DSHS HCLA Community Field Manager

State of Washington; Union Gap (WA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Washington State Department of Social and Health Services seeks a Community Field Manager to lead up to 12 staff, ensuring licensing and regulatory compliance in long-term care settings. You will interpret regulations, guide investigations, and document findings clearly while supporting staff development.

Prioritize learning within your first year, build cross-team relationships, and ensure accurate, consistent application of policies. Expect extensive training as requirements evolve.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in social work, speech pathology, occupational or physical therapy, psychology, special education, nutrition, sociology, or an allied field with at least three years in a supervisory/administrative role.
• Bachelor's degree in one of the listed fields with at least three years in supervisory/administrative/teaching roles.
• At least nine years of total professional/practical experience in delivering social and health services in a supervisory capacity.

Responsibilities

• Lead and support a team of up to 12 professional staff responsible for regulatory oversight of long-term care settings.
• Help ensure providers meet licensing and regulatory requirements designed to protect vulnerable adults.
• Monitor workloads, deadlines, annual expectations, and timely initiation of compliant investigations.
• Interpret regulations, policies, and procedures to assess compliance and guide staff decisions.
• Review and provide feedback on legal documents, including statements of deficiency.
• Navigate complex situations, identify resources, and determine next steps.
• Make timely decisions on quality-of-care and quality-of-life concerns.
• Communicate complex requirements clearly to staff, providers, management, and other stakeholders.
• Build relationships across teams, agencies, providers, and partners.
• Facilitate meetings and training to support consistent practices and continued learning.

Skills

Staff leadership

Regulatory interpretation

Project management

Communication

Decision making

Education

Master's degree in social work or related field

Bachelor's degree in listed fields

Nine years of supervisory social/health services experience

Job description

Protecting vulnerable adults depends on people who can turn regulatory requirements into meaningful oversight.

As a Community Field Manager supporting assisted living facilities, you'll lead a team of up to 12 staff responsible for ensuring long-term care settings meet licensing and regulatory requirements. The work helps protect resident rights, prevent abuse and neglect, and support safe care for vulnerable adults.

This is a field-based leadership role that requires sound judgment. You'll help staff interpret regulations, assess compliance, navigate complaints and investigations, and document findings clearly. When the answer isn't obvious, you'll help your team find the right resource, determine the next step, and recognize when additional expertise is needed.

We encourage you to apply if

You're a people leader who is curious, adaptable, and comfortable making independent decisions. You can manage competing priorities, communicate clearly with people at all levels, and remain objective when situations are complex or perspectives differ.

You don't need to know every answer.

You do need to know how to find reliable information, apply it thoughtfully, and ask for help when needed. Regulatory or complaint investigation experience will be useful, but continued learning is part of the job. You can expect extensive training as regulations, procedures, and practices evolve.

Your first 90 days are about learning the program and building relationships. You'll get to know your team, the regulations and operating procedures that guide the work, the provider types you oversee, and the processes used to manage complaints, investigations, deadlines, and compliance decisions.

As you build that foundation, you'll take on greater independence in supporting staff and making decisions. Within your first year, success means understanding the program well enough to lead confidently, locate answers, apply requirements consistently, and know when to involve others.

Still reading? Here's what the role involves.

Some of What You'll Do

• Lead and support a team of up to 12 professional staff responsible for regulatory oversight of long-term settings.
• Help ensure providers meet licensing and regulatory requirements designed to protect vulnerable adults.
• Monitor workloads, deadlines, annual expectations, and the timely initiation of compliant investigations.
• Interpret regulations, policies, and operating procedures to assess compliance and guide staff decisions.
• Review and provide feedback on legal documents, including statements of deficiency.
• Help staff navigate complex or ambiguous situations, identify appropriate resources, and determine next steps.
• Make timely decisions involving quality-of-care and quality-of-life concerns.
• Communicate complex requirements clearly to staff, providers, management, and other stakeholders.
• Build effective working relationships across teams, agencies, providers, and other partners.
• Facilitate meetings and training that support consistent practices and continued learning.

Who Should Apply

You meet the minimum qualifications through one of the following pathways:

• A master's degree in social work, speech pathology, occupational or physical therapy, psychology, special education, nutrition, sociology, or an allied field, and at least three years of experience in an administrative, supervisory, consultant, or teaching capacity

• A bachelor's degree in one of the fields listed above, and at least three years of experience in an administrative, supervisory, consultant, or teaching capacity

• At least nine years of total professional/practical experience delivering social and health services in a supervisory role of professional staff, with demonstrated experience working with vulnerable adults and monitoring social and health services.

In addition, the role requires:

• At least two years of demonstrated experience working with vulnerable adults.
• At least two years of demonstrated experience supervising and managing professional staff.
• At least two years of demonstrated experience delivering and monitoring social and health service programs.

Preferred knowledge/experience:

• Regulatory work and complaint investigations.
• Geriatrics, developmental disabilities, and mental illness.
• Interpreting data and developing plans to address areas of concern.
• Managing staff responsible for quality-of-care and quality-of-life issues.
• Civil and criminal law and professional regulations related to abuse and neglect of vulnerable adults.
• Communicating complex laws or policies to people with varied backgrounds, cultures, primary languages, and levels of familiarity with the subject matter.
• State and federal regulations and their interpretation as they relate to adult family homes, assisted living facilities, enhanced services facilities, and nursing homes.

The Department of Social and Health Services’ (DSHS) vision that people find human services to shape their own lives requires that we come together with a sense of belonging, common purpose, shared values, and meaningful work. It is crucial to our agency’s vision that you bring a fairness, access, and social justice commitment to your work with DSHS. We strive to support all Washingtonians, including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, people with physical, behavioral health, and intellectual disabilities, elders, LGBTQIA+ individuals, immigrants and refugees, and families building financial security.

Prior to a new hire, a background check including criminal record history may be conducted. Information from the background check will not necessarily preclude employment but will be considered in determining the applicant’s suitability and competence to perform in the job. This announcement may be used to fill multiple vacancies. Employees driving on state business must have a valid driver's license. Employees driving a privately owned vehicle on state business must have liability insurance on the privately owned vehicle.

Washington State Department of Social and Health Services is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in any area of employment, its programs or services on the basis of age, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity/expression, marital status, race, creed, color, national origin, religion or beliefs, political affiliation, military status, honorably discharged veteran, Vietnam Era, recently separated or other protected veteran status, the presence of any sensory, mental, physical disability or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability, equal pay or genetic information. Persons requiring accommodation in the application process or this job announcement in an alternative format may contact the Recruiter at [phone]. Applicants who are deaf or hard of hearing may call through Washington Relay Service by dialing 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6384.

Relationship and Reporting Structure (Relationships) Disclosure: If you are selected for hire, you must disclose whether you have a relative, household member, close friend, or romantic partner within your potential supervisory chain of command. DSHS has a Relationships and the Reporting Structure policy that prohibits nepotism and can be reviewed here. Applicants whose appointment would result in a prohibited reporting relationship are not eligible for appointment to that position.

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