Fish Passage - Instream Structures Engineer - Environmental Engineer 5 - Permanent - *03723-23

Company Info
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Olympia, WA, United States

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Title:

Fish Passage - Instream Structures Engineer - Environmental Engineer 5 - Permanent - *03723-23

Location:

Olympia, WA 

Salary:

$82,896.00 - $111,552.00

Job ID:

78319
col-wide   

Job Description:

FULL-TIME/PERMANENT
 FISH PASSAGE – INSTREAM STRUCTURES ENGINEER

 ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER 5

Habitat Program
 
Olympia, Washington – Thurston County 

Please note:  The current duty station is in Olympia, Washington, however, we are also considering Mill Creek, Washington and Montesano, Washington as alternate duty stations.

This position is responsible for providing expert environmental engineering technical assistance and guidance on complex projects where structures affect fish passage.

In this role, you serve as the agency expert, representing the agency and applying your knowledge of complex fish passage design challenges where in-channel structures are necessary.

Provide technical guidance; mentoring and training; perform engineering duties in office and field; and provide consulting expertise throughout the agency and to other state, federal, and local agencies, as well as public and private organizations.

This is an opportunity to share your technical expertise for fish passage affected by major projects and structures. 

With your experience you will identify gaps and prioritize necessary updates to technical guidance.

You thrive on building collaboration and teamwork, providing technical training and mentoring to staff throughout the agency and in the community.

You are excited to provide guidance for challenging fish passage projects.

Duties:

Our Fish Passage Instream Structures Engineer,

  • Serves as the agency’s statewide expert in large structures including complex technical questions such as passage around large dams, fishway design, and tide gates.
  • Serves as the Department’s habitat engineering expert on technical issues associated with the planning and/or review of proposals/designs and existing county, state and federal environmental permits and permit applications for fish passage projects that relate to the above-mentioned expertise.
  • Leads design or review of complex tidal fish passage projects.
  • Responsible for building and leading ad hoc teams to develop priorities for technical updates to engineering guidance and provide recommended standards. 
  • Provides expert review of other’s contributions as well as original contributions for statewide technical guidance updates, including select updates for the Water Crossing Design Guidelines, and fishway guidelines updates.
  • Responsible for leading trainings and presentations of best practices related to technical guidance, updating training materials and developing new trainings
  • Assists in development of new techniques and practices for resolving broad complex habitat issues and seek opportunities to collaborate with management and other policy staff to develop of agency technical policies and standards.
  • Sets standards for staff work products and ensure review of engineering designs associated with tidal fish passage.
  • Serves as liaison with other agency personnel, state and federal agencies, and local governments to resolve complex technical engineering issues; testifies in legal proceedings as expert witness and respondent on habitat permit application appeals.
  • Provides technical assistance to biologists by reviewing regulatory plans and designs.
  • Assists in habitat restoration design or review of designs for habitat restoration projects.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

  • Work Setting, including hazards:
    1. Work is located in an office (75%) and in the field (25%).
    2. Office work may include long hours sitting working at a computer as in most office settings. Office hazards include working under fluorescent light, repetitively entering data into computer, looking at computer monitor for long periods of time, sitting or standing for long periods of time.
    3. When in the field, hazards may include walking on steep, uneven terrain frequently along rivers and streams, and along marine shorelines. When in the field, deep water is common, biting and stringing insects are regular hazards, and traffic along highways is frequent.
    4. Work near heavy and noisy equipment is periodic.
    5. Work on docks and in boats is occasional.
    6. Must be able to negotiate water in emergency situations.
  • Schedule:
    1. Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM.
  • Travel Requirements:
    1. Occasional travel, including overnight stays is required, but rarely exceeds 5 nights in any given month.
  • Tools and Equipment:
    1. Standard office and computer equipment use is daily.
    2. Specialized software including CAD, GIS, and HEC RAS use is occasional.
    3. Field equipment may include flow meters, total stations, water chemistry equipment, and survey equipment, and their use is common.
  • Customer Interactions:
    1. Professional contractors, other agency engineers, biologists, and managers are communicated and coordinated with daily.
    2. Politician interactions may occur periodically.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Registration as a Professional Engineer in the state of Washington or another state based on registration requirements equivalent to those in Washington.

And

  • Five (5) years of experience in environmental engineering.
    1. Note: Traditional civil or environmental education and experience is not adequate; specific experience with natural process restoration and fish habitat enhancement is required.
       

