This posting is open to all qualified King County employees only.

About the Role:
The successful candidate will plan, manage, and provide field communications and public outreach support for multiple projects to build large infrastructure facilities, such as pipes, pump stations, and large underground storage tanks. A successful candidate will support projects in the planning, design, and construction phases, where established guidelines or processes may not exist and must be developed. The candidate will interact with communities affected by projects in their neighborhoods and public spaces. The person in this role will be expected to use an equity lens to reduce risks and increase opportunities for WTD projects to advance equitable outcomes for all people. The candidate will support incident response by being available 24 hours a day for eight to ten weeks a year on a rotating basis. In this capacity, the candidate will provide public communication support to protect public health and safety during sewage spills or unplanned repairs of the regional wastewater system.

About the Team:
If you want to use your communication skills to protect people, enhance the environment, and improve equity, then the Wastewater Treatment Division's (WTD) Community Services group looks forward to meeting you. We use the art of engagement to serve others and help our division do the same. We work together to communicate clearly and solve problems. We manage our work adaptively to get the desired results. We know diverse perspectives make us better, so we welcome diversity and seek to be mindful. As a member of WTD's Community Services Unit, you will support all the division's work. You will inform the public about our projects, operations, and services. You will engage communities in equitable decision-making, work one-on-one with individuals, businesses, and communities to understand and respond to their needs. The position will support WTD operations, Executive priorities, and complex multi-disciplinary capital project, planning, and programs.

Join our team, dedicated to ensuring clean water for generations to come! With over 700 employees engaged in planning, designing, building, and operating treatment facilities, our agency is at the forefront of environmental stewardship. Success for us means upholding our legacy while promising future generations a pristine environment.

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 Water Quality Planner/Project Manager III, you will actively apply these principles in all aspects of your work. Learn more about our commitment at http://www.kingcounty.gov/equity. 

What You Will Be Doing:

• Gain public acceptance for complex construction projects that plan, build, repair or maintain wastewater treatment facilities such as large pipes, pump stations and underground storage tanks for WTD's Capital Improvement Program. Develop, manage, and implement public involvement plans for projects where established guidelines may not exist or must be developed to share information and build community understanding and support for WTD's work. 

• Represent WTD projects in public at events, briefings and one-on-one venues. Support WTD project teams by working directly with interested community members to minimize threats and advance opportunities for WTD's Capital Improvement Program. Assignments will include providing direct support for capital projects with significant construction impacts for the community. 

• Provide planning, assessment, and advocacy for equity and social justice opportunities on WTD capital projects and plans using County equity assessment tools. 

• Support the community relations elements of the Wastewater Treatment Division incident response program, which requires night and weekend availability on a rotating basis. Duties could include safely moving through industrial and construction sites and driving metal fence posts into the ground to close off public spaces affected by response activities.

Qualifications You Bring:

• Experience managing public outreach successfully on numerous concurrent projects and delivering strategically aligned services to projects where no established guidelines exist and must be developed.
• Experience serving as the primary public representative for King County as it makes decisions likely to affect services and daily activities in residential neighborhoods, business areas, and/or public spaces.
• Experience working effectively with racially, culturally, and socioeconomically diverse individuals and communities.
• Experience planning and implementing effective public outreach campaigns that include strategic goal identification, objective setting, tactic selection, and service delivery schedule. Demonstrated skills in designing accessible outreach and using equitable engagement tactics.

• Being Resilient - Rebounds from setbacks and adversity when facing difficult situations. Is confident under pressure. Handles and manages crises effectively. Maintains a positive attitude despite adversity. Bounces back from setbacks. Grows from hardships and negative experiences. 

• Customer Focus - Builds strong customer relationships and delivers customer-centric solutions. Gains insight into customer needs. Identifies opportunities that benefit the customer. Builds and delivers solutions that meet customer expectations. Establishes and maintains effective customer relationships 

• Drives Results - Consistently achieves results, even under tough circumstances. Has a strong bottom-line orientation. Persists in accomplishing objectives despite obstacles and setbacks. Has a track record of exceeding goals successfully. Pushes self and helps others achieve results 

• Interpersonal Savvy - Relates openly and comfortably with diverse groups of people. Relates comfortably with people across levels, functions, culture, and geography. Acts with diplomacy and tact. Builds rapport in an open, friendly, and accepting way. Builds constructive relationships with people both similar and different to self. Picks up on interpersonal and group dynamics.

• Washington State Driver's License or the ability to provide transportation to remote work locations with limited or no public transportation services.

• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively about complex topics in plain language via in-person presentations in group and one-on-one settings. 

• Experience using community engagement to help major projects or plans advance equity and social justice.

• Experience as the lead public representative for more than one King County project.

• Experience building community awareness and support for the construction of public infrastructure for more than one project in neighborhoods of diverse ability, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and primary spoken language.

Working Conditions

• Remote and Onsite Work Details: Employees in this role work remotely from a home location, with onsite reporting requirements. The frequency of onsite work is determined by business needs and may be adjusted accordingly. Onsite reporting locations may beat 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.  

• Work Schedule: This full-time position works a 40-hour work week. This position is exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) provisions and is not overtime-eligible. Night and weekend availability as necessary.

• Union Representation: This position is represented by King County Technical Employees' Association (TEA) bargaining unit.
  

• Physical Requirements: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, and use hands to touch, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls. The employee is frequently required to talk and hear and occasionally required to reach with hands and arms and to stoop, kneel, or crouch. Must occasionally lift and/or move up to 15 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

• Complete Application
• Optional Resume (will be reviewed if submitted)
• Optional Cover Letter (will be reviewed if submitted)
• Complete Supplemental Questions

Forbes named King County as one of Washington State's best employers.

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 please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.