Hatchery NPDES and Coordinated Tribal Water Quality Program Biologist

Position:
Hatchery NPDES and Coordinated Tribal Water Quality Program Biologist Salary: T his position is a 10/11/12 grade band on the NWIFC’s current pay scale. Full salary range is $77,621 – $113,902, with the upper range reserved for employee growth

Location:

Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission (NWIFC), Olympia, WAClose Date:
August 2, 2026

Position Overview

The Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission (NWIFC) is seeking a dedicated and knowledgeable Hatchery NPDES Permit and Coordinated Tribal Water Quality Program Biologist. This role will be responsible for providing scientific expertise, technical support and coordination for the Western Washington Treaty Tribes as they operate their salmon hatcheries and select aquaculture programs in compliance with NPDES permit requirements. Equally, the incumbent will facilitate tribal technical capacity through the Coordinated Tribal Water Quality Program (CTWQP) to address water quality issues more broadly.

• Support hatcheries and enhancement facilities in their compliance with their EPA and WA DOE NPDES permits by having a thorough understanding of how NPDES permit requirements are applied at hatcheries, and familiarity with uses/ limitations of permitted substances. This includes:
• Maintain up-to-date and accessible digital compliance records for all hatcheries, hold up-to-date copies of supporting documents:
  Best Management Practices (BMP), Pollution Prevention Plans, etc. and provide Quality Assurance Plan and BMP templates and revisions
• Assist tribal staff with preparation of reports, including required calculations, and submitting required materials, including annual reports
• Attend meetings/ workshops relevant to hatchery operations and provide a thorough recap and regular updates on anything that is being “tracked”, host training/ workshops for NPDES compliance-related activities
• Perform routine (at least annual) site visits to each permitted facility to confirm that Best Management Practices still apply to each hatchery in its current state, check for general compliance, review and help develop internal inspection checklists for each hatchery. Write professional compliance reports that summarize findings and recommendations
• Assist in logistical support including the maintenance of WA DOE accreditation for Chlorine testing, administering testing when treatments require, locating laboratories for compliance samples, and reviewing monitoring analysis
• Work with the other members of the Tribal Fish Health Program to evaluate proposed treatment recommendations and determine/ provide confirmation that they are feasible/legal under current hatchery conditions
• Provide written comments on behalf of permit tees and maintain open communication with EPA and WA Department of Ecology
• Maintain consistent communication with tribal water quality staff, EPA, Ecology, WDFW, DOH and other outside researchers and agencies to support informative and relevant CTWQP meetings on a quarterly basis. Follow topics of priority to the group, as determined with tribes and related Environmental Protection Division staff
• Support tribal water quality staff by creating relevant and necessary tools (templates, comment letters, POC, webinar info, tribal coding group to advance tribal resource protection objectives)
• Support hatchery staff during NPDES compliance inspections. Offer review of compliance reports. Offer support in addressing compliance concerns
• Monitor other relevant NPDES permits not associated with hatchery activities to compare effluent limitations, understand monitoring and compliance standards. Use this knowledge to provide informed comments and discussion points during permit re-issuance process for both aquaculture permits and permits which may impact tribal resource protection objectives
• Facilitate Coordinated Tribal Water Quality Program (CTWQP) meetings with a minimum of 4 meetings per year

Minimum educational and experience requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in environmental science, ecology, or related field with three years pertinent work experience that includes water quality assessment, environmental monitoring, or water…