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Deputy Division Director-Community Health Services

Public Health – Seattle & King County is seeking an exceptional operational leader, strategist, and systems thinker to serve as the Deputy Division Director of Community Health Services (CHS).


Position Summary

This senior leadership role is responsible for helping guide one of the region’s largest public health service delivery systems. The Deputy Director will work closely with the CHS Division Director to oversee operational infrastructure, strengthen partnerships, support workforce excellence, and advance strategic priorities that improve health outcomes for historically underserved communities.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate strong senior leadership, political and organizational acumen, and a deep commitment to advancing equity, racial justice, and community-centered care.


This leader will operate effectively within a complex, highly matrixed governmental system, collaborating with internal partners, municipalities, community-based organizations, and regional health care providers.

Background

The Community Health Services (CHS) Division strengthens King County’s safety-net health system by ensuring access to equitable, culturally responsive, and high-quality health services.

CHS provides both direct clinical services and regional partnership investments that support the health of King County residents.

Division highlights include:

  • Annual operating budget of approximately $200 million
  • Workforce of 580+ employees
  • 11 Public Health Centers across King County
  • Approximately 80,000 clients served annually through Public Health Centers
  • Regional partnership programs reaching 300,000+ residents annually

CHS operates within a networked public health system that includes community health centers, hospitals, schools, municipalities, and community-based organizations.

The Deputy Division Director is a key member of the CHS Leadership Team and helps cultivate a workplace culture grounded in:

  • Racial justice and equity
  • Trauma-informed and healing-centered practices
  • Workforce well-being and belonging
  • Continuous learning and improvement
  • Accountability to the communities we serve

CHS Strategic Priorities

The Deputy Director will play an important role in advancing CHS strategic initiatives, including:

  • Strengthening the region’s health care safety net
  • Expanding access to equitable and culturally responsive care
  • Improving health outcomes for people experiencing homelessness and other marginalized populations
  • Modernizing service delivery models across Public Health Centers
  • Strengthening partnerships with community-based organizations and health systems
  • Advancing workforce development and leadership capacity within CHS

Public Health Center Services

CHS operates 11 Public Health Centers that deliver comprehensive clinical services grounded in evidence-based practice and community engagement.

Primary populations served include:

  • Low-income pregnant people and families with young children
  • Low-income and marginalized adults including:
    • People experiencing homelessness
    • People with complex medical, behavioral health, and substance use conditions
    • People facing barriers due to immigration status, culture, or language

Core Public Health Center Programs

Six primary program areas are delivered through the Public Health Center system:

  • Parent–Child Health Programs including First Steps (Maternity Support Services / Infant Case Management), Nurse-Family Partnership, and Children with Special Health Care Needs
  • WIC – Women, Infants, and Children Supplemental Nutrition Program
  • Family Planning Services and Health Education
  • Primary Care
  • Clinical Dental Services
  • Health Insurance and Benefits Enrollment

All Public Health Centers provide First Steps and WIC services, which account for more than 60% of services delivered through the Public Health Center system. These services are also delivered through four regional teams located in North and South King County.

Regional Partnership Programs

CHS administers several regional partnership programs that invest in community organizations to strengthen the safety-net health system. These include:

Access & Outreach
Provides enrollment support for Medicaid, Qualified Health Plans, Basic Food, ORCA LIFT, and other benefits while connecting residents to health services.

Health Care for the Homeless Network (HCHN)
Supports primary care, behavioral health services, outreach, and care coordination for people experiencing homelessness.

School-Based Health Partnerships
Supports the development and sustainability of School-Based health strategies and School-Based health centers.

Child Care Health Program
Provides interdisciplinary consultation to early learning and childcare providers to promote safe and healthy environments.

Community Health Partnerships
Invests in local safety-net providers, including community health centers, to strengthen system coordination and equitable access to care.

Role of the Deputy Division Director

The Deputy Division Director serves as a co-leader of the CHS Division, partnering with the Division Director to advance strategic direction, operational excellence, and organizational culture.

This position provides leadership across multiple operational and strategic domains including workforce management, partnerships, real estate and facilities planning, labor relations, and service delivery infrastructure.

Key leadership responsibilities include:

  • Representing the Division Director in departmental and county leadership forums
  • Strengthening partnerships with municipalities, including maintaining strong collaboration with the City of Seattle
  • Leading director-level Human Resources and Labor Relations matters, including participation in collective bargaining coordination with the King County Office of Labor Relations
  • Supporting major facilities and real estate planning decisions affecting CHS services
  • Providing oversight for selected regional partnership programs

The Deputy Director helps create an organizational environment where staff can thrive and contribute their expertise toward improving health outcomes for communities.

Organizational Leadership

The Deputy Director works closely with senior leaders across CHS, including:

  • Regional Health Administrators
  • Program Quality Manager
  • Finance & Administrative Services Manager
  • Program Managers and Health Services Administrators
  • CHS Medical Officer and Chief of Dental Services
  • Human Resources and administrative partners

The Deputy Director may supervise regional health administrators, program managers or administrators responsible for major Public Health Center programs.

Departmental Leadership

The Deputy Director represents CHS on the Public Health Department’s Deputy Operations Team, which collaborates on cross-department initiatives such as:

  • Technology modernization and digital infrastructure
  • Contracting standards and practices
  • Workforce engagement strategies
  • Departmentwide operational improvements

The Deputy Director works closely with the Department’s Chief Administrative Officer and the Administrative Services Division on initiatives that impact Public Health operations across King County.

Emergency Response Leadership

Public Health – Seattle & King County plays a critical role in emergency preparedness and response.

During emergencies, the Deputy Director may:

  • Coordinate redeployment of staff to emergency response roles
  • Adjust service delivery models to meet community needs
  • Help develop and implement emergency response strategies
  • Collaborate with community partners and municipalities during crisis response

Note: This posting will create a list of qualified candidates that may be considered for selection of additional vacancies of the same position type over the next 6 months.

Commitment To Equity and Social Justice

Named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the most influential civil rights leaders in our nation's history, King County is a vibrant international community with residents that represent countries from around the world. It is a region with increasing diversity that cherishes the traditions of many cultures.

The county government has a deep commitment to equity and social justice and advancing practices, strategies, and policies that promote fairness, justice, and opportunity for all – in our workplaces and our communities. With this commitment, King County has adopted a pro-equity agenda to advance regional change and ensure that residents from all communities are incorporated into our emergency planning and public outreach efforts.

We recognize that structural racism consists of principles and practices that cause and justify an inequitable distribution of rights, opportunities, and experiences across racial groups. Since declaring Racism is a Public Health Crisis in June 2020, King County and Public Health committed to being intentionally anti-racist and accountable to Black, Indigenous and People of Color communities.

To learn more, please visit http://www.kingcounty.gov/elected/executive/equity-social-justice.aspx

Work Schedule

Typical work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, and as needed. This is an exempt position and is not subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act and is not overtime eligible.

Remote and Onsite Work

This position works in a hybrid model, onsite three days in the office as well as two days a week telecommuting. The ratio of remote to onsite work will be dependent on business needs and is subject to change. The primary onsite location is at the Chinook building, located at 401 Fifth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104, 10th Floor. 

Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.

King County has a robust collection of tools and resources to support working remotely. The individual selected for this opportunity will join an innovative and progressive team that is redefining how we work as we transition to the department's hybrid environment. Employees will be provided with a County-issued laptop and must maintain a home workspace with an internet connection where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours.

This position is posted as open until filled. First review will be conducted of applications received by March 26th at 11:59 pm.

Interviews: First Round interviews are anticipated to be held on April 7th and Second Round Interviews are anticipated to be held on April 8th.

Contact
If you have questions or would like more information about the application process, please contact Salyse Duckworth, HR Analyst at sduckworth@kingcounty.gov.

