COMMUNITY PROGRAM MANAGER

The salary for this position is: $5,952 - $7,937 monthly.

Thurston County Public Health and Social Services (PHSS) is recruiting for a Quality Assurance/Community Program Manager for our Social Services Division.

Are you a passionate advocate for people and communities? Do you thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment? We're looking for an outstanding communicator and strategic thinker to lead impactful programs that make a real difference in the lives of others.

As the Quality Assurance/Community Program Manager, you'll take the lead in planning, developing, and overseeing grant-funded programs that support individuals with developmental disabilities across Thurston and Mason counties, as well as managing the Thurston County Veterans Assistance Program. You'll be at the heart of initiatives that empower our community — ensuring quality, accountability, and positive change every step of the way. If you're ready to bring your energy, leadership, and advocacy skills to a mission-driven team, we want to hear from you!

Essential functions may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Perform regular quality assurance reviews and provide technical assistance to contracted providers of the Supported Employment, Community Inclusion, and High School Transition Programs
• Supervise and oversee the Veterans Assistance Program staff, activities, and expenditures
• Complete annual or biannual on-site reviews of contracted service providers to ensure compliance with contractual requirements
• Review, process, and ensure accuracy of monthly Developmental Disabilities Program billing and requests for Veterans Assistance funds
• Assist with the creation of reports for community and contracted stakeholders
• Compile, summarize, and extrapolate data from various sources to evaluate program and provider performance
• Assist with the development of requests for proposals
• Develop, update, and amend contracts with various community agencies
• Present program updates and budgets to the governing bodies
• Perform other work as required or assigned, including, but not limited to, a 24/7 response during public health emergency situations and disease outbreak investigations

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• Work Environment - Quiet office setting in Olympia, Washington
• Schedule - Monday – Friday, 8:00am – 5:00pm, with the potential option of alternative or compressed schedules
• Travel Requirements - Occasional local travel may be required to attend meetings or trainings
Customer Interactions - Daily interactions with Thurston County staff and the public

WHO WE ARE:

Public Health and Social Services (PHSS) is Thurston County’s local health jurisdiction and human services department and is responsible for protecting the health and promoting the well-being of all people who live, work, and play in Thurston County. We value diversity and strive to foster a sense of belonging, honoring the unique experiences, cultures, skills, backgrounds, identities, and perspectives of our employees and community. As an agency actively working to address health equity, we aspire for everyone to have the opportunity to attain their highest level of health, regardless of their individual circumstances.

Thurston County values the diversity of the people it hires and serves. Inclusion to us means fostering a workplace in which individual differences are recognized, appreciated, and responded to in ways that fully develop and utilize each person’s talents and strengths. We are dedicated to recruiting and developing a talented workforce from various cultures, lifestyles, backgrounds, and perspectives who are committed to our vision and core values.

HAT WE OFFER OUR EMPLOYEES:

• Work-Life Balance: We are committed to ensure that our staff experience the reward of public service, while also sustaining a routine that suits each individuals’ lifestyle.
• Plan For Your Future: As a member of our team, you will enjoy great employee benefits, including a retirement plan, pre-tax savings accounts, as well as comprehensive health care and dental/vision care for you and your family.
• Paid Leave: Full-time regular employees earn paid vacation in addition to paid holidays .
• Robust Training Program: Employees are encouraged to attend County paid training to help them further their career, learn new skill sets, and stay on top of emerging trends in our industry. We also encourage our staff to participate in professional organizations and attend conferences.
• Flexible Work Schedules: Some of the options that employees may take advantage of include alternative or compressed schedules and/or remote working.
• Deferred Compensation: The County offers 3 voluntary deferred compensation plans for employees who would like to set aside additional deferred tax dollars into a retirement savings plan.
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA ) : Employees can take advantage of Section 125 flexible spending accounts for out-of-pocket health care and daycare expenses with pre-tax dollars.
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness: This is a federal program which allows full-time public service employees who have made qualifying payments for certain loans, to get their student loans repaid. Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program
  

Why you’ll love it here: Thurston County is located between Seattle and Portland in Western Washington’s South Puget Sound Region. Perched in between the mountains and the ocean, the area boasts the perfect blend of year-round outdoor activities including boating, hiking, skiing, and more. The region is also home to the state capitol city of Olympia, known for its many restaurants, microbreweries, coffee shops, farmer’s markets, kids’ activities, history, and art events. Discover more about life in Thurston County at Experienceolympia.com .

