Education Specialist

Full Job Description

The Education Specialist role with the King County Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) is a rewarding opportunity to combine education, community engagement, and environmental stewardship in service of the public.

This position is ideal for someone who is passionate about working with diverse communities and enjoys coordinating and teaching programs that have real, visible impact.

In this role, you will help communities better understand and connect with their local water resources, strengthen long-term partnerships, and support pathways to education and careers. The work is dynamic and collaborative, offering both meaningful community impact and opportunities for professional growth through King County’s robust training and career development programs.

About the Role:

The Education Specialist coordinates and delivers education programs within the Environmental and Community Services Section (ECSS) of WTD.

The role supports WTD’s mission to protect public health and the environment by providing accessible, inclusive, and high-quality education and engagement opportunities for communities across King County.

This position supports education programs at WTD’s three primary sites in Renton, Woodinville, and Georgetown/Seattle, contributing to daily operations such as logistics coordination, staffing, and teaching.

The Education Specialist works closely with Education & Engagement Supervisors and Program Managers and represents the unit’s education work with internal work groups and the public.

Through this work, the Education Specialist helps advance WTD’s equity and social justice commitments by:

• Increasing the communities understanding of and connection to their local water resources

• Creating long-term partnerships and collaborative opportunities

• Providing support and funding to community organizations, schools, and agencies

• Supporting communities in capacity building and careers; and

• Providing welcoming safe gathering spaces to support community needs

About the Team:

The Education & Engagement Unit, within WTD’s Environmental and Community Services Section, works to engage communities as partners and stewards of the environment.

The team’s work aligns with WTD’s broader mission to provide clean water safely, reliably, and equitably to residents and businesses across King County while remaining accountable to ratepayers.

The team is committed to equity and social justice and values diverse perspectives and lived experiences. Through education, funding, and partnership, the unit supports community organizations, schools, and agencies in building knowledge, capacity, and long-term collaboration. Team culture emphasizes collaboration, inclusion, and continuous learning, with strong support for professional development and career growth within King County.

Join our team dedicated to ensuring clean water for generations to come!

With over 1,000 employees engaged in planning, designing, building, and operating treatment facilities, our agency is at the forefront of environmental stewardship.

Success for us means upholding our legacy while promising future generations a pristine environment.

Commitment to Equity, Racial, and Social Justice:

Requirements

What You Will Be Doing:

• Teaching programs – teaching all ages about water systems including wastewater, stormwater, water quality, etc.

• Daily program onsite coordination – act as site coordinator for daily programs at each of the 3 main teaching sites located in Renton, Woodinville and Georgetown/Seattle; direct on-the-ground coordination with educators, operations, and maintenance staff at these sites as needed.

• Education program development – planning and development of diverse education programs and curriculum focused on water topics in coordination with education program managers.

• Education program coordination – supporting administrative tasks such as support for program registration, staff scheduling, communications, and logistics necessary for successful education programs.

• Program leadership – support and/or lead one or more of the following program areas – family programs, adult workshops, community tours, teen intern program, City Soil Farm education programs, resource recovery programs, high school program, elementary school program and/or career programs.

Qualifications

Qualifications You Bring:

• Minimum of 3 years of experience in teaching about environmental issues with specific experience in K-12 age groups.

• Experience in developing education programs and curriculum focused on environmental topics.

• Experience overseeing daily delivery of programs; including coordinating safety, site logistics, and daily program needs.

• Experience working with diverse communities and commitment to Equity and Social justice (ESJ) in the planning and delivery of education and engagement programs.

• Demonstrated experience and skill in working with external partners and the public.

• Established ability to manage administrative logistics is needed to run successful education programs.

Competencies You Bring:

• Manages Complexity: Making sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems.
• Decision Quality: Making good and timely decisions that keep the organization moving forward.
• Ensures Accountability: Holding self and others accountable to meet commitments.
• Drives Engagement: Creating a climate where people are motivated to do their best to help the organization achieve its objectives.

It Would Be Great If You Also Bring:

• Experience in teaching informal education in the field.

• Knowledge of water systems and/or experience in teaching about water (ie. water quality, wastewater, stormwater, water ecosystems, etc.).

Additional Information

Working Conditions:

• Work Location: South Treatment Plant - 1200 Monster Rd SW, Renton WA 98057, and various King County site locations.
• Work Schedule: This full-time position works a 40-hour work week. This position is exempt from the overtime provision of the Fair Labor Standard Act (FLSA) and is not overtime eligible.
• Union Representation: This position is represented by Technical Employees Association (TEA).

Application and Selection Process:
We welcome applications from all qualified applicants. We value diversity, diverse perspectives and life experience and encourage people of all backgrounds to apply.

Application materials will be screened for clarity, completeness and alignment with the experience, qualifications, knowledge, and skills essential for this role to determine which candidates may be invited to participate in a technical assessment and one or more panel interviews.

To apply, submit a:

• Complete Application
• Resume
• Cover Letter
• Responses to the supplemental questions

Note: Additional documents won't be considered during minimum qualification screening.

Who to Contact: For more information regarding this recruitment, please contact Rodney Dungo, HR Analyst at rdungo@kingcounty.gov.

Discover More About the Wastewater Treatment Division: Visit our website and check us out at Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, and the WTD Blog.

Discover More About DNRP: Visit our DNRP website, explore an interactive map of our recent accomplishments and check us out at Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Keeping King County Green News.

Sign up for Job Alerts to be notified of additional career opportunities with King County. Select the Natural Resources category for DNRP opportunities and explore other categories of interest.

Forbes named King County as one of Washington State's best employers.

Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.

Guided by our "True North", we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles - we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer

No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class.

Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.

To Apply

If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully.

If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.