Licensing Division/CPS Supervisor (SSS5) - Everett

State of Washington; Everett (WA); Hybrid; USD 80,000 - 108,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work arrangement

Job summary

State of Washington’s Department of Children, Youth, and Families seeks a Licensing Division/CPS Supervisor to lead a team of Social Service Specialists in investigations of child abuse/neglect. Responsibilities include coaching, performance oversight, and ensuring compliance with legal and program requirements.

Hybrid work with in-person meetings as needed. Required qualifications include extensive social service experience and advanced degrees.

Qualifications

• Eight (8) years of paid Social Service experience with risk/safety assessment.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of Social Service Specialists investigating child abuse and neglect in licensed/unlicensed settings.

Skills

Supervisory leadership

Mentoring and staff training

Workload management

Communication skills (verbal & writing

MS Office proficiency (Word/Outlook/Ex

FAMLINK knowledge

Education

Master's degree in social services or related field

Bachelor's degree in social services or related field

Tools

MS Office

FAMLINK

Excel

Outlook

Job description

Our vision is to ensure that “Washington state’s children and youth grow up safe and healthy, thriving physically, emotionally, and educationally, nurtured by family and community.”

Attention: INTERNAL ONLY: This position is open to current DCYF employees only

Job Title: Licensing Division/CPS Supervisor 5 (SSS5)

Location: 8625 Evergreen Way #201, Everett, WA 98208 - Region 3 (Region Map)

Hybrid: This position is hybrid and can be done remotely; however, you must be willing to report to the office for required in-person meetings, IT or equipment support, or to support business needs.

Closes: Sunday, November 15th, 2026

Salary: $80,496 - $108,228 Annually

Are you a collaborative and supportive leader who is passionate about protecting the safety and well‑being of children? The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is seeking a supervisor to lead a team of Social Service Specialists within the Licensing Division's Child Protective Services program. This position plays a critical role in overseeing investigations involving allegations of child abuse and neglect in licensed and, at times, unlicensed providers/facilities because they investigate child care, hospitals, group homes, foster homes, etc. If you thrive in a fast‑paced environment, enjoy coaching and developing staff, and are committed to promoting child safety and accountability, we encourage you to apply.

The Opportunity:

As a supervisor within the Licensing Division's Child Protective Services program, you will lead a team of Social Service Specialists responsible for investigating allegations of child abuse and neglect in licensed and unlicensed homes/facilities providing care to children/youth. You will provide coaching, mentoring, training, and performance oversight to ensure staff conduct thorough investigations, make sound decisions, and comply with legal, policy, and program requirements. This role includes conducting case reviews, facilitating staffings, establishing and maintaining efficient workflows, and providing final approval of work products.

In this position, you will oversee complex and high‑profile cases involving children and vulnerable adults while promoting accountability, professional development, and continuous improvement within your team. You will utilize planning, tracking, and performance management processes to ensure staff meet casework management directives, legal requirements, and agency expectations. Success in this role requires strong leadership, sound judgment, cultural competency, and a commitment to understanding and respecting the diverse strengths, values, communication styles, and lived experiences of the children, families, providers, and communities we serve.

Some of what you will get to do:

• Perform supervisory personnel functions, including setting performance goals, performance evaluation, and scheduling staff to ensure service to customers, career development planning, clinical supervisory conferences, workload management, hiring and other personnel functions, and completion of personnel investigations.


• Comply with the Collective Bargaining Agreement as it relates to subordinate staff in the bargaining unit.


• Prioritize and assign work to Social Service Specialist staff who complete LD/CPS investigations.


• Provide informal training regarding LD/CPS functions and arrange for formal agency training for staff.


• Provide after‑hours coverage to provide guidance to DCYF Central Intake Unit and other after‑hours staff regarding LD/CPS practice and maintain contact with LD/CPS on‑call staff duringholiday weekends.


• Assist staff in coordination of investigations with law enforcement, medical professionals, community professionals, and other agencies, as appropriate.


• Process or facilitates the process of public disclosure and/or discovery requests.


• Develop onboarding training plans for incoming staff and assists the Social Service Specialist 4 with the delivery of onboarding training.


