Environmental Permitting Coordinator

Job Description

Please note: The starting salary offer will be determined based on the successful candidates' qualifications within the starting salary range of $79,560 - $111,384 annually. Applications will be reviewed immediately. The hiring authority reserves the right to make a hiring decision at any time. We encourage all to apply as early as possible. Our physical office is located in Olympia, WA. This is a hybrid position with the ability to telework. However, you will need to attend in-person meetings or community events as required by the position.

This recruitment will remain open until filled. The agency reserves the right to make a hiring decision at any time after the initial screening date on July 28, 2026. It is in the applicant's best interest to submit materials as soon as possible.

Why work for the Office of the Governor?
The Office of the Governor of Washington offers a unique opportunity to make a meaningful difference by improving how people and businesses navigate Washington's environmental and business regulatory systems. At the Governor's Office for Regulatory Innovation and Assistance (ORIA), you'll be part of a collaborative team dedicated to making government services more accessible, transparent, and effective. ORIA partners with state agencies, local governments, Tribal governments, businesses, and community stakeholders to strengthen regulatory processes, improve customer service, and support economic opportunity throughout the state. Guided by a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and respect, ORIA fosters an inclusive workplace where innovation, collaboration, and public service create meaningful outcomes for all Washingtonians.


The Job Opportunity
Join the Office of the Governor of Washington and help improve Washington's environmental permitting process. As the Environmental Permitting Coordinator, you will provide senior-level guidance to customers and partners by helping them navigate environmental permitting requirements, coordinating with local, state, federal, and Tribal agencies, and supporting improvements to regulatory tools and processes.

In this role, you will research and interpret environmental regulations, scope customer projects, facilitate collaboration across multiple jurisdictions, and maintain key public-facing permitting resources, including the Joint Aquatic Resources Permit Application (JARPA) and other regulatory information. You will work closely with agency staff, the Governor's policy office, the Legislature, customers, and a broad range of public and private stakeholders to promote efficient, transparent, and customer-focused permitting processes.

If you are a collaborative problem-solver with strong communication skills, sound judgment, and the ability to build productive relationships across diverse groups. If you are passionate about environmental policy, public service, and improving government processes, we encourage you to apply.

What you'll work on
Environmental permitting technical assistance

• Researches, interprets, and explains state environmental permitting requirements for businesses, local governments, industry representatives, citizens, and other customers.

• Identifies applicable permits, regulatory pathways, agency roles, application requirements, decision points, and customer next steps.

• Develops written and verbal guidance, including matrices, summaries, guidance documents, and other plain-language resources, to help customers understand permitting requirements and processes.

• Responds to customer inquiries regarding environmental permitting laws, rules, policies, procedures, and regulatory coordination issues.

Customer inquiry resolution and internal support

• Serves as a technical resource to ORIA customer support staff on environmental permitting and regulatory inquiries.

• Reviews complex or escalated customer inquiries to determine appropriate research, coordination, and response actions.

• Researches and analyzes environmental laws, rules, policies, procedures, and agency guidance to support accurate and timely responses.

• Prepares written and verbal responses and communicates inquiry resolution status and outcomes to customer support staff.

• Monitors changes to environmental permitting requirements and shares relevant updates, guidance, and process information with ORIA staff.

Multi-jurisdictional permit coordination

• Serves as ORIA's point of contact for customers and regulatory agencies on projects involving multiple permits, agencies, or jurisdictions.

• Reviews proposed projects to identify likely permits, sequencing considerations, estimated timelines, responsible agencies, and key decision points.

• Coordinates with local, state, federal, and Tribal agencies to clarify permitting requirements and support resolution of process or coordination issues.

• Assists customers in understanding environmental permitting processes, agency expectations, and project next steps.

• Facilitates communication among agencies, project proponents, and stakeholders to support timely and coordinated permit review processes.

Interagency collaboration and regulatory improvement

• Facilitates and participates in interagency environmental permitting workgroups, coordination teams, and process improvement initiatives.

• Identifies recurring customer barriers, process gaps, and coordination challenges affecting environmental permitting processes.

• Researches and analyzes permitting practices, customer feedback, and partner input to identify opportunities for improvement.

• Recommends practical improvements to permitting guidance, coordination practices, customer service tools, and regulatory processes.

• Supports implementation of process improvements and interagency coordination strategies that improve customer understanding and regulatory navigation.

Joint Aquatic Resources Permit Application (JARPA) coordination

• Coordinates with local, state, and federal agencies to maintain and update the (JARPA).

• Organizes partner agency review processes and tracks proposed revisions and feedback.

• Researches, evaluates, and reconciles agency comments and recommended changes to the JARPA.

• Prepares updated forms, instructions, and supporting materials to maintain accuracy, usability, and consistency with participating agency requirements.

