Senior Wastewater Utility Planner – Treatment Planning

Full Job Description

King County’s Wastewater Treatment Division is seeking two Senior Wastewater Utility Planner (Water Quality Planner/Project Manager III) who are ready to shape the future of our region’s clean water infrastructure.

These are more than a planning role – it’s a chance to influence the policies, strategies, and capital investments that will protect public health, improve Puget Sound water quality, and strengthen environmental resilience for generations.

As a key member of the Treatment and Separated Conveyance Planning group, you’ll help chart the long-term path for a regional treatment system that must prepare for population growth, evolving regulations, and the realities of climate change.

The work is complex, meaningful, and deeply connected to environmental and community well-being.

You’ll collaborate with a high-performing, multidisciplinary team and lead planning efforts that directly inform major infrastructure decisions that will shape regional water quality.

If you’re driven by big-picture thinking, strategic problem-solving, and the opportunity to make a lasting regional impact, this role offers the chance to grow your leadership, expand your technical breadth, and contribute to a cleaner, healthier, more sustainable future for King County.

About the Role:

As a Senior Wastewater Utility Planner in King County Wastewater’s Treatment Planning Program, you will play a central role in shaping the future of the region’s clean water infrastructure.

This team is responsible for developing the short- and long-range plans that ensure King County’s five wastewater treatment plants can reliably serve a growing population, meet evolving regulatory requirements, and uphold the County’s commitment to environmental stewardship and equity.

In this senior-level role, you’ll take on some of the most pressing infrastructure and environmental challenges facing the region.

You will help determine how our treatment plants meet growing capacity needs and evolving regulatory requirements, while considering climate impacts, aging assets, resource recovery, affordability, and resiliency.

Your work will directly influence major capital investments, regulatory strategies, and long-term policy decisions that protect public health and water quality.

You’ll help lead decision-making processes, develop technical analyses, recommend policy, and produce the documentation needed to guide both internal planning and regulatory compliance.

You’ll collaborate with and manage diverse teams of County staff and consultants, mentor junior and mid-level planners, and collaborate closely with operations, engineering, and partner agencies to advance shared goals.

This role offers the opportunity to:

• Contribute to and/or drive major planning efforts, including the Long-term Treatment Plan, which will guide decades of capital investment.
• Tackle critical regulatory challenges such as nutrient reduction, NPDES compliance, and emerging contaminants like PFAS.
• Lead treatment process studies that improve and optimize plant performance.
• Develop conceptual capital projects that progress into project delivery and large-scale infrastructure investments.
• Recommend policy and strategic direction at the intersection of infrastructure, environmental protection, and equity.
• Build strong partnerships across the County and with external interested parties.

With significant infrastructure needs on the horizon and an evolving regulatory landscape, this position offers a rare chance to influence decisions that will define the region’s water quality and environmental health for generations.

It’s a role for someone who thrives on complexity, values collaboration, and is motivated by work that delivers lasting impact for the region’s infrastructure and water quality.

This position follows a hybrid work model, blending remote and in-person work.

About the Team:

The Treatment and Separated Conveyance Planning Group is part of the Wastewater Treatment Division’s Planning and Project Delivery Section, a dynamic team of over 250 professionals responsible for delivering over $600 million in capital projects this year – and projected to grow to over $1 billion annually by the end of the decade.

Our group plays a critical role at the forefront of this work, identifying and developing future projects and guiding strategic decision-making for major investments in the region’s wastewater system.

The work we do has a lasting impact on public health, water quality, and the environment in the Puget Sound region, both now and for generations to come.

Our Treatment and Separated Conveyance Planning team embodies the values of adaptability, collaboration, equity, excellence, leadership, and respect, fully supporting the Wastewater Treatment Division’s mission of environmental stewardship, quality of service, and financial accountability.

Team members are empowered to communicate effectively, learn and grow from one another, and develop innovative solutions that advance both environmental sustainability and equity.

By prioritizing equity and social justice, consistent with King County’s values, we strengthen our teams and ensure that all residents benefit from high-quality wastewater services and improved environmental outcomes.

Working in the Treatment and Separated Conveyance Planning Group offers:

• Highly collaborative and supportive colleagues
• Opportunities for professional growth and continuous learning
• Flexible schedules and work arrangements
• A mix of independent and team-based work
• Cross-divisional collaboration with staff across operations and other work units

Our staff are critical strategic partners in shaping the processes and deliverables that guide major investment decisions, contributing directly to the long-term resilience and sustainability of King County’s wastewater system.

For more information on the Treatment Planning Program check out:

• https://kingcountywtd.com/2022/01/24/planning-ahead-to-treat-wastewater/ and
• https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dnrp/waste-services/wastewater-treatment/programs/treatment-planning

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

With about 1000 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.

