Water Quality Planner I w/ King County Department of Natural Resources & Parks (Seattle, WA)

​Water Quality Planner I
https://agency.governmentjobs.com/kingcounty/job_bulletin.cfm?JobID=1823348#new_tab
 
CLOSING DATE/TIME: 09/04/17 11:59 PM (GMT -8:00)
 
SALARY: $29.82 - $37.80 Hourly
EMPLOYER: King County
LOCATION: King Street Center - 201 S Jackson St, Seattle, WA
DIVISION: Department of Natural Resources & Parks - Water and Land Resources Division
 
THE SCIENCE AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT SECTION of the Water and Land Resources Division (WLRD) is responsible for providing accurate scientific information to inform important environmental policy and management decisions that protect natural resources and overall quality of life for King County residents. Scientists and technical staff oversee a wide variety of environmental monitoring programs; provide technical support for numerous County capital projects and operating programs; provide expertise on salmon recovery issues, impacts of land use change, restoration of aquatic and terrestrial habitat, water quality and quantity, lake, stream, river and wetland ecology, river and floodplain processes, and marine, nearshore, and estuarine processes. Section scientists collaborate with other agencies in King County and the region to collect, model and interpret information that informs land use, habitat management, sewage treatment, water resource and surface water management decisions. For further detail on the Science & Technical Support Section's programs, please see: http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/wlr/sections-programs/science-section.aspx.
 
The person in this position will be responsible for a varied work program of both field and office work under the guidance of senior staff. The person will assist with project implementation in the Science Section, as well as provide support to other sections and divisions, e.g., Stormwater Services Section and Wastewater Treatment Division.
 
The person selected for this position will be expected to provide technical assistance and services for studies and projects in stream and river ecosystems generally focused on conducting macroinvertebrate, habitat and water quality investigations in King County. The person should have a broad ecological background and experience analyzing and interpreting water quality data. Knowledge and experience with stream ecology, macroinvertebrates, riparian habitat and water quality are necessary, but relevant skills in fisheries, wetlands and amphibians, in addition to aquatic toxicology are also desirable. The applicant will also provide technical support for a variety of water quality projects that range from stormwater quality to contaminant impacts. Applicants should have statistical and data analysis skills, in addition to experience using databases and GIS for spatial analysis and map development.
 
Work is conducted under the guidance of senior staff and an emphasis is placed on versatility, timely delivery of excellent applied technical products, excellent project management and customer service, strong collaborations with internal and external clients and colleagues on work teams, and excellent oral and written communications skills.
 
JOB DUTIES:
 

• Conduct macroinvertebrate monitoring and assessment projects and programs for clients both internal and external to the County, to evaluate the status and health of stream ecosystems. Assist with the design of macroinvertebrate studies to evaluate stream health.
• Collect macroinvertebrate samples using standard Puget Sound protocols; oversee aquatic macroinvertebrate data collection and train others in data collection methodologies.
• Manage macroinvertebrate and habitat data in databases, e.g., Puget Sound Benthos Database (www.PugetSoundStreamBenthos.org).
• Assist with the development of sampling and analysis plans to address a variety of study questions related to aquatic communities and water quality (e.g., stormwater impacts, effectiveness of stormwater treatment, impact of contaminants, etc.).
• Provide macroinvertebrate, riparian habitat, water quality and natural resources technical assistance and information to various projects and programs.
• Analyze and summarize physical, chemical and biological monitoring data using software programs such as, SigmaPlot®, R®, Primer®, and Excel®. Analyses include testing for trends over time; differences between sites, seasons and depths; and correlations between parameters (e.g., B-IBI scores and flow).
• Coordinate program and project work (e.g., databases and protocols) with other King County technical staff, Tribes, other jurisdictions, and partner agencies.
• Obtain permits from local, state, and federal agencies as needed.
• Obtain and maintain field equipment.
• Prepare technical reports, memos, letters, field summaries and e-mails pertaining to results of macroinvertebrate, habitat and water quality surveys and data collection.
• Present findings and results to supervisors, project managers, senior scientists, project teams, and citizens.
• Conduct spatial analysis with GIS, in addition to preparing maps to organize, analyze, and summarize data.
• Provide training and oversight to seasonal staff.

 
EXPERIENCE, QUALIFICATIONS, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS:
 

• Bachelor's degree in aquatic biology, ecology, fisheries, water quality, environmental science, natural resource management, or a related field; or any equivalent combination of experience and education which provides the applicant with the desired skills, knowledge and abilities required to perform the listed job duties.
• Two years of experience conducting macroinvertebrate, habitat and riparian surveys in streams using standard monitoring and assessment techniques.
• Two years of experience conducting surface water quality studies including data analysis and interpretation.
• Demonstrated experience with data management.
• Experience using common Microsoft Office software including Excel, Word and PowerPoint and Access.
• Two years of experience conducting statistical analyses and data interpretation using graphical and statistical software beyond Excel such as R (preferred).
• Demonstrated experience with technological methods currently used to conduct spatial analysis, such as remote sensing, GPS, and ArcGIS programs.
• Experience making oral presentations regarding scientific findings to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Two years of experience preparing technical documents that report results of macroinvertebrate, water quality and natural resources studies or projects.
• Demonstrated ability to contribute to the development of work scopes and schedules, in addition to communicating status of work to project managers and clients.
• Demonstrated ability to follow guidance of managers; follow through on assignments, and meet project deadlines working both independently and in team settings.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise initiative, tact and judgment, and resolve conflicts effectively in conducting work.

 
DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS:
 

• Master's Degree in Ecology, Aquatic Biology, Environmental Science, or the equivalent.
• Training certifications in river safety, GIS, stream restoration.
• Experience conducting wildlife and wetland surveys.
• Experience conducting water quality assessments to evaluate the impact of toxic contaminants on aquatic life.

 
Apply online at http://www.kingcounty.gov/jobs