Message to potential applicants: We understand that some potential applicants are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every one of the functions or skills listed in a job description. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and we understand that may be someone who will learn some of these skills on the job. If you are interested in this position, and meet the minimum qualifications, we encourage you to go ahead and apply! Feel free to think about how you will bring your own set of skills to the role and tell us about the potential that you hold.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Public Administration, Sociology, or a field specifically related to a specific community-based program of the County.
• Three (3) years of experience related to the planning, administration, and delivery of community-based services, including one (1) year of working with volunteer boards and committees and various agencies.
• Ability to utilize a personal computer and related software packages to perform word processing, analysis, information retrieval and tracking.
• Ability to communicate with co-workers as well as the general public.
• Ability to identify funding sources and grants writing experience.
Ability to oversee fiscal records and develop fiscal controls.

DESIRED SKILLS:

• Knowledge of supported employment and community inclusion activities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities
• Knowledge of quality assurance techniques and the development of quality assurance processes
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with community stakeholders, colleagues, elected officials, and boards of commission
• Ability to communicate, negotiate, and foster inclusive and equitable relationships with diverse populations
• Numerical and fiscal oversight aptitude
• Data analysis skills
• Strong and collaborative problem-solving skills
• Supervisory experience

Respect and Organizational Culture

• Create an environment where employees and partners can safely express needs or concerns and where employees can make and correct mistakes
• Effectively interact with sensitivity while working with persons from diverse cultural, socioeconomic, educational, racial, ethnic, and professional backgrounds, and persons of all ages, gender identities, sexual orientations, and lifestyles
• Thrive in a fast-paced, robust organization maintaining a positive work environment

Communication

• Serve the public in a timely, complete, accurate, and professional manner while ensuring that written and verbal communication is clearly understood by others
• Maintain cultural competency to support diverse perspectives in developing, implementing, and evaluating policies, programs, and services that affect the health of the community
• Strong oral communication for networking and interpersonal relationships
• Excellent written communication including the ability to craft correspondence, reports, and articles or web postings with minimal grammatical and syntax errors

Leadership:

• Supervise, motivate, and develop employees and team to become more productive and effective in achieving desired goals and career growth while encouraging employee critical reflection; able to give direction without conflict
• Show fairness and impartiality in interactions; is interested in employee welfare, elicits staff input where feasible; respond to staff suggestions and complaints in a sincere, sensitive, and timely manner

Goal Setting and Accomplishment

• Use strategic thinking and planning for goal setting and evaluation
• Effectively plan, organize, and manage competing priorities and challenges under pressure
• Create a sense of mission by articulating and modeling confidentiality, professional values, and ethics with honesty and integrity
• Operate with a high degree of flexibility, initiative, attention to detail, and commitment
Delegate and use persuasion and negotiating skills for shared responsibility and acceptance of change

OTHER RELATED RECRUITMENT INFORMATION:

Questions about this recruitment? Please contact the hiring team at: PHSS_Hiring@co.thurston.wa.us or (360) 867-2569

This position is:

• Not represented by a union
• May be eligible for overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
• Eligible for benefits
• Contingent on the ability to pass a criminal background check
• Funded by Developmental Disabilities Administration County Services Contract accommodation

Items requested for consideration:

• Application
• Resume
• Letter of interest
• Please note: The candidate selected for this position is required to show proof of the following immunizations by their agreed upon start date:
  • Measles/mumps/rubella (MMR)
  Tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap/TD)
  

Please note: Information in this announcement is subject to change without notice at any time during the length of the job advertisement.

THURSTON COUNTY IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Thurston County is committed to provide equal opportunity to all persons seeking or having access to its employment, services and activities, which is free from restriction based on race, sex, marital status, color, creed or religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation, including gender expression or identity, pregnancy, status as an honorably discharged veteran or military status, genetic information, or the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability, unless based upon bona fide occupational qualifications. Applicants with disabilities who need accommodation with the application or selection process should contact Thurston County’s Human Resources, at (360) 786-5498. Those who are deaf, deaf-blind, hard of hearing or speech impaired may use the statewide relay system to reach Thurston County offices and departments to conduct their business telephonically. Relay users can simply dial 7-1-1 (or 1-800-833-6388) to connect with Washington Relay.