Ecosystem Recovery Coordinator (EMS BAND 1)

State of Washington Puget Sound Partnership; Olympia (WA); Hybrid; USD 77,000 - 94,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

ORCA transit card

Amazon home office stipend

Professional development allowance

Job summary

Puget Sound Partnership in Olympia, WA seeks an Ecosystem Recovery Coordinator to lead local recovery efforts, manage contracts and funds, and build partnerships with Local Integrating Organizations across Puget Sound. You will bridge communities, Tribes, and regional stakeholders, shaping the agency’s Action Agenda and advancing environmental justice initiatives.

The role oversees contract administration, guides prioritization, aligns partners, and ensures funding and timely deliverables while

Qualifications

• Experience in natural resources/public planning or related field.
• Ability to collaborate with diverse stakeholders and communities.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead local ecosystem recovery efforts with LIOs.
• Manage contracts, budgets and invoices.
• Develop scopes of work and prioritize projects.
• Advocate for regional recovery priorities in the Action Agenda.
• Foster relationships among Tribes, agencies and partners.
• Ensure compliance with grant funds and reporting.

Skills

Collaborative planning

Equity & inclusion

Environmental justice

Strategic thinking

Contract management

Budget tracking

Stakeholder engagement

Tools

GIS mapping

Vendor contracts

Job description

Ecosystem Recovery Coordinator (EMS BAND 1)

Full-Time | Exempt | Monday - Friday | 8:00AM - 5:00PM

The full position salary range is $77,364 - $93,612; however, the annual starting/hiring salary range for the candidate selected for hire will be between $77,364- $85,488 depending upon qualifications.

The nature of this role relies heavily on remote and in-person collaboration. This position is required to report weekly on-site for in-office work and possibly meetings with partners at project locations around the Puget Sound Region. This position will not be eligible for out-of-state telework. Travel requirements are limited. If you currently live outside of Washington state, newly hired employees must relocate to Washington state within 30 days of starting employment, and report to the Olympia office headquarters in person on the first day of employment.

Who We Are

The Puget Sound Partnership (PSP) is a non-regulatory state agency under Governor Ferguson's Office leading the region’s collective effort to restore and protect the Puget Sound natural ecosystems. Our mission is to accelerate ecosystem recovery with our partners to achieve more vibrant habitats, water quality, food webs, and healthy human populations in Puget Sound. We are proud to offer a suite of "Employer of Choice" initiatives and benefits in addition to state government’s full compensation and benefits. Our internal employee benefits include:

• An agency-paid ORCA card for public transit use in the Puget Sound region
• A tax-free hiring incentive that includes a one-time $200 Amazon allowance for ordering at-home office equipment or preferred supplies to support the telework experience
• An annual professional development allowance for gaining skills that advance the employee’s career in their current field of work

To learn more about all the benefits PSP has to offer, explore our website. For more information about PSP, resources, and benefits, visit our website: www.psp.wa.gov. To learn more details of this role, email [e-mail].

About this Opportunity

As an Ecosystem Recovery Coordinator, you will lead local recovery efforts by managing contracts, managing funds, and building strong collaborative partnerships with Local Integrating Organizations (LIOs) across Puget Sound. You will serve as a key bridge between local communities, Tribes, and regional stakeholders, elevating local priorities to shape the agency’s Action Agenda and driving environmental justice initiatives. In this role, you will oversee contract administration and scopes of work, guide LIO prioritization processes, and facilitate alignment among diverse partners to secure funding and remove barriers to large-scale ecosystem recovery.

The default assigned work location of all Partnership positions – both on-site and telework – is within the State of Washington. Employees have a choice for their onsite work between our Olympia, Tacoma, or Seattle locations. However, you may be required to work at a specific location occasionally based on business needs. Employees must be able and prepared to report to any of the three locations as requested by agency Leadership. If you currently live outside of Washington state, newly hired employees must relocate to Washington state within 30 days of starting employment, and report to the Olympia office headquarters in person on the first day of employment.

