Railroad Hazardous Materials Specialist - Transportation Engineer 3

Railroad Hazardous Materials Specialist - Transportation Engineer 3

Respect. Professionalism. Integrity. Accountability.

The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) is seeking to fill one (1) Railroad Hazardous Materials Specialist - Transportation Engineer 3 position within the Rail Safety Section of the Transportation Safety Division. This position provides overall technical and professional expertise in areas of statewide enforcement of federal railroad safety laws, rules, regulations, policies and standards, with specialization in hazardous materials.

Hybrid : The successful incumbents must reside within Washington state and must be available to report to the Lacey, Washington headquarters building when needed. The majority of this position's time will be spent traveling throughout Washington state, during and outside normal business hours including overnight stays. Additionally, the successful incumbent will have occasional travel throughout the United States to attend required training, conferences, and / or meetings.

Our mission is to protect the people of Washington by ensuring that investor-owned utility and transportation services are safe, equitable, reliable, and fairly priced.

UTC fosters an environment of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, while striving to hire and retain a workforce from the communities we serve. We place importance on a healthy balance between personal and professional lives; offering flexible work schedules, wellness programs, and mobile / telework opportunities. Through the state, our employees (and their families) are offered options for medical, dental, vision and basic life insurance. We offer enrollment into the state retirement programs and a deferred compensation plan. Throughout a calendar year, employees receive a minimum of 14 days of vacation leave per year and 11 paid holidays and 1 personal holiday in addition to accruing sick leave.

Reporting to the Transportation Engineer 5, the incumbent independently operates the commission's railroad hazardous materials safety program as decreed by the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). This position also monitors and analyzes technical, regulatory, and policy development information related to the safety regulation of hazardous materials to identify changes, issues or concerns that may affect railroad companies, the FRA, or the commission.

Independently plans and carries out an itinerary of periodic inspections of railroad equipment, facilities, programs, records and operations to ensure compliance with federal safety laws, rules, regulations, policies and standards, with a focus on hazardous materials.

A minimum of two (2) years of specialized experience in or directly related to the following hazardous materials subjects, such as hazardous materials regulations, hazmat inspection, hazmat shipping or other experience with the transportation of hazardous materials. Must have demonstrated knowledge in the following areas : Federal regulations and standards governing the shipment of hazardous materials by rail including containerization, loading, handling, documentation and placarding. Typical reactions of the different hazardous commodities transported by rail and the safe procedures for containing or controlling leaks, fires, or explosions. A comprehensive knowledge of the transportation and operating procedures employed in the railroad, shipping, or manufacturing industries associated with the transportation of hazardous materials.

The successful incumbent must also demonstrate proficient expertise in the following position specific competencies. These skills may be gained through education, experience, or a combination of both. Inspection and investigation skills : Critical observation skills to inspect and investigate equipment, facilities, programs, records or operations of railroad companies. Analytical skills to identify factors affecting or contributing to issues of noncompliance, to recognize trends and forecast anticipated problems, hazards, and issues that have not yet surfaced, and to determine what safety improvements can be made at the location. Ability to document inspection and investigation results in a way that others can understand and act upon their significance. Understand which safety improvements or corrective action measures to recommend for a given situation. Research and analytical abilities.