Padilla Bay Office Assistant (Administrative Assistant 2)

Keeping Washington Clean and Evergreen

The Department of Ecology is hiring an Padilla Bay Office Assistant (Administrative Assistant 2) within the Shorelands & Environmental Assistance Program.

This is a temporary position that is funded until  June 30, 2027. Continuation of the position beyond this date is determined on an annual basis and contingent upon funding and satisfactory performance of job duties. 

Location:

• This position will be located in our Padilla Bay Office in Mount Vernon, WA. 

Schedule:

• This position is NOT eligible for telework, and must be able to be on-site Monday through Friday. 

Application Timeline:

• Apply by August 11, 2026.  

• Applications submitted after the date above may not be reviewed unless additional qualified applicants are needed.

Duties

This Padilla Bay NERR Office Assistant position provides a unique opportunity to serve as the primary administrative and public-facing support for the Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. In this role, you will coordinate front-office operations, manage guest and facility reservations, maintain records and digital content, and support purchasing, communications, and logistical functions essential to the Reserve’s daily operations. You will represent Ecology and the Reserve to diverse public audiences, ensuring professional, knowledgeable, and welcoming engagement that reinforces Padilla Bay’s mission of education, stewardship, research, and environmental protection.

You will also play a critical role in maintaining smooth administrative workflows—supporting approximately 15 technical and professional staff, coordinating with Ecology’s fiscal and administrative teams, and ensuring organized, compliant, and efficient office systems. Through these activities, you contribute to the successful delivery of Reserve programs, facilitate seamless visitor experiences, and help uphold Ecology’s mission and values at a highly visible public-serving site.

What you will do:
 • Manage Padilla Bay’s front office operations, assisting with providing administrative support for the reserve staff by coordinating daily workflows, communications, and clerical needs that keep the Reserve functioning smoothly.
• Provide professional, visitor-facing customer service, greeting and assisting the public, responding to inquiries, and ensuring that guests, clients, volunteers, and partner organizations receive accurate information and a positive experience.
• Coordinate scheduling and reservations for Padilla Bay’s conference rooms, meeting spaces, and Stevens Center facilities—including communication with users, tracking usage, arranging services, and producing reports that document utilization.
• Oversee reservations, communications, logistics, and invoicing for the Padilla Bay Guesthouse, coordinating housekeeping needs and ensuring timely responses to facility users.
• Support Padilla Bay’s purchasing operations by assisting with procurement coordination, tracking invoices, monitoring supply inventories, and following established fiscal procedures.
• Manage internal and external communications, including triaging calls and emails, processing mail, greeting visitors, and ensuring timely and accurate dissemination of information to staff and external partners.
• Maintain office filing systems and records—both digital and paper—ensuring compliance with agency retention requirements and supporting the program’s ability to respond to public records requests.
• Develop and refine administrative tools such as forms, policy documents, correspondence, and templates, applying strong writing, editing, and document-production skills to support staff and external communications.
• Maintain and update Padilla Bay’s website content, ensuring accuracy, usability, timely updates, and alignment with agency policies, branding, and accessibility standards.
• Coordinate meeting logistics for staff and the Director, using Outlook and other tools to schedule meetings, identify availability, and provide administrative support for onsite and offsite engagements.
• Provide periodic support in the interpretive center and gift shop, welcoming guests, answering questions, and assisting with public education and outreach functions.
• Serve as an administrative liaison between the Reserve and Ecology headquarters/regional offices, maintaining knowledge of administrative and fiscal procedures, coordinating communications, and ensuring consistent adherence to agency standards.

Qualifications

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

Required Qualifications:

Three years of experience and/or education related to the duties of this position, which includes the following:

• Administrative Operations & Records Management:
   Experience independently organizing administrative workflows, maintaining filing systems (electronic and paper), managing mail, and ensuring compliance with agency records-retention requirements.
• Facility Scheduling & Logistics Coordination:
   Ability to manage advanced calendaring and reservation systems for meeting rooms and lodging facilities; coordinate service needs such as housekeeping, supplies, and equipment; and track usage for reporting purposes.
• Public-Facing Customer Service:
   Skill in communicating professionally with diverse public visitors, clients, students, and partner organizations; resolving issues in real time while representing the agency in a courteous and knowledgeable manner.
• Document & Communication Production:
   Ability to prepare clear written material including forms, directives, correspondence, and reports; proficiency with word processing tools and digital communication platforms to support program and staff needs.
• Purchasing & Invoice Tracking:
   Experience supporting purchasing activities—coordinating orders, tracking invoices, maintaining inventories, and following agency fiscal procedures.
• Digital Content Maintenance:
   Ability to update and maintain website information in alignment with established agency standards and policies, ensuring accuracy, clarity, and usability for external audiences.

Education: involving a major study in business administration, public administration or closely allied field.

Examples of how to qualify:

• 3 years of experience.
• 2 years of experience AND 30-59 semester or 45-89 quarter college credits.
• 1 year of experience AND 60-89 semester or 90-134 quarter college credits (Associate’s degree).

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience working with technical staff and issues related to the environment, natural resources, education, or marine science.
• Experience working with professionals in varied disciplines.

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.

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. 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.

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 Isabel Kowacz at Isabel.Kowacz@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 Shorelands and Environmental Assistance (SEA) Program 

The mission of the SEA Program is to create community conservation partnerships to protect and restore our shorelands, wetlands, and floodplains.

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.

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 

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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