• Provide case consultation and reviews of completed facility investigations. Makes determination of findings recommended by Social Service Specialists.


• Review case for transfer or closure and participate in court and administrative hearings.


• Conduct monthly reviews, case staffing, unit meetings, and other meetings as needed.


• Provide ongoing guidance and direct technical assistance to LD/CPS investigators regarding the investigation process, policy, and procedure.


• Assist LD/CPS investigators in these functions by providing training and technical assistance.


• Communicate agency and division changes in a manner that is informative and aligns with the agency and division culture principles.


• Collaborate with the community, including the provider community, law enforcement, medical personnel and families of children in out‑of‑home care.


• Assist staff to make in‑person field visits to facilitate investigative functions.


• Perform quality assurance on staff documentation, investigative assessments, reports, and case management.


• Provide Area Administrator monthly statistical information for work pending and completed by staff.


• Complete all required supervisory documentation within the case file and electronic record in FamLink and other LD databases within program and policy standards, accountability requirements and agency’s documentation practice.

Required Qualifications:

• Eight (8) years of paid Social Service experience* AND 30 semester OR 45 quarter credits in a Social Services discipline.

OR

• A Master’s degree in social services, human services, behavioral sciences or any Master’s degree which includes 30 semester or 45 quarter credits in a Social Services discipline AND three (3) years of paid social service experience* in planning, administering, developing, or delivery of public child welfare, social, health, or chemical dependency treatment programs.

OR

• A Bachelor's degree in social services, human services, behavioral sciences or any Bachelor’s degree which includes 30 semester or 45 quarter credits in a Social Services discipline AND Four (4) years of paid social service experience* in planning, administering, developing, or delivery of public child welfare, social, health, or chemical dependency treatment programs.

OR

• One (1) year of experience as a Social Service Specialist 4.

OR

• Two (2) years of experience as a Social Service Specialist 3.

AND

• The ability to take action to learn and grow.


• The ability to take action to meet the needs of others.

NOTE:

A two-year Master's degree in one of the above fields that included a practicum may be substituted for one (1) year of paid social service experience.

*Paid social service experiencemust include at least One (1) year of assessing risk and safety to children and providing direct family‑centered practice services.

In addition to those required qualifications, our ideal applicant will also have some or all of the following:

• Supervise, teach and train staff.


• Manage a large volume of work.


• Communicate with other agencies and community groups.


• Communicate up and down the chain of command and develop and maintain effective working relationships with a wide range and level of staff.


• Evaluate job performance.


• Interview job applicants.


• Make professional judgments.


• Ability to work cooperatively with diverse populations.


• Working understanding of agency policies, WAC and RCW related to licensed facilities.


• Must be able to effectively, clearly and concisely communicate verbally and in writing with management, peers, clients, and the public as required to carry out the assigned duties of the position.


• Be skilled in the use of MS Office- Word, Outlook and Excel, FAMLINK and other databases used.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple vacancies.

Supplemental Information:

The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is committed to Washington’s children and youth growing up safe, healthy, and thriving. We invite all candidates to join us in our goal to create a diverse and equitable workplace that reflects the communities we serve. If you are excited about this role but you believe that your education and/or experience might not align perfectly with every qualification in the job posting, we encourage you to apply anyway.

The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, race, creed, color, national origin, honorably discharged veteran or military status, or the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability or the use of a trained service animal by a person with a disability.

Must complete all required training (including specialized LD/CPS and Child Abuse Investigation and Interviewing Skills training) within required timeframes.

Must successfully complete a background check prior to initial appointment with the agency and every 5 years thereafter.

Must hold a valid driver’s license when operating a state or privately‑owned vehicle while on official state business.

Degrees must be obtained from an accredited college or university whose accreditation is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), or a foreign equivalent verified by a NACES‑approved organization at naces.org. Foreign Equivalency certification must be attached to the application for degrees obtained outside the U.S.

This position is included in the bargaining unit represented by the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE). For more information: https://wfse.org/

DCYF participates in the federal E-Verify program. The selected candidate must provide proof of identity and authorization to work in the United States, consistent with E-Verify requirements, on their first day of employment.

2026-09264