Requirements

  • Provide executive leadership for CHS operations including employee engagement, service productivity, program quality, partnership development, and financial performance
  • Strengthen operational infrastructure supporting CHS programs including human resources, labor relations, facilities, and workforce development
  • Mentor and support senior CHS managers and administrators
  • Foster a culture of learning, innovation, and continuous improvement
  • Lead strategic planning processes and translate data and analysis into actionable priorities
  • Build strong partnerships with community organizations and public agencies
  • Serve as liaison with municipalities and regional partners
  • Support financial sustainability through oversight of capital and operating budgets
  • Communicate division priorities and guide leadership teams in implementation

Qualifications

Our ideal candidate will demonstrate the following (Minimum):

  • Demonstrated executive leadership experience in complex organizations
  • Strong ability to navigate complex governmental or institutional systems
  • Experience in mentoring and developing senior leaders
  • Commitment to racial equity, social justice, and community-centered service delivery
  • Ability to build strong, inclusive teams and organizational culture
  • Experience establishing and achieving strategic and operational goals
  • Experience managing budgets and organizational resources
  • Knowledge of public health concepts and community-based service delivery systems
  • Understanding of social determinants of health and health disparities
  • Strong relationship-building and communication skills across diverse communities
  • Ability to travel throughout King County as required

The most competitive applicants will have the following experiences and qualifications (Desired):

  • Five or more years of management experience in a public sector or health system organization
  • Experience working within a unionized workforce environment
  • Experience leading organizational transformation or system change initiatives
  • Experience working with community-based organizations and safety-net providers

Forbes named King County as one of Washington State's best employers.

Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.

Guided by our "True North", we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles - we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer

No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.

To Apply

If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.

Who May Apply

This opportunity is open to all qualified applicants.

The following items are required to be considered for this vacancy:

  • NEOGOV Job Application (The responses on your job application should be thorough and complete and will be used in the screening process)
  • Supplemental Questions (The responses to the supplemental questions should be thorough and complete and will be used in the screening process)
  • Resume - Your resume should be thorough and complete and will be used in the screening process.
  • Letter of Interest – Please share why you are interested in this position and any aspects of your education, training, and/or experience that you feel make you a highly qualified candidate for this position.

(Please note: additional attachments will not be reviewed as part of the evaluation process if not outlined as a required application material as outlined above).

Your application may be rejected as incomplete if you do not include the relevant information in the application. Cover letters and/or resumes are not accepted in lieu of a completed application. Applications and/or Supplemental Questionnaires that state "see my resume" or "see my personnel file" are considered incomplete and will not be accepted.

Necessary Special Requirements

  • The selection process may include evaluation of application materials and supplemental questions, interviewing, and testing. You must completely fill out the application with your relevant education and work experience.
  • The selected candidate must be able to pass a thorough background investigation, but findings may not necessarily disqualify an applicant for employment.
  • For more information on our selection process, please refer to www.kingcounty.gov/depts/health/jobs/hiring. For tips on interviewing, please visit https://www.kingcounty.gov/~/media/audience/employees/learning-and-development/Interview_Tips.ashx?la=en. 
  • Employees are required to protect the privacy and security of protected health information as defined in State and Federal Law.
  • Public Health relies on office automation (Microsoft Office) and web-based enabled tools, therefore candidates must be proficient and comfortable with computer use to perform functions associated with on-going work.
  • Employees are required to adhere to OSHA/WISHA guidelines including but not limited to completing their mandatory trainings on time and obtaining required immunizations.
  • Regular and reliable attendance, effective communication skills, and development of effective working relationships are requirements of all Public Health positions.
  • When Public Health responds to an emergency, and in accordance with relevant CBA language and/or KC policy and procedures, we may assign duties outside your regular job description. This may involve responding at any time, including nights and weekends, with possible deployment to locations other than the department. 
  • If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact your recruiter listed on this job announcement.

Union Membership: This is a non-represented position.
Date Posted
03/12/2026
Job Reference
2026SMD26734
Organization
DPH - Public Health, Community Health Services
Location
King County, WA
Category
Executive
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