Quick Links:

• State of Washington Job Opportunities: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/washington
• Washington State Career Center: https://careers.wa.gov/
• Washington Department of Agriculture Jobs: https://agr.wa.gov/about-wsda/employment
• Washington Department of Health Jobs: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/washington/doh

How to Obtain a State Job: 

Applicants interested in a job with the State of Washington should search the job opportunities page for positions of interest or agency-specific employment page (linked above). Select a job posting of interest and review the responsibilities and minimum qualifications. Select “Apply” to establish an account or login to your existing account to complete the online application through the Washington State Career Center portal.

How to Apply: https://careers.wa.gov/tips.html

Washington Department of Agriculture

The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) regulates manufactured food, meat, poultry, dairy, feed, and produce. The entry level classification utilized by WSDA is:

Food Safety Compliance Specialist I
(Manufactured Food, Milk & Dairy, Meat Processing, Feed)
Annual Salary Range: $43,392 – $58,260

Minimum Qualifications: (1) A Bachelor’s degree involving major study in bacteriology, microbiology, food science, food technology, biochemistry, dairy science, or a natural science in a closely allied field; OR (2) Equivalent education / experience.

Note: Upon successful completion of one year of training, incumbents will automatically advance to the Food Safety Compliance Specialist 2 level.

Food Safety Compliance Specialist II
(Manufactured Food, Milk & Dairy, Meat Processing, Feed)
Annual Salary Range: $52,776 – $70,956

Minimum Qualifications: A Bachelor’s degree involving major study in bacteriology, microbiology, food science, food technology, biochemistry, dairy science, or a natural science in a closely allied field.  AND

One year of experience as a Washington State Food Safety Compliance Specialist 1 OR two years of equivalent public health regulatory-related experience or three years of quality control experience in a food or dairy processing plant.

A Master’s degree involving major study in one of the above education fields will substitute for one year of experience but not for the one year of experience as a Washington State Food Safety Compliance Specialist I.

Public Health Advisor II (Produce)
Annual Salary Range: $51,432 – $69,264

Minimum Qualifications: A Master’s degree in public health, environmental health, or allied science with a minimum of 30 semester or 45 quarter hours in a natural or physical science and two years of professional experience in public health.  OR

A Bachelor’s degree in public health, environmental health, or allied science with a minimum of 30 semester or 45 quarter hours in a natural or physical science and four years of professional experience in public health including two years in a consultative, supervisory, administrative, or advisory capacity.  OR

A Doctoral degree in public health, environmental health, or allied science.  

Two years as a Public Health Advisor 1 will substitute for the required two years of consultative, supervisory, administrative, or advisory experience.  

Organic Inspector
Annual Salary Range: $55,224.00 – $74,376.00

Minimum Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree involving major study in environmental, physical, or one of the natural sciences, environmental planning, or other allied field AND two (2) years of professional-level experience in commercial agriculture production or environmental related inspections/regulatory work. OR

Master’s degree in one of the above fields will substitute for one (1)  year of the required experience. OR

Ph.D. in one of the above fields. OR

One (1) year of experience as an Environmental Specialist 2 AND successful completion of, or the ability to qualify for and attend, on-site crop trainings by the International Organic Inspector’s Association (IOIA) within one year. Training expenses paid by WSDA, location and training dates vary.

*Additional qualifying experience will substitute, year for year, for education*

Washington Department of Health

The Washington Department of Health (WDOH) provides oversight and technical support to local health departments charged with regulating the retail food supply and regulates shellfish operations within the state. The entry level classification utilized by WDOH is:

Retail Food Safety Specialist
Annual Salary Range: $4,968.00-$6,676.00 Monthly

Minimum Qualifications: A Bachelor’s degree in environmental public health, food science, environmental science, or allied field AND Four (4) years of progressive experience in a food safety program focused on retail food safety including any of the following (either as paid or unpaid activities):

• Interpreting retail food safety and public health regulations and statutes and providing technical assistance regarding food safety hazards or issues
• Conducting retail food safety inspections and foodborne outbreak investigations and writing comprehensive reports
• Developing and presenting training and educational outreach on food safety topics to a broad scope of stakeholders
• Participating in the development of retail food safety guidance, best practices, policies, or rules regarding environmental public health hazards or issues

Experience will include practical skills in MS Excel for spreadsheet tasks, database management, MS Word for document creation and formatting, and Microsoft Outlook or similar email systems for electronic correspondence.

Public Health Advisor III
Annual Salary Range: $55,524 – $74,604

Minimum Qualifications:  A Master’s degree in public health, environmental health, or allied science with a minimum of 30 semester or 45 quarter hours in natural or physical science and four years of professional experience in public health, including three years in a consultative, supervisory, administrative or advisory capacity.  OR

A Bachelor’s degree in public health, environmental health, or allied science with a minimum of 30 semester or 45 quarter hours in natural or physical science and six years of professional experience in public health, including three years in a consultative, supervisory, administrative, or advisory capacity. OR

A Doctoral degree in public health, environmental health, or allied science and two years of professional experience in public health in a consultative, supervisory, administrative, or advisory capacity, or in post-doctoral research in a public health discipline.