Environmental Scientist

Richland, WA

Full time

REQ26_255


The Environmental Scientist (Principal) provides technical environmental and regulatory expertise to support Energy Northwest’s Environmental & Regulatory Program and the Extended Power Uprate (EPU) initiative. This position performs environmental impact evaluations, regulatory compliance analyses, permitting support, and field/operational reviews to ensure Energy Northwest activities meet all federal, state, and local environmental requirements. The role also develops and maintains regulatory approvals schedules—including SEPA/NEPA, water rights, air permitting, NPDES, and other non‑nuclear environmental obligations—and ensures these schedules are fully integrated and aligned with EPU project planning and execution timelines.


GENERAL SUMMARY


Develops, implements, and administers environmental programs to ensure the safety of Energy Northwest facilities and protect human health and the environment. Provides leadership and coordination in developing company policies, programs, and procedures for assigned environmental programs to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local environmental regulations. Works closely with all company organizations and levels of management to monitor, communicate, and report environmental information and performance, and to help resolve environmental problems and issues. At the principal level this requires the ability to perform highly complex tasks with a high level of independence.


PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES


+ Assigned owner for one or more environmental programs. Interface with state and federal regulatory agencies. Responsible for routine written and oral communications with those agencies including participation in audits, inspections, and assessments using skills and experience gained through application of standards and regulatory requirements. Provide technical advice and proactive counsel to management on a wide range of complex environmental regulatory issues, interpretation and verification of industry guidance, and regulatory requirements for application to plant specific issues. Provide verbal and written management presentations on industry and generating station issues, preparation and presentation of new permit applications and subsequent amendments, and participation in industry regulatory initiatives. May provide unconventional or advanced problem solving techniques. Routinely provide technical leadership on complex and/or extended programs and projects.

+ Coordinate with other Energy Northwest organizations to ensure environmental monitoring requirements (e.g., NPDES; REMP; Groundwater) are appropriately met and reported.

+ Develop plans for programs, projects, audits, testing and inspections; lead audits and inspections. Use engineering judgment in evaluating results for findings. Respond to inspection reports and requests for interpretation and verification of industry and Energy Northwest issues. Participate in industry working groups and other discipline related activities.

+ Perform regulatory analysis by monitoring changes in environmental regulations, and take actions to notify appropriate organizations and/or implement changes.

+ Monitor plant events (condition reports) for impact/compliance with regulatory requirements. Provide assistance in determining reportability and making necessary notifications.

+ Provide technical guidance routinely to other engineers; check and review technical products of others. Serve as a mentor.

+ Integrate design, regulatory, operating, maintenance, and administrative requirements into tasks. Perform tasks within schedule and budget. Ensure effective coordination of efforts with other departments and disciplines. Work with minimum supervision.


Must participate on the Emergency Response Organization (ERO) when designated.


Must support the biennial refueling outage.


REQUIRED EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE


Requires a Bachelor’s degree in an Environmental Science, Engineering, Chemistry, Biological Science, or related technical field from an accredited college or university and eight years of experience in an environmental related field.


Pay Range


$126,362.00 - $189,542.00 Annual

Midpoint:


$157,952.00


Typically, selected candidates are hired between the minimum and midpoint of the range, based on applicable experience and qualifications, market rate, internal equity, and budgetary allowances.


Offers will be negotiated based on each candidate's qualifications.


Incentive Compensation


This role may be eligible to participate in our annual incentive plan. Incentives are earned based on employee performance against defined metrics and company goals.


Benefits


Energy Northwest (EN) provides a phenomenal benefits package. Washington State also has no state income tax, and the Tri-Cities provides a cost-of-living lower than the national average.


EN offers substantial retirement benefits through three retirement programs including the Washington State Public Employees' Retirement System pension plan (PERS), a 401(k) savings plan with an employer match component, and a 457(b) savings plan. EN also offers multiple options for medical, dental, vision, disability and life insurance coverage. Other voluntary benefits may include flexible spending accounts (FSAs), tuition reimbursement, student loan repayment, childcare subsides, health reimbursement arrangement (HRA VEBA), health savings account (HSA), supplemental life insurances, credit monitoring/identity theft insurance, and more! Qualifying employees will typically start a personal time accrual rate of 160 hours per year and EN provides nine paid holidays throughout the Calander year; personal time accruals grow significantly at various service intervals.


We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate due to race, color, age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, national origin, veteran status or on the basis of disability.


Know Your Rights: Workplace discrimantion is illegal


Current Energy Northwest employees must apply through the Jobs Hub on Workday.


As a regional leader in clean energy generation and public power solutions, Energy Northwest develops, owns and operates a diverse mix of electricity generating resources, including hydro, solar, battery storage and wind projects – and the Northwest’s only nuclear power facility. Energy Northwest is a Washington state joint operating agency comprised of public power member utilities, serving more than 1.5 million customers. The agency continually explores new generation projects and solutions to meet its members’ needs.