Improving Air Quality in Overburdened Communities Grants Unit Supervisor (Environmental Planner 5)

Keeping Washington Clean and Evergreen

The Air Quality Program (AQP) within the Department of Ecology is looking to fill an Improving Air Quality in Overburdened Communities Grants Unit Supervisor (Environmental Planner 5) position. This position is located in our Headquarters Office in Lacey, WA. Upon hire, you must live within a commutable distance from the duty station.
 
Do you possess a background in grant management and working to educate and engage potential grantees?  Do you have a passion for improving air quality and advancing environmental justice throughout Washington State?
 
As the Improving Air Quality in Overburdened Communities Grants Unit Supervisor, you will be the senior policy consultant for oversight and administration of Improving Air Quality in Overburdened Communities Initiative grants. These grants incentivize the reduction of emissions from non-regulated sources in identified overburdened communities highly impacted by air pollution consistent with RCW 70A.65.020.
 
In this role, you will:
 

• Provide leadership, guidance, and management support on policy and program development.
• Set strategic goals and objectives consistent with legislative direction.
• Create and administer an effective, consistent, and equitable grant program.
• Recruit, evaluate, train, mentor, and promote career development of staff.

You will also develop and facilitate a strategic community engagement process to support the meaningful engagement and input of overburdened communities and vulnerable populations. Your role will integrate environmental justice considerations in the development of the grant program, and develop systems to integrate environmental justice stakeholders and identified communities into grant processes.
 
The mission of the Air Quality Program (AQP) is to protect, preserve, and enhance the air quality of Washington to safeguard public health and the environment and support high quality of life for current and future generations.

Tele-work options for this position: This position will be eligible for up to an 80% tele-work schedule. Applicants with questions about position location options, tele-work, and flexible or compressed schedules are encouraged to reach out to the contact person listed below in “other information.” Schedules are dependent upon position needs and are subject to change.

Application Timeline: This position will remain open until filled, we will review applications on August 29, 2023. In order to be considered, please submit an application on or before August 28, 2023. If your application isn't received by this date, it may not be considered. The agency reserves the right to make a Hire any time after the initial screening date. 

Please Note: We will review all applications received before the date above. Additional reviews after this date typically only occur if we have a small applicant pool, or if a successful Hire was not made.

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 (Download PDF reader), Combined Fund Drive, SmartHealth *Click here for more information 
 

About the Department of Ecology

Protecting Washington State's environment for current and future generations is what we do every day at Ecology. We are a culture that is invested in making a difference. Join a team that is highly effective and collaborative, with leadership that embraces the value of people. To learn more, check out our Strategic Plan. 

Ecology cares deeply about employee wellness; we go beyond traditional benefits, proudly offering:

• A healthy life/work balance by offering flexible schedules and telework options for most positions.
• An Infants at Work Program that is based on the long-term health values of infant-parent bonding and breastfeeding newborns.
• Continuous growth and development opportunities.
• Opportunities to serve your community and make an impact through meaningful work.

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.

Diversity: We celebrate and appreciate diversity; our unique perspectives and abilities enrich us all and lead to innovative approaches and solutions.

Equity: We champion equity, recognizing that each of us need different things to thrive.

Inclusion: We intentionally create and hold space so that we all have meaningful opportunities to participate and contribute to Ecology’s work.

Respect: We treat each other with respect and dignity, acknowledging the inherent worth of our diverse perspectives and lived experiences, even in times of uncertainty and disagreement.

 
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. 

 

Duties

What makes this job unique?
As part of the Improving Air Quality in Overburdened Communities Grants unit, you will supervise environmental professionals in the overall development, design, planning and implementation of the grant program to ensure the creation and administration of an effective, consistent and equitable funding program. In this role, you'll develop and implement a structure to partner with communities in creating grant programs that reflect community air quality needs. You’ll engage with Tribes, local governments, non-governmental organizations and community members to gain their input on implementing the grant framework. Additionally, aligning with Ecology’s Office of Equity and Environmental Justice, you’ll conduct environmental justice assessments, including those required by the Healthy Environment for All (HEAL) Act and ensure grant processes comply with nondiscrimination under Title VI.
 
What you will do:
 

• Develop and facilitate a strategic community engagement process, including the development and implementation of processes of the grant program that support the meaningful engagement and input of overburdened communities and vulnerable populations. 
• Conduct activities ensuring compliance with the Healthy Environment for All Act (Chapter 70A.02 RCW), Climate Commitment Act (Chapter 70A.65 RCW), Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. § 2000d et seq.), and other applicable environmental justice requirements, by staying in close alignment with Ecology's Office of Equity and Environmental Justice.
• Provide administrative, project design and outreach support to Tribes, local governments, non-governmental organizations and community members within communities in order to further their ability to engage and participate in grant processes.
• Develop a system for managing and tracking projects receiving funding. Estimate and track criteria pollutant emission reductions from projects.
• Provide expertise on criteria air pollution reduction strategies in overburdened communities for non-regulated sources in an easily accessible manner. Write, review, and conduct analysis of technological developments, state and federal legislation, and regulation.
• Recruit, evaluate, train, mentor, and promote career development of staff. Provide support, management, coordination, and supervision of staff. Enhance employee effectiveness through professional development opportunities, timely appraisal, performance management, and discipline, when necessary.
• Ensure that the unit’s work is high quality and adheres to applicable legislative and legal requirements, and agency grant management best practices, by checking work, giving clearing instructions and coaching to unit staff.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:
Years of required experience indicated below are full-time equivalent years. Full-time equivalent experience means that any experience where working hours were less than 40 hours per week will be prorated in order to meet the equivalency of full-time. We would calculate this by looking at the total hours worked per week, divide this by 40, and then multiply by the total number of months worked. Examples of the proration calculations are:

 

• 30 hours worked per week for 20 months: (30/40) x 20 months = 15 months full-time equivalent
• 20 hours worked per week for 12 months: (20/40) x 12 months = 6 months full-time equivalent

Experience for both required and desired qualifications can be gained through various combinations of formal professional employment, education, and volunteer experience. See below for how you may qualify.

Option 1:
 

• A Bachelor’s degree with major emphasis in transportation, environmental, natural resource, land use, urban, or regional planning, landscape architecture, geography, or environmental law, public administration with an environmental emphasis, or a closely related field.
• Seven years of professional experience in transportation, environmental, natural resource, land use, urban, or regional planning, grant administration, and/or program development.

Option 2:
 

• A Master's degree or above with major emphasis in transportation, environmental, natural resource, land use, urban, or regional planning, landscape architecture, geography, or environmental law, public administration with an environmental emphasis, or a closely related field.
• Five years of professional experience in transportation, environmental, natural resource, land use, urban, or regional planning, grant administration, and/or program development.

Option 3:
 

• Two years of experience as an Environmental Planner 4 at the Department of Ecology.

Special Requirements/Conditions of Employment: 

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

Desired Qualifications:
We highly encourage you to apply even if you do not have some (or all) of the desired experience below.

 

• Knowledge of grant administration.
• Knowledge of environmental justice.
• Knowledge of community engagement in disproportionately impacted communities.
• Knowledge of air quality and air quality regulation.

Note: Having some (or all) of this desired experience may make your application more competitive in a highly competitive applicant pool.