Position Description
Seattle City Light, a department of the City of Seattle, is one of the nation’s largest municipally owned utilities in terms of the number of customers served. Over the years we have worked very hard to keep Seattle's electricity affordable, reliable, and environmentally sound. Today, City Light is a recognized national leader in energy efficiency and environmental stewardship.
This position serves as Seattle City Light's primary technical resource for all-hazards environmental risk analysis and program documentation, supporting the identification, assessment, and mitigation of climate-driven risks to the utility's infrastructure and operations.
Under limited supervision, this position exercises independent professional judgment across a wide range of environmental and specialized scientific fields, including forestry, wildfire behavior, extreme wind events, and flooding. This position independently determines the scope of work, budget, schedule, and compliance requirements for environmental studies and consulting contracts, and is responsible for interpreting and applying environmental and wildfire-related regulations to utility operations. This includes designing and overseeing environmental risk studies from an operational, all-hazards perspective, and leading the update of related policies, programs, standard operating procedures, and guidelines.
The role sits within the Emergency Management team and works across Operations, Engineering, Asset Management, Vegetation Management, and external partners to ensure the utility has the data, analysis, and program documentation it needs to make informed risk reduction investments. This position will report to the Emergency Management Manager.
Job Responsibilities
All-Hazards Risk Analysis and Mapping
- Leads efforts related to all-hazards environmental risk mapping, including scoping, vendor management, data coordination, and delivery of risk analysis products that inform capital investment and mitigation priorities.
- Commission and oversee risk studies and assessments conducted by external consultants, including wildfire risk mapping, infrastructure vulnerability analysis, and climate-driven hazard modeling.
- Synthesize data from multiple sources, including LiDAR, GIS, outage history, vegetation treatment records, terrain, and weather data, into risk products that are actionable for engineers, operations staff, and executives.
- Evaluate emerging environmental risks, including wildfire, high wind events, flooding, and landslides, in the context of Seattle City Light's transmission and distribution infrastructure.
Program Documentation and Compliance
- Develop and maintain technical documentation, progress reports, and program records for Seattle City Light's hazard mitigation programs, including the Wildfire Risk Reduction Strategy and any successor all-hazards frameworks.
- Support compliance with state and federal regulatory requirements governing utility wildfire and hazard mitigation planning, including RCW 19.29A.170 and RCW 76.04.185.
- Prepare briefing materials, regulatory submittals, and City Council-facing reports that communicate program status, risk posture, and mitigation progress to a range of technical and non-technical audiences.
- Develop and maintain data tracking templates, dashboards, and reporting tools that support annual progress reporting and multi-year program updates.
Capital and Technology Project Support
- Review Seattle City Light's capital program portfolio and technology projects through an all-hazards environmental risk lens, identifying gaps in risk reduction coverage and opportunities to integrate mitigation measures into planned work.
- Provide technical input on project scoping, prioritization, and sequencing to ensure that risk reduction objectives are reflected in capital planning decisions.
- Support integration of environmental risk considerations into asset management practices and long-range infrastructure planning.
- Identify and pursue federal and state grant opportunities that support all-hazards risk reduction.
- Maintain awareness of the evolving federal funding landscape related to utility resilience, climate adaptation, and wildfire mitigation.
Cross-Functional Coordination and Communication
- Represent all-hazards risk reduction program requirements on cross-functional teams and in coordination with Operations, Engineering, Asset Management, Environmental, and Emergency Management.
- Provide technical recommendations on vegetation management priorities based on environmental risk analysis and infrastructure vulnerability data.
- Coordinate data sharing and project inputs with internal teams and external partners, including vendors, consultants, state agencies, and tribal partners.
- Prepare and present technical findings, risk analyses, and program updates to leadership, regulators, and other stakeholders.
Working Conditions
This position is based at Seattle City Light's South Service Center and may require periodic field visits to transmission corridors, substations, and right-of-way areas. Some travel within Washington State may be required for agency meetings, field assessments, or regulatory engagements. This position requires the ability to obtain and maintain authorization for unsupervised access to critical cyber assets, critical bulk electric assets, and electric generating facilities, including successful completion of a background check.
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in natural or physical sciences, environmental sciences, planning (with emphasis on environmental issues), public administration/policy (with emphasis on natural resources), or related field and a minimum of five years experience in environmental research, environmental law, impact analysis, environmental compliance, toxic substance management, or a related field (Other combinations of education, training and experience will be evaluated on an individual basis for comparability).
Work Environment/Physical Demands
- Work may be performed in the field including remote wilderness locations, on rivers and reservoirs, hazardous waste sites, household hazardous waste collection facilities and electrical facilities, and/or in a normal City office/work environment.
- May require rotating on-call duty for spill response and other emergencies.
- Occasional exposure to hazardous wastes, chemicals, and other conditions requiring safety precautions.
License, Certification And Other Requirements
- Current State of Washington driver's license or evidence of equivalent mobility.
- Hazardous materials/toxics work may require specialized health & safety training and certification.
Desired Qualifications - You will be successful if you have the following experience, skills, and abilities:
- Experience in electric utility operations, transmission and distribution infrastructure, or utility wildfire mitigation.
- Experience supporting regulatory review processes, legislative reporting, or public accountability documentation.
- Familiarity with FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Planning framework, the National Response Framework, or the Incident Command System.
- Experience with wildfire risk modeling platforms or similar all-hazards risk assessment tools.
- Graduate degree in a relevant field.
- Experience independently scoping, budgeting, and managing consultant or vendor contracts for environmental or technical studies
- Experience preparing technical documentation, compliance reports, or regulatory submittals for executive or public-facing audiences
Please note this job advertisement is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.
Emergency Response Commitment
Seattle City Light is committed to reliable service during emergencies. Through our Emergency Response Program, each employee is assigned a role—usually aligned with their regular duties—to support emergency operations. Your participation is required and vital to helping the utility stay prepared and serve our community when it matters most.
Additional Information
The full salary range for this position is $58.21 to $67.84 per hour.
Application Process
Please Submit The Following With Your Online Application
- A cover letter in which you clearly describe how your knowledge, experience, skills, and abilities prepare you for the job responsibilities and qualifications outlined in the job announcement
- A current resume of your educational and professional work experience.
Incomplete applications may not be considered.
Who May Apply: This position is open to all candidates that meet the qualifications. Seattle City Light values diverse perspectives and life experiences. Applicants will be considered regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, disability, religious or political affiliation, age, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Seattle City Light encourages people of all backgrounds to apply, including people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQIA+, people with disabilities, veterans, and those with diverse life experiences.
Job offers are contingent on the verification of credentials and other information required by the employment process, including the completion of a background check. The background check will involve a criminal history check, which includes conviction and arrest records in compliance with the Seattle’s Fair Chance Employment Ordinance, SMC 14.17and the City of Seattle Personnel Rule 10.3. A driving history review may be conducted in compliance with SMC 4.79.020.Applicants will be provided an opportunity to explain or correct background information.
The City of Seattle offers a comprehensive benefits package including vacation, holiday, and sick leave as well as medical, dental, vision, life and long-term disability insurance for employees and their dependents. More information about employee benefits is available on the City's website at: https://www.seattle.gov/human-resources/benefits.
Want to know more about Seattle City Light? Check out our web page: https://www.seattle.gov/city-light/about-us/careers.
