Description

The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) was created to be a comprehensive agency exclusively dedicated to the social, emotional, and physical well-being of children, youth, and families regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or other socioeconomic factors. We believe our workforce should reflect the communities we serve, and are actively searching for candidates that reflect that diversity. Our vision is that "All Washington's children and youth grow up safe and healthy-thriving physically, emotionally, and educationally, nurtured by family and community."

We are searching for a strong and proven leader to join our dynamic Region 3 team as an Area Administrator for our Smokey Point/Arlington Office in Snohomish County. This individual will provide leadership and administration in child welfare field operations, working toward the common goal of prevention, child safety, timely and safe reduction of children in out-of-home care; elimination of racial disparities in child and youth outcomes; and foster a safe, welcoming, and supportive office environment.

The Opportunity: Area Administrator (WMS2)
The Area Administrator position is responsible for managing the Arlington Field Office and provides primary and secondary supervision for approximately 50 FTEs. The Area Administrator reports to the Deputy Regional Administrator and is responsible for ensuring the effective administrative and adequate implementation, per law and policy, of all DCYF programs and units within the office. In addition, the Area Administrator is responsible for ensuring that every child served by the office is, first and foremost, safe and that all social work units and professional staff are engaged in the highest levels of child safety practices. Maintaining positive relationships with Federal, State, County, and City governments, the Area Administrator fosters strong collaborations with a variety of child welfare systems and community partners.

We are looking for someone who can lead a team towards forward-thinking, data-driven strategies by identifying and addressing trends in practice, outcomes, and disparities, and collaborating with community resources and stakeholders. If you are a seasoned professional and leader in social services and want to make tangible changes that promote child wellbeing, improve outcomes and eliminate inequities, we encourage you to apply and bring your leadership skills to the table.

Some of what you will do:

• Manage, direct, coordinate and supervise the delivery of regional child welfare programs and direct services provided by the Arlington office, which include: CPS Investigations and Family Assessment Response (FAR), Family Voluntary Services (FVS), Court Filings activities, Child and Family Welfare Services (CFWS), permanency planning, child welfare and Indian Child Welfare Services, Family Reconciliation Services (FRS) and Placement Services.
• Supervise social service staff, clerical administrative staff, volunteers, and interns in accomplishing DCYF’s goal of keeping children safe, safely reducing the number of children in foster care, and strengthening and preserving families and communities so they can provide safety, permanency, and well-being for children.
• Establish and enforce performance measures at all levels to ensure social workers, supervisors and staff meet all casework management directives and work activities as required by law, policy, and other mandates.
• Provide clinical guidance and case consultation for legal services and permanency decisions.
• Ensure work is distributed equitably and resources are adjusted to meet identified needs.
• Ensure Supervisors complete all required quality assurance reviews of screened out and accepted intakes assessing for the comprehensiveness of information gathered, a sufficient gathering of collateral information and appropriate and timely decisions.
• Develop training plans used to ensure social workers and supervisors have the skills and information necessary to make appropriate decisions in support of child safety and child well-being.
• Manage units; budget and manage program responsibilities within FTE allocation.
• Respond promptly to client, caregiver and community concerns regarding child safety and case planning.
• Take steps to resolve issues and improve child safety, case planning, staff skills and/or office procedures as necessary.
• Recruit, hire, and train staff to ensure affirmative action guidelines are met.
• Develop performance expectations, monitor employee performance, and ensure timely annual performance evaluations.
• Develop and monitor corrective action plans and advises the Deputy Regional Administrator of serious performance problems or other personnel concerns.
• Review and authorize client services as well as staff overtime expenses for the office.

