Reentry Demonstration Special Projects Manager

Full Job Description

The Jail Health Services (JHS) Division of Public Health — Seattle & King County is seeking an experienced Special Projects Manager II to lead the implementation of the Washington State Health Care Authority’s Reentry Demonstration Initiative as a Reentry Demonstration Special Projects Manager.

This senior role will be responsible for managing a complex, cross-system project that will directly impact the health and reentry outcomes of individuals being released from jail.

The successful candidate will provide strategic oversight, ensure alignment with JHS’s objectives and regulatory requirements, and serve as a key liaison between justice, health, and community partners.

Temporary opportunity. Term-Limited Temporary positions are "at-will" positions that are eligible for benefits. This TLT is currently anticipated to last for up to 18 months.

However, funding sources for this work remain uncertain and dependent upon decisions actively being made at both the federal and local levels.

As a result, the end date of this position may be adjusted based on those decisions. The County and the Department continue to work to secure long-term funding sources.

This vacancy can also be filled as a Special Duty opportunity.

For Special Duty Assignment interest, you must be a Career Service, Career Service Exempt or other regular (non-temporary) employee in King County who has completed their initial King County probation.

You must have supervisor approval prior to taking a Special Duty Assignment.

This posting will create a list of qualified candidates that may be considered for selection of additional vacancies of the same position type over the next 6 months.

Position Summary

As the Reentry Demonstration Special Projects Manager, you will supervise multiple planning team members across program impact areas, lead project design, workflow development, and implementation across multiple systems.

In this assignment, your core responsibilities will be:

• Coordinating with financial, billing, and compliance experts to establish sustainable business processes.
• Ensuring integration with JHS’s electronic health record system and other data platforms.
• Tracking deliverables, evaluating outcomes, and reporting progress to leadership and external funders.
• Building and maintaining strong stakeholder relationships across county departments, state agencies, and community providers.

This position is central to JHS’s efforts to expand equitable healthcare and reentry support.

It requires a demonstrated commitment to equity and social justice, as well as a deep understanding of the challenges faced by individuals impacted by incarceration, homelessness, behavioral health conditions, and systemic inequities.

In this role, you will have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on individuals leaving jail, promoting health equity, and addressing systemic racism within the public health context.

• Advancement of Anti-Racist Initiatives: You will have the opportunity to actively contribute to Jail Health's anti-racist initiatives, fostering a commitment to justice and equity in public health.
• Stakeholder Engagement: You will collaborate with other public health agencies, treatment facilities, and other county departments providing a chance to engage with diverse stakeholders to improve access to care and address systemic challenges.
• Professional Growth: This opportunity offers professional development, including the chance to develop new workflows, integrate innovative processes, and collaborate with diverse stakeholders. This environment fosters continuous learning and career advancement.

Background

The Reentry Demonstration Initiative, a new Apple Health (Medicaid) initiative under the Medicaid Transformation Project (MTP) provides essential, health care services for individuals leaving incarceration.

Under this initiative, incarcerated individuals who are Apple Health-eligible will receive a set of services up to 90 days before their release.

These services will ensure a person’s health and successful reentry to their community.

Jail Health Services provides needed health and social services to the incarcerated population located in the King County jails. The primary services we provide include medical, dental, mental health, social and release planning services, treatment of substance use disorders, and pharmaceutical services. We care about the patients we serve and their health outcomes. The purpose of JHS is to assure that high-quality health and human services are available to the incarcerated population in the King County adult correctional facilities: the King County Correctional Facility (KCCF) in Seattle and the Maleng Regional Justice Center (MRJC) in Kent. The JHS vision is "Opening doors to healthier, happier lives, and the mission is to assess and stabilize serious health problems for the detained population of the King County Correctional Facility and the Maleng Regional Justice Center with a focus on transition from jail". We are staffed 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 365 days per year, providing a broad range of health care to all individuals booked into the jails. For patients with serious mental health or medical conditions, special housing units (psychiatric and infirmary) along with a higher level of services and medical monitoring are provided. Since the patient population varies both in numbers as well as in acuity of health conditions, staffing is adapted and flexed to meet the constantly changing needs of the population. JHS staff manage the complex health needs of underserved populations, many of whom come to the facility without access to care in the community and with decompensated acute and chronic health conditions. Our division includes over 250 employees and an annual budget of over $60 million.

