Oil Spill Preparedness Planner; Environmental Planner

Keeping Washington Clean and Evergreen

The Department of Ecology is hiring an Oil Spill Preparedness Planner (Environmental Planner
3) within the Spill Prevention, Preparedness, and Response Program.

This position can be based at either of the following duty stations:

• Headquarters Office in Lacey, WA.
• Northwest Region Office in Shoreline, WA.
  
  Note:
  
  If the selected duty station is the Northwest Region Office in Shoreline, the salary will include an additional 5% premium pay due to its location in King County. Salary range: $5,949 - $8,003 monthly.

Upon hire, you must live within a commutable distance from the selected duty station.

• This position is eligible for telework and flexible schedule options.
• You may telework most of your work time, with required fieldwork and occasional in‑office time.
• Required fieldwork (spring–fall, occasional in winter) includes activities such as facility visits, spill response, and Geographic Response Plan fieldwork.
• Schedules are dependent upon position needs and are subject to change.

• Apply by January 26, 2026.
• This position will remain open until filled. The agency reserves the right to make a hire at any time after application review begins. Applications received after the date above may not be considered.

As an Oil Spill Preparedness Planner, you will manage oil spill contingency plans submitted by industry for review, ensuring oil companies are prepared for oil spills through contracts with primary response contractors, appropriately staged equipment, and procedures that meet or exceed requirements outlined in WAC 173-182 and WAC 173-186.

You will develop inland and marine geographic response plans to protect sensitive resources along Washington’s shorelines from the impacts of oil spills. This plan development incorporates input from federal, state, and local agencies, Tribal governments, contractors, and industry response partners to create robust, well‑prioritized plans that can be implemented within the first hours of a spill.

This position offers an excellent opportunity to build emergency management skills by evaluating and participating in oil industry drills and training, as well as serving in incident management team roles such as communications or environmental support staff during real‑world spill incidents.

• Review contingency plans submitted by oil companies using requirements in WAC 173-182 or WAC 173-186 and write detailed reviews of these plans to improve industry preparedness.
• Develop geographic response plans in partnership with federal, state, and local agencies, Tribes, contractors, and industry to protect natural, cultural, and economic resources at risk of impacts from oil spills.
• Evaluate and participate in industry oil spill drills, providing written evaluations and observations to improve industry preparedness.
• Cultivate a deep understanding of the incident command system structure and train in specific roles to support spill response statewide in communication or environmental support roles.

For detailed information on how we calculate experience, please visit our Recruitment website.

• Eight (8) years of experience and/or education as described below:
• Experience in applying land use, environmental, or natural resource planning or sciences, law or public administration with an environmental or maritime emphasis, or closely related experience. Experience must include:
• Independent Project Management Experience serving as an independent project manager for concurrent complex projects with short‑and long‑term deadlines, including developing a scope of work, coordinating with workgroup participants, incorporating feedback from agencies and the public, and delivering completed plans or reports in a timely manner.
• GIS‑Based Environmental Field Data Collection Experience conducting field work such as shoreline assessments, site visits, data verification, or other environmental observations. Experience using GIS‑based tools and databases to collect observations from the field. Experience using data to produce reports and support environmental planning or…