The Legislative/Policy Analyst is the key resource within the department to coordinate the review, development, and drafting of reports and legislation amending King County land use policy and building codes. The position requires regular coordination with staff within the department to facilitate code reviews and analysis, develop legislative documents, and plan for and monitor legislative actions. This position is also responsible for coordinating Department positions in response to active policy debate and creating systems to ensure internal coordination during fast moving legislative sessions. This may involve prioritizing and coordinating opportunities to comment, testify or otherwise communicate about new and emerging issues and ongoing policy debates with direct impact and relevance to the mission of the Department. In addition to working on local and State legislation, the position will be assigned an assortment of ad hoc and ongoing projects that support the department or interdepartmental efforts. The incumbent must work constructively with other departments, the King County Council, the Office of the King County Executive, other jurisdictions, County leadership and the public. This position reports to the Director of the Permitting Division. 

Applying equity and social justice principles is a daily responsibility and a foundational expectation for all King County employees. In this role, you will apply equity and social justice principles that exemplify shared values, behaviors, and practices to all aspects of the work.

To be considered for this opportunity, you must at a minimum, demonstrate knowledge, skill, and ability to:  
  

• Work with staff within the department to draft and draft proposed legislation (i.e., ordinances and motions) impacting King County codes and policies.
• Review and draft reports and other documents.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for the Executive’s office, the County Council, and others for legislative matters that originate within the division.
• In coordination with the Executive’s Office, help negotiate changes to and advocate for proposed legislation.
• Work with the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and County Council staff to help resolve legal issues and questions that arise from proposed legislation.
• Help ensure compliance and consistency between the policies in the Comprehensive Plan and the County’s development regulations; assist Regional Planning with Comprehensive Plan updates as directed.
• In coordination with the Director and others, plan the department’s annual legislative calendar; monitor the status of active legislation; coordinate with the Executive’s Office on State and federal legislative matters that concern the department.
• As assigned by the Director, provide staff support to interdepartmental, interbranch, or interjurisdictional teams; provide staff support to community engagement efforts.
• Partner with Regional Planning and Subarea planners during the development of subarea plans to ensure consistency with the King County Comprehensive Plan.
• Assess the viability of priorities in the context of the broader legislative landscape.  Identify short and long-term strategies to achieve policy goals.
• As assigned by the Director, support or take lead responsibility for ad hoc or on-going projects that relate to the work of the department.
• Monitor and coordinate staff participation in King County Council meetings. 
• Maintain and support a culture of customer service excellence.
• Communicate at all times in ways that reflect well upon King County, the County Executive, the department, and the incumbent, lead by example with other team members.
• Scrupulously honor commitments made to internal and external customers.
• Foster professional and healthy relationships with other departments, agencies, and partners.
• Other duties as assigned.

The ideal candidate will have the following qualifications: 

• Experience with building and land use policy and regulation in an agency or agencies that has/have complex rural and urban land use issues, complex regional initiatives, and diverse interjurisdictional relationships.
• Experience developing, amending, interpreting, and recommending building and land use regulations and documents concerning urban, rural, and resource land use issues.
• Experience advocating recommendations or positions to elected officials.
• Strong experience working with the Washington State Growth Management Act, the Washington Shorelines Act, and the State Environmental Policy Act, or similar legislation in another state.
• Exceptional communication skills: ability to listen, provide feedback, and negotiate outcomes as needed; skill at facilitating diverse groups of participants to express their views and help design solutions in a constructive and non-threatening environment.
• Knowledge of and experience drafting policies, codes, and regulations. 
• Strong project management skills, including demonstrable experience managing projects with multiple stakeholders. 
• Demonstrated ability to establish effective working relationships and partnerships across boundaries and with different interests.
• Advanced experience working successfully within a political framework including making presentations and recommendations to and supporting the work of elected and appointed bodies. 
• Advanced skills in organizing oneself and others to meet goals and timelines; ability to separate and combine tasks into efficient workflows.
• Demonstrated ability to marshal resources and orchestrate multiple activities to accomplish goals.
• Skill in advanced-level problem solving.
• Strong familiarity with land use legal theory and principles; knowing when to reach out to legal or other professionals.
• Strengths in analyzing, arraying, and presenting complex demographic data and trends.

Our Most Competent Candidate Will Also Have: 

• Experience in a chief executive’s office for a large or complex municipality. 
• Experience with developing and implementing progressive, contextual environmental and energy regulations.
• Experience with developing and implementing regulations that meet the needs of new or emerging industries or land uses.
• Experience developing and implementing complex communication strategies.

Those applicants who pass the initial screening will be invited to interview the week of February 4, 2022.
 
If you are selected as a finalist you will be asked to come back the week of February 9, 2022 for a second interview. 

WHO MAY APPLY: This position is open to all qualified candidates.

 WORK SCHEDULE: This position is exempt from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act, and is not overtime-eligible. The position is paid on a bi-weekly schedule, every other Thursday, comprising a 40-hour work week. The position may be required to work extended and/or flex scheduled work hours to respond to service needs. 
 
 
REQUIRED FORMS AND MATERIALS: An online employment application, resume, cover letter (no more than 2 pages) summarizing how you meet the experience, qualifications, knowledge, and skills for the position. A writing sample from your past work that demonstrates your analytical abilities and for which you were the lead author. It could be a staff report, policy analysis / recommendation, briefing memo, etc.

SELECTION PROCESS: Applicants will be screened for clarity, completeness, and competitiveness. The most competitive candidates may be invited to participate in one or more interviews.  Interviews will be conducted teleconference via Teams. Reference checks and file reviews will be conducted.

 For more information regarding this recruitment, please contact:
     Sonali Sharma
     Human Resources Analyst
     206-477-7282
     sosharma@kingcounty.gov   

Teleworking Requirement 

The work associated with this position will be performed predominantly by teleworking; complemented with onsite work and meetings as needed. Employees will have access to shared workspaces at various King County facilities.)  Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.
 
 Employees will be provided with a County issued laptop and must maintain a workspace with an internet connection (access may be supplemented in some situations) where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours. Please note that when an employee conducts work that is likely to bring them in contact with another individual, safety precautions are required, including the wearing of masks in some situations. King County is doing its part to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and remains committed to reducing our carbon footprint.

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT 

King County is the local service provider for the roughly quarter-million people who live in the unincorporated areas of the county. Taken together, the population in unincorporated King County would be the second-largest city in the state. The Department of Local Services includes a Director's Office and the Road Services and Permitting Divisions. The Director’s Office includes a robust Community Service Area group focused on identifying and responding to the needs of urban and rural unincorporated King County residents and businesses. The department provides a single executive point of accountability for delivery of local services to all the unincorporated areas.    

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 that is redefining how we work as we transition to the department's hybrid environment.  
 
 COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement
 
 King County Executive Branch employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. If you are the successful candidate for the position you applied for, the County will send you a conditional offer letter.
 
 As a condition of employment, prior to a final offer of employment, you will be required to:

• submit proof of vaccination, or
• have an approved request for medical or religious exemption and an approved accommodation. Philosophical, political, scientific, or sociological objections to vaccination will not be considered for an exemption or accommodation.

People are considered fully vaccinated against COVID-19 two weeks after receiving the final dose of a vaccination approved by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
 
The Executive Branch includes employees in the Executive branch, the Assessor's Office, Elections, the King County Sheriff's Office, and the Executive Office.
 
Forbes recently named King County as one of Washington State's best employers.
 
Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.
 
 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 the recruiter listed on this job announcement.