Protecting Washington State's environment for current and future generations is what we do every day at Ecology. We are a culture that is invested in making a difference. Join a team that is highly effective and collaborative, with leadership that embraces the value of people. To learn more, check out our Strategic Plan.
The Role
The Shorelands & Environmental Assistance (SEA) program within the Department of Ecology is looking to fill a Coastal Mapping Scientist (Natural Resource Scientist 2) position.
Ecology established the Coastal Monitoring & Analysis Program (CMAP) in 1996 and has recently added complementary work units including a Shoreline Mapping Unit and Coastal Engineering Team as part of the newly titled SEA Applied Coastal Research and Engineering (ACRE) Section. Collectively the team performs state of the art research to better understand physical changes along Washington’s beaches, bluffs, and nearshore zones to enhance their management, protection, and restoration while reducing coastal hazards and increasing community resilience. As a member of the Shoreline Mapping Unit you will leverage high-resolution aerial imagery and other remote sensing datasets to map conditions and features of Puget Sound shorelines, updating and tracking changes every two years. You will develop and maintain a GIS database and participate in change analyses and complementary projects to support efforts on shoreline protection, restoration, hazard identification, and coastal resilience strategies. Desktop mapping and analyses may be complemented by field site visits and data collection for verification and calibration.
This Natural Resource Scientist position offers a unique opportunity to join a dynamic and collaborative applied coastal research team—Washington State’s Applied Research and Coastal Engineering (ACRE) Section—focused on documenting, understanding, and forecasting coastal processes and change on Washington’s high-energy ocean shorelines as well as the sheltered shorelines of coastal estuaries and the Salish Sea. In this role, you will engage with a wide variety of key issues regarding coastal community and ecosystem resilience, including chronic coastal erosion and flood hazards, climate change impacts on coastal hazards, shoreline and bluff retreat, natural and nature-based multi-benefit coastal projects, process-based restoration projects, and the application of morphodynamic approaches to nearshore habitat and ecosystem services studies. You will also serve as a natural resource scientist producing marine shoreline mapping data products to support legislative directives for Marine Shoreline Habitat. This work directly supports marine shoreline habitat.
Duties
What makes this role unique?
The Washington State legislature recently passed Senate Bill 5104 in Chapter 43.21A RCW for Surveying Puget Sound Marine Shoreline Habitat. The state law directs Ecology to establish and regularly update a publicly available baseline survey and map of general shoreline conditions, including the presence, location, and condition of nearshore development, which is a critical tool for regulatory planning, restoration, and mitigation by state agencies, local jurisdictions, tribal governments, and non-governmental organizations. Ecology recently established a Shoreline Mapping Unit to complete the work directed by Senate Bill 5104. As a part of this new team, this position will have the opportunity to shape the methodology, outcomes, and strategic plan for current and future work completed within the Shoreline Mapping Unit. The position will involve a variety of spatial analyses, observations, and adapt methods as new technologies become available. This work directly supports agency management strategies, coastal hazard assessment, and shoreline compliance efforts.
In this role, you will work within a section that develops knowledge and skills through collaborative work with a range of partners (e.g., Tribes, state and federal agencies, local governments, academics) at the interface of coastal research, science, engineering, and management. Duties will span shoreline mapping, applied coastal research, geospatial analyses, consulting services, database management, technical guidance, training, and publication. Work will protect and restore Washington’s coastal natural resources and enhance coastal community resilience.
What you will do:
- Conduct routine mapping of shoreline conditions in the Puget Sound using aerial and oblique imagery
- Perform innovative shoreline mapping techniques
- Conduct geospatial and statistical analysis
- Perform QA/QC of third-party and derived datasets
- Create graphics to present mapping results
Required Qualifications:
Years of required experience indicated below are full-time equivalent years. Full-time equivalent experience means that any experience where working hours were less than 40 hours per week will be prorated in order to meet the equivalency of full-time. We would calculate this by looking at the total hours worked per week, divide this by 40, and then multiply by the total number of months worked. Examples of the proration calculations are:
- 30 hours worked per week for 20 months: (30/40) x 20 months = 15 months full-time equivalent
- 20 hours worked per week for 12 months: (20/40) x 12 months = 6 months full-time equivalent
Option 1:
A Bachelor's degree involving major study in a natural science AND three years of professional level research experience in coastal mapping, GIS, surveying, geomorphology, photogrammetry, imagery interpretation, or coastal science.
Option 2:
A Master's degree involving major study in a natural science AND one years of professional level research experience in coastal mapping, GIS, surveying, geomorphology, photogrammetry, imagery interpretation, or coastal science.
Option 3:
A Ph.D. degree involving major study in a natural science.
Special Requirements/Conditions of Employment:
- Must possess and maintain a valid driver’s license.
Desired Qualifications:
- Degree program should include course work in at least three of the following subjects: photogrammetry, geospatial analysis, GIS and database management, physical geography, geology, geomorphology, coastal management, coastal planning.
- Academic or work experience should include a minimum of 1 year in at least two of the following areas: feature mapping using GIS, large database management, geospatial analysis in ArcGIS or specialized survey or visualization software; operating survey grade GNSS and other topographic survey equipment; and imagery interpretation and manipulation.
- Shoreline and coastal feature mapping
- Familiarity with coastal science and coastal management issues in the Puget Sound
- Experience manipulating and interpreting photogrammetric data, topographic survey data, aerial imagery, and other remote sensing datasets
- Experience creating vector datasets, creating and managing domains, and maintaining metadata
- Performing geospatial analyses in ArcGIS using Spatial Analyst, 3D Analyst, Raster Analysis, and other toolboxes
- Experience working with large datasets with strong data management skills
- Experience automating workflows using ArcGIS Model Builder, MATLAB, Python, or similar
- Producing static and web-based cartographic products
Tele-work options for this position:
This position is eligible for a telework (90%) schedule when not in the field or attending in person meetings with the team. Applicants with questions about position location options, tele-work, and flexible or compressed schedules are encouraged to reach out to the contact person listed below in “other information.” Schedules are dependent upon position needs and are subject to change.
Ecology cares deeply about employee wellness; we go beyond traditional benefits, proudly offering:
- A healthy life/work balance by offering flexible schedules and telework options for most positions.
- An Infants at Work Program that is based on the long-term health values of infant-parent bonding and breastfeeding newborns.
- Continuous growth and development opportunities.
- Opportunities to serve your community and make an impact through meaningful work.
This position can be located in any one of the following offices:
- Headquarters Office in Lacey, WA.
- Northwest Region Office (NWRO) in Shoreline, WA.
Upon hire, you must live within a commutable distance from the duty station.
Please Note: If the final location of this position is determined to be in our Northwest Region Office (NWRO) in Shoreline, WA. there will be an additional 5% pay increase due to its location in King County. In this instance the salary range will be $4,722 - $6,348 per month.
Salary: $53,964.00 - $72,552.00 Annually
Closing Date:
Please submit an application on or before November 5, 2023. If your application isn't received by this date, it may not be considered.
