Director of Operations

Position: Director of Operations

Agency: Washington State Office of Civil Legal Aid

Job Type: Permanent Full-Time

Salary: $140,000 - $155,000

Location: Washington State (location flexible; hybrid/remote work arrangements available)

Open: September 4, 2026

Close: Open until filled.
Review of applications will begin on September 28, 2026.

This is primarily a hybrid/remote position, however, a regular presence in Olympia, Washington is required. In addition, this position requires occasional travel in Washington State for meetings and events.

The Washington State Office of Civil Legal Aid (OCLA) is an independent judicial branch agency. Created with an understanding that the provision of legal aid services to indigent persons is an important component of the state’s responsibility to provide for the proper and effective administration of justice, OCLA’s mission is to secure, invest and oversee the use of public funding for civil legal aid to low-income people in Washington State and to ensure accountability for public funds dedicated to the purpose.

Since 2005, OCLA has administered and overseen general civil legal aid in Washington. Today the agency also supports legal aid to victims of crime and domestic violence, children in foster care, kinship caregivers, indigent tenants facing eviction, and individuals reentering society following completion of their terms of incarceration.

Consistent with The Washington State Supreme Court’s June 4, 2020, Statement to the Legal Community (Download PDF reader), OCLA acknowledges that it and its contracted civil legal aid providers operate in a law and justice system historically grounded in racism and that time and again has administered justice differentially depending on the racial identities of those involved. OCLA was an initial subscriber to the Washington Race Equity and Justice Acknowledgments and Commitments.

As outlined in its Race Equity and Justice Statement of Purpose, OCLA is committed to being an active partner in carrying out the Washington State judicial branch’s commitment to ensuring equity and justice for people and communities throughout our state.

Find out more about OCLA here

Reporting to the OCLA Director, the Director of Operations (DoO) is responsible for budget development and tracking, human resources, regulatory accountability, and general agency operations. The DoO coordinates administrative processes to ensure alignment, consistency, effectiveness, and efficiency across the agency.

• Coordination of annual, biennial, and long-term budget planning including assisting the OCLA Director and program leaders with overall agency and programmatic budget development and expenditure tracking.
• With the OCLA Director and program leaders, develop decision packages and fiscal notes, engaging with legislative staff and others to ensure effective and successful representation of the agency’s budget requests.
• Oversee standardized, equity-informed agency contracting and procurement practices.
• Ensure effective coordination of all programs, contracts, and vendor relations.
• Oversee human resources for the agency ensuring processes are consistent, equitable, and appropriately aligned with best practices.
• Lead internal IT functions and serve as the agency’s liaison to other state agencies for outsourced IT functions.
• Assist in leading a culture of continuous improvement throughout the agency and serve as a project manager for related initiatives.
• Supervise central support staff and ensure administrative work is coordinated across the agency to ensure consistent practices, efficient operations, and appropriate backups.
• Represent the agency in judicial branch and other task forces, work groups, and planning committee on matters that…