Community Engagement Specialist

Community Engagement Specialist

Salary: $ - $ Annually

Location:

Seattle - Regional area, WA

Job Type: Career Service (Exec)

Job Number: 2026JJ27060

Department: DNRP-Natural Resources & Parks

Division: WLRD
-Water & Land Resources

FLSA:
Exempt

Bargaining Unit: F3A : L117-P&T

Full- or Part-Time:
Full Time

This opportunity is open to current King County employees. We are not accepting external applications at this time.

Protect water quality. Build community partnerships. Continue serving King County communities in a role focused on equity, environmental stewardship, and meaningful public engagement.

As the Community Engagement Specialist, you will lead outreach and engagement efforts that support stormwater programs, water quality initiatives, and future capital projects serving communities across unincorporated King County. You will work closely with community organizations, residents, planners, engineers, project managers, and leadership to ensure community feedback and lived experiences are incorporated into planning and decision‑making processes.

The successful candidate will support engagement efforts focused on overburdened and vulnerable populations and will foster meaningful partnerships that strengthen environmental outcomes and community trust. This position includes attending community meetings and events throughout King County, including occasional evenings and weekends.

This role is ideal for someone who enjoys relationship‑building, facilitating collaboration across diverse groups, translating technical information into accessible messaging, and supporting equitable public engagement strategies.

King County’s Stormwater Services Section is committed to protecting public safety, improving water quality, and restoring aquatic resources in unincorporated King County. The Water Quality Compliance Unit works collaboratively with internal partners, community organizations, cities, tribes, and regional stakeholders to advance environmental stewardship and support healthy, resilient communities.

• Conduct community engagement efforts required by King County’s NPDES Phase I Municipal Stormwater Permit.
• Lead development of strong partnerships with community regarding planning efforts and future stormwater capital investments.
• Ensure ongoing community involvement and meaningful participation, maintaining partnerships and accountability to affected communities.
• Provide expertise on policies, practices and program models impacting communities in unincorporated King County, particularly overburdened communities.
• Offer continuous technical assistance and deploy efforts to support contract partners in overcoming program barriers.
• Lead implementation of Stormwater Services community engagement strategies through partnerships with leadership and staff, community leaders, regarding the importance and priorities of community engagement in King County’s stormwater management program.
• Cultivate and sustain relationships and partnerships with coalitions and key leaders, as well as organizations within unincorporated King County communities, influencing and learning from collective perspectives and efforts regarding issues affecting overburdened populations.
• Coordinate with engagement efforts across programs impacting permit compliance and water quality at the county.
• Provide support for collecting and analyzing data to conduct program needs assessments, evaluate outcomes, and recommend quality improvement.
• Assist in intra‑departmental engagement efforts related to water quality and key issues identified by communities, ensuring alignment with county initiatives.
• Work closely with teammates to identify issues, assess impacts and risks, and offer recommendations.
• Implement community engagement strategy development, tracking, and implementation.
• Review local and regional plans and proposals concerning communities we serve to understand objectives, expected outcomes, and alternatives.
• Contribute to communications planning efforts.
• Prepare clear, concise, and objective documents, reports, and briefings orally and in writing, summarizing analytic findings, issues, and…