L&I Chief Policy Legal Officer

State of Washington • Multiple Locations Statewide, WA

1d

About The Position

The Chief Policy/Legal Officer (CPLO) reports to the Assistant Director, serves on the division leadership team, and is the senior policy advisor for all CSCPS programs. The CPLO leads division-wide policy development, legislative strategy, and rulemaking; coordinates portfolio and performance management to translate agency strategy into operational results; and oversees complex customer engagement with the division’s authorizing environment, including the Governor’s Office, Legislature, labor, business, and community customers. The role supervises 19 full-time employees and collaborates with program managers, L&I legislative and rulemaking staff, the Office of the Director, Communications, Legal, and enterprise policy teams.

The position provides strategic leadership and policy direction for statewide compliance and public safety programs operating in all 19 L&I offices throughout Washington. It ensures legislative, regulatory, and legal changes are interpreted and implemented consistently across CSCPS programs and field operations. The CPLO’s policy decisions, legal interpretations, and legislative implementation plans affect employees and operations throughout the state, and have statewide operational, fiscal, legal, and public safety impacts. The position is the division’s principal liaison with the Attorney General’s Office on significant legal, regulatory, litigation, appeals, and statutory interpretation matters affecting CSCPS programs and statewide operations.

Requirements

• Active membership in good standing with a state bar association.
• Five or more years leading policy, legislative, legal, or regulatory initiatives in a complex public-sector environment.
• Demonstrated experience with rulemaking, statutory interpretation, and/or customer engagement across labor and/or public safety domains.
• Extensive knowledge of administrative law, statutory interpretation, legislative processes, regulatory development, judicial decision-making, and legal risk management.
• Demonstrated experience working with attorneys, the Attorney General’s Office, litigation matters, appeals processes, and implementation of complex legal and regulatory requirements.
• Ability to analyze and interpret complex legislation, case law, legal opinions, and regulatory requirements and translate them into operational policy and statewide implementation strategies.
• Proven portfolio, project, and performance management skills, including the ability to set metrics and deliver results.
• Superior communication skills, including executive briefings, decision memos, and plain-language guidance.
• Ability to navigate sensitive, high-profile issues with discretion, an equity focus, and a solution orientation.
• Must possess a valid, unrestricted driver’s license.
• Ability to travel statewide for customer engagement and legislative or rulemaking activities.
• Availability for extended hours during peak legislative and rulemaking periods.
• Ability to take action to learn and grow.
• Ability to take action to meet the needs of others.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in compliance enforcement or public safety regulation.
• Training in facilitation, change management, and/or Lean or continuous improvement.
• Familiarity with Washington state legislative and rulemaking processes and the authorizing environment.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the division’s senior policy advisor to the Assistant Director and executive leadership for CSCPS public safety and compliance programs.
• Provide authoritative policy interpretation and guidance; issue policy directives, decision memos, and implementation toolkits to promote consistent customer service and enforcement.
• Provide strategic oversight and supervise the CSCPS Legal Services program, including the Firm Appeals Program Manager.
• Lead complex customer engagement with the Governor’s Office, Legislature, labor and business associations, community-based organizations, and local governments.
• Advise on sensitive and high-profile matters, facilitate resolution pathways, and develop options to mitigate operational, legal, reputational, and equity risks.
• Direct the division’s legal and policy strategy for implementing enacted legislation affecting statewide compliance and public safety programs.
• Advise executive leadership on legal risks, statutory authority, regulatory obligations, litigation trends, and emerging case law affecting division operations.
• Develop accurate, balanced, actionable executive recommendations grounded in data, legal sufficiency, and customer input.
• Coordinate with Attorney General’s Office attorneys to ensure division actions, policies, rules, and enforcement activities are legally defensible and aligned with statutory authority.
• Influence fiscal notes, decision packages, and implementation budgets tied to legislation and rules.
• Establish division-wide standards for legal interpretation and policy application in consultation with Attorney General’s Office attorneys and agency legal leadership.
• Ensure legislative, regulatory, and legal changes are consistently implemented across CSCPS offices, programs, and field operations.

Benefits

• Flexible custom work schedules.
• Teleworking is an available work schedule option; telework frequency for positions requiring in-office work will be discussed with the supervisor at the time of offer.
• Eligible state employees can receive a retirement package at the end of their career.
• Competitive benefits package.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed