Site-wide Rev. 9 Permit Coordinator (Environmental Specialist 5)

Keeping Washington Clean and Evergreen

The Department of Ecology is hiring a Site-wide Rev. 9 Permit Coordinator (Environmental Specialist 5) within the Nuclear Waste Program.

Location:

• Richland Field Office in Richland, WA.
• Upon hire, you must live within a commutable distance from the duty station.

Schedule:

• This position is eligible for telework and flexible schedule options.
• A minimum of one day per week is required in the office.
• Schedules are dependent upon position needs and are subject to change.

Application Timeline:

• Apply by September 11, 2025
• 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 the date above may not be considered.

Duties

Join our team as the Nuclear Waste Program’s (NWP) expert on Dangerous Waste (DW) permitting under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). NWP is actively managing and implementing both Revision 8 and Revision 9 of the DW Hanford Site-wide Permit. 

In this role, you will play a key part in the reissuance of Hanford Site-wide Permit Revision 9, which covers 52 dangerous waste management units at the Hanford Site. You will provide technical expertise and regulatory guidance on complex and often contentious regulatory issues involved with reissuing the Hanford Site Dangerous Waste Permit. Your responsibilities include reviewing, addressing, and resolving comments on the Site-wide Permit from federal agencies and the public, as well as making changes to the permit as needed to address this feedback and ensure regulatory integrity.

What you will do:

• Lead and coordinate the development and issuance of the Hanford Site-wide Permit.  
• Collaborate with the permit coordinator team to manage all permit-related activities.
• Oversee all phases of the Hanford Site-wide Permit, Revision 9 process, including assigning tasks to permit writers and ensuring internal processes are followed. 
• Serve as a subject matter expert on Dangerous Waste regulations, offering guidance and expert consultation to ensure understanding and compliance.
• Deliver training and mentorship on permitting processes to NWP staff. 
• Independently interpret regulations and provide regulatory support for the Fact Sheet, Conceptual Agreement Packages, Permit Conditions, Focus Groups, and all upfront material for Attachments 1-10. 

Qualifications

For detailed information on how we calculate experience, please visit our Recruitment website.

Required Qualifications:

Ten (10) years of experience and/or education as described below:

• Experience performing environmental-based work, OR work related to the duties of the position, that includes one or more of the following:
  • • Review and evaluate permit documents; provide notices of deficiencies or comments.
    • Lead the process of negotiating agreements and developing permit conditions.
    • Coordinating permitting actions between external and internal staff.
  
  

  Experience must include demonstrated competence in the following skill sets:

  • Using critical / analytical thinking and problem-solving skills to make decisions or determine a course of action.
  • Reviewing / assessing information and data to draw conclusions and recommending decisions or actions.
  • Conducting research and performing data analysis on both qualitative and quantitative data.
• Education involving a major study in an environmental, physical, or one of the natural sciences; environmental or natural science interdisciplinary studies; environmental planning; or an academic discipline related to the duties of the position.

Examples of how to qualify:

• 10 years of experience.
• 9 years of experience AND 30-59 semester or 45-89 quarter college credits.
• 8 years of experience AND 60-89 semester or 90-134 quarter college credits (Associate’s degree).
• 7 years of experience AND 90-119 semester or 135-179 quarter college credits.
• 6 years of experience AND a Bachelor’s degree.
• 4 years of experience AND a Master’s degree.
• 3 years of experience AND a Ph.D.

Special Requirements/Conditions of Employment: 

• Must possess and maintain a valid driver’s license.
• Must meet U.S. Department of Energy requirements to obtain and maintain a badge for access to the Hanford Site.
• Must be able to work safely in environments where potential exposure to industrial dangerous waste chemicals, dust and noise levels, and low levels of radioactivity might occur.
• Must be able to wear safety clothing and equipment, up to and including Level C, as defined in the OSHA 40-hour Hazardous Waste Training requirements.
• Must complete initial 40-HAZWOPER training and Ecology field safety training within six months of employment. And then complete annual 8-hour refreshers.
• Must complete U.S. Department of Energy Radiation Worker 1 work training prior to any field oversight or inspections of radiation-controlled areas.
• Must participate in radiation dosimetry program, including wearing personal dosimetry.

Desired Qualifications:

• Expertise with RCRA and Washington Administrative Code Dangerous Waste regulations.

• Experience in working at a federal facility.

• Ability to work under stressful situations and communicate clearly.

If you are excited about this role but not sure if your experience aligns perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply. Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At the Department of Ecology, we are dedicated to building a diverse and authentic workplace centered in belonging. You may just be the needed candidate for this or other roles.

Supplemental Information

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.

Application Process

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 job seekers from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

How to Apply

Click “Apply” at the top of this page. Complete the entire application, including full work history and responses to all supplemental questions, and attach:

• Cover letter, describing your interest in and qualifications for this position
• Resume

Because we base our selection on the information you provide, it is in your best interest to complete the application thoroughly. A resume will not substitute for the “work experience” section of the application or vice versa. Applications with blank fields or supplemental question responses with comments such as “see resume” may be considered incomplete.

For detailed application information, please visit our Recruitment website.

Application Attestation: By submitting an application, you are affirming that the information contained in your application and on all attachments is complete and truthful. The state may verify this information, and any false or misleading answers may result in rejection of your application or dismissal if employed.

Need an Accommodation?

If you need reasonable accommodation during the application and/or screening process, including this job announcement in an alternate format:

• Please contact us at 360-407-6186 or careers@ecy.wa.gov
• If you are deaf or hard of hearing, you may call through the Washington Relay Service by dialing 711 or 1-800-833-6384.

Questions?

• For specific questions about the position location options, schedule, or duties, please contact Edward Holbrook at Edward.Holbrook@ecy.wa.gov 
• If you need assistance applying for this job, are inquiring about the status of your application, would like to request the full position description, or have any other questions, please contact the Recruitment Team at careers@ecy.wa.gov

About the Nuclear Waste Program

The Nuclear Waste Program (NWP) enforces regulatory compliance and cleanup at the Hanford Site and at other facilities managing nuclear waste statewide. It also promotes public involvement, congressional and federal contact, and interstate activities in order to enhance nuclear waste management, compliance, and cleanup of the Hanford Site.

About the Department of Ecology

As the State of Washington’s environmental protection agency, we are deeply committed to protecting, preserving, and enhancing Washington’s environment for current and future generations. Joining Ecology means becoming part of a team dedicated to protecting and sustaining healthy land, air, water, and climate in harmony with a strong economy. A career in public service at Ecology 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. We invest in our employees to create and sustain a working environment that encourages creative leadership, effective resource management, teamwork, professionalism, and accountability.

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.

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 

Personal protective equipment will be provided by the program along with required substantial footwear.

To learn more about Ecology, please visit our website, explore Working at Ecology, check out our Strategic Plan, and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, 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.

Collective Bargaining: This is a position covered by a bargaining unit for which the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE) is the exclusive representative.  

Note: This recruitment may be used to fill other positions of the same job classification across the agency. Once all the position(s) from the recruitment announcement are filled, the recruitment may only be used to fill additional open positions for the next sixty (60) days.

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