WA Department of Children, Youth, and Families · 6 days ago
Chief People Officer (CPO)
Olympia, WA
Full-time
Hybrid
Director/Executive
$98K/yr - $170K/yr
8+ years expThe Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is seeking a visionary Chief People Officer (CPO) to lead their mission of supporting vulnerable children, youth, and families. This role involves designing and advancing a people strategy that emphasizes equity, care, and purpose, while fostering a culture of belonging and employee engagement.
ChildrenHealth CareWellness
Responsibilities
Design, integrate, and advance a holistic people strategy aligned with DCYF’s mission, values, and long-term goals
Serve as a trusted advisor to the Chief Administrative Officer and Executive Leadership Team on workforce trends, organizational health, and people-centered decision-making
Champion an agency-wide approach to employee experience, wellness, and equity
Foster a workplace culture grounded in belonging, respect, psychological safety, and employee voice
Guide agency-wide onboarding and orientation to ensure new employees feel welcomed, prepared, and connected to the mission from day one
Lead initiatives that strengthen engagement, recognition, leadership effectiveness, and organizational resilience
Provide executive oversight of peer support and wellness programs that help employees recover and thrive after critical or high-impact events
Ensure labor relations practices align with DCYF’s people-centered values and overall workforce strategy
Supervise and support the Labor Relations Administrator, promoting consistency, collaboration, and proactive problem-solving
Build and sustain constructive, respectful relationships with labor partners, including participation in demand-to-bargain conversation
Promote a transparent, communicative, and respectful work environment across the agency
Lead the creation of a centralized, agency-wide learning and development framework that supports employees at every stage of their careers
Align mandatory training, professional development, leadership development, and operational skill-building into a cohesive system
Promote leadership development, succession planning, and continuous learning across the organization
Provide strategic direction and integration for core HR functions through oversight of the Human Resources Director
Ensure recruitment, classification and compensation, HR operations, and investigations align with long-term workforce and equity goals
Support high-quality HR service delivery while improving consistency, clarity, and operational efficiency
Leverage workforce data, analytics, and employee feedback to inform executive decisions and measure the impact of people strategies
Oversee dashboards and metrics that promote transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement
Foster respectful, collaborative relationships with Tribes that honor tribal sovereignty and support meaningful government-to-government partnership
Ensure workforce and people practices reflect cultural humility and support culturally responsive decision-making
Qualification
Required
A bachelor's degree or higher from a college or university whose accreditation is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or the US Department of Education or foreign equivalent
At least eight (8) years of senior-level leadership experience in organizational leadership, people operations, workforce development, or related strategic functions that support employee engagement, culture, and organizational effectiveness
At least five (5) years of experience managing or coaching professional staff, fostering collaborative environments, and leading complex change initiatives
Knowledge of state and federal employment and labor laws, relevant court decisions impacting employers, and American Arbitration Association knowledge of collective bargaining process for general government decisions
Ability to work collaboratively with a variety of constituents including partners and key stakeholders both within and outside the agency
The ability to take action to learn and grow
The ability to take action to meet the needs of others
Preferred
SPHR, PHR, SHRM-SCP, or SHRM-CP Certification
Company
WA Department of Children, Youth, and Families
Governor Inslee signed HB 1661 on July 6, 2017, creating the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF).
1001-5000 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageLeadership Team
Sarah Emmans
Deputy CFO
Jahla Brown
Partnership & Collaboration Specialist
Recent News
2025-11-11
Company data provided by crunchbase