Environmental Scientist IV

Summary

Our Road Services Division is currently seeking to hire an Environmental Scientist IV (ESIV) to supervise the Environmental Unit programs and staff. This position will be responsible for building a cohesive workplace culture across the work unit.

Currently the Environmental Unit is comprised of scientific staff ranging in disciplines that include soil and water quality monitoring, fish and wildlife habitat protection and enhancement, and local/state/federal permit processing, NPDES Permit Compliance, and spill response and hazardous waste management. These staff are based in two locations including King Street Center in downtown Seattle, and the Roads Maintenance Complex in Renton. This position will be required to report to both locations throughout the work week.

About the Department of Local Services:
King County is the local service provider for the roughly one quarter-million people who live in the unincorporated areas of the county; collectively, these communities would be the second largest city in the state. The Department of Local Services includes a Director's Office, Road Services, and Permitting divisions, as well as long-range planning, code writing, subarea planning, and comprehensive planning teams. Together, this department provides a single executive point of accountability for delivering local services to all unincorporated areas.

Our Commitment to Equity, Racial and Social Justice

The Department of Local Services is deeply dedicated to fostering Equity and Racial and Social Justice in every aspect of our work. Our pledge is to cultivate, embrace, and celebrate the distinct experiences, viewpoints, and perspectives of our people, partners, and the communities we serve. Through this work, we dismantle systemic barriers, address inequities, and actively confront prejudices and biases. We acknowledge this journey is ongoing, and we remain steadfast in our efforts to create a positive impact for our employees and communities alike.

Job Duties

Applying the principles of equity and racial and social justice is a daily responsibility and a foundational expectation for all King County employees. You will apply these principles to all aspects of your work.

• Supervise 14 to 16 personnel who perform office and field studies and assess the potential impacts of construction, environmental improvement or other activities on natural resources.
• Oversee staffing resources, assigning work, managing and coaching performance, and provide training.
• Oversee success of work unit daily operations including workloads, processes, schedules, meeting deadlines, quality control, building effective teams, developing detailed work plans, creating efficiencies and instituting performance measures. Including quality and appropriateness of work products
• Develop and recommend strategic plans for work unit including team goals.
• Manage small to large scale projects involving natural science research, environmental monitoring, environmental cleanups
• Manage budget, schedule, and quality controls of multiple projects.
• Develop scope and resources for new projects to meet needs of emerging issues and regulations
• Develop and review technical environmental documents and federal, state, and local permits/approvals in support of Capital Improvement Projects, and Road Maintenance projects
• Serve as liaison and negotiate with regulatory agencies and stakeholders on regulatory requirements, environmental issues and standards
• Manage cross-functional, inter-work group and external and internal customer relations
• May provide onsite assistance to multidisciplinary scientific staff in emergent and as needed situations
• Provide expert level scientific consultation to engineering and/or planning and maintenance functions. Participate with other professional staff in identifying and implementing appropriate solutions to ecological and related problems.
• Give expert level testimony in public hearings, as needed, on natural conditions and their implications
• Review related state, federal, and King County regulations, ordinances and rules
• Oversee studies; examine field conditions; measure properties of natural phenomena such as streams and rivers and/or geologic materials; identify issues and concerns; resolve contradictory data sources; diagnose natural conditions; and predict the future behavior of natural resources
• Interpret and apply federal, state, and local laws and department policies to ensure program and project compliance with SEPA/NEPA environmental review, technical studies, permit/approval requirements, and complex engineering plans and specifications standards.
• Develop, coordinate and/or schedule reviews of complex engineering plans and specifications related to project designs and their environmental impacts.
• Present conclusions orally or in writing to technical staff, elected officials, management and the public
• Perform other duties as assigned

Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills

• Minimum of 5 years of professional supervisory experience or team leadership overseeing multidisciplinary scientific staff with an expertise in the field of one of the following environmental sciences: biology/fish and wildlife, ecology, water quality; OR any equivalent combination of experience and education which provides the applicant with the desired supervisory experience, skills, knowledge and ability required to perform the work.
• Five years of progressive experience in an environmental field including: biology, ecology, botany, forestry, or other related field.
• Knowledge of leadership, supervisory and quality management techniques and principles: coaching, building teams, planning, scheduling, developing employees and managing performance effectively, in a work environment that embraces and encourages diversity and inclusion in its workforce.
• Skill in applying principles of customer service and continuous quality improvement
• Skill in promoting mutual respect and acceptance of all workers in a diverse work group
• Knowledge of workload management, capital improvement projects and roads maintenance programs, analytical skills, and work plan development
• Knowledge and experience with hiring processes, creating efficiencies, instituting performance measures and identifying appropriate staff training, and recommending disciplinary actions when appropriate
• Demonstrated experience recommending short and long term goals for programs and projects
• Knowledge of environmental regulatory requirements for road maintenance facilities, sand and gravel pit sites, groundwater monitoring, and water quality sampling
• Knowledge of applied ecological and biological local, state, and federal regulations and requirements
• Expert knowledge and experience in one or more of the following: wetland sciences, fisheries, wildlife biology, and ecology to perform and guide scientific studies and produce and review technical documents
• Demonstrated expert knowledge and experience in project / environmental impacts, mitigation and monitoring to perform or guide evaluations and produce or review designs, plans, and provide construction oversite.
• Ability to direct staff overseeing construction of stream and wetland restoration projects

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering/Science, Environmental Planning, Fisheries/Wildlife Ecology, or any other related field
• Knowledge of Western Washington environmental issues including cultural resources, protected fish and wildlife, water quality and quantity, agriculture, tribal concerns, Endangered Species Act, etc.
• Demonstrated experience in NPDES permit requirements and compliance
• Demonstrated experience in the delivery of complex environmental processes such as SEPA and NEPA Environmental Impact Statements, Biological Assessments, multi-level government permits and approvals, challenging environmental conditions, and controversial public opposition. Experience must include processes triggered by federal funding or permits that requires extensive coordination with The US Army Corps of Engineers, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Valid Washington State Driver's License, or the ability to travel throughout the County in a timely manner
• Employment will be contingent on the success of a pre-employment physical examination

Supplemental Information

INTERVIEW SCHEDULE: Applicants who pass the initial screening will be invited for an interview the week of 7/13/2026.

**WHO MAY APPLY:**This position is open to all qualified applicants and may be used to fill current and or/future career service, term-limited temporary, short-term temporary, and or/special duty positions over the next six months. First consideration will be given to current PROTEC17 members in the same classification that are eligible for lateral transfer.

REQUIRED MATERIALS AND APPLICATION PROCESS: A King County application form, responses to supplemental questions, and an attached resume and cover letter detailing your background and describing how you meet the qualifications, are required to be considered for this position.

TELEWORKING REQUIREMENT: The employee in this position will work in the office at least three days a week to foster connection and responsiveness and will be expected to arrive prepared and on time. Employees will have access to shared workspaces at various King County facilities. The employee will report to work at the Roads Maintenance Facility at 155 Monroe Ave NE, Renton, WA. Employees must reside in Washington State and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.

Employees will be provided with a King County-issued laptop and must maintain a workspace with an internet connection where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours.

SELECTION PROCESS: Applicants will be screened for clarity, completeness, and competitiveness. Minimum qualifications and answers to supplemental questions must be demonstrated in your application materials. The most competitive candidates may be invited to participate in one or more interviews.

For interviewing tips, please see the STAR-LA method:star-la_interview_method.pdf .

WORK SCHEDULE: The work week is normally Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., but may at times require work on the weekends, outside of normal business hours. This position is exempt from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and is not eligible for overtime pay.

EMERGENCY DESIGNATION STATUS: This position has been designated as: Mission Critical- Employees who provide, maintain, and re-establish essential county functions as described in agency Continuity of Operations plans.

UNION MEMBERSHIP: This position is represented by PROTEC17

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer
No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, and rates of pay or other forms of compensation.

TO APPLY: If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format or would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process, or if you have questions, please contact your recruiter listed on this job announcement.

FOR INFORMATION: If you have any questions regarding this job announcement, please contact Sonali Naidu, sonaidu@kingcounty.gov/206-684-2454