IT Application Developer Entry

Per Governor Inslee’s Directive 22-13.1, state employees must be fully vaccinated effective November 4, 2022. Providing proof of being fully vaccinated is a condition of employment and your vaccine status will be verified prior to starting work. Being fully vaccinated means two weeks after you have received the second dose in a two-dose series of a COVID-19 vaccine or a single-dose COVID-19 vaccine authorized for emergency use, licensed or otherwise authorized or approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or listed for emergency use or otherwise approved by the World Health Organization. If you have questions, please contact Careers@ecy.wa.gov with “COVID-19 vaccination” in the subject line.  

During Healthy Washington Roadmap to Recovery, employees are working a combination of in-office and/or telework based on position and business need. This position may work predominantly remotely. Ecology is following current state guidance regarding mask requirements, health screening questions before entry, and social distancing.

 

ESS is a cross-functional team of 16 professionals who are dedicated to providing custom software applications to support the agency's scientists, engineers, inspectors, and policy makers. We work extremely closely with our internal and external customers to rapidly respond to their business needs, ensuring our solutions effectively contribute to Ecology’s mission.

 

In this role, you will work in a supportive and professional environment with fantastic people who are passionate about the environment, understand the importance of work-life balance, and are focused on continual improvement and learning. You will contribute to meaningful projects, working with varying customers using the Microsoft development stack and agile methodologies to tackle some of today's most challenging and exciting IT fields, such as Big Data, mobile field data collection, telemetry, data quality assurance, data discovery and search, accessibility, and integration of disparate data and analytics to create business intelligence. Your work will directly support the creation of new science and policy that is focused on making measurable improvements in Washington State’s environment.

 

The Information Technology Services Office (ITSO) is the central provider of strategic and tactical support for the use of Information Technology (IT) within Ecology. The mission of ITSO is to create and support useful technology services that adapt for the future and support Ecology’s mission.

 

Please Note: This is a project position that is funded until June 30, 2023. The funding for this position has the potential of being renewed for the next bi annual budget.

Application Timeline: This position will remain open until filled, with an initial screening date of November 14, 2022. In order to be considered for initial screening, please submit an application on or before November 13, 2022. The agency reserves the right to make an appointment any time after the initial screening date.

Ecology cares deeply about employee wellness; we go beyond traditional benefits, proudly offering:

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect (DEIR) are core values central to Ecology’s work. We strive to be a workplace where we are esteemed for sharing our authentic identities, while advancing our individual professional goals and collaborating to protect, preserve, and enhance the environment for current and future generations.

Diversity: We celebrate and appreciate diversity; our unique perspectives and abilities enrich us all and lead to innovative approaches and solutions.

 

Equity: We champion equity, recognizing that each of us need different things to thrive.

 

Inclusion: We intentionally create and hold space so that we all have meaningful opportunities to participate and contribute to Ecology’s work.

 

Respect: We treat each other with respect and dignity, acknowledging the inherent worth of our diverse perspectives and lived experiences, even in times of uncertainty and disagreement.

We believe that DEIR is both a goal and an action. We are on a journey, honoring our shared humanity and taking steps to demonstrate our commitment to a vision where each of us is heard, seen, and valued. 

 

Duties

What makes this role unique? 

This position is funded by the Environmental Assessment Program (EAP), one of ten environmental programs in the Department of Ecology. EAP is charged with monitoring Washington's environmental quality, focusing on marine water (Puget Sound and coastal waters), rivers and streams, groundwater, and marine and freshwater sediments, as well as providing scientific consulting to other Agency programs. EAP monitors for many types of pollutants including toxic contaminants in the environment and consumer products. EAP also runs a large environmental laboratory (Manchester Environmental Laboratory in Manchester, WA) and a laboratory accreditation office that accredits labs throughout the state.

In this role, the successful candidate will work closely with business leads and in collaboration with a team of software developers to contribute to the design, development, and maintenance of program-wide environmental software solutions and technical integrations.

 

You will use your skills as a software engineer to ensure that EAP’s data management systems, the authoritative environmental data within, as well as data entry and reporting tools supported by the unit, meet the needs of internal and external stakeholders. Stakeholders include Ecology scientists, engineers, executives, financial specialists, grant/loan managers, legislative liaisons, federal and inter/intra-state local partners, and the public.

