Industrial Facility Management Engineer

The Water Quality Program within the Department of Ecology is looking to fill an Industrial Facility Management Engineer (Environmental Engineer 5) position. This position is located in our Central Region Office (CRO) in Union Gap, WA. Upon hire, you must live within a commutable distance from the duty station.

As the Industrial Facility Management Engineer for the Central Regional Office (CRO) Water Quality Industrial Unit, you will be at the forefront of emerging engineering technical issues and trends associated with industrial wastewater treatment, reclaimed water, and permitting. You will assist in fulfilling the Water Quality Program’s mission by providing engineering and regulatory oversight of industrial and municipal wastewater discharges to protect and preserve water quality in Washington state. You will use your expertise to represent the section statewide on current and emerging industrial stormwater and wastewater trends and issues. Your expertise in professional engineering will support a rapidly growing Water Quality program and industrial sector in the Central Region.

You will work closely with Central Region Office Water Quality Industrial and Municipal Unit staff, regulated entities, and the public to provide regulatory oversight of industrial wastewater discharges. Permits issued by the Industrial and Municipal Units are critical to protecting and maintaining water quality, supporting growth in our state, and keeping our communities healthy and thriving. You will be a key partner in our collective efforts to protect public health, the waterways, and the environment in Washington state.

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.

Telework 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. For the first month, the position will be required to work full time in the office, but after successful completion of onboarding and training, the position will be eligible for up to a 90% telework schedule with 10% of the time spent in-office.

Application Timeline: This position will remain open until filled; we will review applications on October 8, 2024 . To be considered, please submit an application on or before October 7, 2024 . 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.

Duties

What you will do:

• As a registered professional engineer, negotiate and prepare wastewater discharge permits (State Waste Discharge & National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) for industrial and municipal facilities.
• As a registered professional engineer, apply conventional engineering techniques and principles to the section’s most complex projects or largest projects with complex features, including major permits with mining activities and other industries with increased oversight from the public and third-party advocate groups, clean energy, and hydropower permitting.
• Derive permit conditions based on legal and technical requirements for discharges into state waters, utilizing mathematical models for mixing zones and consideration of the complex biological, chemical, and physical properties of the discharge and receiving environment.
• Represent the agency in technical negotiations with private parties and their engineering consultants to resolve complex environmental engineering issues involving regulatory interpretation and compliance; treatment technologies and the feasibility of their applications, permit limits, conditions, and applicability; and water quality investigations, pollutant sampling, documentation, data interpretation, and quality assurance.
• Collaborate with other Ecology engineers to interpret and, when necessary, revise internal and external engineering guidance materials.
• Conduct permit compliance inspections, prepare inspection reports, and communicate findings to facilities.
• Provide technical assistance to legal counsel with the Attorney General’s Office on appeals of permits or enforcement actions and develop expert testimony and serve as an expert witness in court cases or issues under consideration of administrative hearings boards.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Registration as a Professional Engineer in the state of Washington or another state based on registration requirements equivalent to those in Washington, AND
• Five (5) years of experience in environmental engineering.

Special Requirements/Conditions of Employment:

• Registration as a Professional Engineer in the state of Washington or another state based on registration requirements equivalent to those in Washington, in good standing.
• Must 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 or training in developing and/or implementing National Pollutant Discharge Elimination permits.
• Experience or training in wastewater and/or stormwater treatment, including reviewing or preparing engineering documents, and operation and maintenance manuals.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills (especially technical writing skills).

Need an Accommodation in the application and/or screening process or this job announcement in an alternative format?

• 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

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.

Note: References will only be contacted during the final steps of the recruitment process for candidates selected as finalists. References will not be contacted without the candidate’s formal authorization.

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.