Small Community Wastewater Assistance Engineer - FMS (Environmental Engineer 5)
The Water Quality Program within the Department of Ecology is looking for a licensed Professional Engineer to join our Financial Management Section in our Headquarters Office in Lacey, WA.
Small community wastewater infrastructure presents unique and complex challenges due to the combination of socioeconomic and technical factors that require added time and technical innovation to identify sustainable solutions. In this position, you will help solve environmental engineering issues for small financially distressed communities facing wastewater infrastructure challenges.
This position is different from the Regional engineering positions in that it focuses on small communities receiving financial assistance that require more directed technical assistance and community engagement. This position will engage with select communities statewide, supporting early planning of wastewater projects, supporting the community during design and construction phases, and providing tools and training for ongoing sustainability of those systems.
What will you do?
As a registered Professional Engineer, you'll perform the full range of professional environmental engineering duties associated with small community wastewater grant and loan projects and proposals for water quality improvement and protection. You will work with communities throughout the state to help build sustainable and resilient systems that meet federal and state financial assistance requirements and are feasible for the specific community’s technical, managerial, and financial capacity. To do this, you will:
- Build relationships with community members and leaders, with the goal of understanding unique small community challenges, and tailoring technical assistance to meet each community's unique clean water needs.
- Review project scoping and planning documents, engineering designs, hydrologic modeling, engineering plans, and other documents as needed for each project.
- Apply wastewater engineering techniques and principals to small community system needs and requests for financial assistance.
- Interpret and apply federal and state laws, rules, policies, and guidance regarding wastewater management to ensure that infrastructure built with loan and grant funds will be protective of the environment, affordable to the community, and will function as intended.
- Travel to communities throughout the state to provide directed technical assistance related to system alternatives analysis, value planning and engineering, and asset management.
- Help lead the Water Quality Program’s Small Community Assistance Workgroup.
Why join the team?
- You will be working directly with small communities to provide their customers with affordable wastewater treatment.
- You will be joining Water Quality’s Financial Management Section and working closely with Water Quality’s regional engineering, project management and permitting staff that support the financial assistance programs, all dedicated to a teamwork approach to problem solving.
- You will have the opportunity to engage with communities from across the state, and connect with partners from multiple state agencies.
- You will have significant ability to prioritize your own work.
Required Qualifications:
There are multiple ways to qualify for this position. See options below:
Option 1:
- An Engineer-In-Training Certificate or a Bachelor's degree with a major study in one of the following engineering fields, sanitary, civil, geotechnical, water resource, environmental, chemical, mechanical or related field
- Registration as a Professional Engineer in the state of Washington or another state based on registration requirements equivalent to those in Washington
- Five (5) years of experience in environmental engineering. This experience may include:
- Environmental engineering expertise in wastewater, stormwater, or reclaimed water treatment, collection, and distribution technologies and laws, and specifically:
- Experience providing environmental engineering analysis and completing engineering reviews.
- Familiarity with treatment technologies, treatment plant and collection system operation and maintenance.
- Experience with wastewater treatment engineering and regulation.
- Operator training and technical assistance. Plant startup and trouble shooting.
- Design, bidding, award, and construction management of water quality projects.
- Cost estimation, alternative analysis, utility economic analysis, or rate setting.
Option 2:
- A Master's degree with major study in one of the following engineering fields, sanitary water resource, civil, geotechnical, environmental, chemical, mechanical, or related field
- Registration as a Professional Engineer in the state of Washington or another state based on registration requirements equivalent to those in Washington
- Four (4) years of experience in environmental engineering. This experience may include:
- Environmental engineering expertise in wastewater, stormwater, or reclaimed water treatment, collection, and distribution technologies and laws, and specifically:
- Experience providing environmental engineering analysis and completing engineering reviews.
- Familiarity with treatment technologies, treatment plant and collection system operation and maintenance.
- Experience with wastewater treatment engineering and regulation.
- Operator training and technical assistance. Plant startup and trouble shooting.
- Design, bidding, award, and construction management of water quality projects.
- Cost estimation, alternative analysis, utility economic analysis, or rate setting.
Option 3:
- A PhD with major study in one of the following engineering fields, sanitary water resource, civil, geotechnical, environmental, chemical, mechanical, or related field
- Registration as a Professional Engineer in the state of Washington or another state based on registration requirements equivalent to those in Washington
- Two (2) years of experience in environmental engineering. This experience may include:
- Environmental engineering expertise in wastewater, stormwater, or reclaimed water treatment, collection, and distribution technologies and laws, and specifically:
- Experience providing environmental engineering analysis and completing engineering reviews.
- Familiarity with treatment technologies, treatment plant and collection system operation and maintenance.
- Experience with wastewater treatment engineering and regulation.
- Operator training and technical assistance. Plant startup and trouble shooting.
- Design, bidding, award, and construction management of water quality projects.
- Cost estimation, alternative analysis, utility economic analysis, or rate setting.