Program Staff Attorney - Legal Services

Full Job Description

WASHINGTON MANAGEMENT SERVICE

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT

Program Staff Attorney - Legal Services

(Multiple positions)

$82,892 - $97,669 annually

Closes February 24,2026

The Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) is seeking to fill multiple Program Staff Attorney positions.

These full-time permanent positions are based in Olympia, Washington. These positions may be eligible for partial to near full-time telework. Telework is a combination of in-building and off-site days.

During your initial training period you will be required to be in the office 3 days a week.

After you’ve completed your initial training, you may have the option to work from home on a flexible telework schedule.

While we’re happy to offer this balance of in-office connection and telework flexibility, this isn’t a fully remote position.

We encourage interested candidates to visit the OSPI website to gain insight into our agency.

About OSPI and our initiatives

OSPI is the primary agency charged with overseeing public K–12 education in Washington state.

Working with the state's 295 public school districts and 7 state-tribal education compact schools, OSPI allocates funding and provides tools, resources, and technical assistance so every student in Washington is provided a high-quality public education.

At OSPI, we recognize that our employees are the key to the success of the agency. We are committed to our work but value the balance with our personal lives.

We demonstrate our commitment to employees by providing an environment that stimulates professional growth and values them for their expertise.

OSPI is a great place to work and has several initiatives to help create a great working environment, including:

Vision, Mission, and Values Vision: All students prepared for post-secondary pathways, careers, and civic engagement.

Mission: Transform K-12 education to a system that is centered on closing opportunity gaps and is characterized by high expectations for all students and educators.

We achieve this by developing equity-based policies and supports that empower educators, families, and communities.

Values:

Ensuring Equity, Collaboration and Service, Achieving Excellence through Continuous Improvement, Focus on the Whole Child

Equity

Each student, family, and community possesses strengths and cultural knowledge that benefits their peers, educators, and schools. Ensuring educational equity:

This position will be an integral part of the Office of Legal Affairs (OLA) division, which includes teams charged with externally facing work as well as teams performing internal operational tasks.

Examples include agency and school district civil rights compliance, fingerprinting, Professional Practices, internal records management, Public Records Office, agency internal policy development, and ethics opinions.

The Office of Legal Affairs Program Attorney acts as a generalist subject matter expert for specific agency projects, departments, or public interest initiatives, focusing on legal compliance, policy development, and advocacy within that domain.

They draft documents, provide legal advice to staff, support projects and legal compliance, review and advise on agency administrative and enforcement efforts, and ensure operational compliance with state and federal laws.

The Program Attorney will also collaborate with agency legal counsel with the Office of the Attorney General, and support litigation as directed.

This position delivers up-to-date legal research, guidance and direction that is dependable, actionable, proactive, and timely for non-personnel related matters in OSPI’s portfolio.

A strong candidate for this position is an attorney with a demonstrated commitment to K-12 public education, civil rights, and public service.

• Flexibly and timely performing various legal tasks at the direction of the Chief Legal and Civil Rights Officer.
• Conducting in-depth legal research of relevant statutes, regulations and comparable case law and preparing guidance, memoranda or opinions to advise the operation of all agency programs and divisions such equity and civil rights, investigations, Public Records Act compliance, the Administrative Procedure Act, and monitoring the conduct of certificated educators utilizing a variety of resources including Westlaw, publications, and internal databases.
• Preparing memoranda, verbally summarizing and presenting the cases, and making recommendations for appropriate actions.
• Helping draft and analyze sponsored or proposed legislation, advising program staff on interpreting existing laws, and assisting with the drafting of regulations to implement new programs and/or respond to changes to the law.
• Responding to requests for legal perspective requiring the interpretation of law and regulation, both state and Federal.
• Collaborating with OSPI’s legal counsel at the Office of the Attorney General (AGO), as directed. This may include drafting documents and conducting research in support of litigation.
• Answering internal and external stakeholder questions by collecting, analyzing, and responding timely and in alignment with legal requirements and agency goals.
• Providing research, investigation, drafting, and review support regarding emerging and ongoing legal, professional conduct, public records, and civil rights matters that affect OSPI and K–12 education statewide.
• Reviewing contracts in a timely and accurate manner.
• Drafting letters and memoranda
• Drafting and monitoring of compliance plans

Required Education, Experience, and Competencies.

CompensationThe annual compensation for the position is $82,892 - $97,669 per year and depends upon experience, educational background and qualifications.

Geographic differentials may be applied based on work location of successful candidate.

Washington State offers a generous benefit package including health, dental and life insurance, retirement and an optional deferred compensation program.

Please visit Health Care Authority for information regarding health benefits and the Department of Retirement Systems for retirement plan information. This is a Washington Management Position.

This position is not represented by a bargaining unit.

Application Process

Those interested in this position must apply through Careers.wa.gov. Applications must include the following documents in MS Word or PDF format:

NOTE: Your resume and letter of interest must be attached to your application. Please confirm they are attached before you submit.

Please address any questions to:

Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
600 Washington Street Southeast
Olympia, Washington 98504-7200

360-725-6278: sal.salazar@k12.wa.us

Persons needing accommodation in the application process or this announcement in an alternative format may contact the Human Resources Office at (360) 725-6270 or (360) 725-6066, or e-mail hroffice@k12.wa.us.

New Jobs Alert Service

OSPI offers a subscription service, which regularly notifies subscribers of new OSPI employment opportunities on careers.wa.gov. Subscribers are notified via text or email alert. If you are interested in this service, then please subscribe at this location.

OSPI is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from job seekers who will contribute to our diversity.

OSPI provides equal access to all programs and services without discrimination based on sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, honorably discharged veteran or military status, sexual orientation including gender expression or identity, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability.

If you would like, please include your name and gender pronouns in your application, to ensure we address you appropriately throughout the application process.

Persons needing accommodation in the application process or this announcement in an alternative format may contact the human resource consultant listed in “Application Process.”