Access Coordinator (External Civil Rights Specialist 4)

Keeping Washington Clean and Evergreen

The Department of Ecology is hiring an Access Coordinator (External Civil Rights Specialist 4) within the Office of Equity & Environmental Justice.

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.
• You may telework most of your work time with the understanding that there are in-office requirements, including regularly occurring program in-person meetings, agency activities, and other emerging businesses needs.
• Schedules are dependent upon position needs and are subject to change.

Salary

• The high end of the salary range listed above ($103,536 per year) is Step M, typically a longevity step. Employees cannot get to Step M upon initial hire. 

• All employees will progress to Step M six years after being assigned to Step L in their permanent salary range. For this position, Step A is $76,968 per year and Step L is $100,980 per year.
  

Application Timeline: 

• Submit your application by 11:59 p.m. (Pacific Time) on March 30, 2026, to be in the first review of applications.
• Applications received after the date above will only be considered at the discretion of the hiring manager.
• This position will remain open until filled. The agency reserves the right to make a hire at any time after application review begins. 

Duties

In this role, you will serve as the agency’s subject matter expert on document accessibility and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). You will set document accessibility goals and standards, and provide practical guidance, training, and technical assistance to ensure accessible documents and ADA-compliant practices across the organization. You will also coordinate agency-wide document accessibility efforts, and lead the Access Steering Committee to elevate cross-program issues and support decision-making.

As the Access Coordinator, you will play a key role in ensuring the Department of Ecology provides equitable access to environmental information, services, and physical locations. Your leadership will strengthen the agency’s commitment to inclusion and accessibility for the communities we serve.

What you will do:

• Assess the agency’s baseline compliance with document accessibility standards (ADA, WCAG, and USER-01) and oversee ongoing reassessments.
• Develop and maintain agency-wide document accessibility goals, metrics, and standards to support program planning and progress tracking.
• Identify gaps in existing document accessibility resources and lead the development of updated guidance, training, and technical assistance tools (including the super user model).
• Build staff and leadership capacity by promoting awareness, knowledge, and skills needed to meet document accessibility requirements.
• Lead the Access Steering Committee, facilitating meetings and communications to elevate cross-program issues and support agency decision-making on access priorities.
• Manage the ADA coordination mailbox and phone line as the first point of contact, providing guidance and support to the public seeking accommodations or information.
• Provide technical assistance on ADA requirements, including physical access and non-spoken language services in collaboration with internal partners.

Qualifications

For detailed information on how we calculate experience and responses to other frequently asked questions, please visit our Recruitment website.

Required Qualifications:

Eight years of experience and/or education as described below:

• Experience with Civil Rights programs, using an equity lens in analyzing polices, laws, rules, or regulations, and leading others in administering Civil Rights programs. This experience may include civil rights investigation, law, or research; other non-discrimination efforts; or planning, implementing, or directing work in accessibility, document accessibility, or ADA compliance.

Experience must demonstrate competence in the following areas:

• • Ability to create accessible documents and templates in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and PDF.
  • Ability to remediate PDFs using tools such as Adobe Acrobat Pro and CommonLook.
  • Knowledge of accessible design principles such as color contrast, heading structure, reading order, and font legibility.
  • Familiarity with web and document accessibility guidelines, especially current Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
  • Familiarity with state and federal disability laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act Title I, II, and III, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
  • Ability to interpret accessibility and ADA requirements into practical implementation guidance for staff and vendors.
  • Ability to plan, implement, and sustain changes to how program staff do accessibility work.
  • Excellent project management and communication skills.

• Education involving a major study in business, public administration, political science, social science, race, gender, or sexuality studies, social justice, equity studies, communications, law, public health, or related field.

Examples of how to qualify:

• 8 years of experience.
• 7 years of experience AND 30-59 semester or 45-89 quarter college credits.
• 6 years of experience AND 60-89 semester or 90-134 quarter college credits (Associate’s degree).
• 5 years of experience AND 90-119 semester or 135-179 quarter college credits.
• 4 years of experience AND a Bachelor’s degree.
• 2 years of experience AND a Master’s degree.

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience living with a disability or professional or lived experience with using or providing assistive technology, requesting or providing ADA accommodations, disability advocacy, or caring for someone with a disability.
• ADA Coordinator certification or experience serving in an ADA compliance position.

If you are excited about this role but not sure if your experience aligns perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply. Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At the Department of Ecology, we are dedicated to building a diverse and authentic workplace centered in belonging. You may just be the needed candidate for this or other roles.

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.

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, schedule, or duties, please contact Millie Piazza at Millie.Piazza@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 Office of Equity and Environmental Justice (OEEJ)

The mission of the Office of Equity and Environmental Justice (OEEJ) is to eliminate environmental and health disparities for communities most at risk from pollution and other environmental impacts through fair and just practices that support the well-being and resilience of Ecology’s workforce and the people of Washington.

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.

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.

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.

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, 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.

Ecology Job Opportunities | Careers at Ecology