HWTR Administrative Assistant (Administrative Assistant 3)(Internal Only)

State of Washington•Thurston County – Lacey, WA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

This recruitment is open only to current Department of Ecology employees, including those on temporary or project assignments, and Ecology's Washington Conservation Corps members. The Department of Ecology is hiring an HWTR Administrative Assistant (Administrative Assistant 3)(Internal Only) within the Hazardous Waste and Toxics Reduction Program (HWTR). This position provides a crucial opportunity to support Ecology’s Hazardous Waste & Toxics Reduction (HWTR) Program operations in both the Southwest Regional Office (SWRO) and Headquarters (HQ). In this role, you will serve as the primary administrative support professional for the HWTR SWRO Section Manager and regional staff, delivering high-volume, detail-oriented administrative coordination that ensures smooth daily operations and efficient workflow management across two HWTR units. You will independently manage purchasing operations, personnel logistics, timekeeping functions, document preparation, and complex scheduling responsibilities—each essential to supporting the program’s regulatory, compliance, and customer service activities. You will also lead administrative workflow planning for the section, organize all onboarding and hiring logistics, and maintain accurate fiscal, personnel, and records-management systems that directly support the agency’s mission. As the first point of contact for HWTR SWRO and HWTR HQ customer interactions, you will represent the program with professionalism and clarity, helping staff, partners, and the public navigate procedures, resolve issues, and access program resources. Your work ensures staff have the tools, information, and administrative support needed to accomplish critical environmental protection activities across Washington.

Requirements

Four (4) years of experience and/or education related to the duties of this position, which includes the following: Administrative Workflow Management: Skill in independently organizing multiple high-volume tasks simultaneously, prioritizing deadlines, coordinating calendars, preparing complex correspondence, maintaining structured files, and managing time-sensitive assignments.
Purchasing Administration: Experience processing procurement requests, tracking expenditures, maintaining purchasing records, monitoring budget activity, and interpreting agency purchasing rules to support compliant purchasing operations.
Professional Document Preparation: Ability to prepare accurate professional documents such as reports, letters, enforcement materials, personnel files, while applying formatting standards, proofreading conventions, and document control practices.
Personnel Logistics: Skill in preparing interview materials, coordinating candidate scheduling, processing HR-related forms, supporting onboarding logistics, and ensuring complete and timely administrative documentation for personnel actions.
Customer Service: Experience providing responsive customer support, interpreting administrative procedures, routing inquiries, resolving routine issues, and representing program operations through clear verbal communication with staff and public.
Technology and Systems Proficiency: Ability to use office software applications such as Word, Excel, Outlook, SharePoint, Teams, plus capacity to learn and operate agency systems such as eTime, PTS, EPIC, Service Center, or similar administrative platforms.
Education: Involving a major study in business administration, public administration or closely allied field.
Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting high-volume administrative operations across multiple teams or sections with varying workflow needs.
Experience providing customer assistance in an environmental, regulatory, or scientific program.
Skilled in applying plain-language principles to improve clarity of technical or regulatory communication.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary administrative assistant to the HWTR SWRO Section Manager, independently managing calendar scheduling, coordinating meetings, arranging travel, supporting logistics, and ensuring timely follow-through on section priorities.
Provide comprehensive administrative support to two HWTR HQ units and approximately 30 professional staff, including preparing correspondence, formatting technical reports, processing personnel paperwork, and managing confidential information.
Coordinate and administer purchasing operations for HWTR SWRO and HWTR HQ sections, including creating requisitions, monitoring expenditures, maintaining purchasing records, ensuring competitive procurement, receiving goods, and resolving vendor issues.
Track and manage multiple budget areas (contracts, memberships, equipment, printing, lab sampling, and other goods/services) and collaborate with budget analysts to ensure proper coding, expenditure tracking, and compliance with purchasing guidelines.
Lead administrative components of the hiring process by organizing interviews, scheduling candidates, preparing panel materials, assembling personnel packets, and overseeing onboarding logistics for new staff.
Maintain organized administrative and technical filing systems, oversee electronic and paper record retention, and ensure compliance with agency policies to support accurate documentation and public records response readiness.
Provide independent customer service for HWTR SWRO and HWTR HQ sections by responding to inquiries, interpreting program procedures, resolving routine issues, and directing customers to appropriate resources or technical specialists.
Process and distribute incoming and outgoing mail for HWTR at both SWRO and HQ, ensuring accurate routing and timely delivery.
Coordinate section-wide administrative processes including training requests, travel reimbursements, timekeeping functions as the eTime Champion, personnel action forms, and meeting logistics.
Act as a liaison between the Section Manager, supervisors, regional administrative teams, HQ staff, and external partners to facilitate communication, relay assignments, and track time-sensitive projects and executive correspondence.
Support workshops, trainings, PMT meetings, events, and program activities by managing logistics, preparing materials, securing equipment, and coordinating communication.