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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

Do you want to advance your career as an administrative professional? Do you enjoy working in a fast-paced environment? Are you interested in gaining experience with the State of Washington? The Toxics Cleanup Program (TCP) within the Department of Ecology is looking to fill a Secretary Senior position, located in our Headquarters Building in Lacey, WA. 

In this position, you will contribute directly to Ecology’s mission by providing administrative support to technical and management staff in the Toxics Cleanup Program in the Headquarters building. This is an excellent opportunity to learn and develop many skills such as customer service, computer skills, record keeping, confidentiality, and organizational skills.

Administrative tasks go beyond meeting office staff needs; the successful candidate must be friendly, approachable, professional, and proactive with meeting customer expectations and administrative deadlines. In light of this, an individual with initiative, an aptitude for process improvement, streamlined organization, excellent problem-solving skills, and enthusiasm for environmental issues is geared to thrive in this position. In this role, you will directly report to the Program Manager’s Assistant and support the TCP mission and vision.

Agency and Program Mission: Ecology’s mission is to protect, preserve and enhance Washington's environment, and promote the wise management of our air, land, and water. The agency’s goals are to prevent pollution, clean up pollution and support sustainable communities and natural resources. The mission of the Toxics Cleanup Program (TCP) is to protect human health and the environment for the people of Washington by preventing, reducing, or eliminating exposure to contamination to support the development of environmentally, economically sustainable communities and address environmental justice issues within our highly impacted communities.

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.

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. The person in this position is expected to be in the office approximately three days per week. 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 January 18, 2022. In order to be considered for initial screening, please submit an application on or before January 17, 2022. The agency reserves the right to make an appointment any time after the initial screening date.
 
Duties


 
In this support role, you will coordinate with employees at headquarters and the Regional offices and help them with a myriad of administrative needs, such as record keeping, training, purchasing, and complaint response.
 
What you will do: 

  • Assist the Program Managers Assistant with scheduling and calendar maintenance as directed. Use appropriate discretion to process confidential information. 
  • Independently plan, organize, and prioritize complex secretarial and office work to meet internal and external deadlines.
  • Assist with coordination of meetings, answering phones, mail distribution, copying, scanning, records maintenance, and other duties as assigned.
  • Independently maintain database management and coordination of office administration, including development of new work methods, procedures, or strategies to solve new or unusual productivity or office efficiency problems.
  • Assist headquarters staff and Regional office staff with miscellaneous tasks.
  • Complex secretarial and miscellaneous duties including but not limited to as assigned.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:
High School diploma or equivalent and two years of increasingly responsible secretarial office experience, which includes proofreading and editing documents and ensuring that they are digitally accessible.

Desired Qualifications:

Proficiency using Microsoft Office Suite and standard office equipment.

Note: Having this desired experience may make your application more competitive in a highly competitive applicant pool.

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 on 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 Rhonda Luke at: Rhonda.luke@ecy.wa.gov. Please do not contact Rhonda 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.