Qualifications

Experience for both required and desired qualifications can be gained through various combinations of formal professional employment, educational and volunteer experience. See below for how you may qualify.

Option 1: Two (2) years recent professional experience in computer application development and maintenance. Experience includes, but is not limited to, analyzing, designing, implementing, maintaining and/or programming software applications.

Option 2: Associates degree or higher in Computer Science, Information Technology (IT), Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) or closely related field OR completion of a two year accredited vocational training program in IT or related program.

We highly encourage you to apply even if you do not have some (or all) of the desired experience below.

Note: Having some (or all) of this desired experience may make your application more competitive in a highly competitive applicant pool.

Supplemental Information

Ecology seeks diverse applicants: We view diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect through a broad lens including race, ethnicity, class, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, immigration status, military background, language, education, life experience, physical disability, neurodiversity, and intersectional identities. Qualified candidates from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Need an Accommodation in the application and/or screening process or this job announcement in an alternative format?

It's in the applicant's best interest to submit all of the documents listed below. Applications without these documents may be declined.

Please do NOT include your salary history. Wage/salary depends on qualifications or rules of promotion, if applicable. 

For Your Privacy:

When attaching documents to your application (such as Resume, Cover Letter, Transcripts, DD-214, etc.):

Additional Application Instructions for Current Ecology Employees:

 

Please make sure to answer the agency-wide questions regarding permanent status as a classified employee within the Washington General Service or Washington Management Service. Do not forget to select Department of Ecology as a response to question 2, and type your personnel ID number for question 3. If you are not sure of your status or do not know your personnel ID number, please contact Human Resources.

The act of submitting application materials electronically is considered affirmation that the information is complete and truthful. The state may verify this information and any untruthful or misleading answers are cause for rejection of your application or dismissal if employed. 

If you have specific questions about the position, please email Christopher Moore at: Christopher.Moore@ecy.wa.gov. Please do not contact Christopher to inquire about the status of your application. 

To request the full position description: email careers@ecy.wa.gov

As an agency, our mission is to protect, preserve and enhance Washington's environment for current and future generations. We invest in our employees to create and sustain a working environment that encourages creative leadership, effective resource management, teamwork, professionalism, and accountability.

Joining Ecology means becoming a part of a team committed to protecting and restoring Washington State's environment. A career in public service allows you to help solve some of the most challenging problems facing our state, while keeping your health and financial security a priority. We combine one of the most competitive benefits packages in the nation with a strong commitment to life/work balance.

Ecology employees may be eligible for the following:

Medical/Dental/Vision for employee & dependent(s), Public Employees Retirement System (PERS), Vacation, Sick, and other Leave*, 11 Paid Holidays per year*, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, Tuition Waiver, Long Term Disability & Life Insurance, Deferred Compensation Programs, Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP), Flexible Spending Arrangement (FSA), Employee Assistance Program, Commute Trip Reduction Incentives (Download PDF reader), Combined Fund Drive, SmartHealth *See the Benefits tab in this announcement for more information 

Student debt: how working for Ecology can help

The Department of Ecology is a qualifying employer for the Public Service Forgiveness Program (PSLF). See https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service for more details.

To learn more about The Department of Ecology, please visit our website at www.ecology.wa.gov and follow, like or visit us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or our blog.

Collective Bargaining: This is a position covered by a bargaining unit for which the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE) is the exclusive representative.  

Equal Opportunity Employer: The Washington State Department of Ecology is an equal opportunity employer. We strive to create a working environment that includes and respects cultural, racial, ethnic, sexual orientation and gender identity diversity. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, persons of disability, persons over 40 years of age, veterans, military spouses or people with military status, and people of all sexual orientations and gender identities are encouraged to apply. Persons needing accommodation in the application/testing process or this job announcement in an alternative format may call (360) 407-6186. Applicants who are deaf or hard of hearing may call the Washington Relay Service by dialing 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6388.

Note: This recruitment may be used to fill other positions of the same job classification across the agency. Once all the position(s) from the recruitment announcement are filled, the recruitment may only be used to fill additional open positions for the next sixty (60) days.