Director of Finance & Business Operations Division

Summary

King County is one of the nation’s fastest growing regions, and we are building innovative, people‑centered systems that support mobility, equity, and climate resilience throughout the Pacific Northwest. The Finance & Business Operations Division (FBOD) plays a critical enterprise role by providing equitable and exceptional value to customers for finance/accounting, procurement, treasury, and small business services. This role is a strategic, people‑centered position for a leader who excels at navigating complexity, shaping organizational culture, and driving results that improve how government works.

FBOD primarily delivers internal services to County departments and agencies, with some direct services to businesses, special districts, and taxpayers. FBOD includes about 200 employees organized into lines of business supporting financial reporting, procurement, treasury operations, debt management, and contracting programs. Our vision—“Count on Us”—reflects our commitment to employee and customer success, equity, resource stewardship, and operational excellence.

• Guide enterprise financial and operational strategy aligned with King County’s major policy goals, emphasizing transparency, efficiency, and accountability.
• Oversee enterprise financial stewardship, including annual financial reports, internal controls, executive policies, audits, and responses to audits.
• Promote consistency and equity in countywide financial and administrative practices.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to department and county leadership on financial, operational, and policy issues.
• Oversee complex, multiagency initiatives, ensuring alignment, strong governance, and successful delivery.

• Lead division‑wide visioning, strategic planning, and long‑term organizational direction.
• Direct internal service functions such as Finance, Human Resources, Continuous Improvement, ESJ, and business operations.
• Build a culture of learning, accountability, continuous improvement (LEAN), and equitable outcomes.
• Oversee division‑level budget development, financial monitoring, internal controls, forecasting, and resource allocations.
• Ensure modern, transparent, customer‑focused operations, systems and performance measures that support effective decisions.
• Lead development of division policies, operational strategies, best practices, and enterprise standards.
• Navigate complexity and change, ensuring the organization adapts, innovates, and maintains high performance.

• Coach and empower a diverse leadership team, fostering collaboration and shared accountability.
• Strengthen workforce engagement using data, feedback, and continuous improvement practices.
• Model King County values through emotional intelligence, integrity, courage, and clear communication.
• Build an equitable, trusting, and psychologically safe environment where employees have high engagement and feel valued and supported.

• Use data and analytics to guide operational, financial, and strategic improvements.
• Advance equity‑centered systems and embed ESJ mindset and practices in daily work.
• Promote LEAN continuous improvement thinking and actions to drive efficient, customer‑focused operations.

• Strategic and analytical thinking with the ability to anticipate trends and future needs.
• Clear, effective communication across diverse audiences.
• Ability to build trust, collaborate, and lead through ambiguity.
• Strength in managing complexity, driving change, and aligning teams toward shared outcomes.
• Commitment to customer service, transparency, equity, and operational excellence.
• Demonstrates learning agility, managerial courage, and effective conflict management.

• Demonstrated mastery of public‑sector financial practices and enterprise operations, gained through progressively responsible leadership roles in large, complex organizations.
• Significant experience as a people leader, including management of…