IT Application Development - Journey (two positions)

Keeping Washington Clean and Evergreen

Build the future of software at Ecology — not just the next feature.

Ecology is at the start of a multi-year modernization effort, and we’re being blunt about it: our systems are outdated, complex, and overdue for reinvention. We’re moving toward modular, cloud-native, API-first architectures, and we need developers who don’t just tolerate change — they drive it.

This isn’t a role where you inherit polished systems. You’ll help dismantle monoliths, design clean microservices, and set the engineering standards that will guide an entire agency for years. If you’re energized by modernization, experimentation, and building golden paths where none exist yet, you’ll feel right at home.

We’re looking for two journey-level developers who care about clean architecture, thrive in Agile teams, and see modern tooling—including AI-assisted development—as a way to work smarter, not riskier. You’ll collaborate with product, architecture, security, and platform engineering partners to design secure, accessible, scalable applications that replace decades of legacy complexity.

If “we’ve always done it this way” makes your eyebrow twitch, then we’re the team for you!

The Department of Ecology is hiring two IT Application Development - Journey positions within the Information Technology Services Office (ITSO).

Location:

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

Schedule:

• The positions are eligible for telework and flexible schedule options.
• You may telework most of your work time with occasional in-person meetings and activities.
• Schedules are dependent upon position needs and are subject to change.

Application Timeline: 

• Apply by December 17, 2025
• The positions 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

Do you thrive in an Agile environment where experimentation, rapid iteration, and continuous improvement are the norm? Are you excited to use modern AI tools—from code generation to automated testing—to boost your productivity and enhance code quality? With a growth mindset and a willingness to learn, you can help shape reusable patterns, strengthen team practices, and advance Ecology’s long-term digital transformation. This is a role where you don’t just write code—you influence the future of how the agency builds software.

In this role, you will step into a journey-level application developer position at the forefront of Ecology’s digital modernization efforts. Each day, you will design, build, and refine cloud-native applications using MACH principles—microservices, API-first design, cloud-native patterns, and headless architecture. You will collaborate closely with product owners, testers, analysts, and fellow developers to deliver secure, scalable, and accessible solutions.

What you will do:

Modernize and Modularize Our Application Landscape

• • Analyze long-standing monolithic systems and help carve them into well-defined services.
  • Build microservices, adapters, and integration layers that peel functionality from legacy environments without breaking existing operations.
  • Apply MACH principles — microservices, API-first, cloud-native, headless — to drive consistency and long-term sustainability.

Design Clean, Scalable, Cloud-Native Applications

• • Build and document RESTful APIs and modern service interfaces.
  • Collaborate with architects to shape reference designs, reusable patterns, and organization-wide engineering standards.
  • Design systems that scale, adapt, and evolve rather than accumulate more complexity.

Establish the Playbook for Modern Development at Ecology

• • Create templates, shared libraries, and golden-path documentation that accelerate future development.
  • Influence CI/CD patterns, DevSecOps practices, and platform engineering norms.
  • Help define how new services are built, deployed, tested, and secured.

Use AI-Assisted Tools Responsibly and Effectively

• • Leverage AI tools for boilerplate, test generation, and safe refactoring.
  • Validate AI-generated code for accuracy, security, and maintainability — no blind trust, no shortcuts.
  • Share best practices with teammates adopting new AI workflows.

Build Quality and Security Into Everything

• • Write robust unit, integration, and contract tests that support automated pipelines.
  • Contribute to build-and-deploy workflows, test automation, security scanning, and secrets management.
  • Apply secure coding practices, meet state/federal compliance requirements, and build accessible interfaces that follow WCAG 2.1 AA.

Collaborate, Mentor, and Continuously Improve

• • Work in an Agile product team that iterates quickly and learns from experimentation.
  • Mentor peers transitioning to modern frameworks and architectural patterns.
  • Communicate clearly across technical and non-technical partners to drive shared understanding and progress.

