King County’s Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) provides equitable opportunities for people to be healthy, happy, and connected to community.

DCHS manages a wide range of programs and services to assist the county’s most vulnerable residents. The department maintains a pro-equity focus aimed at developing the systems and standards necessary to achieve better outcomes for all county residents.

The Children, Youth and Young Adults Division (CYYAD) is one of five divisions in DCHS. CYYAD believes that King County should be a place where all young people have equitable opportunities to be happy, healthy, safe, and thriving members of their communities. The division operates several re-engagement, education, and employment programs for youth and young adults, and is home to the Best Starts for Kids 5 to 24 investments, and Puget Sound Tax Payer Accountability Act’s K-12, community, and post-secondary investments.

Best Starts for Kids (BSK) is King County’s initiative to improve the health and well-being of residents by investing in promotion, prevention, and early intervention for children, youth, families, and communities (www.kingcounty.gov/beststarts). BSK investments are guided by the BSK Implementation Plan approved by the King County Council in September 2016, and includes the Stopping the School-to-Prison Pipeline (SSPP) strategies.

CYYAD and the BSK Initiative are seeking a Stopping the School-to-Prison Pipeline (SSPP) Policy Lead to serve as strategic advisor on policies and programs that replace the school-to-prison pipeline with school-to-life success pathways. The position reports to Sheila Capestany, Division Director of the Children, Youth, and Young Adults Division

WHO MAY APPLY: The position is open to all qualified candidates that meet the minimum qualifications.

REQUIRED MATERIALS: Candidates who wish to be considered must submit a complete King County application online and respond to the supplemental questions.

WORK SCHEDULE:  This position is exempt from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Typical hours are Monday – Friday 8am-5pm.  This position is represented by PROTEC17.

RECRUITER: Susan Churchill, Susan.Churchill@kingcounty.gov

TEMPORARY TELECOMMUTING REQUIREMENT:
The work associated with this position will be performed remotely, at least through July 5, 2021 in compliance with King County’s telecommuting mandate. It is possible that the work will be primarily performed remotely on an ongoing basis after July 5, 2021.  Employees will be provided with a County issued laptop and must maintain a workspace with an internet connection where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours.  Employees must reside in WA state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.  There will be situations where the employee is required to report to a County worksite.  Please note that when an employee conducts work that is likely to bring them in contact with another individual, safety precautions are required by the department in alignment with the Public Health Directive from the Seattle & King County Public Health Officer.

To support employees during this time King County has a robust collection of tools and resources to support working remotely. The individual selected for this opportunity will be joining an innovative and progressive team. King County is doing its part to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and remains committed to reducing our carbon footprint.

• Serve as strategic adviser on policies to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline and replace with school-to-life success pathways.
• Provide ongoing leadership in the development and implementation of SSPP strategies that deliver culturally reflective and responsive supports to youth and young adults, families, and community-based providers in King County.
• Monitor and research regional and national trends to ensure currency of knowledge, and that advice, policy development, service delivery reforms, and major initiatives are responsive to and reflective of current leading practices and contextual factors.
• Develop and sustain strong partnerships with other County divisions and departments, community-based agencies, and other stakeholders to create opportunities for collaboration, and alignment of youth and community needs with County policy and initiatives.
• Resolve politically sensitive issues associated with strategic SSPP goals in consultation with CYYAD and DCHS Directors, the DCHS government relations team, other Department Directors, and elected officials when appropriate.
• Provide strategic guidance in policy processes related to stopping the school-to-prison pipeline.
• Provide leadership in new SSPP investments including goal setting, budgeting, RFP planning, and evaluation planning.
• Represent CYYAD and Best Starts for Kids at interagency/executive committees and task forces, such as Racism as a Public Health Crisis and Zero Youth Detention.
• Ensure that projects are consistent with County policy and that the County’s resources are deployed appropriately and efficiently to maximize outcomes for community-based providers and youth involved in the juvenile legal system.
• Prepare original documents for public, elected officials, and leadership review.
• Prepare and give internal and external presentations.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Demonstrated understanding of the effects of place, race, and policy and systems-based inequities as they relate to the juvenile legal system in King County.
• Thorough knowledge of the issues of the juvenile legal system in King County, including the current policy context, and relevant programs, agencies, and stakeholders.
• Direct service and/or lived experience that informs a nuanced understanding of the trauma and harm caused to black and brown youth due to the racially disproportionate effects of the juvenile legal system.
• Demonstrated expertise in developing strategies to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline in ways that elevate community-based approaches and healing-centered practices.
• Five or more years’ experience in multi-sector strategy development and implementation.
• Three or more years’ recent experience working with providers, families, community leaders and other stakeholders to inform public policies on stopping the school-to-prison pipeline.
• Experience designing and implementing funding strategies and investments for stopping the school-to-prison pipeline.
• Experience applying a race equity lens to all areas of the work, including policy and systems analyses, partnerships, and funding decisions.
• Strong skills in research and analysis methods, and applying quantitative and qualitative analysis, and evaluating data for decision making.
• Excellent written and oral communications skills, including preparation of policy briefs, recommendations, and presentations to elected officials, the public, and county leadership.
• Skilled meeting facilitator with experience in diverse settings.
• Strong problem solving and interpersonal skills, including the ability to work independently and maintain collaborative relationships as part of a team.

Forbes recently named King County as one of Washington State’s best employers.

Together, with leadership and our employees, we’re changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation’s best places to live, work and play.

Guided by our “True North“, we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles–we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer
No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.

To Apply
If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact your recruiter listed on this job announcement.