DSHS ESA DFFR Deputy Director

State of Washington • Thurston County – Olympia, WA

14h

About The Position

The DFFR Deputy Director serves as the second-in-command for the Division of Finance and Financial Resources (DFFR) and provides executive-level leadership, strategic oversight, and operational direction for the Economic Services Administration's (ESA) statewide financial and administrative functions. This job plays a critical role in ensuring strong financial stewardship, operational excellence, compliance, internal controls, and organizational readiness across ESA’s approximately $3.4 billion biennial budget and roughly 2,700 annual contracts. This role acts with delegated authority from the DFFR Director and serves as the acting authority in the Director’s absence, providing leadership continuity for division operations and administration-wide initiatives.

Requirements

• Executive-level leadership experience in large, complex governmental, financial, operational, or administrative environments
• Strong operational leadership skills, including process improvement, organizational change management, and strategic planning
• Deep understanding of government operations and compliance, including budgeting, accounting, procurement, contracts, grants management, and internal controls
• Experience leading modernization and transformation efforts, including workflow redesign, automation, reporting systems, or ERP/business system implementation
• Exceptional relationship-building and influencing skills, with the ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments and lead cross-functional initiatives
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking abilities, including experience using data and performance metrics to drive decision-making
• Demonstrated ability to lead and develop managers and high-performing teams through periods of change and competing priorities
• Strong communication and executive presence, with the ability to present complex operational and financial issues clearly to leadership and partners
• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited university in public administration, accounting, business or operations management, finance or related field AND A minimum of ten years of paid, professional-level management experience in financial operations, accounting, public administration, budgeting, or a closely related field, with demonstrated expertise in:
• Engaging in organizational management, including process improvement, staff development, communication, and team-building
• Leading, motivating, mentoring, and developing professional and technical staff to drive high performance and operational excellence
• Planning, directing, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating functional and technical operations to improve efficiency, strengthen internal controls, and enhance accountability across large government organizations
• Interpreting and applying federal and state laws and regulations—including 2 CFR 200, the Revised Code of Washington (RCW), and the Washington Administrative Code (WAC)— within complex governmental environments
• Managing and analyzing data to support decision-making and enterprise-level financial operations
• Leading cross-functional teams and overseeing performance management in multi-program, high-complexity government settings
• Preparing clear, concise reports and delivering effective presentations to executive leadership
• Driving cultural and organizational change, influencing resistant teams, and navigating complex organizational dynamics
• Applying strategic planning, performance metrics, and continuous improvement frameworks to strengthen organizational effectiveness

Nice To Haves

• Relevant professional experience described above may substitute year for year for the required education.

Responsibilities

• Providing strategic leadership and oversight for DFFR operations, compliance, internal controls, and operational modernization initiatives
• Leading cross-functional operational improvements across accounting, budgeting, grants management, contracting, procurement, and financial reporting functions
• Strengthening internal controls, audit readiness, compliance monitoring, and fiscal risk mitigation efforts
• Leading organizational change management and operational readiness efforts related to major statewide and federal initiatives, including One Washington/ERP transformation efforts
• Overseeing development and use of business intelligence, dashboards, reporting tools, and performance metrics to support executive decision-making
• Supervising and developing leadership staff, including multiple WMS managers responsible for internal controls, decision support, contracts, procurement, budgeting, grants management, and accounting functions

Benefits

• Employees driving on state business must have a valid driver's license.
• Employees driving a privately owned vehicle on state business must have liability insurance on the privately owned vehicle.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive