In addition to the current opening, this recruitment may be used to establish a pool of qualified candidates to fill future career service Environmental Scientist IV positions throughout the Department of Natural Resources & Parks (DNRP) over the next 6 months.

Are you passionate about advancing habitat restoration projects that improve the health of rivers, wetlands, floodplains, and nearshore environments? Do you enjoy combining science, strategy, leadership, and collaboration to support long-term environmental outcomes?

The Habitat Restoration Unit (HRU) within King County's Water and Land Resources Division (WLRD) is seeking a Monitoring & Maintenance Program Manager (Environmental Scientist IV) to lead an innovative program focused on restoration monitoring, adaptive management, and long-term site success. This role offers the opportunity to help shape restoration practices across King County while working alongside multidisciplinary teams dedicated to ecological resilience, salmon recovery, and environmental stewardship.

If you are excited by complex environmental challenges, collaborative problem-solving, and making a lasting impact through science-based restoration work, we encourage you to apply.

As the Monitoring & Maintenance Program Manager, you will help guide the long-term success of habitat restoration and mitigation projects throughout King County. This role oversees the Habitat Restoration Unit's Monitoring and Maintenance Program while also serving as a key technical resource for the Mitigation Reserves Program. Your work will directly support ecological resilience, regulatory compliance, adaptive management, and the continued advancement of restoration science and practice.

You will partner with multidisciplinary teams, regulatory agencies, tribal governments, regional stakeholders, and community partners to develop monitoring priorities, evaluate restoration performance, and support science-based decision-making. The position blends technical expertise with leadership responsibilities, including program oversight, budget and contract management, staff supervision, data analysis, and coordination across multiple restoration initiatives.

Success in this role requires someone who enjoys balancing strategy and implementation, can navigate complex environmental projects, and is comfortable leading collaborative work across programs and organizations. The ideal candidate brings strong restoration monitoring experience, thoughtful leadership, sound judgment, and a commitment to equity, environmental stewardship, and continuous learning.

The Water and Land Resources Division delivers a broad range of environmental services that support healthy communities, resilient ecosystems, and climate preparedness throughout King County. Our work includes stormwater management, salmon recovery, flood risk reduction, land conservation, noxious weed control, and support for agriculture and forestry.

The Habitat Restoration Unit designs, implements, monitors, and maintains restoration and mitigation projects across watersheds in unincorporated King County. Our work directly supports major County initiatives including Clean Water Healthy Habitat, the Strategic Climate Action Plan, and the Equity and Social Justice Strategic Plan.

The team values collaboration, innovation, continuous learning, and science-based decision-making. Staff work across disciplines and with diverse partners to deliver meaningful environmental outcomes that benefit both people and ecosystems. This is an opportunity to join a mission-driven team working at the forefront of habitat restoration and ecological resilience.

Commitment to Equity, Racial and Social Justice:

King County, named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is a diverse and vibrant community that represents cultures from around the world. Our True North is to create a welcoming community where everyone can thrive. We prioritize equity, racial and social justice, making it a foundational and daily expectation for all employees. As a Monitoring & Maintenance Program Manager (Environmental Scientist IV), you will actively apply these principles in all aspects of your work. Learn more about our commitment at http://www.kingcounty.gov/equity.

Apply now for a rewarding career at the Department of Natural Resources & Parks (DNRP) of King County. Join our talented workforce in protecting and restoring the natural environment and promoting more resilient, sustainable, and equitable communities. Enjoy training, comprehensive benefits, and growth opportunities.

What You Will Be Doing:

• Manage the Habitat Restoration Unit's (HRU) Monitoring Program. This includes close collaboration with monitoring leads in the Capital Delivery Section, the Mitigation Reserves Program Manager, and other program managers within HRU including the Maintenance Program, Washington Conservation Corps, and Small Habitat Restoration Program. Manage the overall HRU Monitoring and Maintenance budget, estimate resource needs, maintain spatial data, manage contracts, and balance and schedule work.
  
  
• Coordinate with other Capital Units, the Regional Partnership Unit and WRIA partners, and the Science Section to identify monitoring and research priorities, scope studies, seek funding, collect and compile data, and communicate findings through regular presentations, shared document libraries, dashboards, and lessons learned/adaptive management resources.
  
  
• Provide expert-level scientific consultation to the Mitigation Reserves Program, including advising through planning and design, collecting and analyzing monitoring data, writing mitigation and monitoring plans and reports, and participating as a liaison with regulatory agencies. 
  
