King County Parks and Recreation Division is seeking an experienced project manager to provide leadership and accountability with respect to planning and implementing the voter-approved King County Parks Levy. On August 6, 2019, King County voters approved a measure to renew the property tax levy  supporting parks, recreation, trails, and open space in King County, including most of the division’s operating and capital budgets. The measure replaced the levy that expired at the end of 2019 and will generate an estimated $810 million over six years. Building upon a strong foundation of past levy successes and strong public support, the individual in this new role will lead the division’s efforts to:
 

• Track, measure, and demonstrate successful completion of levy commitments
• Collaborate with various internal and external partners to support successful levy project delivery
• Facilitate strategic decision-making in response to dynamic policy, legal, financial, political, and community considerations 
• Communicate across audiences and platforms to demonstrate the value of public investments in King County’s open spaces, parks, and trails
• Help position the division to identify and prepare for   future funding needs. 

• Collaborate with stakeholders across the division to manage various projects and track process
• Provide leadership that help address and resolve complex problems in ways that best serve the division, department, and county. 
• Apply equity and social justice principles and analysis to all aspects of levy implementation.
• Make programmatic recommendations involving policy, legal, financial, labor, and public involvement considerations. 
• Develop and implement tracking systems related to King County Parks Levy commitments and implementation. 
• Establish appropriate performance measures and metrics; collect and manage relevant data. 
• Coordinate with diverse agencies and interest groups regarding resource allocation, staffing strategies, and project development and direction. 
• Coordinate efficiently across policies, initiatives, and work programs to meet levy commitments and achieve multiple benefits, where possible.
• Coordinate across all levels of government to facilitate levy implementation and address barriers, as necessary.
• Interpret financial, operational, and capital project and program detail, and be able to translate this information to different audiences. 
• Help design, implement, and support strategies to engage, involve, and inform community members and other stakeholders around future funding for King County Parks.
• Inform Division and Department management on project status.

• Political savvy in advancing large, complex initiatives or projects. Experience working with elected officials and staff across a variety of topics to achieve common goals. Success in packaging and presenting operational, program, budget, and financial information to a variety of audiences. Working knowledge of governmental or large and complex organizational procedures. Adept at working behind the scenes to prepare and support leadership in decision-making and communications with partners and external audiences.  
  
  
• Demonstrated project management success. Knowledge of the principles and practices of project management, budget development, and the financial concepts employed in capital improvement and operating programs. Strong organizational, project, and time management skills. Ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously. Effectively delegate responsibilities and holds others to the project timeline and deliverables throughout the project lifecycle. Excellent attention to detail.
  
  
• Performance measurement experience. Experience developing and implementing tracking systems related to large, complex work programs. Experience setting up processes to monitor progress and results and designing feedback loops into that work. Success in establishing shared performance measures, collecting and managing relevant data, and adaptively managing work programs based on resulting information and trends. Ability to monitor progress and investments using an equity and social justice lens.
  
  
• Effective communications skills. Ability to deal tactfully, patiently, and courteously with diverse individuals (often with opposing perspectives), including government officials, the public, community groups, and organizational colleagues. Experience communicating technical and policy issues with varied levels of staff, consultants, jurisdictions, community groups, constituents, and the public. Excellent written and oral presentation skills in a variety of settings. Ability to listen.
  
  
• Excellent interpersonal and collaborative skills. Agility in establishing and maintaining effective working relationships and communications with supervisors, other levels of staff, volunteers, levy partners, and the public. Skill in working effectively with a diverse employee population. Ability to facilitate conversations with a range of audiences, highlighting the strengths and common goals of multiple perspectives for projects or initiatives that are politically sensitive or have significant political implications. Team player willing to pitch in and learn new things.

• Ensures accountability. Holds self and others accountable to meet commitments. 
• Approaches work with a strategic mindset. Sees ahead to future possibilities and translates them into breakthrough strategies. 
• Action oriented. Takes on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm.
• Plans and prioritizes work. Meets commitments and aligns with organizational goals. 
• Manages complexity. Makes sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems.
• Cultivates innovation. Creates new and better ways for the organization to be successful. Identifies creative solutions to “get to yes.”
• Demonstrates organizationally savvy. Can maneuver comfortably through complex policy, process and people-related organizational dynamics. 
• Demonstrates situational adaptability. Adapts approach and demeanor in real time to match the shifting demands of different situations. Calm under pressure. 

• Experience and knowledge working on recreational, natural lands, or other parks-related policies, projects or initiatives. 
• Five or more years of increasingly responsible work experience at the policy and project management level. 
• A combination of experience or education in Regional/Urban Planning, Public Administration, Environmental Science, Public Policy, Economics, Business Administration, or related field relevant to achieve the described job duties. 

Application and Selection Process:  Application materials will be screened for clarity, completeness including online application, cover letter and resume, and responsiveness to the list of qualifications, skills, and abilities. The most competitive candidates may be invited to participate in one or more panel interviews.  Applications without the following required materials may not be considered for this position. 

• King County application 
• Resume 
• Cover Letter detailing your background and what you can bring to this position 
• Responses to supplemental questions

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.

Covid-19 Vaccination Requirement

As of October 18, 2021, most* King County employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. If hired, you will be required to submit proof of vaccination by October 18th. People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose in a two-dose series or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine. Employees may make requests for a reasonable accommodation based on a medical disability or for sincerely held religious beliefs. Philosophical, political, scientific, or sociological objections to vaccination will not be considered for an exemption or accommodation.

This directive applies to employees in the Executive branch*, the Assessor's Office, Elections, the King County Sheriff's Office, and the Executive Office.

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.