford. 
• Permitting of the Air Operating Permit at Hanford. 
• Providing information to achieve pollution prevention, cleanup of hazardous and mixed hazardous and radioactive sites and facilities. 
• Enforcing requirements.
• Developing rules and policies related to mixed nuclear waste issues for approval by senior Ecology management. 
• Coordinating with other federal and state government agencies involved in cleanup of the Hanford Site. 

This position requires advanced managerial knowledge and skills for operating the Waste Management Section and an understanding of complex cleanup issues and the relationship with protection of human health and the environment.

The Compliance and Regulatory Assistance Section Manager supervises 11 staff positions. This position manages staff responsible for:

• Ensuring compliance with air, water and dangerous waste regulatory compliance, 
• Natural resource damages assessment and restoration, 
• Cleanup of the US Ecology site,
• Regulatory integration including working with other state and federal agencies such as the EPA and Department of Health.

This position is lead for Tri-Party Agreement negotiations for the program, working closely with other section and project managers. It requires advanced managerial knowledge and skills for operating the Compliance and Regulatory Assistance Section and an understanding of complex cleanup issues and the relationship with protection of human health and the environment. You must be a demonstrated leader with a strong background in communication, collaboration and negotiation. 

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.

Required Qualifications:

A total of nine years of experience and/or education as described below:

• Experience: Management and supervisory experience, which includes advanced knowledge of agency and program policies; principles of management and personnel practices; and budget development and expenditure tracking. Experience must also include advanced understanding of state and federal hazardous/dangerous waste management, permitting laws and statutes, and organizational functions and roles.
• Education Involving a major study in a technical field such as science, engineering, project management, public administration, or closely related field.

Additional requirements:

• The ability to:
  • Communicate effectively with a wide range of technical, professional, and managerial staff within the agency and program, the public, internal and external partners, tribal nations, and local, state, and federal governments.
  • Understand and apply complex regulations and adapt existing policies to special environmental conditions which exist at Hanford.
  • Develop, implement, and oversee program policies and procedures.
  • Coordinate activities and functions with other sections and programs within Ecology and other state and federal agencies.
  • Negotiate complex regulatory, strategic, compliance, and management issues with the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency.
  • Conduct detailed workload analysis, determine priorities, set goals and objectives, and develop detailed program plans.
  • Train, mentor, and evaluate supervisory, professional, paraprofessional, and administrative staff.
  • Negotiate settlement of enforcement actions and regulatory compliance issues.
• Understanding of:
  • Legal and enforcement actions, including administrative Orders and penalties applied to ensure adequacy of environmental cleanup.
  • The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, and State Dangerous Waste, State Environmental Policy Act, and the Model Toxics Control Act regulations as applied on the Hanford site.
  • The Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order and its procedures and requirements.

Experience and education combinations that meet the requirements for this position:

Special Requirements/Conditions of Employment: 

• Must obtain and maintain a valid driver's license
• Must be able to obtain a U.S. Department of Energy Hanford Site security badge.

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

• An advanced degree in technical field such as science, engineering, project management, public administration, or other qualifying discipline.
• Four or more years’ experience supervising a work unit. Knowledge of hazardous and mixed radioactive waste laws and issues.
• Employees should show evidence of or have completed the following training programs and certifications within the first six months of employment.
  • CPR certification and first aid training.
  • Introductory management courses.
  • Sexual Harassment Awareness and Prevention.
  • Workplace diversity.
  • Ecology NWP Permit training.

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

Ecology does not use the E-Verify system; therefore, we are not eligible to extend STEM Optional Practical Training (OPT). For more information, please visit www.uscis.gov

Supplemental Information

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 1-800-833-6384.
• 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.

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 Stephanie Schleif at Stephanie.Schleif@ecy.wa.gov.  Please do not contact Stephanie 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.

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.

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 1-800-833-6384.

Note: This recruitment may be used to fill other positions of the same job classification across the agency.

About Washington State, Department of Ecology

Ecology is Washington’s environmental protection agency. Our mission is to protect, preserve, and enhance Washington’s land, air, and water for current and future generations. Our innovative partnerships support environmental work throughout the state.

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