  
• Hire and supervise technical staff working to collect monitoring information, analyze data, summarize results, maintain sites, and implement small restoration projects.  
  
  
• Proactively apply principles of Equity and Social Justice through hiring, staff development, contracting, partnership with tribes, and communication and engagement with partners and the public. This includes the ability to identify and address potential inequities in processes, decisions and outcomes.
  
  

Qualifications You Bring:

• A combination of education and experience in a relevant field or discipline that clearly demonstrates the skills, knowledge, and abilities to perform the core work duties of the position.
  
  
• Demonstrated relevant experience monitoring and maintaining aquatic and riparian restoration, mitigation, or other similar capital projects, including monitoring plan development, data collection, analysis, reporting, and sharing results with others.  
  
  
• Demonstrated experience managing the work of others, including assigning and scheduling work, reviewing products, and providing training and oversight.
  
  
• Experience developing work order requests and budgets, negotiating with consultants, and managing contracts.
  
  
• Demonstrated proficiency using Geographical Positioning Systems (GPS), Geographical Information Systems (e.g., ArcGIS Pro), and MS Excel or other programs for data analysis.
  
  
• Demonstrated understanding of and experience working in situations requiring cross-cultural sensitivity and centering racial equity, social justice principles, and environmental justice.
  
  
• Ability to communicate effectively in both oral and written forms.
  
  

• Manages Complexity: Making sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems.
• Action Oriented: Taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm.
• Ensures Accountability: Holding self and others accountable to meet commitments.
• Collaborates: Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.
• Values Differences: Recognizing the value that different perspectives and cultures bring to an organization.
• Courage: Stepping up to address difficult issues, saying what needs to be said.

Working Conditions:

• Remote and Onsite Work Details: The Habitat Restoration Unit works in a hybrid model, with days in the office as well as telecommuting. The ratio of remote to onsite work will be dependent on business needs and is subject to change. The primary onsite location is King Street Center, 201 S. Jackson St, Seattle, WA 98104. Other work locations are at project sites and other site locations near the rivers of King County. 
• Remote Work Location Requirement: Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements. King County has a robust collection of tools and resources to support working remotely. The individual selected for this opportunity will join an innovative and progressive team that is redefining how we work as we transition to the department's hybrid environment. Employees will be provided with a County-issued laptop and must maintain a home workspace with an internet connection where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours.
• Work Schedule: This full-time position will work a 40-hour work week. This position is covered under the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and is overtime eligible. The typical work schedule is 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Monday- Friday. Work outside the typical work schedule including early mornings, evenings and weekends may be required from time to time.
• Union Representation: These positions are represented by PROTEC Local 17A bargaining unit.
• Physical Requirement: This position requires the ability to conduct physical site inspections and evaluations, including in times of inclement weather conditions with slippery, uneven surfaces or other dynamic conditions. Field conditions include nearshore areas with steep bluffs and beaches with variable substrate size and wetlands, rivers, and floodplains in brushy, forested environments, ravines, and agricultural lands. Work tasks may also include in-water situations involving wading and the use of rafts.
  
  

Application and Selection Process:

We welcomeapplications from all qualified applicants, but first consideration will be given to all current King County PROTEC Local 17A bargaining unit employees eligible for a lateral transfer (transferring within the Environmental Scientist IV classification and having passed probation). We value diversity, diverse perspectives and life experience and encourage people of all backgrounds to apply. 

Application materials will be screened for clarity, completeness and alignment with the experience, qualifications, knowledge, and skills essential for this role to determine which candidates may be invited to participate in one or more panel interviews. The final candidate will be required to successfully pass a pre-employment physical. Please ensure that your application materials clearly detail how your skills and experience meet the minimum qualifications outlined in this posting.

Applications without the following required materials may not be considered for this position.

To apply, submit a:

• Complete Online Application with response to supplemental questions.
• Resume.

Note: Additional documents won't be considered during minimum qualification screening.  

Who to Contact: For more information regarding this recruitment, please contact Jamie Jensen-Young at 206-263-8779 or jjensenyoung@kingcounty.gov.

Discover More About the Water Land & Resources Division: Visit our website.

Discover More About DNRP: Visit our website, explore an interactive mapof our recent accomplishments and check us out atFacebook, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, YouTubeand Keeping King County Green News. 

Sign up forJob Alerts to be notified of additional career opportunities with King County. Select the Natural Resources category for DNRP opportunities and explore other categories of interest.  

Forbes recently named King County as one of Washington State's best employers. Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play. 

Guided by our "True North", we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles--we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans. 

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer: No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.

To Apply

If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.