The Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) values diverse perspectives and life experiences. The Department encourages people of all backgrounds to apply, including people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ, people with disabilities, veterans and those with lived experience.

DCHS manages a wide range of programs and services to assist the county's most vulnerable residents. The department maintains a pro-equity focus aimed at developing the systems and standards necessary to achieve better outcomes for all county residents. 

The Children, Youth and Young Adults Division (CYYAD) is one of five divisions in DCHS. CYYAD believes that King County should be a place where all young people have equitable opportunities to be happy, healthy, safe, and thriving members of their communities. The division operates several re-engagement, education, and employment programs for youth and young adults, and is home to the Best Starts for Kids 5 to 24 investments, and Puget Sound Tax Payer Accountability Act’s K-12, community and post-secondary investments. 

Best Starts for Kids (BSK) is King County's initiative to improve the health and well-being of residents by investing in promotion, prevention, and early intervention for children, youth, families, and communities (www.kingcounty.gov/beststarts). Implementation of BSK is guided by the BSK Implementation Plan approved by the King County Council in September 2016. 

The Community Well-Being Program Manager (PPM III) position will support the Community Well-Being Initiative in Best Starts for Kids, and collaborate with Public Health’s COVID19 response. The Community Well-Being Initiative seeks to promote emotional health in our communities and in the County’s COVID19 response, centering BIPOC children, youth and families who are most impacted by the intersecting crises of racism and the pandemic. We are responding to the emotional impacts of the pandemic by:

• Building community capacity to share information, resources, and provide culturally relevant supports for emotional health and well-being. 
• Reducing stigma associated with mental health and validating a full range of emotional experiences. 
• Reinforcing compassion, connection, and care in our communities.

WHO MAY APPLY:  THIS IS A 10-MONTH TERM-LIMITED OR SPECIAL DUTY POSITION.  A SPECIAL DUTY POSITION CAN ONLY BE FILLED BY A CURRENT KING COUNTY EMPLOYEE IN A CAREER SERVICE POSITION, AFTER COMPLETION OF PROBATION.  This position is open to all qualified candidates that meet the minimum qualifications.  The Department of Community and Human Services values diverse perspectives and life experiences.  The Department encourages people of all backgrounds to apply, including people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ, people with disabilities, veterans, and those with lived experiences.  

The position reports to Jennifer Tanaka, Deputy Division Director of the Children, Youth, and Young Adults Division, in collaboration with Sarah Wilhelm, Strategic Advisor for Trauma-Informed Systems and Community Well-Being Initiative Lead, Best Starts for Kids/Public Health. 

REQUIRED MATERIALS: Candidates who wish to be considered for this position must submit an online King County application and respond to the supplemental questions.  Your application may be rejected as incomplete if you do not include the requested and relevant information in the online application and supplemental questionnaire.  Applications and/or supplemental questionnaires that state, “see my resume” are considered incomplete and will not be considered to be competitive.

WORK SCHEDULE: This position is exempt from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act, and is not eligible for overtime. Typical hours are Monday - Friday 8am - 5pm.

TEMPORARY TELECOMMUTING REQUIREMENT 

The work associated with this position will be performed remotely, at least through July 5, 2021 in compliance with King County’s telecommuting mandate. Employees will be provided with a County issued laptop and must maintain a workspace with an internet connection where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours.  Employees must reside in WA state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.  There will be situations where the employee is required to report to a County worksite.  Please note that when an employee conducts work that is likely to bring them in contact with another individual, safety precautions are required by the department in alignment with the Public Health Directive from the Seattle & King County Public Health Officer.

To support employees during this time King County has a robust collection of tools and resources to support working remotely. The individual selected for this opportunity will be joining an innovative and progressive team. King County is doing its part to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and remains committed to reducing our carbon footprint.  

UNION MEMBERSHIP:  Positions in this classification are represented by PROTEC17.

RECRUITER:  Annette.Coleman@kingcounty.gov

• Develop and implement innovative community-centered approaches to promoting emotional well-being and mental health of children, youth and families in communities most impacted by the public health crises of COVID19 and racism.
• Cultivate and sustain relationships with community partners supporting emotional health and well-being, and lead partnership activities including convening partners, planning events, communications, and resource sharing.
• Lead Well-Being Messenger program to ensure culturally responsive and relevant information and resource sharing related to emotional health and well-being, including recruitment, training, learning collaborative, and ongoing support for the work of the Messengers.
• Manage and oversee program budgets, contractual agreements and resources.
• Support Community Well-Being Initiative and partners in seeking and applying for new funding opportunities as appropriate. 
• Liaise with Best Starts for Kids, King County Behavioral Health and Recovery Division, COVID19 Community Mitigation & Recovery efforts, Balanced You Employee Health and Well-Being, and other County programs related to community mental health and well-being.
• Represent Best Starts for Kids Community Well-Being Initiative with internal and external partners, including community stakeholders.
• Provide back-up coverage and/or support other bodies of work within the Community Well-Being Initiative.
• Collaborate with a diverse cross departmental and multidisciplinary team to support the emotional well-being and mental health of communities most impacted by the public health crises of racism and COVID19, including participation in team meetings and development of strategy, systems and processes.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Deep knowledge of equity and social justice principles and practices, and understanding of the effects of place, race and policy and systems-based inequities on communities and populations.
• Professional or personal experience in promoting behavioral health and emotional well-being particularly in communities most impacted by the public health crises of racism & COVID19.
• Demonstrated experience applying an intersectional approach to designing and implementing programs to support BIPOC youth, families and communities and their emotional well-being.
• Awareness and knowledge of resources in King County related to mental health and emotional well-being.
• A combination of at least five years of education and recent experience within mental health, public health, community empowerment, and/or other related fields with emphasis on promoting emotional well-being in communities, with at least 1 year in a leadership role.
• Demonstrated experience implementing new programs in design, development, or implementation phases and continuous quality improvement efforts.
• Highly experienced and skilled with engaging and convening partners from different sectors to cultivate knowledge sharing and community capacity building.
• Significant experience working collaboratively with diverse stakeholders including families, culturally specific and community-based groups, service providers, and co-workers.
• Ability to work with creativity and flexibility, both independently and as a team member.
• Ability to effectively manage multiple competing priorities and projects under a rapidly changing environment, with the ability to plan and prioritize effectively in this environment.

Forbes recently named King County as one of Washington State's best employers.
 
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Guided by our "True North", we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles--we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.
 
King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer
No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.
 
To Apply
If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact your recruiter listed on this job announcement.