AIS Prevention Program Staff Lead

City of Bellingham; Bellingham (WA); On-site; USD 33,000 - 43,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Vacation leave accrual

Paid holidays

Sick leave

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Life insurance

Long-term disability

Flexible spending accounts

Employee Assistance Program

Retirement plan (DRS)

457 deferred compensation

Job summary

The City of Bellingham is seeking a seasonal Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Prevention Program staff member to educate boaters, perform watercraft inspection and decontamination, and help prepare the AIS season and post-season reports.

You will lead lower-classified AIS staff, provide on-site instruction, and assist with stormwater field inspections. A strong public service mindset and knowledge of lake aquatic ecology are preferred.

Qualifications

• Six months AIS Prevention Program experience.
• One year of public-facing outreach or customer service experience.
• Watercraft inspection or related knowledge is preferred.
• Certification in AIS or watercraft inspection is preferred within probation period.
• Experience working with watercraft or basic knowledge of watercraft design and operation preferred.
• High level of comfort using smartphones to collect and process data preferred.
• Experience and comfort towing (and backing in) trailers preferred.
• Experience in a stormwater related field is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Educate the public on AIS prevention and inspection procedures.
• Perform watercraft inspection and decontamination training and activities.
• Assist in AIS season prep and data/report preparation at season end.
• Provide on-site instruction and day-to-day guidance to AIS staff.
• Support stormwater field inspections and respond to violations or complaints.
• Support stormwater inspections of private facilities and respond to related complaints and violations.

Skills

Public outreach

Team leadership

Data collection

Team leadership

Watercraft knowledge

Smartphone data collection

Trailer towing

Stormwater field experience

Education

Environmental science coursework

Job description

Are you passionate about protecting our waters? As part of the Aquatic Invasive Species Program, you’ll contribute to essential efforts to protect our aquatic ecosystems from harmful invasive species. This position offers an opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the environment and the communities that depend on it.

Job Summary

This position fulfills seasonal Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Prevention Program objectives by providing education, watercraft inspection and decontamination services to recreational boaters. The position will interact with members of the public, collect and track survey information, provide boat inspection and decontamination training and communicate with other state and local government staff. This position is responsible for assisting in the preparation and launch of the AIS season as well as in the gathering of data and report preparation at the end of the season. Serves as lead to lower classified AIS Program Staff with responsibility for providing on-site instruction, day-to-day direction, communication and assisting in ensuring professional delivery of service to the public. Supports the stormwater program through assisting with field inspections of privately owned stormwater systems to ensure private stormwater facilities are functioning as permitted and designed and responds to complaints and reports of stormwater violations such as illicit discharges.

WHY JOIN OUR TEAM?

Joining the City of Bellingham means becoming a part of a team that believes our greatest impact comes from working together with purpose, humility and a shared commitment to our community. Every employee contributes to delivering meaningful results for the people who live, work and visit here. We value people who approach challenges with curiosity, respect and collaboration.

Salary And Benefits Information

This position will start at Step 1 ($23.68/hour). Employees receive step increases annually in accordance with the Guild of Pacific Northwest Employees, Local 1937 Collective Bargaining Agreement and City policy. The full hourly range for this position is $23.68 - $30.89. For internal candidates, placement within the range is based on City Pay Placement Procedures.

• 10 hours of vacation leave per month, with increased accrual over time
• 12 paid holidays + 1 floating holiday per year
• 8 hours sick leave accrued monthly
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and their families
• Life insurance and long-term disability coverage
• Flexible spending accounts and medical insurance opt-out program
• Access to an Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Washington State Retirement plan (DRS) for retirement security
• Optional 457 deferred compensation (Retirement Savings Plan) with employer match

Leave accruals are based on 1.0 FTE, accruals are pro-rated if part-time and require employees to be in paid status at least 120 hours/month.

Closing Date/Time: Mon., Oct, 19 2026 at 8:30 AM Pacific Time

Experience and Training

• Minimum of six months AIS Prevention Program experience.
• One year of experience working with the public daily in public outreach, education, customer service or similar.
• Course work in environmental science or demonstrated general knowledge of lake aquatic ecology.
• Demonstrated experience in a team leader role preferred.
• Experience working with watercraft or basic knowledge of watercraft design and operation preferred.
• High level of comfort using smart phones to collect and process data preferred.
• Experience and comfort towing (and backing in) trailers preferred.
• Experience in a stormwater related field is preferred.

