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Per Governor Inslee’s Proclamation 21-14.2 (Download PDF reader), Washington State employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. As a condition of employment, the successful candidate will be required to provide proof of their COVID-19 vaccination as part of the hiring process, prior to their start date. Requests for medical and religious exemptions will be considered. If you have questions, please contact Careers@ecy.wa.gov with “COVID-19 vaccination” in the subject line.  

Keeping Washington Clean and Evergreen

The Office of Columbia River (OCR) within the Department of Ecology is looking to fill a Hydrogeologist (Hydrogeologist 5) position. This position is located in our Central Regional Office (CRO) in Union Gap, WA.


OCR is a small, innovative and fast-paced water supply development program within the Department of Ecology. In this role, you will assist in major water supply project development including technical evaluations of projects such as surface water and groundwater storage reservoirs, groundwater monitoring programs, and pump exchanges. You will serve as the OCR project management team lead to a highly skilled, technically focused project team, in addition to administering and overseeing grants, contracts and work orders authorized under RCW 90.90 (Columbia River Basin), RCW 90.38 (Yakima River Basin Integrated Water Resource Management Plan) and other various funding agreements authorized within the applicable State Capital Budget appropriations with a focus on managing projects that have geologic, hydrogeologic and/or politically sensitive technical components. You will be involved in the long term historical project accomplishments like the Odessa Groundwater Water Replacement Project milestones as well as new and innovative technology in aquifer storage and recovery projects. 

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 embrace the value of people.

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. 
  • A wellness program that offers education, fitness classes, and an agency-wide fondness for outdoor meetings.
  • Opportunities to serve your community and make an impact through meaningful work.


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. 

During Healthy Washington Roadmap to Recovery, employees are working a combination of in-office and/or telework based on position and business need. Ecology is following current state guidance regarding building occupancy, mask requirements, health screening questions before entry, and social distancing. 
  
 
Application Timeline: This position will remain open until filled, with an initial screening date of December 30, 2021. In order to be considered for initial screening, please submit an application on or before December 29, 2021 . The agency reserves the right to make an appointment any time after the initial screening date.
 
Duties

What makes this role unique?
In this role, you will serve as the in-house special consultant to the OCR Director, OCR Financial and Project Section Manager, ERO Regional Director, CRO Regional Director and Water Resources Program Manager on water supply projects located throughout the Columbia River Basin (Eastern Washington) that have a heavy emphasis on hydrogeologic, hydrologic and geologic expertise while also serving as the OCR Project Manager team lead. You will perform cross program, cross region and cross agency coordination for complex and politically-sensitive water supply development projects. Also serves as OCR authority on groundwater and surface water interconnectivity, groundwater subareas that overlap with water supply project development, and federal irrigation project groundwater mounding, water budgets and aquifer storage.

What you will do: 

  • Provide technical and policy analysis of water supply development projects; apply hydrogeologic expertise to the development of policies, procedures, rules, legislation and provide input on controversial water right permitting decisions. 
  • Maintain statewide expertise on aquifer storage and recovery systems, alluvial and basalt aquifer characteristics, and inter-relationship of stream hydrology and groundwater systems, crop consumptive use, return flows, water budgets, and irrigation and water conservation methods.
  • Manage the Columbia River Long Term Water Supply and Demand Forecast project; the Odessa Ground Water Replacement Project (OGWRP); aquifer storage and recovery projects, the Columbia River interruptible water use, source substitution projects and many smaller projects.
  • Manage OCR grants, contracts and/or interagency agreements on projects that require hydrogeologic or geologic expertise, including groundwater and surface storage, conservation, and pump exchanges. Funding agreement oversight includes, authoring, reviewing, and negotiating scopes of work, processing invoices, and tracking deliverables. 
  • Train program hydrogeologists in aquifer storage and recovery, groundwater trend analysis, water supply modeling, hydrogeologic analysis for water right permits, and consumptive use calculations.
  • Provide cross-program and cross-agency coordination to resolve potential conflicts in the implementation of OCR funded projects. Develops option-based advice and dispute-resolution techniques for regional technical issues.
  • Represent OCR in committee and workgroups along with working closely with other State and local government agencies, Tribal governments, federal agencies, stakeholder working groups, and other Ecology programs. 
  • Represent the Agency and present hydrogeologic information at state, regional and national technical conferences and local external working groups.



Qualifications

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

Option 1:
A Bachelor's degree involving major study in hydrogeology, hydrology, geology, or closely allied field.
 
