Bilingual Waste Pesticide Disposal Coordinator - Environmental Specialist 5 - Internal

State of Washington•Yakima County – Other, WA

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Bilingual Waste Pesticide Disposal Coordinator is a senior environmental specialist in the Washington State Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Environmental Services Division. Working independently, the coordinator provides advanced scientific and technical consultation to agency staff and local and federal agencies on environmental impacts, including the collection and proper disposal of waste pesticides from public and private entities. The role builds partnerships with communities, businesses, and interest groups to address environmental issues and coordinates waste pesticide collection events. It also develops environmental protections and oversees changes intended to protect public health. The coordinator represents the agency on the state hazardous waste contract advisory committee, reviews bids and proposed contract changes, and makes recommendations to the state procurement officer. The position also supports program goals by educating agricultural producers about Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) standards. The role plans, coordinates, and directs waste pesticide collection events; manages program budget planning and reporting; works with collection sites and contractors; and ensures event safety, staffing, documentation, and data quality. It conducts bilingual customer follow-up and site visits, supports pesticide safety education and training in English and Spanish, develops training materials, provides technical assistance on pesticide storage and disposal, and oversees maintenance and safe use of program equipment. The position is full-time and permanent, with an approved home duty station in Grandview, Washington. It is an internal, non-union position. The typical starting salary range is $76,608 to $100,488 annually.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree with major study in environmental, physical, or natural sciences, environmental planning, or a related field, and six years of experience handling agricultural pesticides; additional qualifying experience may substitute year for year for education.
Professional-level experience in environmental analysis or control, or environmental planning, including one year at an Environmental Specialist 3 level or above; alternatively, one year of experience as an Environmental Specialist 4.
Ability to legally operate a motor vehicle in Washington State.
Fluency in English and Spanish, including the ability to read, write, speak, and understand the primary Spanish dialect.
Current WSDA Private Applicator’s License for handling pesticides safely and properly.
Current 40-hour Hazardous Materials (HAZ MAT) training certification and annual 8-hour refresher courses.
Medical evaluation, training, and fit testing for respirator use.

Nice To Haves

Practical experience handling or supervising the handling and/or application of agricultural-use pesticides.
Two years of experience leading or supervising in a natural resource, agricultural, environmental, or health regulatory position, in pest management, or in the pesticide or fertilizer industry.
At least two years of experience writing adult training curricula.
Professional experience as a Spanish/English translator and/or interpreter.

Responsibilities

Plan, coordinate, and direct waste pesticide collection events, including selecting and evaluating sites, setting event locations and times, coordinating with site owners and hazardous waste contractors, and overseeing event operations.
Prepare the program’s biennial budget, participate in financial planning for events, keep expenditures within budget, and report financial status to program and division leadership.
Ensure collection events are adequately staffed and that staff follow required protective measures; ensure a trained safety officer is present, provide pre-event data to the contractor, and participate in on-site safety meetings.
Prepare and distribute event notices and follow-up materials, enter event information into the database, perform data quality assurance and quality control, and produce the annual hazardous waste activities report for the Department of Ecology.
Coordinate with database developers to maintain the waste pesticide database and help train database users.
Maintain working relationships with collection facility sites, including county solid waste facilities and Washington State University properties.
Review pesticide disposal inventories and follow up with customers in English and Spanish.
Drive a state-assigned vehicle to conduct site visits to sample, identify, and pack unwanted pesticide products.
Ensure compliance with state and federal hazardous waste and employee safety regulations.
Support bilingual pesticide safety training programs; coordinate training events and activities, update curricula, and deliver training.
Serve as a liaison with internal and external stakeholders, ensure training materials and props are available, and maintain training records.
Develop pesticide safety training videos for web and training-program use.
Work with Education and Outreach Service staff and the agricultural community to conduct training, primarily in Spanish, across levels of agricultural operations.
Keep technical knowledge and training skills current; support pesticide handler training and Worker Protection Standard train-the-trainer courses.
Drive a state-assigned vehicle to deliver pre-license, recertification, and other training programs.
Coordinate and provide technical assistance on proper pesticide storage, disposal, and container recycling; review and develop technical assistance materials in English and Spanish.
Conduct customer-site technical assistance visits and assign visits to staff.
Oversee maintenance of Technical Services and Education Program equipment, promote use of maintenance checklists, ensure staff are trained in safe trailer towing, and make recommendations on equipment maintenance and use.
Review bids and proposed changes to the state hazardous waste contract and recommend actions to the state contract procurement officer.
Educate agricultural producers on Good Agricultural Practices standards.