DEPARTMENT ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

Thurston County•Olympia, WA

3d•$9,543 - $12,725•Hybrid

About The Position

Thurston County Public Health and Social Services (PHSS) is recruiting for an Assistant Director for our Administration Division. As the Assistant Director of Public Health & Social Services, you play a key role responsible for assisting in the development and implementation of department and divisional plans and goals. You will collaborate between divisions to develop and implement public health policies aimed at reducing health disparities and improving access to essential services. Emphasizing community service and using your strong communication skills, you will advocate for organizational improvement, advancement, productivity, and build partnerships that enhance health outcomes.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in public health, social services, business administration, public administration, finance, accounting, or related field. Additional related experience may be substituted for education on a year for year basis.
Five (5) years of senior management-level experience in administrative and/or operations management with at least three (3) years of supervisory responsibilities.
Ability to use a personal computer and applicable software to successfully perform the essential job functions of the position.

Nice To Haves

Create an environment where employees and partners can safely express needs or concerns and where employees can make and correct mistakes
Effectively interact with sensitivity while working with persons from diverse cultural, socioeconomic, educational, racial, ethnic, and professional backgrounds, and persons of all ages, gender identities, sexual orientations, and lifestyles
Thrive in a fast-paced, robust organization maintaining a positive work environment
Serve the public in a timely, complete, accurate, and professional manner while ensuring that written and verbal communication is clearly understood by others
Maintain cultural competency to support diverse perspectives in developing, implementing, and evaluating policies, programs, and services that affect the health of the community
Strong oral communication for networking and interpersonal relationships
Excellent written communication including the ability to craft correspondence, reports, and articles or web postings with minimal grammatical and syntax errors
Supervise, motivate, and develop employees and team to become more productive and effective in achieving desired goals and career growth while encouraging employee critical reflection; able to give direction without conflict
Show fairness and impartiality in interactions; is interested in employee welfare, elicits staff input where feasible; respond to staff suggestions and complaints in a sincere, sensitive, and timely manner
Use strategic thinking and planning for goal setting and evaluation
Effectively plan, organize, and manage competing priorities and challenges under pressure
Create a sense of mission by articulating and modeling confidentiality, professional values, and ethics with honesty and integrity
Operate with a high degree of flexibility, initiative, attention to detail, and commitment
Delegate and use persuasion and negotiating skills for shared responsibility and acceptance of change

Responsibilities

Act on behalf of the Department Director to manage and oversee operations, ensuring compliance with local, state, and federal regulations
Evaluate operational program effectiveness and identify areas for improvement and potential service overlap using sound judgement, problem-solving techniques, and project management principles
Assist the director in implementing the strategic vision and policies, focusing on operational aspects and performance management leading toward objective accomplishment
Participate in preparing the annual budget and monitor divisional expenses by estimating and analyzing costs and effectiveness of programs
Collect, analyze, and develop reports on research and data related to public health initiatives and present to stakeholders to aid in decision-making
Develop policies and procedures post analysis of complex problems
Ensure that responsibilities, authority, and accountability of all direct and indirect subordinates are defined, understood, and achieved while also offering guidance and support in their professional development
Foster partnerships with community organizations, government agencies, and other stakeholders to promote public health initiatives
Address and resolve sensitive inquiries, complaints, and issues from both internal and external sources and assist in matters regarding employee relations, labor relations, and risk management
May act as representative for the department in collective bargaining negotiations, grievances, complaints, and other sensitive personnel matters
Manage daily operations of divisional leadership and subject matter experts as well as special projects oversight
May be asked to participate on committees, boards, councils, and/or other related groups, including representing the Department Director as required
Ensure timely, accurate responses to email, research, reports, and data analysis and inquiries
Respond to public health emergencies and coordinate resources during crises
Perform other work as required or assigned, including, but not limited to, a 24/7 response during public health emergency situations and disease outbreak investigations