Please note: A Master’s degree in one of the below fields may substitute for one (1) year of environmental engineering experience, and a Ph.D. in one of the below fields may substitute for two (2) years of the environmental engineering experience.

  • Engineering.
  • Hydraulics.
  • Hydrology.
  • Geomorphology.
     

Experience in:

  • Design and construction options for fish passage through culverts, fishways, screening, and stream restoration, including bioengineering design techniques.  
  • Project design/development/construction of fish passage and stream habitat restoration projects using state-of-the-art environmental approaches that minimize project effects on stream function.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
 
Technical experience with:
  • Applied fish and wildlife management techniques, general ecological principles and practices, conservation, and restoration biology.
  • Working knowledge of marine, nearshore, and freshwater ecosystems.
  • Human influences to aquatic ecosystems.
Ability to:
  • Ability to negotiate agreements without compromising scientific credibility or agency policy.
CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT:
WDFW requires all employees to be fully vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccine as a condition of employment.   You will be required to provide proof of vaccination as part of the hiring process.  Please do not upload your vaccination documentation with your application materials - your vaccination status will be verified by your supervisor before you will be allowed to work.  Exemptions may be granted for religious or medical purposes.


Supplemental Information

Please note: Failure to follow the instructions below may lead to disqualification.

In order to successfully apply for this position, you MUST complete your profile at www.careers.wa.gov and attach the following to your profile before completing the online application:

  • A cover letter describing how you meet the qualifications of this position (Generic cover letter will not be accepted).
  • A current resume. 
  • Three professional references. 

IMPORTANT NOTES: 

All new employees must complete an Employment Eligibility Verification Form (I-9 Form) on their first day of work. If hired for this or any position at WDFW, you will be required to provide documentation proving you are eligible to work in the United States. For a list of acceptable documents, please use the following link:  https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents

JOIN THE WDFW TEAM:

Learn about our agency and the perks of working for WDFW!

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has some of the most talented people in the natural resource field.  We celebrate and value diversity, appreciating that a workforce composed of those from different backgrounds and experiences creates an inclusive environment, strengthens positive relationships with the local community, and brings new perspectives and approaches to fulfilling the agency’s mission. We value demonstrated skill in living WDFW values of Accountability, Service, Professionalism, Integrity, Respect, and Empathy (ASPIRE).

WDFW 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 (Download PDF reader), Combined Fund Drive, SmartHealth.
 
 UNION - WAFWP:

This position is in the bargaining unit represented by the Washington Association of Fish & Wildlife Professionals and is subject to the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the State of Washington, Department of Fish & Wildlife, and the Washington Association of Fish & Wildlife Professionals. 

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Employer

VETERAN PREFERENCE NOTICE:
To take advantage of veteran preference, please do the following:
  • Email a copy of your DD214 (Member 4 copy), NGB 22 or USDVA signed verification of service letter to RecruitmentTeam@dfw.wa.gov.
  • Subject line should include recruitment number, position, and Vet (for example: #10155 Biologist 1 – Veteran).
  • Include your name as it appears on your application in careers.wa.gov. 

MILITARY SPOUSE PREFERENCE NOTICE: 

To take advantage of military spouse preference, please do the following:

  • Notify us of your military spouse status by email at RecruitmentTeam@dfw.wa.gov.  
  • Subject line should include recruitment number, position, and MS (for example: #10155 Biologist 1 – MS).
  • Include your name as it appears on your application in careers.wa.gov.

Note: Please blackout any PII (personally identifiable information) data such as social security numbers. For further information, please contact us at RecruitmentTeam@dfw.wa.gov.

As part of WDFW’s efforts to advance respectful and inclusive work environments, the Agency expects inclusivity as part of our professional interactions and communications.   Therefore, we want to ensure that all individuals feel welcome, are treated fairly and respectfully.  All staff are empowered to fully contribute to serving their work unit, Agency, and the citizens of Washington.

The Department of Fish and Wildlife 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, disabled and Vietnam era veterans and people of all sexual orientations and gender identities are encouraged to apply.

Persons needing accommodation in the application process or this announcement in an alternative format may call (360) 902-2276 or the Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) at (800) 833-6388.

If you are having technical difficulties creating, accessing, or completing your application, please call NEOGOV toll-free at (855) 524-5627 or support@neogov.com.

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