The Secretary engages with a wide variety of high profile and often controversial issues. This can range from topics such as disease outbreaks, tobacco and vapor product prevention and control, immunizations, health provider discipline and shellfish growing area closures. The job requires, a deep knowledge of and familiarity with the root causes that impact health (also known as social determinants of health), the ability to assess the implications for public health protection and our strategic objectives, the ability to understand and synthesize information and details that include technical issues and political factors and the ability to present information to the public and elected officials so that the health of Washington residents can be protected. The Secretary of Health reports directly to the Governor and serves on the Executive Cabinet. DOH has 1,852 employees and a biennial budget of $1.3 billion with a mix of funds from the state budget, federal agencies, fees, and dedicated accounts. Most of the money the agency manages (67%) is invested with partners in local health jurisdictions and communities for direct service delivery.

• Turn the agency outward by understanding and incorporating the goals and objectives of employees, partners, and customers into our actions, systems, and decisions

• Diversify and secure funding and strategically deploy resources for maximum impact

• Make strategic decisions and create working environments that foster the data integration, data sharing, and data analysis necessary to support better health outcomes

• Transform the workplace to be inclusive of employees from marginalized and underrepresented communities

• Integrate the voices of underrepresented communities into all policy, program, and resource decisions

• Ensure equitable access to services, programs, opportunities, and information

• Proven large-scale leadership and management experience.

• Experience planning for and responding to emergency situations that threaten life, public health or property.

• Experience applying or leading with principles of equity, diversity and inclusion in a large, complex organization

• Knowledge of risk communication and health promotion.

• Significant fiscal responsibility in a complex organization managing budgets, which include multiple sources of funds

. • Recognition as thoughtful leader and innovator.

• Ability to lead and direct groups of diverse and highly
technical employees such as physicians, toxicologists, epidemiologists, nurses, attorneys and laboratory scientists.

• High level of integrity, ethics and transparency.

• Knowledge of general principles and best practices in the field of public health.

• Ability to implement executive and legislative policies and ability to make internal policy decisions with large-scale implications.

• Ability to strategically communicate with particular audiences to advance the position and role of the department and its initiatives, such as with state legislators, national leaders, and the media.

• Successful experience working with private sector, policy makers, tribes, governments, unions, community leaders and other stakeholders and partners.

• Experience working with public health systems and understanding the roles of and relationships between state, local and federal health agencies.

• Ability to recognize their own privilege and commit to challenging themselves to grow in order to enable effective outcomes and working relationships in cross-cultural situations.

• Experience implementing continuous improvement methods aimed at better outcomes, simplifying processes and reducing costs.