HWTR Administrative Assistant (Administrative Assistant 3)(Internal Only)

Washington Department of Natural Resources
Washington Department of Natural Resources

Administration

Lacey, WA, USA

Posted on Sep 1, 2026

Description

This recruitment is open only to current Department of Ecology employees, including those on temporary or project assignments, and Ecology's Washington Conservation Corps members.

Keeping Washington Clean and Evergreen


The Department of Ecology is hiring an HWTR Administrative Assistant (Administrative Assistant 3)(Internal Only) within the Hazardous Waste and Toxics Reduction Program (HWTR).

Location:

  • Southwest Region Office in Lacey, WA.

  • Upon hire, you must live within a commutable distance from the duty station.


Schedule:
  • This position is eligible for telework and flexible schedule options.
  • Three to four days per week of on-site attendance is required
  • Schedules are dependent upon position needs and are subject to change.



Duties

This Administrative Assistant 3 position provides a crucial opportunity to support Ecology’s Hazardous Waste & Toxics Reduction (HWTR) Program operations in both the Southwest Regional Office (SWRO) and Headquarters (HQ). In this role, you will serve as the primary administrative support professional for the HWTR SWRO Section Manager and regional staff, delivering high-volume, detail-oriented administrative coordination that ensures smooth daily operations and efficient workflow management across two HWTR units. You will independently manage purchasing operations, personnel logistics, timekeeping functions, document preparation, and complex scheduling responsibilities—each essential to supporting the program’s regulatory, compliance, and customer service activities.

You will also lead administrative workflow planning for the section, organize all onboarding and hiring logistics, and maintain accurate fiscal, personnel, and records-management systems that directly support the agency’s mission. As the first point of contact for HWTR SWRO and HWTR HQ customer interactions, you will represent the program with professionalism and clarity, helping staff, partners, and the public navigate procedures, resolve issues, and access program resources. Your work ensures staff have the tools, information, and administrative support needed to accomplish critical environmental protection activities across Washington.

What you will do:
• Serve as the primary administrative assistant to the HWTR SWRO Section Manager, independently managing calendar scheduling, coordinating meetings, arranging travel, supporting logistics, and ensuring timely follow-through on section priorities.
• Provide comprehensive administrative support to two HWTR HQ units and approximately 30 professional staff, including preparing correspondence, formatting technical reports, processing personnel paperwork, and managing confidential information.
• Coordinate and administer purchasing operations for HWTR SWRO and HWTR HQ sections, including creating requisitions, monitoring expenditures, maintaining purchasing records, ensuring competitive procurement, receiving goods, and resolving vendor issues.
• Track and manage multiple budget areas (contracts, memberships, equipment, printing, lab sampling, and other goods/services) and collaborate with budget analysts to ensure proper coding, expenditure tracking, and compliance with purchasing guidelines.
• Lead administrative components of the hiring process by organizing interviews, scheduling candidates, preparing panel materials, assembling personnel packets, and overseeing onboarding logistics for new staff.
• Maintain organized administrative and technical filing systems, oversee electronic and paper record retention, and ensure compliance with agency policies to support accurate documentation and public records response readiness.
• Provide independent customer service for HWTR SWRO and HWTR HQ sections by responding to inquiries, interpreting program procedures, resolving routine issues, and directing customers to appropriate resources or technical specialists.
• Process and distribute incoming and outgoing mail for HWTR at both SWRO and HQ, ensuring accurate routing and timely delivery.
• Coordinate section-wide administrative processes including training requests, travel reimbursements, timekeeping functions as the eTime Champion, personnel action forms, and meeting logistics.
• Act as a liaison between the Section Manager, supervisors, regional administrative teams, HQ staff, and external partners to facilitate communication, relay assignments, and track time-sensitive projects and executive correspondence.
• Support workshops, trainings, PMT meetings, events, and program activities by managing logistics, preparing materials, securing equipment, and coordinating communication.

Qualifications

For detailed information on how we calculate experience, please visit our Recruitment website.

Required Qualifications:

Four (4) years of experience and/or education related to the duties of this position, which includes the following:

Administrative Workflow Management:
Skill in independently organizing multiple high-volume tasks simultaneously, prioritizing deadlines, coordinating calendars, preparing complex correspondence, maintaining structured files, and managing time-sensitive assignments.

Purchasing Administration:
Experience processing procurement requests, tracking expenditures, maintaining purchasing records, monitoring budget activity, and interpreting agency purchasing rules to support compliant purchasing operations.

Professional Document Preparation:
Ability to prepare accurate professional documents such as reports, letters, enforcement materials, personnel files, while applying formatting standards, proofreading conventions, and document control practices.

Personnel Logistics:
Skill in preparing interview materials, coordinating candidate scheduling, processing HR-related forms, supporting onboarding logistics, and ensuring complete and timely administrative documentation for personnel actions.

Customer Service:
Experience providing responsive customer support, interpreting administrative procedures, routing inquiries, resolving routine issues, and representing program operations through clear verbal communication with staff and public.

Technology and Systems Proficiency:
Ability to use office software applications such as Word, Excel, Outlook, SharePoint, Teams, plus capacity to learn and operate agency systems such as eTime, PTS, EPIC, Service Center, or similar administrative platforms.

Education: Involving a major study in business administration, public administration or closely allied field.

