Permitting Specialist - Program Coordinator

Full Job Description

The Environmental and Community Services Section (ECSS) is seeking a Water Quality Planner/Project Manager III– Permitting Specialist to join the dynamic Capital Projects Local Permitting Team.

This is an excellent opportunity to become a key member of a high-performing, collaborative team that supports the delivery of essential public infrastructure.

Our focus is on providing strategic permitting guidance to program/project teams and managing the regulatory permitting processes necessary to support capital project construction.

The role emphasizes a strong commitment to customer service, work-life balance, and a comprehensive understanding of permitting pathways, while contributing to a culture of collaboration and accountability.

This is a unique opportunity for an experienced permitting professional to step into a leadership role that blends technical expertise, strategic thinking, and cross-disciplinary collaboration.

As a Permitting Specialist you’ll be at the forefront of ensuring permitting success on a portfolio of critical infrastructure projects that protect public health and the environment.

You’ll be able to influence permitting strategy, build strong relationships with regulatory agencies, and oversee consultants—all while contributing to some of the region’s most impactful capital projects.

About the Role:

The primary function of the Permitting Specialist is to lead and coordinate permitting activities on a wide range of projects within the Wastewater Treatment Division as it maintains, replaces, or builds new capital infrastructure. This role ensures that permitting work is proactively aligned with project schedules and scopes, while maintaining compliance with regulatory requirements and internal performance expectations. As a subject matter expert, the incumbent will shape permitting strategy, develop scopes of work for consultants, foster partnerships with permitting jurisdictions, and support successful project delivery.

About the Team:

ECSS plays a vital role in advancing the mission of the Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) by integrating permitting, environmental review, real estate, and community engagement into the delivery of capital projects. Within ECSS, the Regulatory Compliance and Land Acquisition Services (RCLAS) Unit provides subject matter expertise in permitting strategy and regulatory navigation to ensure that WTD’s infrastructure investments proceed efficiently and in full compliance with local, state, and federal requirements. Our work supports the division’s core values of environmental protection, public health, and fiscal responsibility. We are committed to the principles of equity and social justice, and we actively seek diverse perspectives to build an inclusive, culturally responsive workforce.

Commitment to Equity, Racial and Social Justice:
King County, named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is a diverse and vibrant community that represents cultures from around the world. Our True North is to create a welcoming community where everyone can thrive. We prioritize equity, racial and social justice, making it a foundational and daily expectation for all employees. As an Permitting Specialist - Program Coordinator, you will actively apply these principles in all aspects of your work. Learn more about our commitment at http://www.kingcounty.gov/equity.

Requirements

What You Will Be Doing:

Project Management and Compliance: Manage permitting activities across multiple capital projects and programs.

Track permit submittals, reviews, and approvals using project management tools and databases. Ensure permitting work aligns with project scopes and supports timely project delivery.

Monitor program and project-level compliance with applicable regulations and internal standards. Contribute to program-level reporting, analytics, and key performance indicators (KPIs)

Consultant and Contract Management: Develop, negotiate and review consultant scopes of work related to permitting. Direct and oversee consultant performance, providing guidance and feedback as needed.

Coordinate consultant resources in support of program needs and project timelines. Review and ensure permitting scopes in capital project or program contracts are sufficient for efficient delivery

Risk Mitigation and Quality Assurance: Identify, track, and elevate permitting risks across assigned Projects and Programs. Propose solutions or mitigation strategies. Perform QA/QC reviews of consultant and staff work products for accuracy, quality, and timeliness

Collaboration and Mentorship: Attend and actively participate in regular meetings with program teams, internal units, and permitting staff. Foster collaboration across WTD disciplines and offer guidance on strategy, technical requirements of permitting, and jurisdictional coordination.

Project Expertise: Apply knowledge of permitting strategy, regulatory codes, and wastewater constraints and drivers to support capital projects.

Align permitting strategies with broader project and program objectives from design through construction closeout.

Support elevation of issues, permitting scope reviews, and scheduling of permitting deliverables

Local Permitting Expertise: Develop strong working relationships with permitting jurisdictions and serve as primary point of contact.

Understand and document jurisdiction-specific submittal requirements and review timelines.

Identify and address roadblocks in the permitting process; collaborate on solutions including MOUs/MOAs when needed.

Maintain current jurisdiction contact information and permitting process documentation. Share expertise with other permitting staff at regular huddles and check-ins

Qualifications

Qualifications You Bring:

• Experience developing and executing permitting strategies for capital projects, including knowledge of permitting pathways for permitting, such as, for Land Use, Street Improvement Plans, Zoning, Shoreline Substantial Development, local Building, Street Use or grading permits, or other applicable permitting types.
• Experience with permitting on public sector utility or infrastructure projects, ideally within wastewater, stormwater, or environmental capital programs—preferably in a programmatic or multi-project delivery context
• (6) or more years of progressively responsible experience in permitting roles for complex capital projects—ideally in wastewater, utility, or public infrastructure sectors.
• Strong understanding of jurisdictional coordination, including experience navigating municipal, county, and state permitting processes; ability to build and maintain productive working relationships with permitting authorities.
• Talented at communicating, confident in speaking in meetings, and describing complicated concepts in understandable terms.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Certified Planner – American Planning Association
• Course(s) in Project Management

Competencies You Bring:

Manages Complexity: Making sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems.
Strategic Mindset: Seeing ahead to future possibilities and translating them into breakthrough strategies.
Instills Trust: Gaining the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and authenticity.
Communicates Effectively: Developing and delivering multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences.
Collaborates: Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.

Additional Information

Discover More About the Wastewater Treatment Division: Visit our website and check us out at Facebook (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.