DSHS ESA Social And Health Program Consultant 3

State of Washington•Multiple Locations Statewide, WA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

DSHS's Economic Services Administration (ESA) is seeking two Social and Health Program Consultant 3s to join the Division of Program Integrity (DPI). This role offers the opportunity to contribute to a mission-driven team committed to strengthening the accuracy, accountability, and overall integrity of Washington’s public assistance programs. In this role, you'll lead and guide a team of Quality Control Specialists, overseeing their work and ensuring consistent, accurate performance. You'll coordinate federally required monitoring for Washington’s SNAP program, managing the planning and execution of key quality assurance activities. This position focuses on translating systemic findings from Quality Control (QC) and/or Management Evaluation reviews, data analysis, and Corrective Action Plans (CAP) into practical application at field staff level. You'll also train and evaluate staff as they conduct SNAP case reviews, ensuring all processes meet federal compliance standards and support program integrity. As a Social and Health Program Consultant 3, you’ll play a key role in our mission by serving as a designated specialist in state and federal policies. A key outcome of this position is reducing high-risk and repeat errors, improving the QC completion rate, strengthening CAP implementation fidelity, and contributing to sustained reductions in the SNAP Payment Error Rate. Please note: This position has been assigned a flexible/hybrid work schedule based on business needed. Your nearest available ESA office would be your assigned duty station, and you would be expected to report there as needed.

Requirements

One year of experience as a Social and Health Program Consultant 2, Social Service Specialist 3, or Financial Services Specialist 4 or above.
OR Two years experience as a WorkFirst Program Specialist or equivalent work experience with automated eligibility systems.
OR A master’s degree or higher in social work, a health or social science, public administration or a related field, AND three years of professional experience in planning, administering, developing, or delivering social, financial, health, or chemical dependency treatment services programs.
OR A bachelor’s degree in social work, a health or social science, public administration or a related field; AND four years of professional experience in planning, administering, developing, or delivering social, financial, or health services programs.
Note: Additional qualifying experience/education will substitute, year for year.
Note: A degree in social work must be from an educational program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.
Applies in-depth knowledge of federal SNAP regulations and QC case review standards to conduct case audits, quality assurance reviews, and develop and monitor Corrective Action Plans.
Locates, reads, and interprets state and federal regulations and legislation related to DSHS public assistance programs, including Basic Food, to support accurate quality control outcomes. Ability to identify systemic patterns and translate them into practical improvements.
Reviews case data, audit results, and review findings to identify systemic error trends and root causes. Translates those patterns into practical program improvements and clear technical reports. Brings familiarity with performance dashboards and data-informed quality improvement methods to support program leadership and external partners.
Builds effective working relationships with state agency partners, federal contacts, and executive leadership, conveying program policy and findings accurately and professionally in both written and verbal form.
Manages competing priorities, deadlines, and project responsibilities without close supervision, adjusting workload as program needs shift and keeping team activities on track.
Navigates ESA systems including Barcode, ACES, and ACES Online, as well as Microsoft Office Suite, and learns new systems as required by the role.
Guides Quality Control Specialists through training, performance coaching, and audit review, and interprets complex SNAP Quality Control and Management Evaluation policy for internal staff and external partners.
Experience conducting case audits and quality assurance reviews, including service as a Washington State SNAP Quality Control Specialist.

Responsibilities

Train staff on relevant policies and procedures and ensure they have the information needed to meet their responsibilities.
Monitor staff work, conduct lead worker audits, resolve audit concerns, and coach employees to meet performance expectations.
Assess and prioritize team workload to ensure staffing resources align with deadlines and deliverables.
Participate in team meetings, provide training updates, and support process design and implementation to meet DPI goals.
Travel to offices and community locations to conduct SNAP Management Evaluation reviews, QC customer interviews, and program integrity activities.
Analyze data to identify root causes of program risks, draft findings reports, and recommend and monitor corrective actions.
Partner with the Community Services Division (CSD) and other stakeholders to ensure policy changes are implemented consistently and accurately, including participating in cross-agency discussions and planning efforts to ensure operational improvements align with CAP strategies and performance goals.
Serve as a division specialist for SNAP Management Evaluation, and SNAP QC requirements, providing policy interpretation.
Develop and disseminate performance reports to inform partners and management of program performance and future resource needs.
Work with CSD partners to inform necessary training, policy clarification, and procedural adjustments for eligibility workers to improve program outcomes.
Serve as backup to the Program Integrity Manager.