Cleanup Site Manager (Environmental Engineer 5)

State of Washington; Wenatchee (WA); Hybrid; USD 96,000 - 129,000; Full time

Job summary

State of Washington, Department of Ecology, is hiring a Cleanup Site Manager (Environmental Engineer 5) to lead a portfolio of complex cleanup projects in the Northwest region. You will guide sites from investigation through design and cleanup, ensuring regulatory compliance and funding stewardship.

The role requires PE registration in WA, five years of environmental engineering experience, and strong communication, collaboration, and project-management skills.

Qualifications

• Registration as a Professional Engineer in WA or equivalent.
• Five years of environmental engineering experience with technical decisions.
• Ability to lead cross‑functional teams and meetings.
• Experience applying environmental laws and program guidance to cleanup projects.
• Skill in evaluating costs and managing project scope and milestones.

Responsibilities

• Serve as principal engineer and PM for complex cleanup sites through investigation, design, and remediation.
• Provide engineering oversight to MTCA, SMS, SCUM, and related regulations.
• Lead Key Site Meetings with Liable Parties to advance MTCA stage-gates.
• Conduct annual site visits and travel for field activities and meetings.
• Review technical documents for completeness, soundness, and regulatory compliance.
• Develop clear directives to liable parties and the public via reports and memos.

Skills

Communication & Judgment

Collaboration & Coordination

Project Management

Project Financial Skills

Cleanup Project Implementation

Environmental Cleanup Engineering

Job description

Keeping Washington Clean and Evergreen

The Department of Ecology is hiring a Cleanup Site Manager (Environmental Engineer 5) within the Toxics Cleanup Program (TCP).

Location:

• Northwest Region Office in Shoreline, WA.
• Bellingham Field Office in Bellingham, WA.
• Upon hire, you must live within a commutable distance from the duty station.

Note If the selected duty station is the Northwest Region Office in Shoreline, the salary will include an additional 5% premium pay due to its location in King County. Salary range: $8,580 - $11,538 monthly.

Schedule:

• This position is eligible for telework and flexible schedule options.
• This role requires a minimum of one day per week in the office at the assigned duty station (Northwest Region Office in Shoreline or Bellingham Field Office).
• In office attendance may be required for meetings such as weekly 1-on-1’s with the Supervisor, periodic Unit Meetings, monthly Section Meetings, all Key Project Meetings, and team building events.
• This role will occasionally require site visits and after hours in-community in-person work as projects require.
• Schedules are dependent upon position needs and are subject to change.

Application Timeline:

• Apply by September 16, 2026.
• Applications submitted after the date above may not be reviewed unless additional qualified applicants are needed.

Join our team as a Cleanup Site Manager and apply your technical expertise to some of the Northwest Region's most complex cleanup projects. In this senior-level role, you will manage a portfolio of contaminated site projects through investigation, design, and remediation. You will be responsible for applying engineering knowledge and sound judgment to ensure the cleanup actions for your projects protect both human health and the environment. You will be accountable for managing the scope and regulatory milestones for multiple complex projects with a high degree of independence. You will also be accountable for evaluating reasonable and necessary costs for projects that receive state remedial action grant funding. This opportunity requires that you proactively collaborate with other experienced engineers, geologists, scientists, and technical specialists to oversee your projects through cleanup to ultimately reach closure. Joining our team provides the opportunity to shape cleanup outcomes, innovate within established frameworks, and contribute to lasting environmental change. If you are ready to take on challenging projects that require both technical depth and strategic thinking, we encourage you to consider joining us.

What you will do:

• Serve as the principal engineer and project manager for complex cleanup sites to guide a portfolio of projects past investigation, through feasibility studies, into remedial design, and finally through cleanup action implementation.
• Provide formal engineering oversight to ensure all formal project activities comply with the Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA), Sediment Management Standards (SMS), Sediment Cleanup User’s Manual (SCUM), and other applicable regulations, policies, and guidance documents.
• Lead Key Site Meetings with Liable Parties to advance formal cleanup projects through MTCA stage-gates.
• Conduct annual field visits for all assigned sites to observe investigation, monitoring, sampling, pilot testing, full scale remediation, and other cleanup activities; travel is required to complete these visits.
• Review technical documents such as work plans, environmental assessments, remedial investigation reports, feasibility study reports, models, cleanup action plans, and remedial designs to ensure documents are complete, technically sound, and compliant with regulatory requirements.
• Prepare clear and explicit directives to liable parties and the public through written communication, including letters, memos, technical reports, bulletins, and fact sheets.
• Manage project scope, schedule, and data, including organizing electronic and physical records, ensuring required data submittals, and maintaining information in agency systems.
• Oversee Washington State Remedial Action Grant (RAG) funding for assigned projects by reviewing payment requests progress reports (PRPRs) and approval/denial processes for reasonable and necessary costs.
• Develop new Agreed Orders, Consent Decrees, and Enforcement Orders in partnership with Attorney General’s Office and in accordance with agency policies and procedures.
• When necessary, develop and manage project support contracts in partnership with a Program Contracts Officer and in accordance with agency policies and procedures.
• When necessary, provide environmental engineering expertise to colleagues, support review of complex Unit projects, and contribute to activities such as initial investigations, State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) reviews, or periodic reviews.