AND
 
Five years of professional level experience as a hydrogeologist, hydrologist, geologist, or closely allied profession at the Hydrogeologist 3 level, higher or equivalent. Three of the five years of professional level experience must be directly related to water rights administration, water resource policy development, or water resource planning.
 
Option 2:

A Master's degree with major study in hydrogeology, hydrology, geology, or closely allied field.
 
AND
 
Three years of professional level experience as a hydrogeologist, hydrologist, geologist, or closely allied profession at the Hydrogeologist 3 level, higher or equivalent. This experience must include water rights administration, water resource policy development, or water resource planning.
 
Option 3:

A Ph.D. degree will substitute for three years of experience if major research was in hydrogeology, hydrology, geology, or closely allied field.
 
AND
 
Two years of professional level experience as a hydrogeologist, hydrologist, geologist, or closely allied profession at the Hydrogeologist 3 level, higher or equivalent. This experience must be directly related to water rights administration, water resource policy development, or water resource planning.




Special Requirements/Conditions of Employment: 

  • Must have a geologist license with a hydrogeology specialty license in the State of Washington. 
  • Must possess and maintain a valid driver’s license.

LICENSED HGs:

NOTE:  Individuals who are interested in applying to this position, and believe they meet licensing requirements for the State of Washington based on reciprocity, are responsible for ensuring they meet licensing requirements for the State of Washington prior to submitting their application materials. These requirements can be found at the following website: WA State Licensing (DOL) Official Site: How to get your license: Geologists, engineering geologists, or hydrogeologists by reciprocity.

Supplemental Information

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 candidates from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.


Need an Accommodation in the application and/or screening process or this job announcement in an alternative format?

  • Please call: (360) 407-6186 or email: careers@ecy.wa.gov and we will be happy to assist.
  • If you are deaf or hard of hearing you can reach the Washington Relay Service by dialing 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6388.
  • If you need assistance applying for this job, please e-mail careers@ecy.wa.gov. Please do not send an email to this address to follow-up the status of your application. You can view the latest status of your application on your profile's main page.
  • If you are reading this announcement in print format, please enter the following URL to your search engine to apply: https://ecology.wa.gov/About-us/Get-to-know-us/Jobs-at-Ecology.  

Application Instructions:

It's in the applicant's best interest to submit all of the documents listed below. Applications without these documents may be declined.

  • A cover letter describing why you are interested in this position.
  • A resume outlining your experience and education (if applicable) as it relates to the minimum qualifications of this position.
  • Three professional references.

Please do NOT include your salary history. Wage/salary depends on qualifications or rules of promotion, if applicable. 
 
For Your Privacy:
When attaching documents to your application (Resume, Cover Letter, Transcripts, DD-214, etc.):

  • Please be sure to remove private information such as your social security number, date of birth, etc. 
  • Do not attach documents that are password protected, as these documents may not be reviewed and may cause errors within your application when downloaded. 

Additional Application Instructions for Current Ecology Employees: 
 
Please make sure to answer the agency-wide questions regarding permanent status as a classified employee within the Washington General Service or Washington Management Service. Do not forget to select Department of Ecology as a response to question 2, and type your personnel ID number for question 3. If you are not sure of your status or do not know your personnel ID number, please contact Human Resources.

Application Attestation: 

The act of submitting application materials electronically is considered affirmation that the information is complete and truthful. The state may verify this information and any untruthful or misleading answers are cause for rejection of your application or dismissal if employed. 

Other Information:

If you have specific questions about the position, please email Melissa Downes at: mnih461@ecy.wa.gov. Please do not contact Melissa to inquire about the status of your application.
To request the full position description: email careers@ecy.wa.gov

Why work for Ecology?

As an agency, our mission is to protect, preserve and enhance Washington's environment for current and future generations. We invest in our employees to create and sustain a working environment that encourages creative leadership, effective resource management, teamwork, professionalism and accountability.

Joining Ecology means becoming a part of a team committed to protecting and restoring Washington State's environment. A career in public service 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.

Ecology employees may be eligible for the following:

Student debt: how working for Ecology can help
The Department of Ecology is a qualifying employer for the Public Service Forgiveness Program (PSLF). See https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service for more details.
To learn more about The Department of Ecology, please visit our website at www.ecology.wa.gov and follow, like or visit us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or our blog.

Collective Bargaining: This is a position covered by a bargaining unit for which the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE) is the exclusive representative.  

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. Persons needing accommodation in the application/testing process or this job announcement in an alternative format may call (360) 407-6186. Applicants who are deaf or hard of hearing may call the Washington Relay Service by dialing 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6388.

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.