Behavioral Health Operations & Planning Manager (WMS2/DBHR) – Internal

State of Washington; Olympia (WA); Remote; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote work

Flexible schedules

Paid vacation

Public sector benefits

Job summary

Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) seeks a Behavioral Health Operations & Planning Manager to lead the statewide CBH budget and related operations. Remote position with occasional in-person meetings; role reports to the Chief of Staff within the Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery (DBHR).

You will supervise staff and coordinate with OFM, legislative staff, and federal partners to advance behavioral health priorities.

Qualifications

• Strategic thinking to develop solutions in complex environments.
• Ability to analyze budget and policy implications for statewide programs.
• Strong leadership and people-management capabilities.
• Experience coordinating contracts and grants across agencies.
• Excellent communication with legislators, partners, and staff.

Responsibilities

• Lead statewide Community Behavioral Health budget planning and oversight.
• Collaborate on SAMHSA grant applications, reporting, and corrective actions.
• Ensure compliance for grants, waivers, audits, and reporting.
• Coordinate analyses, legislative packages, and proviso tracking with Legislative Affairs.
• Serve as division liaison with OFM and legislative staff.
• Oversee contract development processes and priority allocations.
• Advise AG's Office on behavioral health litigation and federal funding impacts.
• Supervise professional staff and represent the agency with partners.

Skills

Budget management

Policy coordination

Leadership

Contract management

Stakeholder engagement

Job description

Behavioral Health Operations & Planning Manager – Internal

This is a full-time permanent, remote position. Employees may occasionally be asked to attend an in-person meeting or event based on business needs.

This is an internal opportunity and is only open to current HCA employees.

All HCA employees are required to be Washington state residents upon their first day of employment.

The Opportunity

The Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery (DBHR) is seeking a Behavioral Health Operations & Planning Manager to join its operations leadership team. Reporting to the DBHR Chief of Staff, you will serve as the division's expert on the Community Behavioral Health (CBH) budget, a statewide budget of more than $6 billion that includes federal block grants and state funding. You will lead the division's legislative coordination, compliance program, and contracting processes while supervising a team of professional staff, and your work will impact behavioral health services across Washington.

Key Responsibilities Include:

• Lead the review, planning, and oversight of the statewide Community Behavioral Health budget, and advise division leaders on the use of CBH funds.
• Collaborate on SAMHSA grant applications, reporting, and corrective action plans.
• Ensure federal and state compliance for grants and dedicated accounts, including waivers, audits, and compliance reporting.
• Coordinate bill analyses, decision packages, agency request legislation, and proviso tracking with the agency Legislative Affairs team.
• Serve as the division point of contact with the Office of Financial Management and legislative staff.
• Oversee the division's contract development processes and priority contract assignments.
• Advise the Attorney General's Office on behavioral health litigation and lead contingency planning on federal funding impacts.
• Supervise a team of professional staff and represent the agency with federal partners, legislative staff, and the community.

Why You’ll Love This Role:

• You'll shape how more than $6 billion in community behavioral health funding supports services for people across Washington.
• You'll be a member of the DBHR leadership team, advising division and agency leaders on high-priority, high-visibility work.
• You'll work directly with legislative staff, the Governor's Office, federal partners, and community stakeholders on rapidly evolving behavioral health policy.
• You'll lead a team of professional staff while solving novel challenges that often come without a roadmap.

What You Bring:

You are a strategic thinker who develops practical solutions to complex challenges, even when there is no roadmap. You earn trust through honesty and professionalism, set clear goals, hold yourself and your team accountable, and adjust as priorities shift. You communicate clearly and persuasively with legislators, federal partners, advocates, and staff, and you bring an equity lens to decisions that affect the communities we serve.

Required Qualifications

Experience may have been gained through paid or unpaid activities. Please ensure any relevant experience defined below is outlined in your cover letter, resume, and application.

Strategic Thinking:

Develop innovative ideas that provide solutions to workplace challenges.

• Demonstrated ability to identify internal and external factors that impact the organization and develop strategies to effectively respond to changing conditions.
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate social, fiscal, and political trends and consider their potential impact on agency priorities and operations.
• Demonstrated ability to allocate, manage, and redirect budget and resources responsibly and efficiently to support organizational priorities and maximize available resources.

Trust and Integrity:

Earn the trust, respect, and confidence of coworkers and clients through consistent honesty, transparency, and professionalism.

• Demonstrated ability to model ethical behavior, recognize potential conflicts of interest, and act responsibly and with integrity.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain trust through honest and candid communication while demonstrating compassion, diplomacy, fairness, and professionalism.

Performance and Accountability:

Create and support a performance-based culture focused on accomplishing organizational goals and advancing the agency's mission.

