Project Specialist IV (Program Planning)

Snohomish County Surface Water Management (SWM), a Division of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, is hiring one Project Specialist IV to join SWM’s Program Planning team.

SWM is seeking a highly motivated candidate for a Project Specialist IV position to lead the Community Floodplain Solutions Program (CFS). The program works with partners to engage the local floodplain community to understand the dynamics of living in a floodplain and help chart a future of resiliency by implementing actions that support fish, farms, and floods. The position will develop, manage and lead large complex floodplain reach scale planning actions and projects. 

This position will serve as SWM’s liaison to the Sustainable Lands Strategy (SLS) Executive Committee. SLS is led by an Executive Committee of local stakeholders representing agricultural, fish habitat restoration, and floodplain management interests. 

The CFS program is a collaborative effort aimed at helping lower flood risks for residents and the agricultural community and increasing salmon habitat without transferring flood hazards to neighbors or downstream landowners. This position will use reach scale plans as well as other localized and regional planning documents, in coordination with SWM Basin Teams and the interdisciplinary Integration Teams (made up of partners like the Snohomish Conservation District, Stillaguamish and Tulalip Tribes, Washington Farmland Trust, State Agencies like WDFW and DNR, cities like Everett and Monroe, Adopt-a-stream, and Ducks Unlimited), to identify specific project ideas, obtain management approval, and write and submit grant applications to fund these projects. 

The CFS program has been awarded 4 awards from the State Floodplains by Design (FbD) grant program for over $33M in funding. This position will serve as the SWM lead for large complex floodplain projects and the project manager for Phases 2-4 of the FbD grants. This position’s responsibilities include the following:

• Provide Lead role for Program Planning and Floodplain Services staff working on FbD grant
• Develop work plans and budgets
• Develop and manage consultant contracts and other agreements and sub-awards
• Ensure all project grant tasks across SWM work groups are on schedule and budget. 
• Provide QA/QC for project grant tasks and deliverables. 
• Coordinate with other Public Works Department groups and grant partners to ensure grant is implemented on time and under budget.
• Engage stakeholders and floodplain residents in project development and implementation
• Provide oversight of outreach materials, workshops, and grant web site information
• Work with the Prosecutor’s Office on legal aspects of the grant program
• Oversee preparation of future grant proposals, including the upcoming 2021-23 Floodplains by Design grant round. 

• Drainage and road flooding
• Clean water in rivers, streams and lakes;
• Salmon and marine habitat; and 
• River flooding 

You can find us responding to water-quality problems and complaints, monitoring river levels during flood season, maintaining drainage systems, managing habitat improvement projects and more. For further information on Snohomish County Surface Water Management's programs, please go to www.surfacewater.info. Our 2025 Highlights report is available here. 

Surface Water Management Overview

     
About the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR)
The Snohomish County Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) includes the Division of Surface Water Management, the Division of Parks & Recreation, the Office of Energy and Sustainability and the Office of Agriculture and aims to achieve high-priority environmental sustainability goals. Some of the greatest assets we have in Snohomish County are our unparalleled beauty and abundant natural resources. From the Puget Sound and five watersheds, to forestland, lakes, farms, ranches and parks, our quality of life, economic prosperity and future sustainability are dependent on protecting and improving our environmental resources. Visit the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources web page to learn more. 
    
About Snohomish County
Snohomish County, north of Seattle, is located in northwest Washington between the Puget Sound and the Cascade Mountains. The county has rich scenery, numerous activities, and a thriving economy. Snohomish County is a great place to live, work, play, and raise a family. When joining the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, you will work in an environment where innovation, collaboration and continuous improvement are highly encouraged and supported. We are proud to offer an outstanding benefit package to employees and their dependents. We are invested in your success and growth and offer competitive wages, job flexibility and stability, employer paid ORCA cards, and a friendly, diverse team atmosphere where employees are appreciated and make a real difference providing services for our citizens. We strive to not only provide a meaningful job, but a lifelong career.

Snohomish County - The Future We Choose

Benefits
Snohomish County will be invested in your success and growth. We demonstrate this by offering a generous compensation package to our employees. Your salary is only part of your Total Compensation Package. Our benefits include:

• Retirement: County employees participate in the Washington State Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) administered by the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems (DRS). 
• Medical benefits: The County offers a choice of three comprehensive medical insurance plan with low deductibles. The county’s contribution to this benefit is significant.
• Sick leave: You will accrue 8 hours of sick leave per month.
• Vacation Leave: You will start out accruing 8 hours of vacation leave per month totaling 2.4 weeks of vacation in your first year. Your leave accruals increase based on your years of employment with the County.  
• Holiday Pay: The County observes eleven (11) paid legal holidays per year and provides employees with two floating holidays annually.
• Other benefits include wellness, dental, vision, life insurance, flexible spending accounts, long term disability, and more.
• Deferred Compensation: If you choose to participate in the Deferred Compensation Plan (DCP), the County will match your contributions up to 1 percent of your base monthly salary.
• Pay Increases: Each year you will be eligible for a step increase until you reach the top step. 
• Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA): County employees typically receive yearly cost of living adjustments.  
• Flexible work schedules. 
• Career development training. 

Teleworking Options
The work associated with this position can be performed with a hybrid of remote work with at least one day of in-office work per week. For employees who prefer to work in the office full time, that option is also available.
  
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. Snohomish County has a robust collection of tools and resources to support working remotely. A Snohomish County Telework agreement is required for employees assigned to telework.
 
Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their Snohomish County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.