Executive Director, Community Relations and Equity

The Executive Director of Community Relations and Equity sits at the center of the Department of Health’s commitment to advancing health justice within an evolving and increasingly complex public health landscape. This role provides strategic leadership to embed equity, antiracism, and community voice across agencywide policy development, legislative engagement, planning, and decision-making.

As a member of the Executive Leadership Team, the Director leads and influences policy, strategy, and organizational initiatives that strengthen accountability to communities, how the agency builds and sustains authentic and impactful relationships and helps drive our work in a way that delivers equitable health outcomes statewide.

This is a senior leadership role for someone who can navigate complexity, build meaningful relationships, and translate equity principles into action at scale.

As the Executive Director, you will provide strategic leadership for community relations and equity across the Department of Health. Core responsibilities include:

Strategic Leadership and Agencywide Influence

• Provide strategic leadership for community relations and equity across the Department of Health.
• Serve as a member of the Executive Leadership Team, shaping agencywide approaches to trust-building, equity, and community influence.
• Serve as a senior advisor and connector on systemwide initiatives impacting underserved communities.
• Represent the agency at the executive level, including participation on the Health Disparities Council.
• Coordinate with the State Office of Equity and seek cross-agency collaboration to strengthen collective impact.

Community Partnerships and Community Voice

• Lead and sustain strategic partnerships with community leaders and community-based organizations to ensure meaningful community influence in agency work.
• Identify, develop, and strengthen pathways for community participation in policy, planning, and implementation.
• Provide guidance and consultation to agency leaders and staff on strategic partnership and relationship issues.
• Identify areas where community voices are absent or could be strengthened and guide efforts to address those gaps.

Health Equity Strategy, Policy, and Systems Integration

• Guide agencywide health equity strategy, including policies, initiatives, and practices that address health disparities and avoid unintended inequities.
• Lead efforts to embed health justice and equity principles across policy, legislative, and government relations activities.
• Guide and implement health equity impact reviews to assess the equity implications of legislation, policies, and initiatives.
• Advise and lead efforts related to Community Compensation and Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) Standards.
• Assist in the development of internal and external communication strategies related to health equity.

Facilitation, Learning, and Capacity Building

• Facilitate and lead courageous, healthy conversations on race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality that promote learning, trust, and progress.
• Create and support communities of practice that strengthen agencywide understanding and application of health equity principles.
• Provide guidance, tools, and training to staff and partners on applying equity frameworks in public health decision-making.
• Identify areas of growth and learning for self and others to strengthen shared equity understanding across the agency.

People Leadership and Team Development

• Supervise and lead a team of over 20 Community Relations and Equity staff.
• Set strategic goals, support program evaluation, and establish clear outcomes to bring structure and transparency to the work.
• Support staff development and ensure the resources needed for effective engagement and communication are in place.

Required Qualifications 

Experience must demonstrate senior-level management and leadership directing complex health equity–focused programs or initiatives, with advanced competencies in organizational leadership, strategic planning, people management, cross-sector collaboration, and accountability for outcomes.

Path 1: A Master’s degree (or higher) in Public Health, Public Administration, Public Policy, or a closely related field; and a minimum of eight years of experience as described above.

Path 2: A Bachelor’s degree in Public Health, Public Administration, Public Policy, or a closely related field and a minimum often years of experience as described above.

Path 3: An equivalent combination of education and professional experience, totaling ten or more years of experience as described above.

Successful candidates will also bring: 

Leadership and People Management

• Strong leadership and management skills
• Ability to set priorities, manage time effectively, and lead work across competing demands
• Creative problem-solving skills when navigating complex or unfamiliar challenges

Partnership, Collaboration, and Facilitation

• Community partnership experience at the local, state or federal level
• Strong collaboration and facilitation skills
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with agency staff and external partners
• Ability to understand, navigate, and resolve complex partnership and relationship issues

Strategic Analysis and Judgment

• Ability to research, analyze, and develop effective engagement strategies for diverse audiences
• Ability to analyze facts and law to inform sound, defensible decisions

Communication and Influence

• Ability to write clearly and communicate effectively on complex public health issues
• Demonstrated skill in oral, written, and interpersonal communication across varied audiences

Health Equity and Disparities Expertise

• Strong skills in addressing health disparities and health justice
• Demonstrated ability to advance and improve health equity in programs, policies, or systems

About Washington State Department of Health

Our programs and services help prevent illness and injury, promote healthy places to live and work, provide information to help people make good health decisions and ensure our state is prepared for emergencies. To accomplish all of these, we collaborate with many partners every day. We help ensure a safer and healthier Washington by: Working to improve health through disease and injury prevention, immunization, and newborn screening Providing health and safety information, education and training so people can make healthy choices Promoting a health and wellness system where we live, learn, work, play and worship Addressing environmental health hazards associated with drinking water, food, air quality and pesticide exposure Protecting you and your family by licensing healthcare professionals, investigating disease outbreaks and preparing for emergencies

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