Qualifications

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

Required Qualifications:

Four years of experience and/or education as described below:

• Experience in computer application development and maintenance. Experience includes, but is not limited to, analyzing, designing, implementing, maintaining and/or programming software applications.
  Experience must include:
  • Experience Developing Applications in an Agile Delivery Model
    • At least three (3) years of experience working in an Agile product team or Scrum-based development environment.
    • Experience breaking down user stories, participating in standups, and delivering shippable software increments.
  • Proficiency in Designing and Building APIs or Microservices
    • At least two (2) years of experience designing, building, and documenting RESTful APIs or microservices.
    • Ability to use OpenAPI (Swagger), Postman, or similar tools for API design, validation, and testing.
  • Applied Experience with Automated Testing and CI/CD Pipelines
    • Experience building or contributing to automated test suites (unit, integration, regression).
    • Familiarity with CI/CD pipeline design (e.g., GitHub Actions, YAML, Azure DevOps, or similar tooling).
• Education involving a major study in Computer Science, Information Technology (IT), Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM), or closely related field OR accredited vocational training program in IT or related program.

Required knowledge, skills, and abilities:

• Demonstrated Ability to Use Modern Programing Languages and Frameworks
  • Fluency in at least one modern language such as C#, Python, or JavaScript/TypeScript.
  • Experience with frameworks commonly used in modern application stacks (e.g., Flask, React, Express, etc.)
• Understanding of Secure, Accessible, and Policy-Compliant Software Development
  • Awareness of and ability to apply secure coding practices (e.g., input validation, authentication patterns).
  • Experience implementing or validating accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG 2.1 AA).
  • Ability to follow agency or state-level development policies and documentation practices.
• Strong Problem-Solving and Collaboration Skills
  • Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot complex technical issues across services, deployments, or integration points.
  • Effective communicator across technical and non-technical audiences.
  • Willingness to give and receive feedback, iterate quickly, and work toward shared goals.
• Willingness to Learn and Experiment with Emerging Technologies

Special Requirements/Conditions of Employment:

• Must possess a valid driver’s license or provide alternate transportation for occasional in-state travel, including in-person collaboration, team workshops, or agency events.
• May be required to work outside standard hours during production deployments, high-priority bug fixes, or in response to critical service outages affecting modernized applications or CI/CD pipelines.
• Must maintain the confidentiality and integrity of agency data, including information related to environmental monitoring, regulatory compliance, and personnel records.
• Must comply with the state’s IT security, accessibility, and acceptable use policies, particularly as they relate to cloud-native services, public APIs, automation pipelines, and user-facing digital services.
• Must complete all required agency training, including cybersecurity, DEIR, public records retention, and accessibility, in a timely manner.
• The positions are responsible for staying current with modern development practices, MACH-aligned methodologies, DevSecOps principles, and emerging technologies such as AI-assisted development and cloud-native tooling. While Ecology will provide access to assigned technical and policy training, the occupants of the roles are expected to proactively pursue ongoing learning—formally or informally—to remain effective in a rapidly evolving technical environment.

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience Refactoring Legacy Applications into Modular Architectures
  • Experience decomposing monolithic applications into discrete services or functions.
  • Familiarity with techniques for identifying service boundaries, creating wrappers or adapters, and incrementally modernizing older codebases
• Familiarity with MACH Methodologies or Composable Architecture Concepts
  • Understanding of MACH: Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native, Headless principles.
  • Knowledge of composable or decoupled software design even if not labeled "MACH" directly in past experience.
• Experience with Cloud Platforms and Cloud-Native Deployment Patterns
  • Familiarity with any public cloud platform (Azure, AWS, GCP), including use of containers, serverless functions, or managed services.
  • Understanding of basic cloud-native concepts such as scalability, infrastructure-as-code, and resource provisioning.
• Experience with Front-End Development in a Headless Architecture
  • Knowledge of modern JavaScript frameworks (e.g., React, Vue, Svelte) and API-based UI integration.
  • Experience working with decoupled frontends consuming RESTful or GraphQL APIs.
• Understanding of DevSecOps and Infrastructure-as-Code Concepts
  • Exposure to tools like Bicep, Terraform, Ansible, or other IaC platforms.
  • Understanding of how pipelines integrate security scanning, secret management, and environment configuration.
• Experience Using AI-Assisted Development Tools
  • Use of tools like GitHub Copilot, Tabnine, or other AI assistants to improve code quality or productivity.
  • Understanding of ethical use and validation of AI-generated code.
• Experience Working in Public Sector, Environmental, or Regulated Environments
  • Familiarity with data privacy, open data, or regulatory compliance constraints.
  • Understanding of how public users, internal staff, and leadership interact with digital services.
    
    

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 Eric Sabisch at Eric.Sabisch@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 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, Combined Fund Drive, SmartHealth *Click here for more information

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.

Ecology Job Opportunities | Careers at Ecology