L&I Chief Policy Legal Officer

Washington State Department of Labor & Industries; Washington; Hybrid; USD 92,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

Washington State Department of Labor & Industries seeks a Senior Policy Advisor/Chief Policy and Legal Officer (CPLO) to lead division-wide policy development, legislative strategy, and rulemaking for CSCPS. You will coordinate with Governor’s Office, Legislature, labor and business groups, and multiple program teams to ensure consistent interpretation and statewide implementation of policy and law.

The role oversees 19 FTEs, provides strategic guidance, and communicates with executive

Qualifications

• Active member in good standing with a State Bar Association.
• Five or more years leading policy, legislative, legal, or regulatory initiatives in a complex public-sector environment.
• Demonstrated experience with rulemaking, statutory interpretation, and/or customer engagement across labor and/or public safety domains.
• Extensive knowledge of administrative law, statutory interpretation, legislative processes, regulatory development, judicial decision-making, and legal risk management.
• Demonstrated experience working with attorneys, the Attorney General's Office, litigation matters, appeals processes, and implementation of complex legal and regulatory requirements.
• Ability to analyze and interpret complex legislation, case law, legal opinions, and regulatory requirements and translate them into operational policy and statewide implementation strategies.
• Proven portfolio, project, and performance management skills; ability to set metrics and deliver results.
• Superior communication skills: executive briefings, decision memos, plain-language guidance.
• Ability to navigate sensitive, high-profile issues with discretion, equity focus, and solution orientation.
• Must possess a valid, unrestricted driver’s license.
• Ability to travel statewide for customer engagement and legislative/rulemaking activities.
• Availability during peak legislative and rulemaking periods for extended hours.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the division’s Senior Policy Advisor to the Assistant Director and executive leadership for CSCPS programs (Public Safety and Compliance programs).
• Provide authoritative policy interpretation and guidance to program leadership and staff; issue policy directives, decision memos, and implementation toolkits that ensure consistent customer service and enforcement.
• Provides strategic oversight and supervises the CSCPS Legal Services program, including the Firm Appeals Program Manager.
• Lead complex customer engagement with the authorizing environment (Governor’s Office, Legislature, labor and business associations, community-based organizations, local governments), ensuring timely, accurate, and consistent information sharing.
• Advise on sensitive and high-profile matters, facilitate resolution pathways, and develop options that mitigate operational, legal, reputational, and equity risks.
• Direct the division's legal and policy strategy for implementation of enacted legislation affecting statewide compliance and public safety programs, ensuring consistent interpretation and operational execution across all CSCPS offices and programs.
• Serve as principal advisor to the Assistant Director and executive leadership regarding legal risks, statutory authority, regulatory compliance obligations, litigation trends, and emerging case law affecting division operations.
• Accountable for accurate, balanced, and actionable executive recommendations grounded in data, legal sufficiency, and customer input.
• Accountable for coordinating with AGO attorneys to ensure division actions, policies, rules, and enforcement activities remain legally defensible and aligned with statutory authority.
• Influences fiscal notes, decision packages, and implementation budgets tied to legislation and rules.
• Establish division-wide standards for legal interpretation and policy application in consultation with AGO attorneys and agency legal leadership.
• And more!

Skills

Policy leadership

Legislative analysis

Regulatory compliance

Statutory interpretation

Rulemaking

Legal risk management

Executive briefings

People management

Driver's license

Job description

Description

• The Target Pay Range typically considered for this position is $91,896 - $134,748 (Range of Consideration) annually. The Full Pay Range for this WMS Band is $ 83,988 - $149,724. (Full band range) annually. Compensation decisions are determined using factors such as job-related skills, experience, and education or training. We will consider your individual qualifications, should we make you an offer of employment.

Our Mission: Keep Washington Safe and Working! Our Values: Customer Focus, One L&I, Respect, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Learning and Growth, Reliability

Reporting to the Assistant Director, the Chief Policy/Legal Officer (CPLO) serves on the division leadership team and is the senior policy advisor for all CSCPS programs. The CPLO leads division-wide policy development, legislative strategy, and rulemaking; coordinates portfolio and performance management to translate agency strategy into operational results; and oversees complex customer engagement across the division’s authorizing environment (Governor’s Office, Legislature, labor, business, and community customers).

The role supervises 19 full-time employees (FTEs) and collaborates with program managers, L&I legislative and rulemaking staff, the Office of the Director, Communications, Legal, and enterprise policy teams to ensure alignment with agency goals, values, and statutory authority.

The position provides strategic leadership and policy direction for statewide compliance and public safety programs operating in all 19 L&I offices throughout Washington. The CPLO is responsible for ensuring legislative, regulatory, and legal changes are interpreted and implemented consistently across all CSCPS programs and field operations. Policy decisions, legal interpretations, and legislative implementation plans developed by this position directly affect employees, managers, investigators, inspectors, auditors, revenue agents and administrative staff located throughout the state.

The position serves as the division's principal liaison with the Attorney General's Office (AGO) on significant legal, regulatory, litigation, appeals, and statutory interpretation matters affecting CSCPS programs and statewide operations. Policy development, implementation of enacted legislation, legal interpretation, and rulemaking activities directed by this position have statewide operational, fiscal, legal, and public safety impacts extending beyond OFM 12-058 (1/20/2026) WMS Position Description Page 3 of 9 CSCPS and frequently affecting agency-wide priorities and initiatives.

Duties

Some Of What You Will Do

Serve as the division’s Senior Policy Advisor to the Assistant Director and executive leadership for CSCPS programs (Public Safety and Compliance programs).

