Senior Assistant Director, Individual Tax and Service Administration (EMS Band 5)

State of Washington•Thurston County – Tumwater, WA

About The Position

The Department of Revenue (DOR) has created a new Senior Assistant Director (SAD) position for the newly created branch of the agency - Individual Tax and Service Administration (ITSA). This position is the result of a strategic realignment within DOR and seeks a dynamic executive-level leader with a strong background in taxation, strategic leadership, program development, budgeting, policy development, and execution of public services. This senior-level leadership position will lead multiple programs and divisions including the Working Family Tax Credit (WFTC) division, the Unclaimed Property (UCP) program, and the new Washington Individual Taxes division, which will include the Washington high earner income tax, capital gains tax, estate tax, and potentially other individual tax programs. This position will directly supervise a minimum of two Assistant Directors at the EMS 4 level and will report to the agency Director. DOR is a dynamic learning organization where you will experience a remarkable work-life balance, with amazing leadership and talented co-workers ready and focused to achieve the agency's goals. We value diverse perspectives and life experiences. We employ and serve people of all backgrounds including people of color, immigrants, refugees, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities, and veterans. We offer a generous benefits package that includes defined benefit retirement plans; health, dental and vision coverage, deferred compensation plans, and as a public service employee, you may also be eligible for student loan forgiveness.

Requirements

Executive Level Leadership and Strategic Direction: Demonstrated ability to lead large, complex, enterprise level programs or divisions, providing clear strategic direction, shaping organizational culture, and guiding statewide or multiprogram initiatives toward measurable outcomes.
Progressive Experience in Multi-Program Oversight and Integration: Progressive experience managing multiple program areas simultaneously, such as taxation, compliance, audit, or public facing service operations, with a proven ability to integrate policy, operational needs, and cross divisional priorities to achieve statewide consistency and alignment.
Proven Ability to Supervise and Develop Executive Level Leaders: Ability to provide coaching, performance management, and workforce planning for multidisciplinary teams in a complex, high visibility environment.
Demonstrated Competence in Policy Development and Statutory Interpretation: Demonstrated ability to interpret, apply, and guide implementation of complex statutes, rules, and tax policy; issue authoritative guidance; and translate legislative intent into operational frameworks and business requirements.
Fiscal Stewardship and Resource Management Expertise: Demonstrated ability to manage multimillion dollar operating budgets, allocate resources across diverse programs, oversee vendor contracts, and ensure strong financial controls in environments involving revenue forecasting, refunds, penalties, or credits.
Stakeholder Engagement and Public Representation Skills: Proven ability to communicate complex program or policy issues to diverse audiences through clear, persuasive communication and effective relationship building.
Data Driven Decision Making and Performance Management: Demonstrated ability to use analytics, performance metrics, compliance indicators, and equity-based measures to drive operational decisions, evaluate program effectiveness, and support continuous improvement and statewide tax administration integrity.
Commitment to Equity Centered and Customer Focused Public Service: Proven ability to integrate equity, transparency, and customer experience principles into statewide program design, service delivery, and taxpayer interactions, ensuring accessible, fair, and inclusive experiences across all programs.
Equity Competencies: The ability to take action to learn and grow.
Equity Competencies: The ability to take action to meet the needs of others.
Equity Competencies: Uses an equitable and inclusive approach.

Nice To Haves

Graduate degree in public administration, law, accounting, or related field.
CPA/JD; experience with pass-through entities and large-scale audit programs.
Mastery of allocation/apportionment principles and market/duty-day sourcing, strong rulemaking and stakeholder consultation skills.

Responsibilities

Serve as the agency’s senior executive responsible for statewide oversight, direction and integration of Washington’s individual tax and service programs.
Ensure statutory compliance, program integrity, fiscal stewardship, operational excellence, and equitable customer experience across multiple high-visibility tax programs.
Provide enterprise-level leadership and oversight of Washington Individual Taxes, WFTC, and the UCP.
As a vital part of the Executive Leadership Team, this role will help shape agencywide strategy, enterprise risk posture, and operational governance.
Under Director delegation, negotiate and approve settlements in partnership with the Senior Assistant Director of Tax Policy and advise the Director on complex matters involving these individual tax and service programs.