Chief Medical Officer (CMO)

Full Job Description

The Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC) is the second largest state agency in Washington located in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, the Department operates 10 correctional facilities, 9 re-entry centers, and 84 field offices, serving approximately 13,966 incarcerated individuals and supervising more than 14,000 individuals in the community.

The Department employs approximately 8,800 staff statewide.

The impact of our work affects every community in our state as we work together for safer communities through progressive and human-centered practices, with a focus on successful reentry, the reduction of recifivism, and the individual transformation of those in our care and custody.

Our agency is comprised of dedicated public servants, committed to an equitable and inclusive workplace culture that inspires excellence, promotes innovation, and priortiize safety, leading to better outcomes for our incarcerated population, our staff, and our local communities.

The Department of Corrections is seeking a licensed, board-certified physician to serve as Chief Medical Officer (CMO).

Reporting to and serving on the Secretary’s executive leadership team, the CMO provides enterprise-level medical leadership and strategic direction for a comprehensive correctional health system.

The CMO reports to the Assistant Secretary of Health Services to ensure the delivery of high-quality, legally compliant, and clinically sound health services across the agency.

This role is responsible for shaping medical strategy, advancing clinical quality and population health outcomes, and leading a statewide patient-centered medical home model within a complex correctional environment.

Experience or demonstrated interest in public health, correctional health, or health systems serving underserved populations is highly valued.

The Department continues to work with the VERA institute to reduce our ever-shrinking restrictive housing population and have significantly reduced prison populations by creating evidence-based community alternatives to incarceration.

A completed application packet will include:

• Executive resume
• Cover letter

Application assessment will be ongoing, and the hiring authority reserves the right to offer the position at any time during the recruitment process. It is to the applicant's advantage to apply as early as possible.

Requirements

Executive Medical Leadership

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for a comprehensive statewide health services system, including medical, dental, pharmacy, behavioral health, and substance use disorder treatment services across 10 correctional facilities.
• Establish and execute enterprise-level medical goals, objectives, and performance measures aligned with DOC’s mission and strategic priorities.
• Serve as a senior clinical advisor to executive leadership on matters affecting medical care, patient safety, and health policy.

Health Services Oversight and Operations

• Lead and support multidisciplinary clinical leadership teams, including physicians, psychiatrists, nurses, pharmacists, psychologists, and allied health professionals.
• Is a collaborating partner with the Assistant Secretary of Health Services to design, implement, and continuously improve clinical operations, treatment protocols, and care delivery models.
• Provide expert consultation on complex clinical, operational, and systems-level issues impacting incarcerated populations.
• Advance data-driven decision-making to improve clinical quality, access to care, efficiency, and health outcomes.
• Advocate for resources and infrastructure necessary to support effective, ethical, and evidence-based medical care.

Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement

• Serve as a primary point of contact with state and external partners, including the Health Care Authority, Department of Health, and community health organizations.
• Build productive partnerships that support continuity of care, public health integration, and reentry planning.

Regulatory Compliance and Risk Management

• Ensure compliance with all applicable federal and state laws, professional standards of practice, RCWs, WACs, and departmental policies.
• Collaborate with leadership to manage clinical risk, accreditation requirements, and quality assurance activities.

Qualifications

Leadership Competencies
The successful candidate will demonstrate strength in the following areas:

• Executive leadership within complex, regulated healthcare environments
• Strategic planning and systems-level thinking
• Clinical quality improvement and population health management
• Collaborative leadership across multidisciplinary teams
• Talent development, performance management, and workforce engagement
• Change leadership, innovation, and continuous improvement
• Sound judgment, accountability, and adaptability in dynamic settings
• Commitment to equity, inclusion, and respectful professional practice

Required Qualifications

• Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathy (DO) from an accredited institution
• Completion of an ACGME-accredited residency in Internal Medicine or Family Medicine
• Board certification through the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS)
• Unrestricted license to practice medicine in Washington State, or ability to obtain prior to employment
• Demonstrated expertise in evidence-based medicine, clinical quality improvement, and population health
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in healthcare delivery and leadership

Preferred Qualifications

• Five (5) or more years of direct clinical practice demonstrating readiness for executive medical leadership
• Executive or senior leadership experience in public sector healthcare or similarly complex health systems
• Knowledge of human resource management within unionized or public sector environments, including RCWs, WACs, CBAs, and policy frameworks

Additional Information

Mission: The mission of DOC is to improve public safety by positively changing lives.

Our Vision: Working together for safer communities.

Our Commitment: To operate a safe and humane corrections system and partner with others to transform lives for a better Washington.

Our Core Values:

IMPORTANT NOTES:

Please include a minimum of three (3) professional references with your application.

A professional reference is defined as an individual who has been paid to supervise your work and can attest to your work performance, technical skills, and job competencies.

If you do not have any or sufficient professional references, please include non-related professionals, such as educators or other professional associates.

**Please note: Phone number AND email address are required for all professional references.

• A background check including criminal record history will be conducted prior to a new hire. Information from the background check will not necessarily preclude employment but will be considered in determining the applicant’s suitability and competence to perform in the position.
• Employees may work directly with or near incarcerated individuals in a potentially hazardous setting. Please consider this when deciding whether to apply.

We are committed to maintaining a drug and alcohol-free work environment, and our employees are expected to comply with all state and federal laws.

A pre-employment drug test may be administered as part of the selection process, and applicants who test positive for any controlled substances, will be disqualified from consideration.

• Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) is an aerosol pepper spray made available as a means of self-defense and/or de-escalation. Applicants with sensitivities or allergies are encouraged to ask about the level of exposure they could expect in this position.
• Animal care projects are a common component of most Washington State prisons, including dog and cat programs. Applicants with animal sensitivities or allergies are encouraged to ask about the level of exposure they could expect in this position.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a priority health issue for DOC employees. The successful candidate may be required to provide valid proof of a baseline TB skin test within 60 days from the date of hire.

When positive tests result, further information, testing and treatment will also be required. Employment is not contingent upon test results.

Foreign equivalent degrees awarded outside the United States must have a credential evaluation report attached to your application.

You may request the required evaluation/documentation from www.wes.org and www.aice-eval.org. Until this documentation is provided, you will not be selected to move forward in the hiring process.

DOC complies with the employment eligibility verification requirements for the federal employment eligibility verification form I-9.

The selected candidate must be able to provide proof of identity and eligibility to work in the United States consistent with the requirements of that form.

https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents

DOC does not use E-Verify; therefore, we are not eligible to extend STEM-Optional Practice Training (OPT). For information, please visit www.uscis.gov.