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State of Washington Classified Job Specification

ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER 5

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ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER 5
Class Code: 536I
Category: Science & Engineering


Class Series Concept

See

Definition

Directs an environmental or public health section and represents the department as a registered   Professional Engineer performing environmental engineering duties involving the protection of public health and/or the protection or restoration of the environment. 

OR 

In the Department of Ecology, directs a large environmental unit and supervises nine or more staff which includes at least three environmental engineers performing environmental engineering duties.  Position represents the department as a registered Professional Engineer. 

OR 

As a senior environmental engineering specialist, plans, and conducts investigations of, and proposes solutions to environmental engineering problems that require the research and application of environmental engineering techniques and principles within a specialty field.  Positions are recognized and designated in writing by a program manager (in Ecology), Assistant Secretary (in Health) or equivalent as a section's authority in an environmental engineering technical specialty, type of facility, or equipment.  Position represents the department as a registered Professional Engineer.

Distinguishing Characteristics

  1. Provides mentoring, training, engineering lead and consulting expertise on a section-wide basis, and
  2. Applies conventional engineering techniques and principles to the section's most complex projects or largest projects with complex features, such as conflicting design requirements, unsuitability of conventional materials, or difficult coordination problems, and
  3. Represents the section as an authority in an environmental engineering technical specialty, type of facility or equipment, and
  4. Consults with/advises section supervisors on issues related to specialty field.

Typical Work

Provides direct supervision, hires and evaluates, develops training plans and annual work plans for staff within the Section; 

Tracks section activities and outputs, performs staff workload analysis and develops section budget;  

On technical and engineering related documents, provides the final quality assurance review to maintain high technical standards; assures all work produced by the section is consistent with existing legislation, regulations and agency policy; 

Provides final review of permit applications, engineering reports, plans and specifications and SEPA (State Environmental Policy Act) documents for proposed new or expanded environmental regulated facilities; 

Provides final engineering and administrative review and approval of variances, enforcement actions, and penalties under a delegated amount; delegated signature authority for these actions;  

Serves as the department engineering representative having lead role responsibility on technical issues associated with the planning, design, construction, and/or start-up of related environmental projects;  

Responds to management inquiries, personnel issues; provides section liaison with other agency personnel to resolve complex engineering issues; testifies in legal proceedings as expert witness and respondent;  

Coordinates the activities of the section with other sections within the department as well as with the activities of other state and federal agencies, and local governmental units;  

Plans for future section activities; anticipates designs, and implements necessary program and organizational modifications; evaluates progress in meeting objectives;  

Performs other work as required. 

Knowledge and Abilities

Knowledge of:  principles and practices of environmental engineering and environmental sanitation; design, construction, and operation of air quality control, water supply, sewage, refuse disposal systems, and swimming pools; research design and analysis; governmental health and pollution control agencies and laws at federal, state, and local levels.   

Ability to:  develop and direct environmental research design, analysis and implementation; establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with other Professional Engineers, local, federal, and state officials, and other professional groups; supervise and train professional and lay personnel in environmental problems; write legislation, rules and reports. 

Legal Requirement(s)

Registration as a Professional Engineer in the state of Washington.  There may be instances where individual positions must have additional licenses or certification.  It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure the appropriate licenses/certifications are obtained for each position. 

Desirable Qualifications

A Master's degree with major study in one of the following engineering fields, sanitary water resource, civil, geotechnical, environmental, chemical, mechanical, or related field

AND

Registration as a Professional Engineer in the state of Washington or another state based on registration requirements equivalent to those in Washington and four years of experience in environmental engineering

OR 

An Engineer-In-Training Certificate or a Bachelor's degree with a major study in one of the following engineering fields, sanitary, civil, geotechnical, water resource, environmental, chemical, mechanical or related field

AND

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.   

Note:  A Ph.D. in one of the above engineering fields will substitute for two years of the environmental engineering experience. 

Note:  Requirements 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.   

Note:  Selective certification for candidates with specific experience background or education may be authorized to meet the requirements of certain positions.

Class Specification History

General revision, effective January 1, 1968.
Revised minimum qualifications, effective December 1, 1968.
Revised minimum qualifications, effective October 1, 1969.
Revised definition and general revision, effective March 3, 1986.
Revised minimum qualifications, effective April 10, 1987.
Revised definition (add, dual career option) and minimum qualifications, adds distinguishing characteristics and changes class title (formerly Sanitary Engineer 4), effective September 18, 1989.
Revised minimum qualifications, effective November 15, 1991.
Revised definition, distinguishing characteristics and minimum qualifications, effective January 29, 1993.
Revised minimum qualifications, effective January 13, 1995.
Note: Abolished job title Environmental Engineer 6 and class code 62551 effective January 27, 2005.
New class code (formerly 62540 in general government), effective July 1, 2007.
New job title (formerly Environmental Engineer 4 in general government), effective July 1, 2007.
General revisions, housekeeping only: Revises definition, knowledge and abilities, legal requirements, and desirable qualifications, effective November 14, 2008.