Job Description

Posting number: 2026-07720

Department: Dept. of Social and Health Services

Division: HCLA

Job classification: WMS BAND 2

Posting type: Open

Categories: Community Services, Social Services, Miscellaneous, Community Development, Community and Social Services

Summary

Picture yourself partnering with project team members in their daily work by delivering solutions that enable the effectiveness of WA Cares Fund systems. You’ll be interacting with business partners and agency executives, with a Unit Manager executive who owns the achievement of the results expected from the program and helps to define and evolve expectations, report progress, and obtain needed direction and decisions to move forward.

In this role, you’ll serve as the division’s lead and subject matter expert for GetCare assessment tool for WA Cares Fund. Reporting to the Benefits Innovation Unit Manager, this position provides strategic direction and operational leadership to ensure the system effectively supports WCF’s mission, policy objectives, and statewide service delivery goals.

The Program Manager represents WA Cares Fund in strategic planning and interagency collaboration, defining business requirements, advocating for system enhancements, and ensuring technology solutions align with program and operational priorities.

Some of what you'll be doing:

• Collaborate and coordinate with Home and Community Living Administration Information Technology Team to ensure the WA Cares Fund technology components for assessment, eligibility determination, and service planning are developed, implemented and maintained within appropriate timelines and budget. Serve as WA Cares Fund business program manager for WA Cares Fund technology component interface activities.
• Serve as the highest level of expertise on the business needs and processes for assessment, eligibility determination, and service planning including cross-agency system interfaces, in collaboration with the technology teams.
• Serve as the product specialist for the WA Cares Fund GetCare assessment tool.
• Partner with WA Cares Fund staff in developing program specific requests for submission and prioritization to ensure program and business needs are identified and met for assessment, eligibility determination, and service planning.
• Coordinate WA Cares Fund priorities for WA Cares Fund assessment, eligibility determination, and service planning technology components with internal and external partners and teams.
• Develop business policies and procedures for WA Cares Fund staff and providers on technology components.
• Lead coordination with HCLA , Health Care Authority, Area Agency on Aging (AAA), and Developmental Disability Disabilities Administration to ensure WA Cares Fund systems are strategically implemented and maintained within approved timelines and budgets.
• Provide business and operational subject matter expertise in the design, implementation, and ongoing operations of the benefit application and intake system.
• Ensure program objectives are met, processes are efficient, and system operations effectively enable service delivery.
• Develop and maintain business policies and procedures for WA Cares Fund staff on benefits application and intake systems.
• Develop all necessary plans and project requirements for contractors to deliver maintenance and operations successfully in accordance with contract terms and conditions.

We are looking for a creative, flexible, and collaborative individual with stellar communication and problem-solving skills. Our ideal applicant enjoys working with internal and external customers, ensures compliance and is meticulous about details, knows how to articulate the business value of project management, change management, and processes, communicates technology in business terms, and prioritizes resources and tasks to the highest value work and confidently represents the agency as a trustworthy and credible partner.

If this is your area of expertise and interest, we invite you to apply today! Come partner with us in doing this meaningful and critical work.

Required Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree, in public administration, health, social services, or related field, and at least five years of experience working with long-term care eligibility and assessment determinations.

Or,

• A combination of experience and education for a total of nine years. Years of experience must be working in long-term care eligibility and assessment determinations.
• Concurrently at least 3 years of demonstrated experience on complex IT projects or systems involving internal and/or external partners and stakeholders.
• Experience developing and cultivating relationships with staff, peers, partners, stakeholders, steering committees, sponsors, and executive management.
• Ability to use research, data, and analysis to create reports and formulate and inform decision making.
• Strong and proven skills in coordination and motivation of diverse resources to quickly resolve critical technology and operation issues.
• The ability to work independently and appropriately escalate issues, risks, and situations that require management attention and/or decisions. The ability to lead workgroups to identify and analyze solutions to issues and develop risk mitigation strategies.

Preferred experience

• Experience and/or knowledge conducting long-term care assessments.
• Knowledge of principles and practices of long-term care insurance programs.
• The ability to communicate complex information between the business and technology team in ways that can be understood based on their knowledge level.
• Excellent organizational skills including the ability to coordinate multiple work products and meet critical deadlines.
• The ability to use research, data and analysis to create reports and formulate and inform decision making.
• Experience managing system development and implementation projects within the Washington State environment and working with DSHS Enterprise Technology, WATech, and other state agencies

To Apply:

• Current chronological resume.
• A Cover letter explaining why you are interested in the job along with the skills, and experience that make you the best person for the job.

The Department of Social and Health Services’ (DSHS) vision that people find human services to shape their own lives requires that we come together with a sense of belonging, common purpose, shared values, and meaningful work. It is crucial to our agency’s vision that you bring a fairness, access, and social justice commitment to your work with DSHS. We strive to support all Washingtonians, including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, people with physical, behavioral health, and intellectual disabilities, elders, LGBTQIA+ individuals, immigrants and refugees, and families building financial security.

If you have questions, contact Chris at chris.pulley@dshs.wa.gov and reference 07720.

Supplemental information

Prior to a new hire, a background check including criminal record history may 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 job. This announcement may be used to fill multiple vacancies. 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.

Washington State Department of Social and Health Services is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in any area of employment, its programs or services on the basis of age, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity/expression, marital status, race, creed, color, national origin, religion or beliefs, political affiliation, military status, honorably discharged veteran, Vietnam Era, recently separated or other protect­ed veteran status, the presence of any sensory, mental, physical disability or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability, equal pay or genetic information. Persons requiring accommodation in the application process or this job announcement in an alternative format may contact the Recruiter at (360) 725-5810. Applicants who are deaf or hard of hearing may call through Washington Relay Service by dialing 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6384.

Relationship and Reporting Structure (Nepotism) Disclosure: If you are selected for hire, you must disclose whether you have a relative, household member, close friend, or romantic partner within your potential supervisory chain of command. DSHS has a Relationships and the Reporting Structure policy that prohibits nepotism and can be reviewed here. Applicants whose appointment would result in a prohibited reporting relationship are not eligible for appointment to that position.

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