Environmental Outreach Specialist Senior - Public Works

Clark County, Washington

10d • $39 - $53 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Environmental Outreach Specialist Senior is responsible for planning, organizing, and implementing initiatives to meet education, outreach and public participation requirements in Clark County’s Phase I Municipal Stormwater Permit. The incumbent will implement behavior change programming, including campaign design, strategy and evaluation. They will also develop strategies to enhance general awareness on stormwater topics, promote local stewardship opportunities and support public participation efforts for compliance with federal, state and local regulations. This position offers a hybrid remote work schedule, however, the candidate selected MUST reside in either Washington or Oregon. No exceptions. The selected candidate must be able to work on-site in Clark County one to three days per week on average and be available to work evenings and weekends as needed. This position is represented by PROTEC17, Professional and Technical Employees.

Requirements

• Four (4) year degree with major coursework in communications, education, public administration, marketing, environmental science, or related field.
• Five (5) years of experience working with the public in areas related to environmental impacts, community education, community organization, or public relations.
• Two (2) years of experience with project management, tracking metrics, budgets, contracts, and grant writing.
• Knowledge of: Environmental programs and activities; social marketing (behavior change) best practices; principles and practices of public information and involvement; methods of preparation and presentation of written and oral reports; regulatory and legislative requirements; using social and electronic media; public relations, marketing and branding principles and techniques; practices used to evaluate effectiveness of education and outreach programs; community organization; departmental policies and procedures, work standards and codes applicable to the job.
• Ability to: Effectively plan, organize, and prioritize work to complete tasks within prescribed timeframes with attention to deadlines. Work effectively with individuals and groups in the community. Work independently. Prepare effective written and oral communications. Develop and present information effectively and in a variety of settings including media, presentations, displays, reports, letters, memos and other outreach using a variety of software; Microsoft Office Suite (MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) essential; Adobe programs such as InDesign, Photoshop; Arcview GIS; and Web programs such as Drupal, Joomla preferred. Motivate people to participate in environmental programs. Plan, organize, and manage several concurrent projects or tasks. Adapt quickly to unanticipated changes in priorities and timelines. Effectively contribute to a multidisciplinary team of environmental professionals. Maintain a valid driver’s license. Maintain professional composure when dealing with difficult individuals or contentious issues. Research and prepare grant proposals and administer grant funds. Establish effective working relationships with staff, governmental agencies, community and business groups, and the general public.

Nice To Haves

• Lead worker or supervisory experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Analyzes and interprets technical information to evaluate existing programs; uses information to modify existing and/or create new programs.
• Designs new programs or projects, which includes identifying mission, work plans, goals and objectives with measurable performance standards and financial impacts.
• Selects and implements appropriate social marketing and behavior change applications to develop specific strategies to promote participation and awareness to target audiences.
• Responsible for developing, tracking, and reporting of program metrics, including outputs, outcomes, or other key performance indicators.
• Analyzes program effectiveness and identifies methods to improve programs and build public awareness.
• Conducts research and identifies emerging and changing issues impacting program and makes recommendations to management for improvements.
• May serve as a mentor for new hires, interns, volunteers and/or AmeriCorps members. Prepares detailed annual work plan for members and appraise work product results. Oversees daily work, submits information as required for reporting to Primary Site Supervisor, keeps management informed of work progress.
• Provides input to manager on expected program costs during development of annual program budgets; develops and tracks budgets for individual projects and program activities; monitors status of budgets and works with manager to make necessary adjustments to program work and budget.
• Researches and identifies relevant grant opportunities; obtains program manager and Council approval; completes grant applications and partners with other workgroups in the County in the administration of grant files and required documentation as needed. Responsible for monitoring and reporting of information required by the grant funder.
• As appropriate, partners with other County workgroups in contract creation and administration which includes but is not limited to: determining and preparing specifications, cost and quantity estimates and bid documents for procurement of contracted services related to areas of assignment. Develops initial scope of work, schedules and budgets for consulting services on assigned projects; prepares or assists in preparation of evaluation of Requests for Proposals (RFPs); monitors quality of deliverables and tracks performance. Advises management and works with other County workgroups to take initial action on established conformance when sub-agencies/contractors are not in compliance.
• Design/develop newsletters, videos, brochures, web content and other components of media campaigns for outreach activities to effectively meet program goals.
• Plan, conduct and direct meetings, collection events, fairs, tours, workshops, technical assistance, field investigations, trainings, festivals and other outreach activities.
• Work with area community agencies, organizations, and groups in the development of outreach strategies, community resources, partnerships and volunteer coordination.
• Exercises skill and judgment in dealing tactfully with the public and community groups while educating and maintaining excellent public relations.
• Conduct technical assistance visits to businesses and institutional entities regarding proper management and best management practices to promote positive environmental impacts from their operations. This may include coordinating and/or conducting training sessions for businesses, institutions, county departments, and other agencies on environmental issues.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Clark County provides regular full-time and part-time employees with a comprehensive benefits package which includes medical, vision and dental insurance, paid leave, flexible spending accounts, life insurance and long-term disability, retirement, and deferred compensation.
• Some types of employees in some positions and bargaining units might have different benefits and additional compensation.
• More specific benefit information for the different bargaining units can be found at https://clark.wa.gov/human-resources/employee-benefits.
• Also please refer to the specific bargaining unit contract for additional compensation at https://clark.wa.gov/human-resources/documents.
• All Clark County employees must participate in a WASHINGTON STATE RETIREMENT SYSTEM PLAN (PERS, PSERS or LEOFF).Employee contributions begin the first day of work. Current contribution rates vary by plan but could range from 5% to 15% of gross pay, depending on the plan choice.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level