Senior Environmental Compliance Specialist

Summary

This is a competitive posting, and the position is open to all qualified candidates.

The King County Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) is seeking a high-performing Senior Environmental Compliance Specialist. This position will join an existing team of engineers, analysts, and laboratory professionals who are focused on optimizing the performance of the division’s municipal wastewater treatment plants. This position will be the first position on the team that will allocate 100% of their time to environmental compliance of elements beyond our municipal wastewater NPDES permits. These elements include, but are not limited to, Hazardous Waste, Air Emissions, Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know (EPCRA), Underground Storage Tanks (USTs), Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure (SPCC), Industrial Stormwater, and Municipal Stormwater.
As a key member of the Operations and Maintenance section of the Wastewater Treatment Division, you will be a “boots on the ground” leader, helping to evolve, document, and improve our environmental compliance programs at the treatment plants and pump stations located across the greater Seattle region. In this role you will work and communicate directly with mechanics, treatment plant operators and managers, the division’s senior leadership team, environmental agency (e.g., Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, Ecology, etc.) inspectors, capital project managers and engineers, and compliance professional peers in other King County divisions.
About the Role:

The Senior Environmental Compliance Specialist will be assigned environmental compliance programs based on their work history and expertise. For instance, if the selected candidate has a 15-year history working with air permits and emissions compliance programs, the candidate will be initially assigned to lead and improve our air program. Or if the candidate is experienced with USTs and hazardous waste, those will be the initially assigned programs.

WTD has three main regional wastewater treatment plants, two small wastewater treatment plants, five combined sewer wet weather treatment plants, and close to 50 pump stations. The Senior Environmental Compliance Specialist will evolve, document and improve our compliance programs across all of these assets. An eye for standardization will be key.

WTD recently deployed the Maximo platform as our new computerized maintenance management software. WTD has plans to design, develop, and deploy an environment, health and safety module in the coming months. The Senior Environmental Compliance Specialist would be a key participant in the development team.

The Senior Environmental Compliance Specialist will be assigned to review the WTD design and construction specifications for capital projects. The specialist will then be asked to highlight areas for improvement and work with the standards committee to make the changes.

About the Team:

Our mission is to protect public health and enhance the environment by collecting and treating wastewater while recycling valuable resources for the Puget Sound region. The Wastewater Treatment Division employs about 1000 people who plan, design, build, and operate treatment facilities. Our employees also enforce regulations to reduce harmful waste discharged to the sewer system, and we educate the public and businesses on ways to protect water quality. To our agency, success means clean water. It means honoring our legacy while keeping a promise to future generations that our beautiful environment will be there for them to enjoy.

Commitment to Equity, Racial and Social Justice:
King County, named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is a diverse and vibrant community that represents cultures from around the world. Our True North is to create a welcoming community where everyone can thrive. We prioritize equity, racial and social justice, making it a foundational and daily expectation for all employees. As a Senior Environmental Compliance Specialist, you will actively apply these principles in all aspects of your work. Learn more about our commitment at http://www.kingcounty.gov/equity .

Apply now for a rewarding career at the Wastewater Treatment Division of King County Department of Natural Resources & Parks (DNRP). Join our talented workforce in protecting and restoring the natural environment and promoting more resilient, sustainable, and equitable communities. Enjoy training, c omprehensive benefits , and growth opportunities.

Job Duties

What You Will Be Doing:

• Visit all WTD operational facilities, review existing programs and documentation, and meet with operators, engineers and mechanics. Complete a gap assessment between the requirements and the current activities.
• Design, implement, and improve programs to help WTD comply with state and federal regulations and applicable permits.
• Develop a network across the King County divisions. Where it makes business sense, push to standardize our compliance approaches.
• Identify risk and communicate risk to leadership.
• Partner with the first line worker force to understand their needs and constraints. Explain the why behind new initiatives or changes. Build programs that are as easy to implement as possible.

Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills

Qualifications You Bring:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited course of study, in environmental engineering, environmental science, environmental management, biology, chemistry or related field.
• Direct hands-on experience with developing, sustaining, and implementing environmental compliance programs.
• Direct experience reading and interpreting permits and regulations.
• Direct work or audit experience in an industrial/manufacturing environment.
• Experience collecting, understanding, analyzing and interpreting data in a professional environment.
• Experience interfacing directly with environmental regulatory agencies.
• Experience communicating risks and plans to senior leadership.

Workplace Exposures:

• Potential exposure to chemicals, noise, confined space, odor, fall hazards, and viral contaminants.