Provide authoritative policy interpretation and guidance to program leadership and staff; issue policy directives, decision memos, and implementation toolkits that ensure consistent customer service and enforcement.

Provides strategic oversight and supervises the CSCPS Legal Services program, including the Firm Appeals Program Manager.

Lead complex customer engagement with the authorizing environment (Governor’s Office, Legislature, labor and business associations, community-based organizations, local governments), ensuring timely, accurate, and consistent information sharing.

Advise on sensitive and high-profile matters, facilitate resolution pathways, and develop options that mitigate operational, legal, reputational, and equity risks.

Direct the division's legal and policy strategy for implementation of enacted legislation affecting statewide compliance and public safety programs, ensuring consistent interpretation and operational execution across all CSCPS offices and programs.

Serve as principal advisor to the Assistant Director and executive leadership regarding legal risks, statutory authority, regulatory compliance obligations, litigation trends, and emerging case law affecting division operations.

Accountable for accurate, balanced, and actionable executive recommendations grounded in data, legal sufficiency, and customer input.

Accountable for coordinating with AGO attorneys to ensure division actions, policies, rules, and enforcement activities remain legally defensible and aligned with statutory authority.

Influences fiscal notes, decision packages, and implementation budgets tied to legislation and rules.

Establish division-wide standards for legal interpretation and policy application in consultation with AGO attorneys and agency legal leadership.

And more!

Qualifications

Required:

• Active member in good standing with the a State Bar Association
• Five or more years leading policy, legislative, legal, or regulatory initiatives in a complex public-sector environment
• Demonstrated experience with rulemaking, statutory interpretation, and/or customer engagement
• across labor and/or public safety domains
• Extensive knowledge of administrative law, statutory interpretation, legislative processes, regulatory development, judicial decision-making, and legal risk management
• Demonstrated experience working with attorneys, the Attorney General's Office, litigation matters, appeals processes, and implementation of complex legal and regulatory requirements
• Ability to analyze and interpret complex legislation, case law, legal opinions, and regulatory requirements and translate them into operational policy and statewide implementation strategies
• Proven portfolio, project, and performance management skills; ability to set metrics and deliver results
• Superior communication skills: executive briefings, decision memos, plain-language guidance
• Ability to navigate sensitive, high-profile issues with discretion, equity focus, and solution orientation
• Must possess a valid, unrestricted driver’s license
• Ability to travel statewide for customer engagement and legislative/rulemaking activities
• Availability during peak legislative and rulemaking periods for extended hours

Required Equity Competencies

• The ability to take action to learn and grow
• The ability to take action to meet the needs of others

Preferred Education, Experience, And Competencies

• Experience in compliance enforcement or public safety regulation
• Training in facilitation, change management, and/or Lean/continuous improvement
• Familiarity with Washington state legislative and rulemaking processes and the authorizing environment

Supplemental Information

Things You Need To Know

To help you maintain a proper work-life balance, teleworking is one of the work schedule options for this position. L&I also offers flexible custom work schedules.

State employees who meet the qualifications will become eligible for a generous retirement package at the end of the employee’s career.

At L&I, your voice matters. In addition, L&I is a diverse state agency dedicated to the safety and health and security of Washington's 3.3 million workers. Take a look at this brief video and learn more about why L&I is an employer of choice.

Alternative language: The assigned duty station may be in any of our L&I service locations statewide.

For positions where in-office work is necessary, the frequency of telework will be discussed with the supervisor of the position at the time of offer.

To receive more information on opportunities at L&I sign up for GovDelivery and select L&I job alerts.

Background Check Notice

Prior to a placement in this position, a background check, including criminal history record will be conducted. Information from your background check will not necessarily preclude employment but will be considered in determining your eligibility to perform the requirements of the position.

Other information

• For positions requiring travel, you must have a valid unrestricted driver's license and have insurance if driving a privately owned vehicle on state business.
• Candidates who are offered a job with L&I must possess work authorization that does not require sponsorship by the employer for a visa now or in the future.
• The Department of Labor & Industries complies with the employment eligibility verification requirements of the federal employment eligibility verification form, I-9. The selected candidate must be able to provide proof of identity and eligibility to work in the United States consistent with the requirements of that form on the first day of employment.

Did You Know?

In addition to offering a positive balance between life and work, L&I provides one of the most competitive benefits packages in the nation. We also believe your voice matters. We value our employees and their work-life balance by encouraging flexible schedules. L&I is a diverse state agency dedicated to the safety and health and security of Washington's 3 million workers.

Veterans Preference

Applicants wishing to claim Veterans Preference should attach to their application a copy of their DD-214 (Member 4 copy), NGB 22, or signed verification of service letter from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Please blackout any personally identifiable data such as Social Security numbers. For further information, contact L&I’s [e-mail] .

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Employer

L&I employees come from all walks of life. We strive to hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

We believe in the importance of recognizing the value each of us contribute to the success of the agency mission. Having a diverse workforce is this agency’s greatest resource of strength and knowledge. It is through the combination of talents and abilities that we can pursue finding effective measures to provide the best customer service. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace for everyone and we strongly mean everyone.

The State of Washington is an equal opportunity employer. Persons with a disability who need accommodation in the application process or testing process, or those needing this announcement in an alternative format, may call 360-902-5700. TTY users should first call 711 to access the Washington Relay Service.

You are welcome to include the name and pronoun you would like to be referred to in your materials, and we will honor this as you interact with our award-winning diverse and inclusive organization.

For more Information

If you have any questions regarding this job posting, program, or the agency, please contact April Sharp.