SEA Legislative Coordinator (Environmental Planner 5)(Internal Only)

Full Job Description

Keeping Washington Clean and Evergreen

This recruitment is open only to current Department of Ecology employees, including those on temporary or project assignments, and Ecology's Washington Conservation Corps members.

The Department of Ecology is hiring a SEA Legislative Coordinator(Environmental Planner 5)(Internal Only) within the Shorelands & Environmental Assistance (SEA) program.

Please Note: This is a temporary position that will end April 30, 2026.

Location:

• Headquarters Office in Lacey, WA.

Upon hire, you must live within a commutable distance from the selected duty station.

Schedule:

• This position is eligible for telework and flexible schedule options.
• You may telework most of your work time, with required fieldwork and occasional in-office time.
• Schedules are dependent upon onboarding schedules, position needs and are subject to change.

Application Timeline:

• Apply by November 6, 2025
• 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

As the SEA Legislative Coordinator, you play a key role in advancing the program’s mission by advising the Program Manager, SEA Management Team, and staff on emerging policy issues at both the state and national levels.

You coordinate the program’s involvement in legislation related to shorelines, wetlands, and floodplains, review and assign bills for analysis, and prepare bill summaries, fiscal notes, and testimony.

You provide policy recommendations to leadership, support the implementation of new legislation, and lead coordination with other Ecology programs on SEA-related policy, rulemaking, and environmental justice assessments.

What you will do:

• Work with program leadership to set the program’s strategic legislative direction.
• Provide legislative coordination, including tracking and analyzing legislation, and coordinating and drafting responses to legislative inquiries.
• Support the drafting and approval of fiscal notes.
• Contribute to the development of budget decision packages.
• Provide analytical and consultation services on program work activities resulting from new state and federal laws and other actions.
• Assist managers with special projects as assigned.
• Write, review, and conduct analysis of legislation and regulatory development.
• Represent the program on shorelines, wetlands, and floodplains issues.
• Represent the program in meetings with legislative staff and interested party groups.
• Represent the program, as appropriate, in communications with Tribes.
• Coordinate the development and review of legislative reports.
• Coordinate rulemaking efforts for the program.
• Track and report on performance measures.
• Represent the SEA Program on Ecology’s Performance Management Team.

Qualifications

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

Required Qualifications:

Eleven (11) years of experience and/or education as described below:

• Experience: professional experience in land use, urban, regional, environmental, or natural resource planning, and/or policy development.
• Education involving a major study in land use, urban, regional, environmental, or natural resource planning, landscape architecture, geography, land use or environmental law, public administration with an environmental emphasis, or closely related field.

Examples of how to qualify:

• 11 years of experience.
• 10 years of experience AND 30-59 semester or 45-89 quarter college credits.
• 9 years of experience AND 60-89 semester or 90-134 quarter college credits (Associate’s degree).
• 8 years of experience AND 90-119 semester or 135-179 quarter college credits.
• 7 years of experience AND a Bachelor’s degree.
• 5 years of experience AND a Master’s degree or higher.

• 2 years of experience as an Environmental Planner 4, at Department of Ecology

Desired Qualifications:

• Navigate emerging and complex policy issues where clear guidance or established precedent does not exist.

• Lead or support new legislative initiatives and responds to evolving bill proposals affecting SEA’s policy areas.

• Develop and modify legislation, ensuring consistency with existing state and federal regulations.

• Apply in-depth knowledge of statutes, regulatory frameworks, and agency policies to craft sound, defensible recommendations.

• Demonstrate strong critical thinking, creativity, and policy innovation in formulating new or previously unexplored legislative approaches.

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 sponsor STEM OPT hires, or hires using the 180 day STEM OPT extension. 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 orcareers@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 Bridget Talebi at Bridget.Talebi@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, 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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