Learn more about what it is like to be an Engineer at the Department of Ecology

For detailed information on how we calculate experience and responses to other frequently asked questions, please visit our Recruitment website.

Required Qualifications:

• Registration as a Professional Engineer in the state of Washington or another state based on registration requirements equivalent to those in Washington AND
• Five years of experience in environmental engineering, which includes the following:
• • Communication and Professional Judgment – Ability to prepare clear, accurate, and directive written and verbal communication that supports sound technical decisions and conveys expectations to others.
  • Collaboration and Coordination – Skill in organizing and coordinating project information and activities with a range of internal and external parties to support progress and resolve complex issues.
  • Project Management – Ability to plan, prioritize, and guide project activities to meet milestones, regulatory requirements, and schedules.
  • Project Financial Skills – Ability to evaluate project costs, review consultant invoices, and understand the financial aspects of environmental engineering tasks.
  • Cleanup Project Implementation – Experience applying environmental laws, rules, and guidance (such as Model Toxics Control Act, Sediment Management Standards, and Sediment Cleanup User’s Manual, or similar) to move contaminated sites through cleanup processes and ensure regulatory compliance.
  • Environmental Cleanup Engineering – Ability to evaluate contamination data, assess remedial alternatives, and review technical documents that support the selection and approval of cleanup actions protective of human health and the environment.

NOTERequirements for registration as a Professional Engineer in the state of Washington are eight years of professional experience (which may include up to four years of college-level engineering education) and successful completion of sixteen hours of professional licensing exams. Applicants qualifying through the licensing equivalency option must achieve registration as a Professional Engineer in the state of Washington within six months of appointment to this class.

Special Requirements/Conditions of Employment:

Registration as a Professional Engineer in the State of Washington.

NOTE Individuals who are licensed as professional engineers in another U.S. jurisdiction or foreign country and wish to apply for this position must qualify for licensure in Washington State by comity. Applicants are responsible for reviewing and ensuring they meet Washington's comity requirements before submitting application materials.

Licensing requirements can be found on the Washington State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors website: How To Get Your Professional Engineer License When Licensed in Another Jurisdiction.

Desired Qualifications:

• Technical Writing and Communication – Experienced in preparing clear, concise, and technically accurate reports, correspondence, and presentations to support well documented project decisions.
• Meeting Facilitation and Engagement – Skilled with organizing and leading large project meetings with various groups to ensure discussions remain focused, productive, and result in actionable outcomes.
• Environmental Sampling and Data Analysis – Experienced in applying mixed media sampling methods, laboratory analytical processes, and environmental data interpretation to ensure accurate evaluation of Site conditions.
• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving – Ability to evaluate complex technical information and develop sound, defensible recommendations that support effective cleanup actions and regulatory compliance.

If you are excited about this role and meet the required qualifications, we encourage you to apply. Desired qualifications reflect additional knowledge, skills, or experience that are nice to have but not required. Studies have shown that some applicants, especially women and people of color, are less likely to apply unless they meet every listed qualification. At the Department of Ecology, we are dedicated to building a diverse and authentic workplace centered in belonging, and we welcome applicants with varied backgrounds and unique perspectives.

Ecology does not use the E-Verify system; therefore, we are not eligible to extend STEM Optional Practical Training (OPT). For more information, please visit www.uscis.gov.

Application Process

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 job seekers from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Need an Accommodation?

• Please contact us at 360-407-6186 or [e-mail]
• If you are deaf or hard of hearing, you may call through the Washington Relay Service by dialing 711 or 1-800-833-6384.

Questions?

• For specific questions about the position location options, schedule, or duties, please contact Brett Carp at [e-mail].
• If you need assistance applying for this job, are inquiring about the status of your application, would like to request the full position description, or have any other questions, please contact the Recruitment Team at [e-mail].

About the Toxics Cleanup Program

The Toxics Cleanup Program's mission is to protect Washington's human health and the environment by preventing and cleaning up pollution and supporting communities and natural resources for the benefit of current and future generations.

About the Department of Ecology

As the State of Washington’s environmental protection agency, we are deeply committed to protecting, preserving, and enhancing Washington’s environment for current and future generations. Joining Ecology means becoming part of a team dedicated to protecting and sustaining healthy land, air, water, and climate in harmony with a strong economy. A career in public service at Ecology 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. We invest in our employees to create and sustain a working environment that encourages creative leadership, effective resource management, teamwork, professionalism, and accountability.

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.

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.

Ecology employees may be eligible for the following

• Medical/Dental/Vision for employee & dependent(s)
• Public Employees Retirement System (PERS)
• Vacation, Sick, and other Leave
• 11 Paid Holidays per year
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness
• Tuition Waiver
• Long Term Disability
• Life Insurance
• Deferred Compensation Programs
• Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP)
• Flexible Spending Arrangement (FSA
• Employee Assistance Program
• Commute Trip Reduction Incentive
• Combined Fund Drive
• SmartHealth
• Click here for more information

To learn more about Ecology, please visit our website, explore Working at Ecology, check out our Strategic Plan, and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or our blog.

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.

Collective Bargaining

This is a position covered by a bargaining unit for which the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE) is the exclusive representative.

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.

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