Public Health – Seattle & King County ("PHSKC", "Public Health", or "the department") is the Public Health Department for King County, Washington which includes 39 cities, including the City of Seattle, and unincorporated areas. Public Health is one of the largest metropolitan health departments in the United States with over 1,600 employees. With a biennial budget of nearly $1 billion, the department serves approximately 2.3 million people of King County who reside in urban, rural, shoreline, foothill, and mountain communities with distinct environments and unique public health needs. We operate primary care, dental, sexual and reproductive health, parent child health, and other health care-related services throughout King County across 40 sites and mobile clinics. King County is an international port of entry, welcoming nearly 40 million visitors annually. Over 100 languages are spoken by King County residents.

Commitment To Equity and Social Justice
Named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the most influential civil rights leaders in our nation's history, King County is a vibrant international community with residents that represent countries from around the world. It is a region with increasing diversity that cherishes the traditions of many cultures.

The county government has a deep commitment to equity and social justice and advancing practices, strategies, and policies that promote fairness, justice, and opportunity for all – in our workplaces and our communities. With this commitment, King County has adopted a pro-equity agenda to advance regional change and ensure that residents from all communities are incorporated into our emergency planning and public outreach efforts.

We recognize that structural racism consists of principles and practices that cause and justify an inequitable distribution of rights, opportunities, and experiences across racial groups. Since declaring Racism is a Public Health Crisis in June 2020, King County and Public Health committed to being intentionally anti-racist and accountable to Black, Indigenous and People of Color communities.

To learn more, please visit: http://www.kingcounty.gov/elected/executive/equity-social-justice.aspx.

Work Schedule
The typical work week is Monday through Friday, 8:00am-5:00pm, 40 hours per week with some flexibility within those business hours. This position is exempt from the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and is not overtime-eligible.

Work Location
Chinook Building – 401 5th Avenue, Suite 1200, Seattle, WA 98104. You may be required to travel to King County correctional facilities as needed.

Remote and Onsite Work

The JHS Project team works in a hybrid model, with days in the office as well as telecommuting. The ratio of remote to onsite work will be dependent on business needs and is subject to change.

Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.

King County has a robust collection of tools and resources to support working remotely.

The individual selected for this opportunity will join an innovative and progressive team that is redefining how we work as we transition to the department's hybrid environment.

Employees will be provided with a County-issued laptop and must maintain a home workspace with an internet connection where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours.

Requirements

• Lead planning, implementation, and evaluation of the Reentry Demonstration Initiative.
• Hire, build, and supervise a multidisciplinary planning team across major program impact areas (e.g., pharmacy, electronic health record development, administrative operations, and other specialized functions).
• Develop project workflows and ensure integration with JHS’s electronic health record system, Epic.
• Coordinate with financial, billing, and compliance experts to establish sustainable business processes.
• Track deliverables, monitor timelines, and report progress to leadership and external funders.
• Identify, engage, and manage relationships with stakeholders across justice, health, and community systems.
• Ensure alignment of contracts and agreements with JHS and King County standards.
• Support policy development that will elevate JHS’s role in reentry planning and cross-system strategies.
• Apply an Equity and Social Justice lens to all aspects of project design and implementation.
• Anticipate risks, identify barriers, and propose solutions to strengthen reentry supports.
• Perform other duties as assigned.
  

Qualifications

Our ideal candidate will demonstrate the following (Minimum Qualifications):

• 3–5 years of experience leading high-stakes, cross-system projects from design through implementation.
• Strong knowledge of Medicaid programs, billing, and credentialing requirements, with experience building infrastructure to support compliance.
• Experience hiring, supervising, and directing a multidisciplinary team that will work across major program impact areas (e.g., pharmacy, electronic health record development, administrative operations).
• Experience gathering requirements and leading major system implementations (e.g., electronic health records, billing systems).
• Demonstrated success in policy development and cross-system planning, ensuring health and equity considerations are centered.
• Experience coordinating across multiple funding streams and aligning projects with broader organizational strategies.
• Skill in risk assessment, conflict resolution, and decision-making in complex, multi-stakeholder environments.