Competencies You Bring :
Customer Focus : Building strong customer relationships and delivering customer-centric solutions. Collaborates : Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.
Communicates Effectively : Developing and delivering multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences.
Action Oriented : Taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm.
Plans and Aligns : Planning and prioritizing work to meet commitments aligned with organizational goals.
Optimizes Work Processes : Knowing the most effective and efficient processes to get things done, with a focus on continuous improvement.

Required Licenses:

• Valid unencumbered Washington State Driver’s License.

It Would be Great if You Also Bring:

• 8+ years of experience in a full-time regulatory compliance role.
• Experience developing and sustaining environmental compliance programs within Washington State .
• PE, CHMM, or similar credential.

Supplemental Information

Working Conditions: Multiple

• Work Location:
  • 1200 Monster Rd SW, Renton, WA 98057.
  • 22505 WA-9, Woodinville, WA 98072.
  • 1400 Discovery Park Blvd, Seattle, WA 9819.
• Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.

• Work Schedule: This full-time position works a 40-hour work week with 4-10hr, 5-8hr or 9-80 schedule options available. This position is exempt from the overtime provision of the Fair Labor Standard Act (FLSA) and is not overtime eligible.
• Union Representation: This position is represented by the Teamster, Local 117. Pursuant to Western Conference of Teamsters Pension Trust $1.00 per hour from the base wage will be submitted to the Western Conference of Teamsters Pension Trust Fund.

Application and Selection Process:
We welcome applications from all qualified candidates. Application materials will be screened for clarity, completeness and alignment with the experience, qualifications, knowledge, and skills essential for this role to determine which candidates may be invited to participate in one or more panel interviews.

Anticipated Timeline for this recruitment: (subject to change)

• Technical Vetting Interviews: June 24th, 2026 - 25th, 2026 (tentative)
• Interviews: July 1, 2026 - July 2nd, 2026 (tentative)

To apply, submit a:

• Complete Application (Required)
• Resume (Required)
• Cover Letter (Required)
• Responses to the supplemental questions (Required)

Note: Additional documents will not be considered during minimum qualification screening.

Who to Contact: For more information regarding this recruitment, please contact Emiliya Makaryan at emiliya.makaryan@kingcounty.gov .

Discover More About the Wastewater Treatment Division: Visit our website and check us out at Facebook , X (formerly Twitter) , Instagram , YouTube , and the WTD Blog .

Discover More About DNRP: Visit our DNRP website , explore an interactive map of our recent accomplishments and check us out at Facebook , X ( formerly), LinkedIn, TikTok , Instagram , YouTube and Keeping King County Green News .

Sign up for Job Alerts to be notified of additional career opportunities with King County. Select the Natural Resources category for DNRP opportunities and explore other categories of interest.

Forbes named King County as one of Washington State's best employers.
Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.

Guided by our "True North" , we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles - we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) 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, 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, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions, please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.

King County offers a highly-competitive compensation and benefits package designed to meet the diverse needs of our employees and support our employees' health and well-being. Eligible positions receive the following benefits and have access to the following programs:

• Excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage options: King County provides eligible employees with options, so they can decide what’s best for themselves and their eligible dependents
• Life and disability insurance: employees are provided basic coverage and given the opportunity to purchase additional insurance for both the employee and eligible dependents
• Retirement: eligible King County employees may participate in a pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems and a 457(b) deferred-compensation plan
• Transportation program and ORCA transit pass
• 12paid holidays each year plus twopersonal holidays
• Generous vacation and paid sick leave
• Paid parental,family and medical, and volunteer leaves
• Flexible Spending Account
• Wellness programs
• Onsite activity centers
• Employee Giving Program
• Employee assistance programs
• Flexible schedules and telecommuting options, depending on position
• Training and career development programs

For additional information about employee benefits, visit our Benefits, Payroll, and Retirement Page .

This is a general description of the benefits offered to eligible King County employees, and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy. If any information on this document conflicts with the provisions of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA), the CBA prevails.

NOTE: Benefits for Term Limited Temporary (TLT) or Short Term Temporary (STT) positions, including leave eligibility and/or participation in the pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems, will vary based upon the terms and details of the position.Short Term Temporary positions are not eligible for an ORCA transit pass.

For inquiries about the specifics of this position, please contact the recruiter identified on this job posting.

Closing Date/Time: 6/12/2026 11:59 PM Pacific

• 

• King County Water and Land Resources Division

• 206-477-4800

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