We partner with regulatory agencies to reduce harmful waste discharge and actively educate the public and businesses on water quality protection.

We prioritize accountability to our ratepayers and operate a well-managed agency that services over 2.3 million King County residents.

Our regional wastewater treatment system not only sustains a healthy environment but also fuels economic development, fostering prosperity in our region.

If you're passionate about making a difference and thrive in a collaborative environment, join us in our mission to safeguard our precious water resources.

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 a Senior Wastewater Utility Planner, you will actively apply these principles in all aspects of your work. Learn more about our commitment at http://www.kingcounty.gov/equity.

Apply now for a rewarding career at the Wastewater Treatment Division of King County Department of Natural Resources & Parks (DNRP). Join our talented workforce in protecting and restoring the natural environment and promoting more resilient, sustainable, and equitable communities. Enjoy training, comprehensive benefits, and growth opportunities.

Requirements

What You Will Be Doing:

• Lead key planning initiatives: Develop technical and policy components of the Wastewater Treatment Division’s Treatment Planning Program, including major efforts such as the Long-term Treatment Plan.
• Evaluate system impacts: Review initiatives, regulations, policies, technical studies, and planning documents to assess implications for the regional treatment system and individual treatment plants.

Drive complex analyses: Oversee, coordinate, conduct and/or assist with various types of planning processes, decision-making roadmaps, technical evaluations, cost analyses, literature reviews, sustainability assessments, policy analyses, and data analyses.

Translate findings into clear recommendations that guide policy and long-term planning decisions.

• Advance sustainability and equity: Integrate principles from the County’s Strategic Climate Action Plan and Equity and Social Justice Strategic Plan into planning processes, project development, and program strategies.
• Foster cross-agency collaboration: Work closely with staff across units, sections, and partner agencies to align system needs, regulatory requirements, and capacity planning. Build strong relationships with County leadership, local sewer agencies, regulators, and other interested parties.
• Produce high-quality planning documentation: Lead or guide the development of planning documents, technical reports, memos, presentations, and other materials that communicate strategies and support long-term investment in treatment infrastructure.

Qualifications

Qualifications You Bring:

• Professional work experience and/or education in planning, science, public administration, engineering, or a related field.

• Demonstrated experience and/or knowledge of planning techniques, principles, and/or practices to develop plans and solutions for complex projects.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills for conveying technical or complex information to a wide variety of expert and non-expert audiences

• Demonstrated experience and knowledge of project management, contract management, and/or team management.

• Experience working with minimal guidance where there may be ambiguity and established procedures and policies may not exist and must be developed to craft solutions and pathways leading to recommendations.

Competencies You Bring:

• Strategic Mindset: Seeing ahead to future possibilities and translating them into breakthrough strategies.
• Plans and Aligns: Planning and prioritizing work to meet commitments aligned with organizational goals.
• Collaborates: Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.
• Communicates Effectively: Developing and delivering multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences.
• Manages Ambiguity: Operating effectively, even when things are not certain, or the way forward is not clear.

It Would Be Great if You Also Bring:

• Knowledge of science, environmental management, or water/wastewater conveyance and treatment methods and techniques.

• Knowledge of environmental regulations, such as federal Clean Water Act and/or National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES).

• Knowledge of local government processes, public utility issues, policy and/or communications.

• Experience using decision making criteria, principles and practices, including identifying issues needing management attention/input.

Additional Information

Working Conditions:

Work Location: The Treatment Planning team works in a hybrid model, with days in the office as well as telecommuting.

The ratio of remote to onsite work will be dependent on business needs and is subject to change. The primary onsite location is King Street Center, 201 S. Jackson, Seattle, Washington 98104.

Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.

King County has a robust collection of tools and resources to support working remotely.

The individual selected for this opportunity will join an innovative and progressive team that is redefining how we work as we transition to the department's hybrid environment.

Employees will be provided with a County-issued laptop and must maintain a home workspace with an internet connection where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours.

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: Technical Employees’ Association (TEA) - Wastewater Treatment Division

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 one or more panel interviews.

Anticipated Timeline for this recruitment: (subject to change)

• Technical Vetting interview: Virtual, week of April 28

• Panel interviews: Virtual, May 6 & 7

To apply, submit a:

• Complete Application
• Resume
• Cover Letter

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

Who to Contact: For more information regarding this recruitment, please contact Mark Workinger at Mworkinger@kingcounty.gov

Discover More About the Wastewater Treatment Division: Visit our website and check us out atFacebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, YouTubeand ourWTD Blog.

Visit our 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.