Program Supervisor - Special Education

Full Job Description

WASHINGTON MANAGEMENT SERVICE

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT

Program Supervisor - Special Education

$80,870 - $95,147 annually

Closes April 23,2026

The Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) seeks to fill a Program Supervisor - Special Education. This full-time permanent position is based in Olympia, Washington.

During the initial training period, employees are required to work in the office three (3) days per week.

Upon successful completion of training, there may be an opportunity to transition to a flexible telework schedule.

While this position offers a balance of in-office collaboration and telework, it is not fully remote. Telework is a combination of in-building and off-site days.

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:

Position Overview

This position is a Program Supervisor in the Program Improvement unit within the Special Education division at OSPI, providing technical assistance focused on providing tiered supports to school and district partners to equitable outcomes for students with disabilities served through an Individualized Education Program (IEP).

The duties and responsibilities of the position contribute to the overall mission, goals and objectives of the agency by ensuring that school districts are maintaining the required elements of state and federal special education laws and regulations and making efforts to improve special education programs to address the diverse needs of students with disabilities.

This position is part of a work unit that provides integrated special education monitoring and technical assistance services for local districts throughout the state and includes tiered supports informed by data and in coordination with OSPI, regional, and statewide professional development partners.

This position is responsible for ensuring that students with disabilities, their families, and schools and districts are informed and provide input into special education policy and practices.

Key Responsibilities
Special Education Monitoring and Supervision

Duty: Design and conduct on-site and desk program reviews of local districts and other public agencies that receive federal and state funding on behalf of eligible students with disabilities.

Tasks include:

• Develop and implement, in collaboration with other members of the Program Review team, special education monitoring reviews of selected districts, including developing, planning, and implementing an integrated, outcome-based monitoring system consistent with 17 performance indicators in the state’s Annual Performance Report (APR).
• Provide oversight and verification of LEA submissions related to special education monitoring, including analyzing the results of the monitoring process and utilizing results of the data to create and disseminate meaningful information regarding special education performance through presentations, written reports, training modules, etc.
• Compile data and/or narratives as necessary, for the accurate and timely submission of the State Performance Plan and subsequent Annual Performance Reports, as necessary.
• Review and recommend approval of annual LEA grant applications for federal special education funding to support improvement efforts around special education referral, evaluation, provision of services, and progress monitoring.

• Serve as OSPI liaison to an assigned Education Service District (ESD) and state agency workgroups and committees, to provide support and technical assistance related to the identification and services for students with disabilities.

Special Education Tiered Supports

Duty: Develop and implement statewide, regional, district, and school improvement activities and tiered supports focused on improving special education outcome data-based analysis of special education data obtained from supervisory and technical assistance efforts.

Tasks Include:

• Respond to partner requests for technical assistance for IDEA-related issues and providing information and resources to support improvement efforts.
• Provide technical assistance and professional development within the state specifically around prereferral interventions, special education referral and evaluation, IEP development, the provision of special education and related services, and progress monitoring systems and responses.
• Support schools and districts with data literacy activities, improvement science efforts, and strategic planning activities to support improved outcomes for students with disabilities.
• Learn and apply knowledge and skills of equity to interrupt systemic oppression, especially at the intersection of race and disability, including agency-wide efforts to develop and implement equity goals.

Required Qualifications: (this is a degree and years of experience)

• Bachelor’s degree AND three (3) years experience in special education or related field or any combination of education/experience that equals seven (7) years.
• Knowledge and ability to apply the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and WAC 392-172A.
• Demonstrated leadership in the field of special education at the local, regional, or state level.
• Experience with coaching or mentoring in special education, including knowledge of data-informed progress monitoring
• The selected candidate must maintain residency in the state of Washington to be eligible for this position.
• Moderate travel is required.
  

In addition to those required qualifications, our ideal applicant will also have some or all of the following:

Desired Qualifications:

• Master's degree in Special Education preferred.
• Experience as a school district special education director or administrator within the past three (3) years.
• Ability to authentically engage people of diverse racial, cultural, economic, and educational backgrounds, including individuals with disabilities.
• Experience interacting with interpreter and translation supports, presenting to a wide variety of groups, conducting multilingual meetings, and overseeing the translation of technical assistance and guidance documents.
• Bilingual/Multilingual.
• Active listening skills.
• Problem-solving ability.
• File management and organizational skills.

CompensationThe annual compensation for the position is $80,807 - $95,147 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 and

PDF format only:

Please address any questions to:

Sal Salazar, Human Resources

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.”