Chief Legal Officer Jobs

About The Position

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.