Shorelands & Environmental Assistance (SEA) Program Manager (EMS Band 4)

Posting number: 2026-EXEC4079-05618

Department: Dept. of Ecology

Division: Executive

Job classification: EXEMPT BAND 4

Posting type: Open & Promotional

Categories: Environmental Services, Public Health, Executive Management, Natural Resources, Sciences, Green-Collar/Environmental, Program Management

Summary

Keeping Washington Clean and Evergreen

The Department of Ecology is hiring a Shorelands & Environmental Assistance (SEA) Program Manager (EMS Band 4) within the Executive Leadership Team.

Location: 

• Headquarters 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.

• A minimum of three days per week is required in the office.

• Schedules are dependent upon position needs and are subject to change.

Application Timeline:

• Apply by August 09, 2026

• Applications submitted after the date above may not be reviewed unless additional qualified applicants are needed.

Examples of duties

We are looking for a transformational leader who is ready to partner with a dedicated team of professionals to guide Washington’s statewide efforts to protect and restore shorelands, wetlands, coastal areas, and floodplains; strengthen community resilience; advance clean energy siting; and support conservation and hazard-mitigation initiatives across diverse landscapes.

In this role, you will serve as the executive leader for the Department of Ecology’s Shorelands and Environmental Assistance (SEA) Program—a statewide program that integrates science, planning, policy, permitting, funding, and community partnerships to protect Washington’s environment and help communities thrive. You will provide strategic leadership and direction for major state and federal programs, oversee complex regulatory and policy work, and cultivate partnerships that support resilient ecosystems, sustainable community development, and climate preparedness.

Responsibilities include:

• Planning, leading, organizing, and directing the statewide Shorelands and Environmental Assistance Program by negotiating program scope, priorities, resources, and outcomes.
• Overseeing the development and implementation of policies, rules, and guidance that shape statewide shorelands, wetlands, floodplain management, clean energy coordination, and coastal resilience—affecting all 39 counties and numerous regulated entities.
• Leading the program’s strategic direction to align shorelands protection, watershed-based planning, coastal management, hazard mitigation, clean energy siting, and community conservation initiatives with Ecology’s mission and statewide environmental priorities.
• Administering state and delegated federal programs including the Shoreline Management Act, State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA), the Coastal Zone Management Act, the Clean Water Act Section 401 Water Quality Certification Program, and wetland and floodplain management authorities.
• Managing the program’s operating and capital budgets, personnel, and resources to ensure responsible, transparent, and effective stewardship of public funds.
• Hiring, leading, and developing managers, supervisors, and senior policy staff while fostering a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performing workplace that supports diversity, staff engagement, and professional growth.
• Ensuring high-quality, defensible regulatory and scientific outcomes across program functions including planning, permitting, wetlands and flood hazard review, clean energy coordination, coastal hazard mitigation, and community-based conservation.
• Overseeing major statewide initiatives such as Floodplain by Design; Wetland Mitigation Banking; Shoreline Management Act; critical areas ordinances under the Growth Management Act; and the stewardship, research, education, and community science missions of the Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, the Northwest Straits Commission, and the Washington Conservation Corps.
• Serving as Washington’s designated Coastal Manager, representing the state before federal agencies and negotiating on matters related to the Coastal Zone Management Act.
• Coordinating Ecology’s disaster response activities related to severe storms, catastrophic floods,