Policy & Operations Specialist

Full Job Description

Please Note: The starting salary offer will be determined based on the successful candidates’ qualifications within the starting salary range of $85,000 - $100,000 annually. Please note that there is career salary growth beyond this starting range for the successful candidate.

Hybrid: Our physical office is in Olympia, WA. We offer flexible work schedules and locations. This is a hybrid position where most of the work allows for telework. However, you will need to travel to in-person activities, meetings, and events according to business needs.

Why work for the Women’s CommissionThe Washington State Women's Commission was established in 2018 to address and acknowledge the unique challenges that women face.

The purpose of the Commission is to improve the well-being of women by enabling them to participate fully in all fields of endeavor, assisting them in obtaining governmental services, and promoting equal compensation and fairness in employment for women.

The commission also addresses issues relevant to the experiences of women, such as domestic violence, childcare, sexual discrimination, sexual harassment, equal compensation, job opportunities, and the specific needs of women of color.

Our mission is to improve the life of every woman by ensuring equitable opportunities and removing systemic barriers through engagement, advocacy, and public policy, while being inclusive of our diverse populations.

And equally important is our vision, for “every woman and girl to be healthy, safe, prosperous, and empowered to achieve their full potential.”

The job opportunityWe are seeking a bold and driven professional to join us as our next Policy & Operations Specialist —the force behind transformative public policy initiatives, the statewide impact of Activate 3.8 to close the pay equity gap, and the growth of our dynamic online Resource Center.

Support executive leadership, strengthen daily operations, and help shape an agency built for success.

At the Women’s Commission, our mandate is big: support the wellbeing of 3.8 million women and girls across Washington State—half the state—whose experiences, needs, and perspectives are not a monolith. This role ensures smooth day-to-day operations while coordinating policy research and advancing informed recommendations that move gender equity forward. You’ll connect strategy to execution, support executive leadership, strengthen agency operations, and drive measurable, accountable results. If you’re ready to turn vision into impact—this role is your role.

Requirements

What you’ll work on

Support the Executive Director’s administrative needs and the agency’s day-to-day operational needs including: Maintain a high level of confidentiality while working with complex or sensitive issues.

Keeping the Executive Director informed of significant and/or important items requiring review and/or action.

Support meetings and other project events.

Develop and establish processes and procedures and apply administrative policies to the work of the unit. This includes maintaining a common repository of documents for all staff to access.

Lead the Commission’s development of policy initiatives and priorities to include:

• Working with Executive Director, Commissioners, and commission staff on development of policy initiatives and corresponding projects.
• Serve as main staff for subject-matter committees within the Women's Commission (health, safety, economic opportunity/security).

Lead the implementation of the Activate 3.8 program to execute the Commission’s work on “promoting equal compensation and fairness in employment for women (RCW 43.119.005).”

Establish and maintain the Commission’s online Resource Center to connect the women and girls of WA with critical government and community services.

Qualifications

What we need you to bring
Required Qualifications:

• Demonstrated professional experience in public policy, project or program management, stakeholder engagement, or a closely related field, including the ability to lead complex initiatives and achieve measurable outcomes.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating events involving government officials, community stakeholders, and partners, including planning, logistics management, and relationship cultivation.
• Demonstrated ability to complete projects in a timely manner, while handling multiple tasks. Strong organizational skills and track record of prioritizing tasks.
• Demonstrated ability to navigate a matrixed organization and secure buy-in.
• Experience researching, developing, and presenting strategy options and recommendations.
• Experience drafting and editing professional correspondence, presentations and reports.
• Experience with metric-based management and data driven decision making.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to and understanding of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging principles.
• The ability to take action to learn and grow.
• The ability to take action to meet the needs of others.

Desired Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in public policy, community organizing, gender/women's studies, or related field, from an accredited college or university.
• Five (5) years of professional experience working in program/project management, stakeholder engagement, public policy, community organizing, gender/women's studies, or related field.
• Professional experience navigating matrixed organizations and securing buy-in.
• Knowledge of topics and policy issues affecting women's health, safety, and economic opportunity/security.
• Public sector experience - understanding of the functioning of state government, the legislative system, and individual state agencies.
• Project management certification
  
  

We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and that candidate may be one from a less traditional background. Don’t let doubts stop you from applying for this position.

If you have transferable experience, please tell us about it or contact us with questions about the required qualifications and how your experience relates to them.

Additional Information

What we offer:
At OFM, we foster a culture of integrity, innovation, inclusion, and belonging. We value both learned and lived experiences, believing that diversity makes us stronger. To support your health and well-being, we offer a variety of benefit programs for our employees.

Please visit our Recruitment Page for a full list of benefits available to employees. Here’s a quick glance at some of the unique benefits that OFM offers:

• An environment ofdiversity, equity, inclusion and belonging
• Tuition reimbursement
• Medical, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance
• 12 paid holidays, 14 paid vacation days (minimum), and 12 days of sick leave per year
• State retirement programs

Application Process: Once you’ve decided to apply for a state government job, you’ll complete an online application to showcase your qualifications.

Keep in mind that once you submit the application, a real person is going to read it. We do not use AI or other technology that screens your application and rejects it.

So please be sure to provide clear and detailed information about your work history so your qualifications can be accurately assessed.

We will contact the top candidates directly to schedule interviews. If you need reasonable accommodation in applying, please call 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6384.

Your application will not be considered complete and sent to the hiring teams for review, unless you attach all of the following:

• Cover letter: describing your qualifications for this specific position
• Resume: that details your applicable experience and education.
• References: at least three professional references and their contact information.

Questions: OFM's Staff ASL interpreter is available to all deaf and hard of hearing applicants. For questions about this recruitment or to request a reasonable accommodation in the application or interview process, please email us at TalentAcquisition@ofm.wa.gov.

The Office of Financial Management is an equal opportunity employer.

We strive to create a working environment that includes and respects cultural, racial, ethnic, sexual orientation and gender identity diversity.

Women, racial and ethnic minorities, persons of disability, persons over 40 years of age, and disabled and Vietnam-era veterans are encouraged to apply.