Parks Capital Programs Specialist - Public Works

Job Summary

Clark County is looking for an experienced Parks Capital Program Specialist. This position is located within the Public Works Department, Parks and Nature Division.

The Community and Region

Clark County is the fastest growing county in the state of Washington. The county is home to over 500,000 people and continues to be a place where families choose to relocate when schools and housing prices are considered. The urban core of the county, the City of Vancouver, is situated on the north bank of the Columbia River just a few miles from downtown Portland. Vancouver has quickly become an appealing option to Portland given its modern Columbia River waterfront development along with its diverse collection of downtown shops and restaurants.

Clark County also has vast access to natural areas including mountains, trails and countless miles of rivers for rafting, boating and fishing. For more information about Vancouver, Washington and Clark County go to www.visitvancouverwa.com.


If you are passionate about parks and open space development and stewardship this is a great professional opportunity. You will be working on projects throughout the county in a park system that is truly unique. Clark County Parks provide diverse recreation opportunities for residents and visitors alike. The park system includes both urban parks, regional recreation focused facilities and more traditional natural resource-based parks in natural areas and along shorelines.

The Parks and Nature Capital Program Specialists will work with the Planning and Development Team to develop and implement the 6-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) including the coordination, bidding and implementation oversight of several Major Maintenance projects annually. In addition, our new team member will serve in a support role from time-to-time on park planning, budgeting, scheduling and construction management on new and renovated facilities throughout the county.

The Parks Capital Program Specialist works under supervision of The Planning and Development Manager.

Clark County provides regional parks, special facilities, regional trails, greenways, and natural areas throughout the county, along with neighborhood and community parks and sports fields in or near the urban unincorporated area (Vancouver urban growth area). Additional information about the division can be found at https://clark.wa.gov/public-works/clark-county-parks.

This position does offer a hybrid/ remote work schedule. The candidate selected must reside in either WA or OR. No exceptions.

Engineer positions are represented by PROTEC17, Professional and Technical Employees.

Qualifications

Education and Experience: The Capital Program Specialist position requires a job related bachelor’s degree, such as Business Administration, Engineering, Planning, Landscape Architecture, Project Management, Construction Management, or other related discipline and minimum two (2) years related work experience; or Associates Degree in a related discipline and minimum of four (4) years related work experience.

Knowledge of:  Public agency and parks or public works system operations and financing; organizational and management practices as applied to the development of park and trails projects; capital program planning, scheduling, and monitoring; grants and contract administration; methods and procedures of finance including grants accounting; application and interpretation of county, state and federal laws and regulation relevant to park and trails capital programs; understanding of current trends and practices within park and trails capital program development and implementation.

Ability to:   accomplish multiple priorities/projects within established timeframes; develop and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work including a variety of county and other government officials, community groups, and the general public; coordinate with other professional and technical staff; ensure completion and maintenance of project documentation and reports; manipulate large and complex databases; work independently and within multidiscipline teams to plan, finance and construct park and trails capital projects; apply and interpret county regulatory codes; develop and adhere to departmental policies and procedures; adhere to work standards and codes applicable to the job; communicate effectively both orally and in writing.

Selection Process:

Resume and other documents must be attached together in the 'Resume Upload' section of the application.  Multiple files are allowed, but all applicant attachments must be uploaded simultaneously, as there is no way to edit or append uploaded materials after submitting the application.

 

Application Review (Pass/ Fail) - An online application is required.  Attaching a resume does not substitute for a completed application; incomplete applications will not pass the application review.  Candidates deemed most qualified will be invited to participate in the remainder of the selection process.

 

Practical Exam (Pass/Fail) - This recruitment may require a practical exam which will be job related and may include, but not limited to, the qualifications outlined in the job announcement.  Candidates deemed most qualified will be invited to participate in the remainder of the selection process.

 

Oral Interview - The interview will be job related and may include, not limited to, the qualifications outlined in the job announcement.  Top candidate(s) will continue in the process.

 

Employment references will be conducted for the final candidates and may include verification of education.

 

It is general policy of the County that new employees should be hired at the lower steps of the applicable range and advance through the range at the normal progression.

First review of candidates will be April 20th. This recruitment may close at any time after the review date with no additional notice.

Examples of Duties

Duties may include but are not limited to the following:

Support the development of the annual 6-year Parks CIP including collecting economic, geometric, zoning and land use information; prioritizing projects and adjusting schedules as necessary; estimating and forecasting funding sources; tracking project costs and allocating the funding for budget and audit compliance.

Develop criteria and prioritize potential projects for the various programs as well as soliciting and coordinating public involvement as necessary.

Act as a “client” on specific park and trails capital projects representing the County’s needs and interests.

Coordinate closely with the park and trails capital project managers, park planners and other teams to deliver projects on-time, on-budget and within schedule.

Work when necessary with consultant teams involved in design of park and trails capital projects.

Prepare preliminary project scopes and initiate capital project work orders to start official cost tracking within the Public Works accounting system.

Represent the County when necessary at public meetings, open houses
and hearings.

Prepare information for and make presentations to official boards, including the Board of County Council, the Parks Advisory Board, the Neighborhood Association Boards, etc.

Respond to and work with Operations staff on in-house capital project implementation.

Assist the general public by answering questions and making referrals relative to Park and trails capital programs.

Prepare administrative reports, develop correspondence, record and comprehensive reports as assigned, in support of park and trails capital programs.

Perform other related duties as assigned.

This execution of the duties of this position occurs in a variety of settings mostly in an office environment. To perform the essential tasks, incumbents must be able to: see, read, communicate in person and over the phone, hand write and perform basic keyboard functions. Must have the mental ability to perform complex mental tasks and to reason and relate overall concepts for specific projects. This position requires incumbents to be available to work a variety of work hours to meet the job requirements which may include working on occasional weekends and evenings.

Salary Grade

Local 17 Engineers.9

Salary Range

$33.26 - $44.90- per hour

Close Date

06/12/2026

Recruiter

Rori Jones

Email:

Rori.Jones@clark.wa.gov

Equal Opportunity Employer

Clark County is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing equal opportunity in employment, access, and delivery of all county services. Clark County’s Equal Employment Opportunity Plan is available at http://www.clark.wa.gov/human-resources/documents.

Employee Benefits and additional compensation

Clark County provides regular full-time and part-time employees with a comprehensive benefits package which includes medical, vision and dental insurance, paid leave, flexible spending accounts, life insurance and long-term disability, retirement, and deferred compensation.  Some types of employees in some positions and bargaining units might have different benefits and additional compensation.  More specific benefit information for the different bargaining units can be found at https://clark.wa.gov/human-resources/employee-benefits. Also please refer to the specific bargaining unit contract for additional compensation at https://clark.wa.gov/human-resources/documents.

Retirement Information

All Clark County employees must participate in a WASHINGTON STATE RETIREMENT SYSTEM PLAN (PERS, PSERS or LEOFF).Employee contributions begin the first day of work. Current contribution rates vary by plan but could range from 5% to 15% of gross pay, depending on the plan choice. 
 

For additional information, check out the Department of Retirement Systems' web site here: http://www.drs.wa.gov/

If you are in need of ADA/Section 504 assistance for accommodations, please contact Human Resources at (564) 397-2456; Relay (800) 833-6388.