Job Description

Our vision is to ensure that Washington states children and youth grow up safe and healthythriving physically, emotionally and academically, nurtured by family and community.

Job Title: Chief People Officer (CPO) Olympia

Agency: Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF)

Location: Olympia, Washington - This hybrid role combines remote work with an expectation of regular in-person engagement to support leadership collaboration, key meetings, and other organizational needs.

Reports To: Chief Administrative Officer

At DCYF, our people are essential to advancing our mission: to work alongside Washingtons vulnerable children, youth, and families to foster safety, stability, and better outcomes by strengthening opportunities, connections, and community. We are seeking a visionary, values-driven Chief People Officer (CPO) to help lead this mission from the inside out. This is a rare opportunity to shape the future of a large, complex public agency by designing and advancing a people strategy grounded in equity, care, and purpose. As a core member of the agencys leadership team, the CPO will influence how thousands of employees are supported, developed, and empowered to do meaningful work. If you are inspired by building a workplace where people feel valued, connected, and equipped to partner with communities in service of children, youth, and families, this role offers both profound responsibility and the opportunity for lasting impact.

Some of what you will get to do:

As DCYFs Chief People Officer, you will lead and influence work that shapes how the agency supports its people and delivers on its mission. This role blends strategic leadership with deep partnership across the agency, offering the opportunity to make lasting, system-level impact.

Lead a forward-looking people strategy:

• Design, integrate, and advance a holistic people strategy aligned with DCYFs mission, values, and long-term goals.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to the Chief Administrative Officer and Executive Leadership Team on workforce trends, organizational health, and people-centered decision-making.
• Champion an agency-wide approach to employee experience, wellness, and equity.

Shape culture, engagement, and employee experience:

• Foster a workplace culture grounded in belonging, respect, psychological safety, and employee voice.
• Guide agency-wide onboarding and orientation to ensure new employees feel welcomed, prepared, and connected to the mission from day one.
• Lead initiatives that strengthen engagement, recognition, leadership effectiveness, and organizational resilience.
• Provide executive oversight of peer support and wellness programs that help employees recover and thrive after critical or high-impact events.

Provide strategic oversight of labor relations:

• Ensure labor relations practices align with DCYFs people-centered values and overall workforce strategy.
• Supervise and support the Labor Relations Administrator, promoting consistency, collaboration, and proactive problem-solving.
• Build and sustain constructive, respectful relationships with labor partners, including participation in demand-to-bargain conversations.
• Promote a transparent, communicative, and respectful work environment across the agency.

Advance professional practice, learning, and leadership development:

• Lead the creation of a centralized, agency-wide learning and development framework that supports employees at every stage of their careers.
• Align mandatory training, professional development, leadership development, and operational skill-building into a cohesive system.
• Promote leadership development, succession planning, and continuous learning across the organization.

Strengthen workforce planning and talent management:

• Provide strategic direction and integration for core HR functions through oversight of the Human Resources Director.
• Ensure recruitment, classification and compensation, HR operations, and investigations align with long-term workforce and equity goals.
• Support high-quality HR service delivery while improving consistency, clarity, and operational efficiency.

Use data to inform and improve:

• Leverage workforce data, analytics, and employee feedback to inform executive decisions and measure the impact of people strategies.
• Oversee dashboards and metrics that promote transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Build and honor tribal relationships:

• Foster respectful, collaborative relationships with Tribes that honor tribal sovereignty and support meaningful government-to-government partnership.
• Ensure workforce and people practices reflect cultural humility and support culturally responsive decision-making.

Required Education, Experience, and Competencies:

• A bachelors degree or higher from a college or university whose accreditation is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or the US Department of Education or foreign equivalent.

AND

• At least eight (8) years of senior-level leadership experience in organizational leadership, people operations, workforce development, or related strategic functions that support employee engagement, culture, and organizational effectiveness.

• At least five (5) years of experience managing or coaching professional staff, fostering collaborative environments, and leading complex change initiatives

AND

• Knowledge of state and federal employment and labor laws, relevant court decisions impacting employers, and American Arbitration Association knowledge of collective bargaining process for general government decisions.

  • Ability to work collaboratively with a variety of constituents including partners and key stakeholders both within and outside the agency.
• The ability to take action to learn and grow.
• The ability to take action to meet the needs of others.

Note: Degree requirement may be substituted with an additional four (4) years of professional level human resource experience.

Preferred/Desired Education, Experience, and Competencies:

• SPHR, PHR, SHRM-SCP, or SHRM-CP Certification

This position is a member of the DCYF Leadership Table (LT), providing strategic leadership and direction for the agency. As a member of the LT, we commit to living into the agreements below. We demonstrate this by intentionally practicing them every day and by supporting each other and holding each other to account for including them in our work.

• Hold ourselves to the highest standards and embrace our Mission, Vision and Values, our Operating Principles, and agency policies.
• Model the behavior we want to see in others.
• Serve as subject matter experts, and approach decisions wearing our Agency Hat, in addition to our Division Hat.
• Collaborate and partner to make better decisions together.
• Own and speak with one voice on our collective decisions and directives, even when those decisions are not unanimous.
• Invest in each other's success; give constructive feedback, back each other up, and challenge each other to be our best.
• Communicate effectively with our staff and our community partners to help move our teams, our work and our agency forward.
• Foster and sustain strong external community partner relationships and ongoing engagement.
• Recognize the importance of succession planning; Develop upcoming leaders, including identifying a trusted second, and promote leadership qualities across our teams.

How do I apply?

Complete your applicant profile on careers.wa.gov and attach the following documents:

• Current resume detailing experience and education.
• Letter of Interest.

Supplemental Information:

The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is committed to Washingtons children and youth growing up safe, healthy, and thriving. We invite all candidates to join us in our mission 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 position is exempt from Washingtons civil service rules. Exempt employment is considered at will, and there are no contractual employment rights.

Prior to a new hire, a background check including criminal history will be conducted. Information from the background check will not necessarily preclude employment but will be considered in determining the applicants suitability and competence to perform in the position.

If you have any questions pertaining to this recruitment or if you would like to request an accommodation throughout the application/interview process, contact Steven Loduha (Talent Acquisition Manager) at steven.loduha@dcyf.wa.gov.

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