Necessary Special Requirements

• Valid Washington State driver's license and satisfactory driving record. Must provide a three-year driver's abstract prior to hire.
• Verification of ability to work in the United States by date of hire.
• Watercraft Inspection Training Level II Inspector and Decontaminator certification required within three months of hire.
• Must be at least 18 years of age.
• Employment is contingent upon passing a Washington State Adult/Child Abuse records check, criminal conviction and local background check.
• Failure to secure required certification or skill standards within established time limits will result in dismissal.

Application Review Process

• Minimum Qualifications: Applicants must provide specific, detailed information so an initial determination can be made regarding your level of qualifications for this position. Applicant status will be updated on or around October 19, 2026.
• If there are eight (8) or more qualified candidates:
  • Applications will go through an Experience and training Rating. Applicant status will be updated on or around October 30, 2026.
  • The top eight (8) scoring applicants from the Experience and Training Review will be invited to participate in an Oral Board Interview, tentatively scheduled for the week of November 9, 2026.
• If eight (8) or less candidates meet the minimum qualifications, all will be invited to the Oral Board Interviews, tentatively scheduled for the week of November 9, 2026.
• Applicants will be notified via email of Final Scores & Ranks. The final ranking of the register will be based on total scores for the following:
  • If eight (8) or less candidates meet the minimum qualifications, the Oral Board Interview will be 100% of overall score. Applicants must have a passing total score of 60% or higher to be placed on the eligibility register.
  • If there are eight (8) or more applicants that meet minimum qualifications, the Experience and Training Rating will be 40% of overall score and Oral Board Interview will be 60% of overall score. Applicants must have a total passing score of 60% or higher in the oral board interview to be placed on the eligibility register.

Final candidates will be referred to the department for additional examination, assessment, or test.

This recruitment process will create a Civil Service eligibility register that will be used to fill current and future vacancies as they become available. There is currently one full-time vacancy in Public Works. This position is represented by a union.

Equal Opportunity

The City of Bellingham is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate or make decisions on the basis of an individual's race, religion, creed, color, national origin, sex, marital status, age (40+), disability, retaliation, sexual orientation or gender identity, honorably discharged veteran or military status, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking, use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability, or any other basis prohibited by local, state, or federal law. All are encouraged to apply for employment.

Fair Hiring Practices

• The City provides individuals who have been arrested or convicted of a criminal offense an equal and fair opportunity to obtain employment.
• The City will not inquire about an applicant's criminal history until after a conditional job offer has been made.
• The City will disregard the prior arrest and conviction record of an otherwise qualified individual unless the offense is directly related to the job position for which the individual has applied.
• The City will notify an otherwise qualified applicant about a potentially disqualifying conviction and give the applicant an opportunity to submit information regarding the accuracy of the criminal records as well as evidence of mitigation or rehabilitation, as appropriate.

There are many good reasons for working at the City of Bellingham. The work is rewarding and you have an opportunity to serve your community. Another good reason is the great benefits that the City offers its employees. See our benefits section for additional information.

This position is represented by The Guild of Pacific Northwest Employees, Local 1937 bargaining unit. Specific benefit information including Holidays, Vacation Accruals, Health, Dental and Vision Plans with cost sharing and Deferred Compensation Match can be found in the Local 1937 labor agreement.

This position is covered by the State of Washington Department of Retirement Systems PERS plan. PERS requires mandatory employee and City contributions. Please visit the DRS website for more information on PERS.

Civil Service Information

This position is subject to the Bellingham Civil Service Commission. When a vacancy occurs, the top fifteen candidates or the top 25% of the register will be forwarded to the department for further consideration. All new Civil Service employees are subject to a one-year probationary period. A candidate may challenge the scope, content, or method of an examination or test, and a protest may be filed in writing with the Examiner within five (5) days following the date of the challenged examination. A candidate may also challenge the scoring of an examination or test, failure of the candidate on any part of an examination, or clerical error in examination results of any examination or test, and a protest may be filed in writing with the Examiner within five (5) days of notification of the challenged result. The Examiner shall consider all timely filed protests and make appropriate corrections if an error is demonstrated.

Veteran's Scoring Criteria

Applicants who have been honorably discharged from active military duty may be eligible to receive veteran's scoring criteria points as provided by Washington State Law (RCW 41.04.010).