• Demonstrated ability to communicate organizational goals and strategies in a way that motivates others and connects the agency's mission, vision, and values to everyday work.
• Demonstrated ability to establish clear, realistic, and measurable goals, expectations, deadlines, and outcomes while adjusting priorities as circumstances change.

Advocacy and Relationships:

Communicate clear, timely, and persuasive messages that strengthen stakeholder relationships and build commitment and support for agency priorities and objectives.

• Demonstrated ability to maintain effective communication with agency leadership and build commitment and support for agency priorities and initiatives.
• Demonstrated ability to develop respectful and collaborative relationships that foster shared understanding and support, including when decisions or outcomes affect stakeholders differently.
• Demonstrated ability to appropriately engage stakeholders in decision-making processes that may impact them.

Required Competencies:

Equity lens – All HCA employees are required to consider equity in their decisions, processes, and day-to-day work, including how their work may affect the people and communities we serve.

The ability to take action to learn and grow – You take action to learn and grow by seeking new perspectives, learning from experiences, and using what you’ve learned to continuously improve how you work and serve others.

The ability to take action to meet the needs of others – You take action to meet the needs of others by listening, understanding different perspectives, and responding with care, respect, and solutions that support the people of the communities we serve.

Preferred Qualifications

While these are not required, having them may help you stand out as an applicant.

• A bachelor's or master’s degree in behavioral health, Social Services, Public Administration, Business, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated ability to understand and support government-to-government relationships with Tribal Governments.
• Demonstrated ability to interpret and apply applicable federal and state laws, rules, regulations, policies, and procedures.
• Demonstrated experience applying Washington State procurement and contracting policies, procedures, and requirements.
• Demonstrated experience working within Washington State's legislative, budget, and authorizing environment, including analyzing legislation and understanding the legislative process.
• Demonstrated experience developing, drafting, and implementing agency policies and procedures.
• Demonstrated professional experience in legislative and policy support, system redesign, grant management, contract management, and mental health and/or substance use disorders, including leadership, coordination, and administration of service delivery systems.

About the Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery (DBHR)

The Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery (DBHR) provides support for substance use treatment, mental health services, and problem gambling services through prevention, treatment, peer, and recovery support. Programs promote strategies that support healthy lifestyles by preventing the misuse of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, supporting recovery from substance use, promoting recovery and resiliency, reducing stigma, and mitigating the effects of problem gambling on the individual and family. DBHR brings operational elements such as substance use and mental health into closer working relations to serve individuals more effectively and efficiently.

The Washington State Health Care Authority:

Better Health. Better Care. A Healthier Washington.

At HCA, we work to ensure people across Washington have the opportunity to be as healthy as possible. As the State’s largest health care purchaser and behavioral health authority, HCA serves nearly 3 million Washington residents through Apple Health (Medicaid), Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB) and School Employees Benefits Board (SEBB) programs, and behavioral health services. Through this work, HCA purchases and coordinated care coverage, supports behavioral health prevention, treatment, crisis response, and recovery and helps strengthen access to high -quality care across Washington.

More than a benefits package:

We want our employees to have the support, flexibility, and benefits they need to do their best work and build a career that works for their life. As a Washington State HCA employee, you’ll have access to a comprehensive benefits package that supports your health, financial well‑being, and work-life balance. Our benefits are designed to support you today while helping you plan for the future. Learn more about why HCA by visiting the Voices of HCA and the "Who we are" section of our website.

Your total compensation is more than your paycheck:

• Remote work and flexible schedules
• Medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance
• Paid vacation, sick leave, and 12 paid holidays
• Paid Family and Medical Leave (PMFL)
• Retirement options to plan for the future
• Training and professional development opportunities
• Employee wellness programs
• Learn more about Washington State Employee Benefits

Work Location and Schedule:

This is a full-time 40-hour-per-week remote position. Our standard business hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with alternative work schedules considered based on business needs and supervisor approval. In this role you will regularly collaborate with colleagues, agency leaders, state and federal partners, and other external partners or customers. Occasional travel may be required for meetings, training, or other business needs. All employees are required to report to our Olympia office on their first and final day of employment.

Our commitment to an inclusive workplace

The Health Care Authority is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to creating a workplace where employees are respected, included, and supported in bringing their experiences, perspectives, and ideas to work.

Our commitment to inclusion is reflected in how we work together and serve the people of Washington. HCA also supports five voluntary employee led Employee Resources Groups (ERGs), which create opportunities for connection, community, learning, and professional growth.

The Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) is an E-Verify employer. All applicants with a legal right to work in the United States are encouraged to apply.

E-Verify® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.