DSHS HCLA Director, Management Services Division

DSHS HCLA Director, Management Services Division

Help shape the future of long‑term services and support in Washington State.

Are you a strategic, compassionate leader who believes that sound fiscal stewardship is essential to dignity, independence, and choice?

The Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) invites applications for the Director of the Management Services Division (MSD) within the Home and Community Living Administration (HCLA). This is a rare opportunity to serve at the executive level in a mission‑driven organization that supports older adults and people with disabilities across Washington.

In this role, you will help ensure that public resources are managed with integrity, transparency, and care, enabling critical services that thousands of Washingtonians rely on every day.

HCLA oversees Washington State’s nationally recognized system of long‑term services and supports, serving older adults and people with disabilities through:

• Home‑and community‑based services
• Protection from abuse, neglect, and exploitation
• Regulatory oversight of licensed and certified care settings
• Case management and communication access services for individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or deafblind

Our work is grounded in choice, independence, dignity, safety, and equity, and fiscal leadership is central to making that vision real.

The Management Services Division Director is a senior executive leader who serves as the Chief Financial Officer for HCLA. Reporting directly to the Assistant Secretary, this role provides strategic leadership and oversight for:

• Budget and financial management
• Accounting and internal controls
• Medicaid caseload forecasting and rate setting
• Contracting and facilities management

• An $18 billion biennial budget
• A division with an $8 million annual operating budget
• Fiscal systems supporting over 100,000 clients annually
• Billions of dollars in federal Medicaid matching funds

This role balances technical excellence with values‑based leadership, ensuring both fiscal integrity and human impact.

• Serve as Chief Financial Officer for HCLA, providing executive-level fiscal leadership and strategic direction
• Lead statewide budget development, allotment management, accounting policy, contracting, and internal controls
• Direct development of biennial and supplemental budgets, fiscal notes, and complex caseload models
• Oversee Medicaid forecasting and provider rate development across major service areas
• Ensure compliance with state and federal laws, regulations, and grant requirements, reducing fiscal and audit risk
• Advise the Assistant Secretary and DSHS executive leadership on complex fiscal and policy matters
• Build strong partnerships with the Office of Financial Management, legislative staff, DSHS Central Budget Office, providers, advocates, and federal partners
• Serve as Appointing Authority for the division, supporting hiring, performance management, labor relations, and staff development
• Lead with a transparent, ethical, and results-oriented approach to stewardship of public resources

Programs supported include nursing facilities, in‑home services, adult family homes, residential care and assisted living, and employment and community inclusion services.

We are seeking a leader who combines deep fiscal expertise with humility, collaboration, and a commitment to public service.

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in finance, public administration, business administration, social services, or a related field
• At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience in a large, complex public‑sector or social‑services organization
• At least 5 years supervising professional fiscal, budget, and/or rate‑management staff in a government setting
• Equivalent professional experience may substitute for education on a year‑for‑year basis

• Advanced knowledge of public‑sector financial management, budgeting, accounting, and federal grant requirements
• Proven success managing large, complex budgets with multiple funding streams
• Experience navigating legislative and politically…