Senior Environmental Compliance Specialist

Senior Environmental Compliance Specialist Salary: $118,962.27 - $151,348.08 Annually Location: Multiple locations in King County, WA Job Type: Career Service (Exec) Job Number: 2026-27052 Department: DNRP-Natural Resources & Parks Division: Wastewater Treatment FLSA: Exempt Bargaining Unit: F6 : L117-WTD Full- or Part-Time: Full Time Hours/Week: 40 hours/week Summary This is a competitive posting, and the position is open to all qualified candidates. The King County Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) is seeking a high‑performing Senior Environmental Compliance Specialist. This position will join an existing team of engineers, analysts, and laboratory professionals who are focused on optimizing the performance of the division’s municipal wastewater treatment plants. This position will be the first position on the team that will allocate 100% of their time to environmental compliance of elements beyond our municipal wastewater NPDES permits. These elements include, but are not limited to, Hazardous Waste, Air Emissions, Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know (EPCRA), Underground Storage Tanks (USTs), Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure (SPCC), Industrial Stormwater, and Municipal Stormwater. About the Role As a key member of the Operations and Maintenance section of the Wastewater Treatment Division, you will be a “boots on the ground” leader, helping to evolve, document, and improve our environmental compliance programs at the treatment plants and pump stations located across the greater Seattle region. You will work and communicate directly with mechanics, treatment plant operators and managers, the division’s senior leadership team, environmental agency inspectors, capital project managers and engineers, and compliance professional peers in other King County divisions. The Senior Environmental Compliance Specialist will be assigned environmental compliance programs based on their work history and expertise. For instance, if the selected candidate has a 15-year history working with air permits and emissions compliance programs, the candidate will be initially assigned to lead and improve our air program. Or if the candidate is experienced with USTs and hazardous waste, those will be the initially assigned programs. WTD has three main regional wastewater treatment plants, two small wastewater treatment plants, five combined sewer wet weather treatment plants, and close to 50 pump stations. The Senior Environmental Compliance Specialist will evolve, document and improve our compliance programs across all of these assets. An eye for standardization will be key. WTD recently deployed the Maximo platform as our new computerized maintenance management software. WTD has plans to design, develop, and deploy an environment, health and safety module in the coming months. The Senior Environmental Compliance Specialist would be a key participant in the development team. The Senior Environmental Compliance Specialist will be assigned to review the WTD design and construction specifications for capital projects. The specialist will then be asked to highlight areas for improvement and work with the standards committee to make the changes. Job Duties Visit all WTD operational facilities, review existing programs and documentation, and meet with operators, engineers and mechanics. Complete a gap assessment between the requirements and the current activities. Design, implement, and improve programs to help WTD comply with state and federal regulations and applicable permits. Develop a network across the King County divisions. Where it makes business sense, push to standardize our compliance approaches. Identify risk and communicate risk to leadership. Partner with the first line worker force to understand their needs and constraints. Explain the why behind new initiatives or changes. Build programs that are as easy to implement as possible. Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills Bachelor’s degree from an accredited course of study, in environmental engineering, environmental science, environmental management, biology, chemistry or related field. Direct hands‑on experience with developing, sustaining, and implementing environmental compliance programs. Direct experience reading and interpreting permits and regulations. Direct work or audit experience in an industrial/manufacturing environment. Experience collecting, understanding, analyzing and interpreting data in a professional environment. Experience interfacing directly with environmental regulatory agencies. Experience communicating risks and plans to senior leadership. Workplace Exposures Potential exposure to chemicals, noise, confined space, odor, fall hazards, and viral contaminants. Competencies Customer Focus: Building strong customer relationships and delivering customer‑centric solutions. Collaborates: Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives. Communicates Effectively: Developing and delivering multi‑mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences. Action Oriented: Taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm. Plans and Aligns: Planning and prioritizing work to meet commitments aligned with organizational goals. Optimizes Work Processes: Knowing the most effective and efficient processes to get things done, with a focus on continuous improvement. Required Licenses Valid unencumbered Washington State Driver’s License. It Would be Great if You Also Bring 8+ years of experience in a full‑time regulatory compliance role. Experience developing and sustaining environmental compliance programs within Washington State. PE, CHMM, or similar credential. Working Conditions Multiple. Work Location 1200 Monster Rd SW, Renton, WA 98057. 22505 WA-9, Woodinville, WA 98072. 1400 Discovery Park Blvd, Seattle, WA 9819. Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements. Work Schedule This full‑time position works a 40‑hour work week with 4-10hr, 5-8hr or 9-80 schedule options available. This position is exempt from the overtime provision of the Fair Labor Standard Act (FLSA) and is not overtime eligible. Union Representation This position is represented by the Teamster, Local 117. Pursuant to Western Conference of Teamsters Pension Trust $1.00 per hour from the base wage will be submitted to the Western Conference of Teamsters Pension Trust Fund. Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Statement King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer. No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation. #J-18808-Ljbffr