Job Details

Child Welfare Dependency Administrator (WMS2)

Our vision is to ensure that "Washington state's children and youth grow up safe and healthy—thriving physically, emotionally, and educationally, nurtured by family and community."

Job Title: Child Welfare Dependency Administrator (WMS2).

Location: Olympia, WA - This flexible/hybrid position manages a team of professional staff who are stationed throughout the state. This position requires travel throughout the state, including overnight travel to attend meetings, training, and to engage with the team.

Closes: 08/23/2026 Salary: $99,418 - $124,272 Annually.

The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is looking for a Child Welfare Dependency Administrator (WMS2) to fill a newly established position within Child Welfare Headquarters Division. This position reports directly to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Child Welfare (CW) and is responsible for setting statewide strategy in consultation with the CW leadership team in the dependency work performed by CW staff. This position identifies, develops, plans, decides, and implements DCYF policies and business initiatives related to the CW dependency court system. Although this position's primary focus is the child welfare division, the impact of this position is agency-wide because it must work collaboratively with other divisions that partner with child welfare toward meeting agency mission. This position is responsible for working collaboratively with system partners, such as AAG's, OPD, and tribes, toward a more cohesive strategy within dependency work.

This position leads a team of seven professional WMS staff; six are Legal Liaisons who report centrally but work within specific regional catchments, and the seventh is the Dependency Discovery Manager who serves as the statewide expert in dependency discovery and child welfare public records.

The Opportunity: This position supervises six Legal Liaisons, established by recent legislation geared toward addressing needs in the CW dependency court system, concerning the Opioid crisis and increased dependency rules under the Keeping Families Together Act (HB1227). The Legal Liaisons work with and provide assistance to DCYF CW caseworkers involved in court cases by collaborating closely with the AGO and other court partners. The liaisons provide training and consultation to CW staff on legally defensible dependency petitions and testimony. They also observe court, attend court improvement symposiums, and help guide continuous quality improvement within the CW dependency process. This position supervises the efforts of the six liaisons and ensures that they are meeting the full objectives of their roles within their assigned catchment areas. This position also supervises the statewide Dependency Discovery Manager who guides dependency discovery staff within the CW Regions through development of standard operating procedures and guiding documents, to ensure that dependency discovery work meets statutory and constitutional requirements of due process. This position ensures that the Dependency Discovery Manager appropriately leads this statewide portfolio while partnering with other DCYF divisions such as ASD and IT, external court partners, and AGO.

This position is authorized to make decisions and contribute to field support, AGO coordination, and policy/procedure revisions in partnership with PPS and Child Welfare HQ. This position has the autonomy to interpret policies through expert knowledge of the child welfare safety framework, child welfare legal process, discovery/public records framework, and overall implementation of social service programs within DCYF. This position provides coverage to subordinate staff and ensures technical support and expert consultation are offered to the field on the programs within portfolio.

Some of what you will do:

• Maintain and strengthen dependency community of practice within CWD, working collaboratively with regional leaders, tribal partners, and DCYF leadership.
• Maintain and strengthen dependency community of practice with OPD, court officers, other DCYF divisions, as well as relevant stakeholder groups.
• Identify common themes within CWD regarding dependency action practice needs and create/manage repository of templates and resource guides that may be adapted to specific circumstances.
• Partner with the Litigation Unit to increase in-house capacity for tort-related testimony and for DCYF representation at trials.
• Collaborate with AGO to ensure DCYF's adherence to laws regarding dependency discovery, including the PRA.
• Direct the work of subordinates to ensure that CWD receives the highest level of customer service, with special attention being paid to worker competency development through training, coaching, and consultation.
• Ensure continuity of dependency discovery practice and align the strategy to streamline and create cohesion within this portfolio.
• Provide timely and ongoing consultation to the Assistant and Deputy Assistant Secretaries as well as regional leaders on the programs, policies, and procedures within portfolio.
• Provide report-out to DCYF senior and executive leaders on the portfolio, including development and implementation of relevant strategies geared toward continuous quality improvement within the dependency court work.
• Engage in ongoing performance management of direct staff and take accountability for their work.
• Supervise the work product of staff who are responsible for consulting and advising with child welfare staff and the AGO.
• Manage and adhere to the budget related to subordinate FTEs, all of whom are WMS 2 employees.

Required Qualifications:

• Master's degree in public administration, public affairs, social science, social work, or a closely allied field from an accredited institution of higher learning AND Five years of progressively responsible, paid, professional experience in the delivery of child welfare services including demonstrated expertise in facilitating dependency actions, including a strong background in court testimony, drafting/reviewing dependency petitions as well as a thorough understanding of dependency discovery authorizing environment. Experience must include thorough understanding of current dependency framework under the Keeping Families Together Act.
• OR
• Nine years of progressively responsible, paid, professional experience in the delivery of child welfare services including demonstrated expertise in facilitating dependency actions, including a strong background in court testimony, drafting/reviewing dependency petitions as well as a thorough understanding of dependency discovery authorizing environment. Experience must include thorough understanding of current dependency framework under the Keeping Families Together Act.

AND

• Demonstrated ability to supervise professional subordinates and direct their work, including a strong background in performance management; Demonstrated strong written and oral communication skills in professional settings, including writing comprehensive reports, developing and delivering trainings and preparing original documents where there is no precedent or disputed precedent; A strong understanding of federal and state laws that govern child welfare work, including expert understanding of WACs, policies and expectations related to dependency actions.
• AND
• The ability to take action to learn and grow.
• The ability to take action to meet the needs of others.

Preferred/Desired Education, Experience, and Competencies:

• Demonstrated experience in leading professional direct service teams in delivery of public child welfare.
• Demonstrated experience interpreting and drafting rules, policies, and procedures.
• Demonstrated experience implementing ICWA and WICWA in direct service work as well as capturing this work in court documents.
• Demonstrated experience in dispute resolution/mediation.
• Demonstrated experience in risk management, including risk mitigation strategy development and implementation.
• Demonstrated experience with privacy and information management within a government agency.
• Demonstrated experience with project management.

How do I apply? Complete your applicant profile and attach the following: Cover letter

Supplemental Information:

The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is committed to Washington's children and youth growing up safe, healthy, and thriving. We invite all candidates to join us in our goal to create a diverse and equitable workplace that reflects the communities we serve. If you are excited about this role but you believe that your education and/or experience might not align perfectly with every qualification in the job posting, we encourage you to apply anyway. The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, race, creed, color, national origin, honorably discharged veteran or military status, or the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability or the use of a trained service animal by a person with a disability.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple vacancies.

Degrees must be obtained from an accredited college or university whose accreditation is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), or a foreign equivalent verified by a NACES-approved organization at naces.org. Foreign Equivalency certification must be attached to the application for degrees obtained outside the U.S.

Benefits eligibility for this position may be different than what's listed in the benefits tab of this recruitment announcement. For more information on employee benefits eligibility, visit: Public Employee Benefits Board (PEBB).

If you would like to request an accommodation throughout the application/interview process, contact DCYF Recruiter. If you're experiencing technical difficulties creating