Deputy Assistant Secretary of Child Welfare; Exempt Olympia

Description Our vision is to ensure that “Washington state’s children and youth grow up safe and healthy-thriving physically, emotionally and academically, nurtured by family and community.”

Job Title:

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Child Welfare (Exempt) – Olympia

Agency:
Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF)

Location:

Olympia, Washington – Hybrid position – some work can be accomplished remotely, but travel to in-person meetings and facilities is required.

Reports To:

Assistant Secretary of Child Welfare

Salary: $151,200-$170,000 Annually

Closes:
November 30th, 2025 – first review of applications on November 20th.

Reporting directly to the Assistant Secretary of Child Welfare, this position provides visionary executive leadership and strategic direction for the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF). The Deputy Assistant Secretary for Child Welfare plays a pivotal role in shaping the agency’s statewide child welfare operations, ensuring every program and service supports DCYF’s mission to protect children, strengthen families, and build resilient communities.

This leader oversees critical statewide functions, including Centralized Services and Central Intake, the 24/7 End Harm Line, after-hours intake, and Region 4 daytime intake operations. These services handle child abuse and neglect reports received from law enforcement, hospitals, families, and community members across Washington State. As a key member of the agency’s executive team, the Deputy Assistant Secretary serves as a trusted advisor and decision-maker for the Assistant Secretary, ensuring programs are strategically aligned with DCYF’s mission, vision, and values while advancing a culture of accountability, collaboration, and innovation in service delivery.

Overall responsibility for the development, management and implementation of child- and family-centric programs. Manage operational activities of the Child Welfare Division, ensuring efficient financial, budget, and contracting processes and providing technical expertise and guidance on child safety and risk assessment. Executive sponsorship of statewide projects and daily leadership of a talented team of professionals within Central Intake and Centralized Services. Negotiate resolution of personnel, institutional, and interagency conflicts.

Design, supervise, direct, and engage team members in short- and long-term planning in complex, adaptive situations. Oversee statewide 24/7 programs for behaviorally challenged youth and represent child welfare in labor negotiations.

• Support the Assistant Secretary, including attending meetings on behalf of the Assistant Secretary and making decisions on behalf of the Assistant Secretary.
• Identify the internal and external needs and gaps in existing resources and procedures that require intervention of executive management through mitigation or correction.
• Provide technical expertise and guidance regarding child safety and risk assessment, serves as an “expert” on child protection issues.
• Executive sponsorship of ad hoc statewide projects, including presentations to Executive Leadership Team on behalf of projects in its purview.

• Provide daily leadership and support for a talented and experienced team of professionals and is accountable for goals and deliverables within Child Welfare statewide, Central Intake and Centralized Services. Leads, coaches and mentors’ managers and supervisors; authorizes child welfare, Central Intake and Centralized Services activities; approves budgets, allocations, and spending plans and expenditures; translates leadership team goals into actions within Child Welfare.
• Negotiate resolution of personnel, institutional, and interagency conflicts.
• Design, supervise, direct, and engage team members in short- and long-term planning in complex, adaptive situations.
• Develop leased facility 24/7 programs in order to provide supervision for behaviorally challenged youth who require a high level of supervision and care while awaiting other longer-term placement options in a manner that maximizes safety for both the youth…