Permit Writer​/Unit Lead; Environmental Specialist

Keeping Washington Clean and Evergreen

The Department of Ecology is hiring a Permit Writer / Unit Lead (Environmental Specialist
3) within the Nuclear Waste Program.

• Richland Field Office in Richland, WA.
• Upon hire, you must live within a commutable distance from the duty station.

• This position is eligible for telework and flexible schedule options.
• You may telework most of your work time with occasional in-person meetings and activities. Fieldwork and occasional travel may be required but will be infrequent.
• Schedules are dependent upon position needs and are subject to change.

• Apply by April 6, 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.

In this position, you will play a key role in advancing the safe cleanup of the Hanford Site by leading permit application reviews and developing permits for assigned facilities within the Facility Transition Project. Working within the Nuclear Waste Program’s Waste Management Section, you will interpret and apply state and federal environmental regulations, negotiate permit conditions, and provide oversight that ensures hazardous and mixed waste facilities meet the highest standards of environmental protection.

This role offers the opportunity to work on some of the most complex environmental cleanup challenges in the nation. You will collaborate with federal agencies, contractors, technical specialists, and local and regional partners; navigate the intricate and often complicated permitting history of Hanford facilities; and help resolve disagreements between Ecology and permit tees as part of the permitting and oversight process. Through this work, you will build expertise in project management, environmental regulations and policies, interagency collaboration, and complex environmental negotiations.

Your contributions will meaningfully shape cleanup progress at one of the most significant environmental sites in the country and help safeguard Washington’s land, air, water, and communities.

• Conduct technical review of documents, reports, and permit applications for facilities on and off the Hanford Site to determine completeness and regulatory compliance.
• Review permit applications for technical accuracy, negotiate permit conditions, conduct conflict resolution, and make decisions on the scientific and regulatory merit of proposed actions.
• Provide oversight of compliance and waste management activities at permitted and regulated facilities, including supporting compliance inspections and evaluating technical information.
• Represent the agency on Hanford cleanup issues through public presentations, technical and interagency meetings, collaborative discussions, negotiations, and consultations.
• Evaluate sampling data, site characterization work, remedial investigations, and feasibility studies for contaminated Hanford sites, and communicate technical recommendations in written reports or verbal briefings.

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

Six (6) years of experience and/or education as described below:

• Experience performing environmental-based work, or work related to the duties of the position that includes two or more of the following:
  • Reviewing technical or regulatory documents, reports, or permit applications.
  • Developing permit requirements, policies, or organizational decisions.
  • Negotiating with external clients on permit requirements, policies, or organizational decisions.
  • Evaluating completeness of sampling data, site characterization efforts, remedial investigations, and feasibility studies.
  • Representing organizations through public presentations, technical meetings, collaborative group meetings, negotiations, and consultations.
• Education involving a major study in environmental, physical, or natural sciences; environmental or natural science interdisciplinary studies; environmental planning; or a closely related field.

Example…