Examples of how to qualify:

  • 4 years of experience.
  • 3 years of experience AND 30-59 semester or 45-89 quarter college credits.
  • 2 years of experience AND 60-89 semester or 90-134 quarter college credits (Associate’s degree).
  • 1 years of experience AND 90-119 semester or 135-179 quarter college credits.
  • No experience AND a Bachelor’s degree or above.

Special Requirements:

  • Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license.

Desired Qualifications:

  • Experience supporting high-volume administrative operations across multiple teams or sections with varying workflow needs.
  • Experience providing customer assistance in an environmental, regulatory, or scientific program.
  • Skilled in applying plain-language principles to improve clarity of technical or regulatory communication.
  • Experience processing procurement requests, tracking expenditures, maintaining purchasing records, monitoring budget activity, and interpreting agency purchasing rules to support compliant purchasing operations.

Supplemental Information

Ecology does not use the E-Verify system; therefore, we are not eligible to extend STEM Optional Practical Training (OPT). For more information, please visit www.uscis.gov.

Our Commitment to DEIR

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Respect (DEIR) are core values central to Ecology's work. We strive to be a workplace where we are esteemed for sharing our authentic identities, while advancing our individual professional goals and collaborating to protect, preserve, and enhance the environment for current and future generations.

Diversity: We celebrate and appreciate diversity; our unique perspectives and abilities enrich us all and lead to innovative approaches and solutions.

Equity: We champion equity, recognizing that each of us need different things to thrive.

Inclusion: We intentionally create and hold space so that we all have meaningful opportunities to participate and contribute to Ecology’s work.

Respect: We treat each other with respect and dignity, acknowledging the inherent worth of our diverse perspectives and lived experiences, even in times of uncertainty and disagreement.

We believe that DEIR is both a goal and an action. We are on a journey, honoring our shared humanity and taking steps to demonstrate our commitment to a vision where each of us is heard, seen, and valued.


Application Process

Ecology seeks diverse applicants: We view diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect through a broad lens including race, ethnicity, class, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, immigration status, military background, language, education, life experience, physical disability, neurodiversity, and intersectional identities. Qualified job seekers from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

How to Apply

Click “Apply” at the top of this page. Complete the entire application, including full work history and responses to all supplemental questions, and attach:

  • Cover letter, describing your interest in and qualifications for this position
  • Resume

Because we base our selection on the information you provide, it is in your best interest to complete the application thoroughly. A resume will not substitute for the “work experience” section of the application or vice versa. Applications with blank fields or supplemental question responses with comments such as “see resume” may be considered incomplete.


For detailed application information, please visit our Recruitment website.

Application Attestation: By submitting an application, you are affirming that the information contained in your application and on all attachments is complete and truthful. The state may verify this information, and any false or misleading answers may result in rejection of your application or dismissal if employed.

Need an Accommodation?

If you need reasonable accommodation during the application and/or screening process, including this job announcement in an alternate format:

  • Please contact us at 360-407-6186 or careers@ecy.wa.gov
  • If you are deaf or hard of hearing, you may call through the Washington Relay Service by dialing 711 or 1-800-833-6384.

Questions?

  • For specific questions about the position location options, schedule, or duties, please contact Michelle Underwood at Michelle.Underwood@ecy.wa.gov
  • If you need assistance applying for this job, are inquiring about the status of your application, would like to request the full position description, or have any other questions, please contact the Recruitment Team at careers@ecy.wa.gov

About the Hazardous Waste and Toxics Reduction Program

The mission of the Hazardous Waste and Toxics Reduction program is to protect Washington’s residents and environment by reducing the use of toxic chemicals, safely managing dangerous waste, preventing new contaminated sites, and cleaning up contamination.

About the Department of Ecology

As the State of Washington’s environmental protection agency, we are deeply committed to protecting, preserving, and enhancing Washington’s environment for current and future generations. Joining Ecology means becoming part of a team dedicated to protecting and sustaining healthy land, air, water, and climate in harmony with a strong economy. A career in public service at Ecology allows you to help solve some of the most challenging problems facing our state, while keeping your health and financial security a priority. We combine one of the most competitive benefits packages in the nation with a strong commitment to life/work balance. We invest in our employees to create and sustain a working environment that encourages creative leadership, effective resource management, teamwork, professionalism, and accountability.

Ecology employees may be eligible for the following: Medical/Dental/Vision for employee & dependent(s), Public Employees Retirement System (PERS), Vacation, Sick, and other Leave*, 11 Paid Holidays per year*, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, Tuition Waiver, Long Term Disability & Life Insurance, Deferred Compensation Programs, Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP), Flexible Spending Arrangement (FSA), Employee Assistance Program, Commute Trip Reduction Incentives (Download PDF reader), Combined Fund Drive, SmartHealth *Click here for more information

To learn more about Ecology, please visit our website, explore Working at Ecology, check out our Strategic Plan, and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or our blog.

Equal Opportunity Employer: The Washington State Department of Ecology 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 of disability, persons over 40 years of age, veterans, military spouses or people with military status, and people of all sexual orientations and gender identities are encouraged to apply.

Collective Bargaining:This is a position covered by a bargaining unit for which the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE) is the exclusive representative.

Note:This recruitment may be used to fill other positions of the same job classification across the agency. Once all the position(s) from the recruitment announcement are filled, the recruitment may only be used to fill additional open positions for the next sixty (60) days.


#LI-DNI


See more open positions at Washington Department of Natural Resources