Watershed Planning Unit Supervisor; WMS

Watershed Planning Unit Supervisor (Wms1)

The Department of Ecology is hiring a Watershed Planning Unit Supervisor (WMS1) within the Water Quality Program. Keeping Washington clean and evergreen is the goal of this position.

Location:

• Headquarters office in Lacey, WA.
• Upon hire, you must live within a commutable distance from the duty station.

Schedule:

• This position is eligible for telework and flexible schedule options.
• A minimum of two days per week is required in the office.
• Schedules are dependent upon position needs and are subject to change.

Application timeline:

• Apply by July 22, 2026.
• Applications submitted after the date above may not be reviewed unless additional qualified applicants are needed.

Are you interested in leading a fantastic team of professionals working to protect and restore water quality? Can you see yourself developing strategies and policies that support our state's development of water clean-up plans and implementation of water quality improvement actions to address nonpoint sources of pollution? If so, this position could be a great fit for you! In this position, you will supervise a headquarters unit made up of seven staff that provide environmental and policy services and support regulatory decisions to protect water quality across the state.

You will be responsible for the effective and efficient management of the unit, which provides policy direction, technical support, coordination and oversight for the nonpoint and Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL/water clean plans) programs statewide.

What you will do:

• Serve as program resource for policy and program development for the state nonpoint and TMDL programs; serve as a program liaison on inter-program and inter-agency work groups; and coordinate with relevant governmental, professional, and industry officials.
• Provide oversight and recommendations associated with nonpoint enforcement and penalties.
• Serve as liaison with the Environmental Protection Agency for issues related to the nonpoint and TMDL programs.
• Assure that all work performed by the unit is consistent with existing law and regulation. Meet deadlines established by the Environmental Protection Agency for production of state nonpoint plans and for submission of nonpoint program annual reports. Meet deadlines and reporting requirements in the TMDL settlement agreement and the performance partnership agreement.
• Manage recruiting and hiring of staff in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement by and between the State of Washington and Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE) in addition to civil service rules.
• Support effective communications throughout the agency. Maintain the highest standards of personal/professional and ethical conduct and support the state's goals for a diverse workforce.
• Plan and schedule unit workload, coordinate annual planning, establish priorities, assign tasks, facilitate intra- and inter-program project teams, monitor status of unit tasks and commitments, and ensure timeliness of employee assignments.
• Manage unit budget and monitor expenditures, approve leave, timesheets, training requests, travel expenses vouchers, and purchasing requests.
• Evaluate unit staffing needs, initiate personnel actions, prepare position descriptions and essential functions analyses, interview and recommend staff hires, arrange training and professional development opportunities, evaluate staff performance, and initiate or recommend corrective actions.

• Assure the timely completion of required or appropriate report submissions, plans, publications, recommendations, and other required products. Provide detailed review of documents to ensure that staff documents and recommendations are consistent with state and federal laws, regulations, policies, and guidelines.

For detailed information on how we calculate experience and responses to other frequently asked questions, please visit our Recruitment website.

Required qualifications:

Nine (9) years of experience and/or education related to the duties of the position, which includes the following:

• Environmental program & regulatory expertise
  - Experience in applying environmental laws and policies to ensure organizational decisions and deliverables meet federal and state requirements.
• Strategic planning & performance management
  - Experience in planning and tracking program work to meet commitments and demonstrate measurable progress.
• Interagency & partner coordination
  - Experience in collaborating with external partners to align efforts and achieve consistent environmental outcomes.
• Leadership & team development
  - Ability to guide and support staff to build a high-performing, collaborative team.
• Human resource management
  - Experience in recruiting, developing, and evaluating employees to maintain a capable and effective workforce.
• Workload, project, and resource management
  - Ability to prioritize tasks and manage budgets and resources to ensure timely, efficient completion of work.
• Technical communication
  - Ability to…