What we are looking for (Required Qualifications):
A Master's Degree in Social Services, Public Administration, Social Work or other closely allied field and three years of management experience in Social Service, Mental Health or Education.
OR
A Bachelor's Degree in Social Services, Public Administration, Social Work, or other closely allied field and five years of management experience in social services, Mental Health or Education.
AND

• Demonstrated working understanding of safety and risk assessment, family preservation, the principle of family-centered and child-focused practice and strategies for family engagement along with expertise in building relationships with clients, staff and community leaders and modeling, including at least two years of experience providing direct services to children and families served through the public child welfare system.
• Advanced management skills, technical, clinical and legal knowledge as decisions are routinely scrutinized by the public, judicial procedures, fair hearing process and legislative inquiry.
• Complete understanding of state and federal laws and policies related to social and health programs, principles and practices of program assessment, planning, public administration and personnel management and social programs specific to clientele served, vendor/provider relationships, negotiations, principles of community organizations, and program consultation and monitoring.
• Understanding of the principles of program management/consultation and having a comprehensive understanding of the regional support programs identified.
• Must have interpersonal skills required to work cooperatively with other agencies, public speaking skills, understanding of the dynamics of organizational change, the ability to use FTEs creatively and balance workloads of staff with the sections, and problem-solving skills needed to address obstacles to effective program implementation and meeting agency goals and objectives.
• Must have the skills and credibility necessary to take the lead in project development, coordination and completion in situations where the position has no line authority over other administrators and supervisors.
• Understand the agency's case and management information system and be adept in its use to review case information and strong abilities with other electronic applications, i.e., Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, Etc.
• Mastery of community organization and leadership skills including public speaking, mediation, negotiation, and planning, and excellent written and verbal communication skills.

NOTE: Degrees must be obtained from an accredited college or university whose accreditation is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), or a foreign equivalent verified by a NACES-approved organization at naces.org.

• For Degrees obtained outside the U.S.: Foreign Equivalency certification must be attached to the application. Incomplete applications may be screened out of the recruitment process.

In addition to those required qualifications, our ideal applicant will also have some or all of the following:

• Utilize cultural competency to understand, communicate with, and effectively interact with clients, subordinate staff and other individuals across cultures, focusing on understanding and respecting the strengths of the clients including their heritage, cultural beliefs and values, communication and learning styles.
• Build and maintain collaborative working relationships with law enforcement, courts, providers/vendors, community stakeholders, and internal/external statewide professionals.
• Evaluate, compile, and organize data into reports and policies.
• Direct and evaluate the work of others.
• Understand, conceptualize, structure, and administer quality assurance programs.
• Apply principles of child protection to a variety of complex family situations in order to lead staff in making decisions that keep children safe.
• Assess and understand program and social/behavioral complexities and be able to create safe permanent plans that meet the caseload reduction goals and program outcomes for child safety.
• Advanced supervisory and managerial skills.
• Working understanding of state and federal law and agency policies and regulations concerning public child protective services, risk assessment, safety planning, and permanency and well-being services as delivered in a public child welfare setting.
• Budget analysis, allotments, and fiscal accountability applications.

How do I apply?
Complete your applicant profile in detail and attach:

• Cover Letter describing how you meet the specific qualifications for this position

Supplemental Information:
**Per Governor Inslee's Directive 22-13.1 (Download PDF reader) state employees must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Please note that any offer of employment is contingent upon you providing verification of your vaccine status, having an approved medical accommodation, or having an approved religious accommodation. No start date will be approved until you have either verified your vaccine status or have an approved accommodation**

Prior to a new hire, a background check including criminal history will be conducted. Information from the background check will not necessarily preclude employment but will be considered in determining the applicant's suitability and competence to perform in the position.

This announcement may be used to fill multiple vacancies.

The initial screening will be based on the content and completeness of your application and the materials submitted. All information may be verified and documentation may be required. Applications with comments such as "see attachments" or "N/A" in the supplemental question responses will be considered incomplete.

DCYF is an equal-opportunity employer and supports equity, diversity, inclusion, and respect.

Need accommodation throughout the application/interview process? Unable to apply online? Contact the Recruitment team at dcyf.jobs@dcyf.wa.gov or (360) 870-3221 or the Telecommunications Device for the Deaf at 800-833-6388

Experiencing technical difficulties creating, accessing or completing your application? Call NEOGOV toll-free at (855)524-5627 or email support@neogov.com.

To take advantage of the Veteran's preference please attach your DD-214, member 4 long-form, or your NGB-22. Please black out your social security number prior to attaching it.

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