Community Engagement Specialist

Are you ready to play a pivotal role in supporting water quality policy direction and community engagement efforts? We have an exciting opportunity where focused work will directly contribute to fostering inclusive policies and impactful investments to enhance the well-being of the communities we serve, particularly overburdened and vulnerable populations.About the Role:The Community Engagement Specialist (Project/Program Manager III) will be in the Water Quality Compliance Unit in the Stormwater Services Section and will lead community engagement in support of King County's Phase I National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Municipal Stormwater Permit program and other stormwater management efforts. This position will work to improve water quality through engaging communities and other County departments. As part of a dedicated team of high-performing water quality planners, scientists, and engineers this role will be in a position to work collaboratively within the Unit, the Section, and the rest of King County advancing initiatives such as the Stormwater Investment Plan, Clean Water Healthy Habitat, Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDLs), and Equity and Social Justice.This position performs work remotely and onsite.About the Team:The Water and Land Resources Division (WLRD) is at the forefront of King County’s efforts to protect and restore clean water and healthy habitat and strengthen the resilience of communities, environment, and infrastructure in the face of climate change. We are a dedicated workforce of more than 400 supported by an annual budget of ~$250 million. WLRD has a strong track record of developing innovative strategies to protect working farms and forests, restore habitat, improve water quality, and provide county residents equitable access to green space. We plan, design, and build salmon habitat projects as well as levees and stormwater facilities that help protect people and infrastructure while also enhancing habitat. Our Environmental Lab and Science sections maintain high-quality data sets used for long term water quality trend analysis and use Best Available Science to inform decision making. We house the Land Conservation Initiative, which aims to preserve our last, most important natural lands and urban green spaces over the next 30 years. Our forestry and agricultural programs help individuals protect their lands and support local food production.Commitment To Equity and Social Justice:King County, named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is a diverse and vibrant community that represents cultures from around the world. Our True North is to create a welcoming community where everyone can thrive. We prioritize equity, racial and social justice, making it a foundational and daily expectation for all employees. As a Community Engagement Specialist, you will actively apply these principles in all aspects of your work. Learn more about our commitment at http://www.kingcounty.gov/equity.Apply now for a rewarding career at the Water and Land Resource Division of King County Department of Natural Resources & Parks (DNRP). Join our talented workforce in protecting and restoring the natural environment and promoting more resilient, sustainable, and equitable communities. Enjoy training, comprehensive benefits, and growth opportunities. What You Will Be Doing:• Community Engagement:• 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. Cultivate and sustain relationships and partnerships with coalitions and key leaders, as well as organizations within unincorporated King County communities. Efforts will be focused on influencing and learning from collective perspectives and efforts regarding issues affecting overburdened and vulnerable populations.• Team Support:• Collaborate across King County programs impacting permit compliance and water quality to develop coordinated community engagement strategies.• Work closely with teammates to identify issues, assess impacts and risks, and offer recommendations to overcome program barriers.• Data Analysis and Assessment:• Provide support for collecting and analyzing data to conduct program needs assessments, evaluate outcomes, and recommend quality improvement.• Planning and Execution:• 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.• Communication and Reporting:• Contribute to communications planning efforts.• Prepare clear, concise, and objective documents, reports, and briefings orally and in writing, summarizing analytic findings, issues, and alternatives effectively.Qualifications You Bring:• A well-developed understanding of equity and social justice principles and/or supporting projects that integrate equity and social justice into program design and workplace culture.• Demonstrated experience building relationships and engaging communities to achieve positive outcomes.• Exceptional writing and oral presentation skills.• A combination of life experience, work experience, and/or education (degree in law, public health, public administration, social work, systems engineering, humanities, or another field relevant to serving overburdened and vulnerable populations) that equips the candidate to work with community partners and support a team in service of overburdened and vulnerable populations.• Well-developed project management skills and experience developing communications plans and community engagement strategies.Competencies You Bring:• Collaborates: Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.• Values differences: Recognizing the value that different perspectives and cultures bring to an organization.• Customer Focus: Building strong customer relationships and delivering customer-centric solutions.• Builds Networks: Effectively building formal and informal relationship networks inside and outside the organization.• Instills Trust: Gaining the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and authenticity.• Balances Stakeholders: Anticipating and balancing the needs of multiple stakeholders.It Would Be Great if You Also Bring:• Experience in the government and/or non-profit sector(s).• Experience working in a federal, state, or local government to develop, analyze, implement, or support environmental policies or programs.• Experience working in public organizations managing utilities and/or capital projects.Working Conditions:• Remote and Onsite Work Details: Employees in this role work remotely from a home location, with onsite reporting requirements at King Street Center typically 1 time per month. This role will also be required to attend in-person community meetings. The frequency of onsite work is determined by business needs and may be adjusted accordingly. Onsite reporting locations may be at various King County worksites including the collaboration space at King Street Center (201 S. Jackson St, Seattle, WA 98104). This work arrangement promotes work-life-balance and reduces carbon footprint under the department’s vision of Green Where We Work.• Remote Work Location Requirement: Employees must reside in Washington State and be within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to meet workplace reporting requirements.• Work Schedule: This full-time position works a 40-hour work week. This position is exempt from the overtime provision of the Fair Labor Standard Act (FLSA) and is not overtime eligible. The typical work schedule is 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Monday– Friday.• Union Representation: This position is represented by King County Teamsters Local 117-P&T bargaining unit.Application and Selection Process:We welcome applications from all qualified applicants. We value diversity, diverse perspectives and life experience and encourage people of all backgrounds to apply. This posting may be used to create an eligibility list for future vacancies in similar positions over the next six months.Application materials will be screened for clarity, completeness and alignment with the experience, qualifications, knowledge, and skills essential for this role to determine which candidates may be invited to participate in one or more panel interviews.Applications without the following required materials may not be considered for this position.To apply, submit a:• Complete Online Application.• Resume.• Cover letter NOT required but will be reviewed if submitted.Note: Additional documents won't be considered during minimum qualification screening.Who to Contact: For more information regarding this recruitment, please contact Isaac Good at (206) 848-0576 or igood@kingcounty.gov.Discover More About the Stormwater Investment Plan:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1W42dTkiPi78_g8eaUvDDUoZmhiQV5jJf/view?usp=sharingDiscover More About the Water Land & Resources Division: Visit our website.Discover More About DNRP: Visit our website, explore an interactive map of our recent accomplishments and check us out at Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Keeping King County Green News.Sign up for Job Alerts to be notified of additional career opportunities with King County. Select the Natural Resources category for DNRP opportunities and explore other categories of interest.Forbes recently named King County as one of Washington State's best employers.Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.Guided by our "True North", we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles--we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.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.To Apply:If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions related to this recruitment process, please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.