Permit Writer / Unit Lead (Environmental Specialist 3)

Full Job Description

Keeping Washington Clean and Evergreen

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.
• You may telework most of your work time with occasional in-person meetings and activities. Fieldwork and occasional travel may be required but will be infrequent.
• Schedules are dependent upon position needs and are subject to change.

Application Timeline:

• Apply by April 6, 2026
• 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.

Requirements

In this position, you will play a key role in advancing the safe cleanup of the Hanford Site by leading permit application reviews and developing permits for assigned facilities within the Facility Transition Project.

Working within the Nuclear Waste Program’s Waste Management Section, you will interpret and apply state and federal environmental regulations, negotiate permit conditions, and provide oversight that ensures hazardous and mixed waste facilities meet the highest standards of environmental protection.

This role offers the opportunity to work on some of the most complex environmental cleanup challenges in the nation.

You will collaborate with federal agencies, contractors, technical specialists, and local and regional partners; navigate the intricate and often complicated permitting history of Hanford facilities; and help resolve disagreements between Ecology and permittees as part of the permitting and oversight process.

Through this work, you will build expertise in project management, environmental regulations and policies, interagency collaboration, and complex environmental negotiations.

Your contributions will meaningfully shape cleanup progress at one of the most significant environmental sites in the country and help safeguard Washington’s land, air, water, and communities.

What you will do:

• Conduct technical review of documents, reports, and permit applications for facilities on and off the Hanford Site to determine completeness and regulatory compliance.

• Review permit applications for technical accuracy, negotiate permit conditions, conduct conflict resolution, and make decisions on the scientific and regulatory merit of proposed actions.

• Provide oversight of compliance and waste management activities at permitted and regulated facilities, including supporting compliance inspections and evaluating technical information.

• Represent the agency on Hanford cleanup issues through public presentations, technical and interagency meetings, collaborative discussions, negotiations, and consultations.

• Evaluate sampling data, site characterization work, remedial investigations, and feasibility studies for contaminated Hanford sites, and communicate technical recommendations in written reports or verbal briefings.

Qualifications

For detailed information on how we calculate experience and responses to other frequently asked questions, please visit our Recruitment website.

Required Qualifications:

Six (6) 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 two or more of the following:
  • Reviewing technical or regulatory documents, reports, or permit applications.
  • Developing permit requirements, policies, or organizational decisions.
  • Negotiating with external clients on permit requirements, policies, or organizational decisions.
  • Evaluating completeness of sampling data, site characterization efforts, remedial investigations, and feasibility studies.
  • Representing organizations through public presentations, technical meetings, collaborative group meetings, negotiations, and consultations.

• Critical Thinking – Ability to problem-solve and evaluate complex technical and regulatory information, assess risk and uncertainty, and apply sound judgment when making compliance decisions.
• Project Coordination and Workload Management – Ability to manage workload through organizing and prioritizing responsibilities based on business and/or regulatory timelines.
• Data Analysis and Regulatory Interpretation – Ability to review, interpret and evaluate environmental data to determine regulatory significance and accuracy.
• Technical Permit Writing – Ability to develop, draft and finalize environmental permits, modifications and regulatory decisions that are clear, accurate, enforceable and compliant with state and federal environmental regulations.
• Regulatory Decision Negotiation – Ability to negotiate permitting decisions with regulated entities, public interest groups, and partner agencies.

• Education involving a major study in environmental, physical, or natural sciences; environmental or natural science interdisciplinary studies; environmental planning; or closely related field.

Examples of how to qualify:

• 6 years of experience.
• 5 years of experience AND 30-59 semester or 45-89 quarter college credits.
• 4 years of experience AND 60-89 semester or 90-134 quarter college credits (Associate’s degree).
• 3 years of experience AND 90-119 semester or 135-179 quarter college credits.
• 2 years of experience AND a Bachelor’s degree.
• No experience AND a Master’s degree or higher.

Special Requirements/Conditions of Employment:

• Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license.

• Must meet U.S. Department of Energy requirements to acquire and maintain a badge for access to the Hanford Site.

• Must complete 40-hour HAZWOPER training within six months of appointment and annual 8-hour refresher training.

Desired Qualifications:

• Knowledge of Hanford Site Dangerous Waste / RCRA permit applications and permits and CERCLA remedial documents.

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.

Additional 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.

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 Joseph Lippold at Joseph.Lippold@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.

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