Greenhouse Gas Emissions Analyst (Environmental Specialist 5)

Company: State of Washington
Location: Olympia
Posted on: June 9, 2021

Job Description:

The Department of Ecology's priority during the Covid-19 health crisis is to keep our staff, candidates, and the public safe.  We are still hiring and encourage you to apply to open positions.  The majority of our staff are currently working from home; we have transitioned to a virtual recruitment process, to include web-based interviews. 

Keeping Washington Clean and Evergreen

Protecting Washington State's environment for current and future generations is what we do every day at Ecology. We have a culture that is invested in making a difference. If you want to join a team that is highly effective, collaborative, with leadership that embraces the value of people, Ecology is a great fit.

The Air Quality Program (AQP) is looking to fill a Greenhouse Gas Emissions Analyst (Environmental Specialist 5) position. This position is located in our Headquarters Building in Lacey, WA.

This position is integral to Washington's efforts to transition to a carbon-neutral economy and fight climate change. The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Analyst provides the data that underpin all of our climate efforts and expertise to key decision-makers including Ecology leadership, the Governor's office, and the Legislature. This position is also central to the state's effort to lead by example through reducing state agencies' emissions and using the state's purchasing power to support climate-friendly solutions. This is a dream job for anyone who has strong data skills and wants to put them to work to make a difference. Washington State is a leader in the fight to decarbonize the economy and this position plays a key technical role in advancing cutting-edge policies to protect us from the worst effects of climate change.

We are looking for applicants with a solid grounding in science and policy. To be successful in this role, you will need to maintain large databases and perform complex analyses while also understanding the policy relevance of the results and the tradeoffs between different analytical approaches.

The ideal candidate will be a strong communicator and possess the ability to explain complex technical information to audiences from a wide variety of backgrounds. They will also be able to design intuitive data collection tools that, for example, allow state agency facilities staff to easily report fuel and electricity use to Ecology.

We are looking for someone who has current expertise in greenhouse gas inventories and who knows how to keep their expertise up to date with the latest science and best practices (e.g., from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, EPA, etc.).

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.

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.

 Local efforts... Diverse people... Statewide impacts

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. The Air Quality Program's vision is clean, healthy air for all of Washington. Our goal is to identify, prevent, and minimize air pollution.

The Greenhouse Gas Emissions Analyst position produces the Washington State Greenhouse Gas Inventory, which is the main way we measure our success at reducing our emissions and fighting climate change. It also produces the State Agency Greenhouse Gas Report, which tracks the state government's progress toward our climate goals.

This position is the agency's lead technical expert on GHG emissions, measurement, accounting, and inventorying, and also provides expertise on emissions reporting and reduction. The statewide GHG emissions inventory produced and updated by this position underpins all climate policy in Washington and is critical to the state's efforts to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. The state agency GHG report produced by this position demonstrates the state's leadership on emissions reduction and commitment to transparency.

The work of this position is complex, highly visible, and often controversial, and requires meticulous attention to detail.

As with all positions in the Climate Policy Section, this position has opportunities to advance environmental justice in Washington. This position carefully considers the impacts of their work on overburdened communities.

Please note: During Stay Home, Stay Healthy, staff are working a combination of in-office and/or telework based on position and business need. Ecology is maintaining less than maximum building occupancy, and requiring masks, health screening questions before entry, and social distancing.

This position will remain open until filled, with an initial screening date of May 12, 2021.  In order to be considered for initial screening, please submit an application on or before May 11, 2021. The agency reserves the right to make an appointment any time after the initial screening date.

Required Qualifications:

There are multiple ways to qualify for this position. See options below:

Option 1: A Bachelor's degree involving a major study in environmental, physical, or one of the natural sciences, environmental planning or other allied field AND six years of professional level experience in environmental analysis or control, or environmental planning, which includes two years equal to an Environmental Specialist 3 or above.  

Option 2: A Master's degree in one of the above fields AND four years of professional-level experience as required above which includes two years equal to an Environmental Specialist 3 or above.

Option 3: A Ph.D. in one of the above fields AND three years of professional-level experience as required above which includes two years equal to an Environmental Specialist 3 or above.

Option 4: One year of experience as an Environmental Specialist 4, at the Department of Ecology.

Experience as an Environmental Specialist 3 can include a combination of the following: 1) investigating and / or resolving complaints involving science or technology content, 2) performing inspections, 3) drafting technical evaluations and reports, 4) developing plans for researching information used for technical projects, regulatory or policy development, 5) planning and facilitating public meetings and hearings, 6) project work requiring specialized knowledge of industry processes, pollutant sources or natural processes, 7) providing technical assistance for complex scientific content and/ or support for implementing scientific content programs, 8) conducting tests, analyzing and evaluating data, 9) using environmental databases to support technical projects, 10) developing scientific studies and resource management plans, 11) providing environmental technical and administrative assistance to grant/ contract/ loan recipients of environmental protection projects.

 Additional experience and education combinations that meet the requirements for this position:

Possible CombinationsCollege credit hours or degreeYears of required experience as listed aboveCombination 1No college credit hours or degree10 years of experienceCombination 2I have 30-59 semester or 45-89 quarter credits.9 years of experienceCombination 3I have 60-89 semester or 90-134 quarter credits (AA degree).8 years of experienceCombination 4I have 90-119 semester or 135-179 quarter credits.7 years of experienceCombination 5 A Bachelor's Degree6 years of experienceCombination 6 A Master's Degree4 years of experienceCombination 7A Ph.D.3 years of experience

Desired Qualifications:

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

• Familiarity with greenhouse gas inventory and reporting programs.
• Familiarity or expertise in greenhouse gas life cycle analysis.
• Familiarity with one or more statistical and data analysis and associated software platforms, such as Excel, R, JMP, Minitab, Power BI, Tableau, etc.
• Knowledge of carbon offset accounting and certification programs.
• Understanding of tools and principles of environmental justice.

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

Why work for Ecology?

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 the health and financial security of you and your family a priority. We combine one of the most competitive benefits packages in the nation with a strong commitment to work/life balance.

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, Combined Fund Drive, SmartHealth

Student debt and how working for Ecology can help

Employees may be eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program, which forgives the remaining balance on your Direct Loans after you have made 120 qualifying monthly payments under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time for a qualifying employer. See https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service for more details.

• See the Benefits tab in this announcement for more information

 Application Instructions:

Please complete the short on-line application, supplemental questions and upload:

• Your current chronological resume. 
• A cover letter explaining how you fit the requirements of the position.

Important Note: 

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. 

Please to do NOT include your salary history. Wage/salary depends on qualifications or rules of promotion, if applicable.  

It is in the candidate's best interest to submit all of the documents requested above. Applications without these documents may be declined.

Department of 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.

 If you are reading this announcement in print format, please visit www.careers.wa.gov to access the online recruitment system. Click on "Look for Jobs" and select Dept. of Ecology under the "Department" search list. Click "Apply Search."

Other Information:

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 have specific questions about the position, please email Joel Creswell  at: Joel.Creswell@ecy.wa.gov. Please do not contact Joel to inquire about the status of your application.

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.

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

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.

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.

Keywords: State of Washington, Olympia , Greenhouse Gas Emissions Analyst (Environmental Specialist 5), Other , Olympia, Washington