Policy Lead - Habitat Strategic Initiative Lead; HSIL-Environmental Planner

Policy Lead
- Habitat Strategic Initiative Lead (HSIL)

Environmental Planner 5 (EP5)

Full-Time/Permanent WDFW Program – Habitat Program
- Ecosystem Services Division/Puget Sound Section Duty Station – Olympia, Washington – Thurston County

This position offers a hybrid work schedule, with at least one day per week onsite at the Olympia, WA duty station and up to four days of telework. The selected candidate must be available to work onsite for in-person meetings and to meet business needs.

This recruitment is scheduled to be posted until October 25, 2026. First review of applications will take place on October 19, 2026. Application review is ongoing, and applicants are encouraged to submit their materials as soon as possible. Following the first review date, this recruitment may be closed at any time.

As the co-lead of the Habitat Strategic Initiative Lead program with Washington State Department of Natural Resources, you will provide leadership, vision, and program management to advance habitat protection and restoration across the Puget Sound.

This is an opportunity to collaborate with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, state agencies, Tribes, and other partners to address complex conservation challenges, engage communities through recreation and stewardship, and advance science-informed solutions for Washington’s most pressing fish and wildlife questions.

With your experience, you will guide Puget Sound-wide strategic planning and implementation, oversee the grant program investments, and co-lead and supervise the Habitat Strategic Initiative Lead program staff.

Among the varied range of responsibilities held within this role, the Policy Lead will collaborate with HSIL co-leads at partner agencies to:

• Recruit, select, develop and lead the HSIL team including staff from multiple agencies.
• Supervise WDFW staff comprised of senior planners and grant managers.
• Develop, maintain and update the SIL staffing plans and annual work plans to guide the prioritization of activities and capacity.
• Create a collaborative and coordinated team environment and ensure HSIL staff can be successful in their work.

• Lead and support coordination and collaboration with Puget Sound Partnership, the Management Conference, other Strategic Initiative Leads (SILs), state agencies, Puget Sound tribes, Local Integrating Organizations, and others to accelerate Puget Sound recovery and advance the strategies and actions in the Puget Sound Action Agenda.
• Facilitate multi-disciplinary teams to advance Action Agenda Topics and Implementation Strategies assigned in the cooperative agreement.

• Manage a multi-million-dollar budget including making decisions on staffing, allocations to eligible activities, etc.
• Maintain effective working relationships to develop and implement program policies and activities with key WDFW sections and programs including but not limited to the Contracts Office, Cultural Resources Division, Fiscal, Tribal Liaison and Communications and Public Engagement (CAPE).
• Implement the administrative tasks of the EPA Cooperative Agreement.
• Communicate and coordinate regularly with the EPA Project Officer.

• Assign responsibility and oversee implementation of processes to select investment priorities and to award funding.
• Ensure processes have appropriate technical and program oversight, agency awareness, and meet all federal and state requirements.
• Oversee grant program operation…