Additional Information

To ApplyIf 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 the recruiter listed on this job announcement.

Who May Apply

We welcome applications from all qualified applicants.

JHS strongly encourages applications from individuals with diverse backgrounds, including people with lived experience of substance use, incarceration, houselessness, people of color, and members of the LGBTQIA+ communities.

This emphasis on diversity and inclusivity reflects our commitment to advancing health equity and justice for all residents of King County.

Application Process

The following items are required to be considered for this vacancy:

• NEOGOV Job Application (The responses on your job application should be thorough and complete and will be used in the screening process)
• Supplemental Questions (The responses to the supplemental questions should be thorough and complete and will be used in the screening process)
• Resume (Your resume should be thorough and complete and will be used in the screening process)

(Please note: Cover letters, resumes, and additional attachments will not be reviewed as part of the evaluation process if not outlined as a required application material as outlined above).

Your application may be rejected as incomplete if you do not include the relevant information in your application. Cover letters and/or resumes are not accepted in lieu of a completed application.

Applications and/or Supplemental Questionnaires that state "see my resume" or "see my personnel file" are considered incomplete and will not be accepted.

ContactIf you have questions or would like more information about the application process, please contact Falisha Forgash, HR Analyst at fforgash@kingcounty.gov.

Union Membership This position is not represented by a labor union. Necessary Special Requirements

• The selection process may include evaluation of application materials and supplemental questions, interviewing, and testing. You must completely fill out the application with your relevant education and work experience.
• The selected candidate must be able to provide proof of Basic Life Support (BLS)/CPR. (if applicable)
• The selected candidate must be able to pass a thorough background investigation and Pre-employment Physical, but findings may not necessarily disqualify an applicant for employment. (if applicable)
• For more information on our selection process, please refer to www.kingcounty.gov/depts/health/jobs/hiring. For tips on interviewing, please visit https://www.kingcounty.gov/~/media/audience/employees/learning-and-development/Interview_Tips.ashx?la=en.
• Employees are required to protect the privacy and security of protected health information as defined in State and Federal Law.
• Public Health – Seattle & King County relies on office automation (Microsoft Office) and web-based enabled tools, therefore candidates must be proficient and comfortable with computer use to perform functions associated with on-going work.
• Employees are required to adhere to OSHA/WISHA guidelines including but not limited to completing their mandatory trainings on time and obtaining required immunizations.
• Regular and reliable attendance, effective communication skills, and development of effective working relationships are requirements of all Public Health – Seattle & King County positions.

When Public Health responds to an emergency, and in accordance with relevant CBA language and/or KC policy and procedures, we may assign duties outside your regular job description.

This may involve responding at any time, including nights and weekends, with possible deployment to locations other than the department.

• If you need a disability accommodation in the application or testing process, please call the contact number listed on the job announcement.

Public Health – Jail Health Services follows and maintains federal and state requirement standards including, but not limited to, Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) standards which apply to all public and private institutions that house adult or juvenile offenders.

PREA standards preclude the department from hiring or promoting anyone who has engaged in, or been convicted of any conduct which would violate PREA standards related to sexual assault including:

• Sexual abuse in a prison, jail, lockup, community confinement facility, juvenile facility, or other institution.
• Convicted of engaging or attempting to engage in sexual activity in the community facilitated by force, overt or implied threats of force, or coercion, or if the victim did not consent or was unable to consent or refuse; or,

Additionally, PREA standards require that the department consider any incidents of sexual harassment involving an inmate or detainee in determining whether or not to hire or promote anyone.

The above is in compliance with PREA and its implementing regulations, 28 C.F.R. Part 115, Subpart A, Section 115.17, Hiring and Promotion Decisions.

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.

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) EmployerNo 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.