• Coordinates with agency representatives and subject matter experts to resolve issues related to JARPA content and implementation.

Regulatory resource development and maintenance

• Develops, updates, and maintains public-facing regulatory resources, including the Regulatory Handbook, ORIA website content, guidance documents, and related tools.

• Review regulatory content for accuracy, consistency, accessibility, plain language, and customer usefulness.

• Identify outdated, incomplete, or inaccurate regulatory information and coordinates updates with agency subject matter experts.

• Stays abreast of new or updated environmental state and federal laws and regulations and how they will affect permitting.

• Research environmental permitting requirements and regulatory changes to support development of current and accurate customer resources.

• Recommend and implement improvements to regulatory guidance materials and online customer resources.

What we need you to bring

• Experience in regulatory analysis, environmental permitting, project coordination, public-sector customer assistance, natural resource management, public policy, or a closely related field; or professional regulatory analysis experience in Washington state government.

• Experience must show a progressive increase in responsibility, independence, or authority.

• Working knowledge of Washington environmental permitting processes, regulatory roles, and common state, local, federal, and Tribal coordination issues.

• Experience facilitating meetings, workgroups, customer discussions, or stakeholder feedback processes.

• Strong writing skills, including the ability to prepare clear emails, guidance, summaries, matrices, and other customer-facing or partner-facing materials.

• Demonstrated customer service judgment, professionalism, integrity, follow-through, strong work ethic, and ability to work with people who have competing interests or priorities.

• Proven teamwork skills. Success at navigating within a team with varying perspectives and diverse priorities.

• Ability to research, interpret, synthesize, and explain statutes, rules, policies, permit requirements, guidance, and agency procedures.

• Ability to communicate complex regulatory information in plain language to customers, agency partners, and stakeholders with varying levels of technical knowledge.

• Ability to coordinate across jurisdictional boundaries, gather information from multiple sources, identify points of disagreement or uncertainty, and support practical issue resolution.

• Ability to work independently under general direction, plan and prioritize assignments, and elevate issues when policy, legal, or executive-level decisions are needed.

• Proficiency using Microsoft Office products, Teams, SharePoint, spreadsheets, document formatting tools, and virtual meeting platforms.

• Commitment to continuous improvement and to principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, access, and respect.

Desired Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in environmental studies, natural resources, public administration, planning, public policy, law, or a related field. Additional qualifying professional experience may substitute for education on a year-for-year basis.

• Seven years of professional experience in regulatory research, environmental permitting, regulatory analysis, project coordination, or a closely related field; or five years of professional regulatory analysis experience in Washington state government.

• Professional-level experience with government environmental permitting programs or multi-jurisdictional permit coordination.

• Experience maintaining public-facing regulatory guidance, application forms, web content, or permit assistance tools.

• Certification or formal training in project management, facilitation, mediation, conflict resolution, or process improvement.

We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and that candidate may be one from a less traditional background. Don't let doubts stop you from applying for this position. If you have transferable experience, please tell us about it or contact us with questions about the required qualifications and how your experience relates to them.What we offer
At ORIA, we foster a culture of integrity, innovation, inclusion, and belonging. We value both learned and lived experiences, believing that diversity makes us stronger. To support your health and well-being, we offer a variety of benefit programs for our employees.

Please visit our Recruitment site for a full list of employee benefits. Here's a quick glance at some of the unique benefits that ORIA offers:

• A culture that values and strives to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging

• Medical, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance

• 12 paid holidays, 14 paid vacation days (minimum), and 12 days of sick leave per year

• State retirement programs

Application Process: Once you've decided to apply for a state government job, you'll complete an online application to showcase your qualifications. Keep in mind that once you submit the application, a real person will read it. We do not use AI or other technology to screen your application. Please ensure you provide clear, detailed information about your work history so your qualifications can be accurately assessed. We will contact the top candidates directly to schedule interviews. If you require a reasonable accommodation during the application process, please call 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6384.

When completing your application, please attach all of the following required documents:

• Cover letter: describing your qualifications for this specific position

• Resume: that details your applicable experience and education.

• References: at least three professional references and their current contact information.

Questions: OFM's Staff ASL interpreter is available to all deaf and hard-of-hearing applicants. For questions about this recruitment or to request a reasonable accommodation in the application or interview process, please email us at TalentAcquisition@ofm.wa.gov.

The Governor's Office for Regulatory Innovation and Improvement is an equal opportunity employer. We strive to create a working environment that includes and respects cultural, racial, ethnic, sexual orientation, and gender identity diversity. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities, persons over 40 years of age, and disabled and Vietnam-era veterans are encouraged to apply.

This position is exempt from civil service rules.
For more information, please see WAC 357-19-195