Treatment Planning – Program Manager

Full Job Description

Shape the Future of Water Quality in King County

King County’s Wastewater Treatment Division is seeking a passionate and strategic Program Manager to lead the Treatment Planning Program – the team responsible for charting the course for future expansion and upgrades to our region’s wastewater treatment plants.

This position is a unique opportunity to be on the forefront of planning the policies and capital projects that will protect public health, improve water quality, and ensure responsible environmental stewardship for generations to come.

As a senior leader within the Treatment and Separated Conveyance Planning Group, you’ll guide strategic planning efforts, coordinate across technical disciplines, and play a pivotal role in developing both short- and long-range plans to prepare the treatment system for population growth and to meet evolving environmental regulations.

You’ll collaborate with and guide a dynamic, high-performing team and influence decisions that will shape regional water quality for decades.

This is an opportunity to:

• Contribute to clean water and community well-being through public service.
• Lead strategic planning that drives major infrastructure investments.
• Address complex, meaningful issues impacting Puget Sound, the environment, and public health.
• Work alongside a diverse, collaborative, and passionate team.

If you’re ready to help shape the roadmap for water quality in King County – and are driven by big-picture thinking, strategic planning, and the chance to make a lasting impact on public health, equity, and the environment – this role offers the opportunity to lead meaningful work at the intersection of infrastructure and sustainability.

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

As Program Manager for the Treatment Planning Program, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our regional wastewater system.

This position guides a team of talented professionals who are tackling some of the most pressing environmental and infrastructure challenges of our time – ensuring our five treatment plants meet growing capacity needs and evolving regulatory requirements, while considering climate impacts and adaptation, equity and social justice, resource recovery (recycled water, biosolids, biogas, energy) needs and opportunities, management of aging infrastructure, cost and affordability, and component agency priorities.

In this role, you will:

• Drive major planning efforts, such as the Long-term Treatment Plan to provide a roadmap to guide treatment capital investments for decades to come.
• Address critical regulatory challenges, including nutrient reduction, NPDES permit compliance, and contaminants of emerging concern (such as PFAS), ensuring public health and environmental protection.
• Lead treatment process studies to improve and optimize treatment operations.
• Support and incorporate resource recovery, exploring opportunities for recycled water, biosolids reuse, and energy production and reduction.

• Develop conceptual capital projects that progress into project delivery and drive large capital investments in wastewater infrastructure.

• Lead strategic planning processes and recommend policy, guiding division and County decision-making at the intersection of infrastructure, environmental stewardship, and equity.
• Build strong partnerships with County teams, operations staff, consultants, and component agencies.

You will provide technical guidance, manage diverse teams, support junior and mid-level staff, and influence decisions that impact public health, environmental protection, and regional growth.

With large-scale capital projects, evolving regulations, and complex, completing needs on the horizon, this role offers the opportunity to make a lasting impact on 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 nearly $500 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.

Requirements

Guide long-term, strategic planning initiatives: Lead a team in developing long-term plans, decision-making processes, recommended policy, and obtaining necessary approvals for implementation.

Establish processes for engagement with senior leadership, elected officials, regulators, tribal interests, and/or the public.

Foster collaboration: Work closely and coordinate across divisions, sections, and agencies to integrate system needs, opportunities, and priorities with capacity and regulatory planning.

Build strong relationships with county staff, leadership, local sewer agencies, regulators, and other interested parties.

Qualifications

• Professional work experience and/or education in planning, engineering, science, business administration, public administration, or a related field, with increasing responsibility for managing large and complex programs or projects.
• Knowledge of water, wastewater, science, or environmental management.
• Experience developing and leading strategic planning, decision-making processes, and policy analysis.
• Demonstrated experience and knowledge of program management and planning techniques, principles, and/or practices.
• Experience leading a team to accomplish a complex program or work.
• Experience leading or preparing a variety of types of documents, plans, memos, briefings, and/or summaries describing complex projects, programs, policies, or processes.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills for synthesizing and conveying complex information to a variety of expert and non-expert audiences.
• 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.

• 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.
• 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.

• Knowledge of local government processes, public utility issues, policy, and/or communications.
• Knowledge of environmental regulations, such as federal Clean Water Act and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES).
• Knowledge of and experience with project and/or contract management.

Additional Information