Some of What You’ll Enjoy Doing Includes:

• Collaborate with local partners to oversee, implement, and adaptively manage contracted ecosystem recovery work within assigned geographies.
• Develop work scopes, resource capacity, and deliverables for projects and strategies proposed by external contract partners.
• Serve as contract manager by negotiating amendments, tracking deliverable progress, and approving invoices for payment.
• Identify local needs and advocate for regional recovery priorities within the agency’s Action Agenda.
• Facilitate trusted relationships and engagement between internal and external partners to achieve common recovery goals.
• Develop guidance for LIO prioritization processes, target setting, decision-making, and adaptive management of recovery plans.
• Track, measure, and record reporting requirements to ensure compliance across the LIO Program.
• Align local and regional partner efforts to implement the Action Agenda, create strategic plans, and overcome recovery barriers.
• Establish policies and standard operating procedures for the use of EPA grant funds and incorporate environmental justice initiatives into all local engagement efforts.

Required Qualifications:

• Primary residency in Washington state upon the start of employment, and the ability to conduct in-person work in the Puget Sound area for a set of regular and frequent hours determined by the agency.
• Demonstrated knowledge, skills, abilities, and experience in natural resources management, natural science, natural resource planning, and public policy with an environmental emphasis or natural resource-related field, or relevant lived experience (e.g. expertise developed from Tribal, Native, and Indigenous knowledge and practices, etc.). Competencies could include knowledge of environmental science, managing and conserving natural resources sustainably, knowledge of environmental science, skills in developing environmental policies, skills in data analysis and GIS mapping, land management, environmental consulting, resource assessment, preparation in analyzing environmental problems and proposing sustainable solutions, or comprehensive knowledge of the complex interplay between human activities and natural resources.

In addition to the above required qualifications, a candidate must possess the following skills, abilities, and competencies:

• Skilled in collaborative natural resource and public planning, incorporating diverse perspectives and adaptive management principles to align stakeholders around shared goals.
• Proficient in embedding equity, inclusion, and cultural competency into all strategic planning, work products, and deliverables.
• Strong critical thinker adept at conducting environmental impact analyses, acquiring multi-source data, evaluating risks, and providing clear, actionable recommendations.
• Experienced project manager proficient in handling vendor contracts, budget spend-down, tracking milestones, and effectively prioritizing high-impact tasks under tight deadlines.
• Demonstrates emotional intelligence, self-initiative, and exceptional written and verbal communication, skilled at resolving conflicts and translating complex information for diverse audiences.

Preferred Qualifications

These additional qualifications are not required, but highly desirable:

• Demonstrated knowledge in natural resource monitoring
• Demonstrated knowledge of key areas of Puget Sound ecosystem recovery, including the Puget Sound Action Agenda and Salmon Recovery Implementation Plan (ex. water pollution prevention, shellfish ecology, green infrastructure, nature-based solutions, and or climate change science, market-based funding mechanisms, federal and state laws and natural resource regulations)
• Demonstrated ability and knowledge in mediation between parties
• Demonstrated knowledge of the Washington state legislative process

If you think you don’t have every qualification listed, please apply anyway! Studies have shown that traditionally marginalized communities – such as women, LGBTQ+ and people of color – are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification – even if they might be a great fit for the role! If you’re excited about this opportunity but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every single qualification in the job description, we encourage you still consider applying. If you have lived experience that is equivalent to the preferred experience mentioned above, please apply! Share your experience in your cover letter and how your overall experience qualifies you as a competitive candidate for this type of work. Your relevant experience may be evaluated to determine salary. Therefore, it is very important that the “Work Experience” portion of the application be completed in as much detail as possible.

OTHER INFORMATION

This is not an employment agreement or contract. Management has the exclusive right to alter this job description at any time without notice.

The Puget Sound Partnership celebrates our differences and we are committed to a workplace that supports equal opportunity employment and inclusion regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity diversity, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We will also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local laws. Should you have any questions regarding this position or the online application, or need this job announcement in any other format, contact [e-mail].