Lead Spill Responder (Environmental Specialist 4) (Internal Only)

State of Washington•Whatcom County – Bellingham, WA

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Department of Ecology is hiring a Lead Spill Responder (Environmental Specialist 4) within the Spill Prevention, Preparedness, and Response program. This position is open only to current Department of Ecology employees, including those on temporary or project assignments, and Ecology's Washington Conservation Corps members. The role involves responding to and cleaning up spills of oil and hazardous materials, including removing chemicals and waste from illegal drug manufacturing facilities. The position offers tangible environmental results and public safety improvements daily, in a dynamic work environment with immediate environmental benefits. The goal of spill preparedness is to reduce environmental impacts, requiring oil handlers to be ready for rapid, aggressive, and well-coordinated responses, and for spill responsible parties to compensate the state for damages by restoring natural resources.

Requirements

Nine (9) years of experience and/or education in responding to spills or other emergencies, conducting sampling and analysis studies, working with monitoring instrumentation, managing hazardous waste disposal, performing cleanup or restoration actions, writing scientific or analytical reports, hazardous materials emergency response or responding to natural disasters.
Demonstrated competence in Incident Command and Emergency Response Leadership: Ability to serve as an initial Incident Commander or State On-Scene Coordinator, applying Incident Command System (ICS) principles to manage complex oil and hazardous materials incidents involving multiple agencies and competing priorities.
Demonstrated competence in Advanced Spill Response and Hazardous Materials Operations: Skill in planning, directing, and performing hands-on response actions for oil spills, hazardous substance releases, abandoned waste, and illegal drug manufacturing facilities, including containment, cleanup, and mitigation in high-risk environments.
Demonstrated competence in Hazard Identification, Sampling, and Field Analysis: Knowledge of hazardous substance identification, sampling techniques, field testing, and hazard classification, including safe handling of unknown materials and interpretation of monitoring data against health-based and regulatory standards.
Demonstrated competence in Dangerous Waste Management and Regulatory Compliance: Knowledge of federal and state dangerous waste regulations and ability to ensure compliant waste handling, storage, transportation, disposal, inventory tracking, reporting, and emergency response planning.
Demonstrated competence in Interagency and Law Enforcement Coordination: Skill in coordinating and leading response activities with local, state, federal, and tribal partners, including law enforcement agencies.
Hazardous Materials Technician Certification per WAC 296-824 and 296-843 is required.
Must have prior hazardous materials emergency response experience, and experience managing and disposing Dangerous Waste.
Must have ICS 100, 200, 700 and 800 certifications.
Must hold and maintain a valid driver’s license and be able to operate a motor vehicle.
Must pass employment medical surveillance physical and demonstrate and maintain the ability to wear respiratory protection and chemical protective clothing.
Must be able to pass a detailed background check required to obtain and maintain a Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC).
Must successfully complete initial SAFETRAC requirements and other required training outlined in Spills Program Policy and Procedures within 6 months of entering the position.
Must be prepared for a minimum 3-day field deployment within 1 hour of notification.
Must hold and maintain eligibility and certification (valid passport or enhanced driver’s license) to permit travel to Canada in the event of a transboundary spill.
This position is required to pass a periodic medical surveillance exam, which may include a stress test.
This position is identified as an Essential Agency Employee and is expected to work during facility closures and natural disasters.
This position is required to perform after-hours on-call duty on a rotation.
Must notify supervisor immediately if the employee is unable to obtain any of the above required licenses or certifications, or if any of the above are revoked, expired or suspended for any reason.
Must live within a 60-minute commuting distance of the Bellingham Field Office (BFO).

Nice To Haves

Team leadership experience
Working Knowledge of the NW Area Contingency Plan
Familiarity with Washington Labor and Industry HAZWOPER safety regulations and experience developing site-specific health and safety plans
Experience working in Unified Command with the US Environmental Protection Agency, US Coast Guard, tribes, and Law Enforcement partners.
Possess a high level of knowledge using electronic tools and integrating them into emergency responses; tools such as GPS devices, wireless networks, and data systems
Experience collecting waste and environmental samples, and conducting community air monitoring

Responsibilities

Respond to high-priority and complex environmental and human health emergencies, including oil spills, hazardous substances, abandoned waste, pressurized cylinders, fish kills, and illegal drug labs.
Serve as Initial Incident Commander / State On-Scene Coordinator, directing spill containment, cleanup, resource deployment, and multi-agency coordination.
Perform hands-on cleanup and field operations: opening containers of unknowns, sample collection, field testing and hazard categorization, overpacking, and preparing waste for shipment.
Lead regional coordination with law enforcement for clandestine drug lab responses and oversee dangerous waste management compliance, disposal, and emergency planning.
Initiate enforcement recommendations, issue Short-Form Penalties up to $5,000, support cost recovery actions, and testify in administrative or legal proceedings as needed.
Provide training, mentoring, scheduling, equipment readiness oversight, HAZWOPER compliance tracking, and ensure readiness of personnel and response assets.
Manage operation, calibration, maintenance, and safe use of response equipment, vehicles, boats, and monitoring instrumentation.
Prepare incident reports, regulatory records, waste tracking documents, enforcement documentation, and support regional data analysis and report preparation.