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Spanish Language Services Lead (Communications Consultant 4)




The salary listed above doesn't include the scheduled 4% general salary increase effective 7/1/2023. This position will also receive an additional 5% assignment pay for dual-language.

Keeping Washington Clean and Evergreen

The Office of Equity and Environmental Justice (OEEJ) within the Department of Ecology is looking to fill a Spanish Language Services Lead (Communications Consultant 4) position. This position can be located in any of the following locations:

Headquarters Office in Lacey, WA.
Northwest Region Office (NWRO) in Shoreline, WA.
Central Region Office (CRO) in Union Gap, WA.
Eastern Region Office (ERO) in Spokane, WA.

Upon hire, you must live within a commutable distance from the duty station.

Please Note: If the final location of this position is determined to be in our Northwest Region Office (NWRO) in Shoreline, WA. there will be an additional 5% pay increase due to its location in King County. In this instance the salary range will be $5,015 - $6,739 per month.

Help Ecology make its services available to more Spanish-speakers across Washington! In this newly created role, you will lead our team of Spanish translators and interpreters and bring much-needed capacity for long-term projects and time-sensitive work such as emergency notices and social media posts. You will gain leadership and administrative experience, work on high-profile projects, and learn about many aspects of Ecology’s work. This is also a great opportunity to build relationships with a wide variety of Ecology staff, including Spanish team members, other language team members, and internal and external customers of language services across the state.

Agency Mission: The mission of the Department of Ecology is to protect, preserve, and enhance Washington’s land, air, and water for current and future generations.

Program Mission: Ecology established the Office of Equity and Environmental Justice in 2021. Our mission is to eliminate environmental and health disparities for communities most at risk from pollution and other environmental impacts. We achieve this through fair and just practices that support the well-being and resilience of Ecology’s workforce and everyone in Washington.

Tele-work options for this position: You will have the opportunity to telework up to 90% of your schedule and should live within a commutable distance to the final duty station for periodic in-person meetings and activities. Applicants with questions about position location options, tele-work, and flexible or compressed schedules are encouraged to reach out to the contact person listed below in “other information.” Schedules are dependent upon position needs and is subject to change.

Application Timeline: This position will remain open until filled, we will review applications on June 20, 2023. In order to be considered, please submit an application on or before June 19, 2023. If your application isn't received by this date, it may not be considered. The agency reserves the right to make a Hire any time after the initial screening date.

Ecology employees may be eligible for the following:

About the Department of Ecology
Protecting Washington State's environment for current and future generations is what we do every day at Ecology. We are a culture that is invested in making a difference. Join a team that is highly effective and collaborative, with leadership that embraces the value of people. To learn more, check out our Strategic Plan

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

  • A healthy life/work balance by offering flexible schedules and telework options for most positions.
  • An Infants at Work Program that is based on the long-term health values of infant-parent bonding and breastfeeding newborns.
  • Continuous growth and development opportunities. 
  • Opportunities to serve your community and make an impact through meaningful work.

Our commitment to DEIR
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 unique and challenging because it is Ecology’s first full-time Spanish language services position, in a state with over 600,000 Spanish speakers. In this role, you will be part of a growing effort to expand Ecology’s language services, eliminate barriers to access, and promote equity in our environmental work. You will be involved in building a new way for a team of translators and interpreters to work together to serve our agency’s language needs.

What you will do:

  • Lead our Spanish translation and interpretation team through a period of growth, to new heights! Partner with the Spanish Team Technical and Coordination Leads to lead team meetings, recruit and onboard new members, and build the group’s skills.
  • Creatively manage the administration of the Spanish Team, including customer service, timelines, and team workload. 
  • Involve the team in improving systems and practices, using customer feedback about the quality and consistency of services.
  • Protect Spanish-speaking communities during emergent and emergency response situations by translating social media posts, web content, news releases, blogs, and email alerts. 
  • Make an environmental impact by providing translation and interpretation support for crucial agency-wide services such as the Statewide Environmental Incident Report Form (ERTS), which allows community members to report environmental issues to Ecology.
  • Help Ecology more effectively reach Latino/a/x-identifying communities by advising outreach and communication staff on best practices and helping them access Spanish team services.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications:
Years of required experience indicated below are full-time equivalent years. Full-time equivalent experience means that any experience where working hours were less than 40 hours per week will be prorated in order to meet the equivalency of full-time. We would calculate this by looking at the total hours worked per week, divide this by 40, and then multiply by the total number of months worked. Examples of the proration calculations are:

  • 30 hours worked per week for 20 months: (30/40) x 20 months = 15 months full-time equivalent
  • 20 hours worked per week for 12 months: (20/40) x 12 months = 6 months full-time equivalent
Experience for both required and desired qualifications can be gained through various combinations of formal professional employment, education, and volunteer experience. See below for how you may qualify.

A total of Seven (7) years of experience and/or education as described below:

Experience: in language services, civil rights, community engagement, public administration, communication, journalism, public relations, or related field.

Education involving a major study in English, Spanish language, Latino/a/x studies, communications, journalism, public relations, or related field.

See chart below for a list of ways to qualify for this position:

Possible CombinationsCollege credit hours or degree – as listed above.Years of professional level experience – as listed above.Combination 1No college credit hours or degree.7 years of experience.Combination 2I have 30-59 semester or 45-89 quarter credits.6 years of experience.Combination 3I have 60-89 semester or 90-134 quarter credits (AA degree).5 years of experience.Combination 4I have 90-119 semester or 135-179 quarter credits.4 years of experience.Combination 5 A Bachelor's Degree.3 years of experience.Combination 6A Master’s Degree or higher.1 year of experience.

Special Requirements/Conditions of Employment:

  • Bilingual Skills in Spanish/English - The ability to read, write, translate, and converse with fluency in both Spanish and English.

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

  • Professional or lived experience working directly with Spanish-speaking communities or people with limited English proficiency.
  • Administrative, customer service, data, or evaluation skills.
  • Experience leading teams or helping people collaborate on a common goal.
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?

  • Please call: (360) 407-6186 or email: careers@ecy.wa.gov and we will be happy to assist.
  • If you are deaf or hard of hearing you can reach the Washington Relay Service by dialing 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6388.
  • If you need assistance applying for this job, please e-mail careers@ecy.wa.gov. Please do not send an email to this address to follow-up on the status of your application. You can view the latest status of your application on your profile's main page.
  • If you are reading this announcement in print format, please enter the following URL to your search engine to apply: https://ecology.wa.gov/About-us/Get-to-know-us/Jobs-at-Ecology 
Application Instructions:

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

  • A cover letter describing why you are interested in this position.
  • A resume outlining your experience and education (if applicable) as it relates to the minimum qualifications of this position.
  • A list of three professional references.

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.):

  • Please be sure to remove private information such as your social security number, date of birth, etc. 
  • Do not attach documents that are password-protected, as these documents may not be reviewed and may cause errors within your application when downloaded. 

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.

Application Attestation: 

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. 

Other Information:
If you have specific questions about the position, please email Hannah Aoyagi at Hannah.Aoyagi@ecy.wa.gov. Please do not contact Hannah to inquire about the status of your application.
To request the full position description: email careers@ecy.wa.gov

Why work for Ecology?

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.

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