Environmental Technician ( 2 Positions)
Description
As our community responds to the public health emergency, the Department of Ecology's priority is to keep our staff, candidates and the public safe. We are experiencing some delays as we transition to a virtual recruitment process. Thank you for your patience and we will be in touch as soon as we are able. We encourage you to apply to open postings.
APPLY THROUGH EXTERNAL LINK. SEE APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS BELOW.
Keeping Washington Clean and Evergreen
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. If you want to join a team that is highly effective, collaborative, has leadership that embraces the value of people, and believes in the fun factor, Ecology is a good fit.
The Environmental Assessment Program (EAP) within the Department of Ecology is looking to fill several Environmental Technician positions for the summer 2020 field season. We are recruiting for: One (1) Eastern Regional Office (ERO), and one (1) Central Regional Office (CRO) Environmental Technicians.
The ERO position will be located in Spokane, WA and work throughout Eastern Washington. The CRO position will be located in Yakima, WA and work throughout Central Washington. Travel and lodging will be reimbursed by the Department of Ecology. Both the ERO and CRO positions will start June 1st and will go through October 31st.
These entry-level positions give you the opportunity to use what you've learned in school and apply it to environmental sampling techniques. Some of the key work activities include: hiking, field navigation, biological monitoring, water quality sampling, habitat surveys and using different types of monitoring equipment. The information that you collect will help assess the condition of streams and watersheds. The data is used to describe the status and trends of watershed health and other environmental conditions to better inform natural resource conservation and management plans.
We are looking for applicants who are motivated, adaptable, team-oriented, dedicated and who have a desire to gain experience in environmental sampling.
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.
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.
Local efforts... Diverse people... Statewide impacts
Some of the key work activities for these positions are:
- Is responsible for field equipment maintenance and organization, including calibration of Hach multi-probe.
- Reads QAPP/QAMP, SOPs, and other required protocols within the first two weeks in order to successfully assist in conducting all the field data collection events below.
- Assists with water quality sample collection.
- Hikes in remote areas with rugged terrain and a heavy pack.
- Helps with habitat surveys.
- Assists with benthic macroinvertebrate sampling.
- Helps assess fish assemblage.
- Assists with boat operation duties.
- Helps with quality assurance review of environmental data.
- Participates in unit, section, and program meetings as appropriate.
- Attends and stays current on required trainings, especially safety trainings.
Some of the key work activities of the ERO and CRO positions include:
- Field gear preparation and use, instrument calibration, collection and preparation of environmental samples and stream flow measurements.
- Under supervision and direction of professional staff, uses established protocols to conduct Surface Water Monitoring assessments that supports evaluation of impacts to water quality and aquatic ecosystems.
- Collects water quality samples.
- CRO E. Tech. assists with aquatic invasive species sampling statewide.
- Works in rugged and sometimes remote field locations for consecutive days under adverse weather conditions.
- Traverses streambeds in chest waders to measure water quality or stream flow.
- Assists with data reduction, analysis, entry of project data into Ecology's Environmental Information Management System (EIM).
- Assists with quality assurance review of environmental data.
- Normal working hours will be exceeded and extended days of travel will occur during the field season. Office hours will be spent at a cubicle while conducting various data management tasks like data entry, evaluation/analysis.
The one (1) ERO position will start June 1, 2020 and end October 31, 2020. This position is based in Spokane, WA and works throughout Eastern Washington. Training will occur in Spokane, WA.
The one (1) CRO position will start June 1, 2020 and end October 31, 2020. This position is based in Yakima, WA and works throughout Central Washington. Training will occur in Yakima, WA.
Travel and lodging will be reimbursed by the Department of Ecology. The field work schedule will be 10 hour shifts per day and working 4 days per week.
Please to do NOT include your salary history. Wage/salary depends on qualifications or rules of promotion, if applicable.
As our community responds to the public health emergency, the Department of Ecology's priority is to keep our staff, candidates and the public safe. We are experiencing some delays as we transition to a virtual recruitment process. Thank you for your patience and we will be in touch as soon as we are able. We encourage you to apply to open postings.
Required Qualifications
Graduation from high school or GED equivalent.
AND
Two (2) years of technical or clerical (level 3) experience such as performing the duties as an Office Assistant 3 in an environmental agency or an office.
College-level course work in environmental, physical or natural sciences, or closely related field may be substituted, year for year, for the required experience.
Desired Qualifications
- First aid/CPR Certification.
- Ability to conduct field sampling under a variety of conditions.
- Coursework in Environmental Science, Fisheries, Biology, Chemistry, Forestry or related field.
- Some experience with data analysis and data management.
- Good communication and writing skills.
- Freshwater community ecology and biological taxonomy and life history knowledge.
- Ability to swim.
- Experience collecting water samples, measuring streamflow, and stream habitat assessment.
- The following is a list of office machines, equipment, tools, motor vehicles that may be used on the job: Computer, telephone, copy machine, network printer, continuous data monitors, field meters, electro-fisher, operate boats, database software, spreadsheet software, word processing software, statistics software, van/vehicle; Habitat measures (leveling rod, measuring tape, canopy densiometer, clinometer, compass; hand level, flow meter); Chemistry measures (Hydrolab minisonde); and GPS.
Physical Requirements
- Work with a computer in a cubicle for long periods of time within an office environment.
- Read documents for accurate comprehension and action.
- Travel long distances statewide, in a car, van, or pickup truck.
- Work in rugged and sometimes remote field locations for consecutive days under adverse weather conditions.
- Traverse slippery streambeds in chest waders to measure water quality or stream flow.
- Lift and carry objects weighing up to 50 lbs.
- Perform physical labor required to install monitoring equipment including using shovels and sledge hammers, carrying sections of galvanized and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe, carrying short sections of reinforcing rod, carrying tool boxes, kneeling for extended periods of time, etc.
Special Requirements/Conditions of Employment
Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license.
Supplemental Information
Application Instructions:
Please include the following documents as an attachment to your application:
- A cover letter describing how your experience, skills and abilities meet the required qualifications of this position. Please state if you have a position preference (ERO or CRO) or not in your cover letter.
- A resume outlining your professional experience.
Please to do NOT include your salary history. Wage/salary depends on qualifications or rules of promotion, if applicable.
Please complete the applicant profile when applying for this position. Or, you may paste the text of your resume within the profile's resume text field.
Please read the supplemental questions carefully and answer completely. Incomplete responses, including "please see resume" may disqualify you from further consideration.
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 at (360) 407-6186.
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 call Human Resources at (360) 407-6186 or e-mail careers@ecy.wa.gov. Please do not call this number or 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 positions, please email:
- Cathrene Glick at: cgli461@ecy.wa.gov for the ERO position
- Dr. George Onwumere: george.onwumere@ecy.wa.gov for the CRO position
Please do not contact Cathrene or George 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 position is included in the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE) union bargaining unit for the Department of Ecology.
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.