Senior Performance and Strategy Analyst

King County, WA; Seattle (WA); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical coverage

Dental coverage

Vision coverage

Life Insurance

Disability insurance

Pension plan

457(b) plan

Transit pass

12 holidays

Vacation & sick leave

Parental leave

Volunteer leave

Flexible Spending Account

Wellness programs

Onsite centers

Employee giving

Employee assistance

Flexible schedules

Training programs

Job summary

King County in Seattle is seeking a collaborative Senior Performance & Strategy Analyst to serve as a Department Performance Partner on the Performance & Accountability team. You will be the primary partner for an assigned portfolio, helping leaders turn performance information into decisions and improved services.

This role blends hands-on analysis, facilitation, coaching, and judgment. You will assess needs, build trust, and help teams establish practices they can sustain, delivering clearer

Responsibilities

• Serve as an ongoing partner to departments. Assess existing performance practices, understand operational needs and capacity, and agree on practical priorities with department leaders and staff.
• Connect goals to operations. Support goal workshops and help departments translate the Executive’s Four Bs and other County priorities into clear outcomes, operational measures, and shared responsibilities.
• Strengthen monthly and quarterly business reviews. Help departments prepare useful analysis, identify issues requiring decisions, and structure discussions around performance drivers, risks, and improvement opportunities.
• Analyze performance and explain findings. Work with quantitative and qualitative information to understand trends, variation, costs, service disparities, and potential causes of missed expectations.
• Drive follow-through. Help teams establish clear actions, owners, deadlines, and evidence of success. Track commitments, surface stalled actions, and elevate barriers requiring support beyond the department.
• Connect performance to policy and budget decisions. Partner with Policy and Budget staff to explain service needs, costs, capacity constraints, and resource tradeoffs using performance information.
• Coach departmental staff and leaders. Build skills in measurement, visual management, business reviews, and continuous improvement.
• Strengthen shared practices. Maintain and improve business review playbook guidance and training for analysts and leaders.
• Improve data and reporting workflows. Identify recurring reporting burdens and data gaps, and work with KCIT to prioritize improvements.
• Incorporate equity and resident experience. Help departments interpret results across populations and inform improvement priorities.
• Support public accountability. Help departments clearly explain results for public progress reporting.
• Connect departments to specialized improvement support. Identify issues that may warrant deeper analysis or corrective action and track commitments.

Job description

Summary

King County is strengthening how it plans, measures, and improves services through the King County Delivers plan and Executive Zahilay’s Executive Order. We are seeking a collaborative, analytical Senior Performance & Strategy Analyst to serve as a Department Performance Partner on the Performance & Accountability team.

King County is strengthening how it plans, measures, and improves services through the King County Delivers plan and Executive Zahilay’s Executive Order. We are seeking a collaborative, analytical Senior Performance & Strategy Analyst to serve as a Department Performance Partner on the Performance & Accountability team.

You will be the primary Performance & Accountability partner for an assigned portfolio of departments, helping leaders and staff turn performance information into decisions, action, and better services. You will support meaningful goals and measures, useful monthly and quarterly business reviews, and consistent follow-through on commitments.

This role combines hands‑on analysis, facilitation, coaching, and organizational judgment. You will independently assess departmental needs, build trust across organizational levels, and help teams establish practices they can sustain. Success means departments get more value from performance work: clearer priorities, earlier identification of problems, stronger decisions, and measurable improvements for residents.

Job Duties

• Serve as an ongoing partner to departments. Assess existing performance practices, understand operational needs and capacity, and agree on practical priorities with department leaders and staff.
• Connect goals to operations. Support goal workshops and help departments translate the Executive’s Four Bs and other County priorities into clear outcomes, operational measures, and shared responsibilities. Coordinate with the Four Bs and Beyond Performance Partner when priorities require new measures or data collection.
• Strengthen monthly and quarterly business reviews. Help departments prepare useful analysis, identify issues requiring decisions, and structure discussions around performance drivers, risks, and improvement opportunities. Prepare departmental issues for quarterly reviews with Executive leadership.
• Analyze performance and explain findings. Work with quantitative and qualitative information to understand trends, variation, costs, service disparities, and potential causes of missed expectations. Recognize data limitations and distinguish findings from assumptions.
• Drive follow-through. Help teams establish clear actions, owners, deadlines, and evidence of success. Track commitments, surface stalled actions, and elevate barriers requiring support beyond the department.
• Connect performance to policy and budget decisions. Partner with Policy and Budget staff to explain service needs, costs, capacity constraints, and resource tradeoffs using performance information.
• Coach departmental staff and leaders. Build skills in measurement, visual management, business reviews, and continuous improvement. Help teams move from assembling reports to using information independently.
• Strengthen shared practices. Maintain and improve business review playbook guidance, develop practical tools and training, and contribute to communities of practice for analysts and leaders.
• Improve data and reporting workflows. Identify recurring reporting burdens and data gaps. Partner with the enterprise data and analytics team, departments, and KCIT to prioritize improvements, clarify requirements, and test whether tools meet operational needs.
• Incorporate equity and resident experience. Help departments interpret results across populations and service experiences, identify barriers and disparities, and use resident feedback to inform improvement priorities.
• Support public accountability. Help departments clearly explain results for public progress reporting.
• Connect departments to specialized improvement support. Identify and scope issues that may warrant deeper analysis or corrective action. Incorporate findings and track resulting commitments through business reviews.

Values — ACTIVATE

• Accountable
• Collaborative
• Timely
• Impactful
• Value Employees
• Accessible
• Trusted
• Equitable

Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills

Critical attributes for the ideal candidate include an ability to dive deep, comfort operating in ambiguous environment, earning trust with a broad range of stakeholders, and a consistent track record for delivering results. You should be comfortable investigating details, asking difficult questions constructively, and maintaining momentum without formal authority.

Why Join Us

The King County Executive Office serves residents with a sense of urgency, delivering on commitments with integrity, transparency, and accountability. We are collaborative problem solvers who work directly with departments and communities and continuously improve how government works.

You will help departments build the habits and capabilities that make government more effective. Your work will give employees clearer direction, help leaders address problems sooner, and connect County priorities to improvements residents can experience.

Work Schedule

This team currently works in a hybrid model that includes three to four days in the office, with remaining work performed remotely. The ratio of remote to onsite work depends on business needs and may change.

The typical schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with occasional evening, night, or weekend work as necessary. This position is exempt from the FLSA and is not eligible for overtime.

The primary work location is the King County Courthouse, 516 3rd Ave., Seattle. County employees must reside in Washington and within a reasonable distance of their worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.

Benefits

• Excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage options: King County provides eligible employees with options, so they can decide what’s best for themselves and their eligible dependents
• Life and disability insurance: employees are provided basic coverage and given the opportunity to purchase additional insurance for both the employee and eligible dependents
• Retirement: eligible King County employees may participate in a pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems and a 457(b) deferred-compensation plan
• Transportation program and ORCA transit pass
• 12 paid holidays each year plus two personal holidays
• Generous vacation and paid sick leave
• Paid parental, family and medical, and volunteer leaves
• Flexible Spending Account
• Wellness programs
• Onsite activity centers
• Employee Giving Program
• Employee assistance programs
• Flexible schedules and telecommuting options, depending on position
• Training and career development programs

For additional information about employee benefits, visit our Benefits, Payroll, and Retirement Page.

NOTE: Benefits for Term Limited Temporary (TLT) or Short Term Temporary (STT) positions, including leave eligibility and/or participation in the pension plan through the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems, will vary based upon the terms and details of the position. Short Term Temporary positions are not eligible for an ORCA transit pass.