Chief Policy Officer

Overview

The Metropolitan King County Council oversees the second largest government and the most populous county in Washington State. As the legislative branch of county government, the Council sets policies, enacts laws, and adopts budgets that guide essential services for 2.3 million King County residents—including housing, health, land use, environmental protection, public safety, transportation, and more.

The King County Council is currently seeking an experienced and strategic Chief Policy Officer to oversee all aspects of the Council’s legislative program. In addition to managing a 25-person team of nonpartisan legislative analysts and clerks, the Chief Policy Officer is responsible for prioritizing and ensuring the efficacy of the Council’s legislative activity, understanding and advising Council members on complex policy matters, and upholding the highest standards of objective, accurate, and reliable legislative analysis.

This nonpartisan, executive-level role reports directly to the Council’s Chief of Staff but is responsive to all nine council members.

• Ensure the accuracy, integrity, and timeliness of the King County Council’s legislative activity, including drafting of motions, ordinances, and all supporting reports and materials.
• Provide management support to an approximate 25-member team, with a focus on professional development, coaching, and performance management.
• Prioritize, assign, and monitor the work of legislative support staff, providing technical guidance and feedback to policy analysts on a comprehensive list of subjects. Promote and maintain the objectivity and integrity of analyst work product.
• Work closely with the Council’s legal team, clerk, and code reviser to ensure that all legislation complies with King County Code, Washington State law, Council Rules, and other regulatory requirements.
• Oversee the policy team’s participation in the Council’s biennial budget process, coordinating workflow and facilitating the adoption of a biennial budget.
• Conduct briefings and presentations for staff and council members, both individually and at public Council and committee meetings.
• Anticipate significant policy and political issues affecting King County and provide guidance on a wide range of complex and often politically sensitive strategic, policy, organizational, and management issues.
• In coordination with the Council’s Chief of Staff, represent the Council in discussions with labor partners, including participating in collective bargaining negotiations; ensure adherence to collective bargaining agreements.

This position requires a master’s degree in public administration, political science, business, economics, or an equivalent discipline, and at least ten years’ experience performing senior-level analytical, communications, budgeting, and policy work. Other requirements include:

• Advanced knowledge and expertise in public administration, public policy, budgeting, financial planning and analysis, public affairs, or equivalent that can aid legislative analysis and development.
• High-level leadership and management skills, including performance management, teambuilding, negotiation and conflict resolution, change management, and general knowledge of HR best practices.
• Outstanding interpersonal and written communication skills, including the ability to make public presentations and convey complex information to a wide variety of audiences in an accessible, thoughtful manner.
• Demonstrated project management skills and the ability to plan workloads, set priorities, and manage competing deadlines.
• Extensive knowledge of legislative and policy development processes and council and committee parliamentary rules and procedures.
• Familiarity with King County Code as well as local, regional, state, and federal laws and regulations as they apply to policy making.
• Judiciousness and discretion, with a high awareness of politically sensitive issues and the ability to maintain confidentiality.
• An understanding of equity and social justice principles and how they apply to both the workplace and to public policy outcomes.

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