Tribal Early Learning & Prevention Manager (WMS2) - Olympia

State of Washington; Olympia (WA); Hybrid; USD 99,000 - 124,000; Full time

Job summary

State of Washington’s DCYF is seeking a Tribal Early Learning & Prevention Manager to lead government-to-government relationships with the 29 tribes in Washington. This role focuses on strengthening tribal sovereignty, policy development, and culturally grounded early learning services for children and families.

The position requires travel across Washington and reporting to the Office of Tribal Relations. The role emphasizes building trust, coordinating with DCYF leadership and tribal partners,

Qualifications

• Equivalent combination of education and experience working directly with tribes totaling nine years.
• Bachelor’s Degree with five years of experience in a position working directly with tribes.
• Knowledge of Tribal Languages and culturally appropriate practices in the tribal early learning community.
• Substantial professional experience working directly with Tribal governments or Tribal-serving organizations, focusing on Tribal Child Care, Tribal Early Learning, or Indian Child Welfare.

Responsibilities

• Facilitate collaboration between tribal communities and DCYF to build trust and improve early learning services.
• Serve as a member of the Office of Tribal Relations management team.
• Promote and improve cultural learning, humility, responsiveness, and government-to-government training with DCYF and partners.
• Strengthen government-to-government relations between tribes and DCYF to ensure tribal perspectives in policy development.
• Oversee operations of the Indian Policy Early Learning Committee (IPEL), including planning and meeting notes.
• Provide consultation on communication protocols with tribes and review Dear Tribal Leader Letters.

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."

Job Title: Tribal Early Learning & Prevention Manager (WMS2)

Location: Olympia, WA - This position is flexible/hybrid and may be performed remotely. To support agency business needs, you must be willing and able to travel frequently throughout Washington State, including to Tribal lands and Tribal communities, to meet with Tribal governments and partners. The position also requires attendance at in-person meetings, training, and other work-related activities as needed.

Closes: Monday, November 16th, 2026

Salary: $99,418 - $124,272

Are you passionate about strengthening relationships with Tribal Nations and supporting culturally grounded early learning opportunities for children and families? Join DCYF's Office of Tribal Relations (OTR) and become part of a collaborative team dedicated to advancing Tribal sovereignty, fostering government-to-government partnerships, and ensuring Tribal voices help shape early learning services across Washington. This role offers an opportunity to build meaningful relationships with Tribal Nations, support policy and program development, and help create positive outcomes for Tribal children, families, and communities.

The Opportunity:

As the Early Learning & Prevention Manager, you will serve as a key liaison between DCYF, Tribal Nations, and Tribal communities, supporting government-to-government relationships and collaboration with the 29 federally recognized Tribes in Washington State, as well as other tribally affiliated and urban Indian populations. Working closely with agency leadership, early learning staff, and Tribal partners, you will help ensure Tribal perspectives are represented in the development and implementation of early learning programs, policies, and services.

In this role, you will provide consultation and resources regarding early learning programs, support efforts to ensure child care and state-funded preschool programs are safe, healthy, and high quality, and help strengthen culturally responsive professional development opportunities for both DCYF staff and early learning professionals. This position is ideal for a relationship-focused leader who brings cultural humility, sound judgment, and experience working collaboratively with Tribal Nations to advance meaningful and lasting change.

Some of what you will get to do:

• Facilitate collaboration between tribal communities and DCYF to build trust, enhance understanding and improve the quality and effectiveness of early learning services.
• Serve as a member of the Office of Tribal Relations management team.
• Promote and improve cultural learning, cultural humility, cultural responsiveness, cultural competency, and promote government to government training with DCYF and with our partners to assure understanding to tribal issues that impact the effectiveness of early learning services.
• Strengthen government to government relations between tribes and DCYF to meet the requirement that state agencies work with tribes in the development of policies that affect tribal communities and Indian people governed by the twenty-nine federally recognized sovereign tribal nations, and other tribally affiliated Indian people and urban Indian people.
• Oversee operations of the Indian Policy Early Learning Committee (IPEL), including planning, agenda development, handouts, meeting notes and communication with IPEL members.
• Facilitate the exchange of information and consultation with tribal child care and early learning programs in the development of policy of procedure changes, legislative proposals, the implementation of Washington’s quality rating and improvement system, Early Achievers, the expansion of the Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP), the Early Start/Fair Start for Act and their policies and programs.
• Maintain and update policies and procedures related to tribal certified for payment only and update forms, website and related communications.
• Provides consultation to DCYF staff on following communication protocols with tribes, reviews and edits Dear Tribal Leader Letters for upholding formal communications to Tribes.

Ways you can qualify:

• Equivalent combination of education and experience working directly with tribes* totaling nine (9) years.

OR

• Bachelor’s Degree AND five (5) years of experience in a position working directly with tribes*.

AND

• Knowledge of Tribal Languages and culturally appropriate practices in the tribal early learning community.
• Must have substantial professional experience working directly with Tribal governments or Tribal serving organizations, with a focus in areas such as Tribal Child Care, Tribal Early Learning (includes early head start, head start, prenatal, home visiting/home base services), Tribal Child Welfare, Tribal Social Services, Tribal State relations, or ICWA compliance. Experience must demonstrate a deep understanding of Tribal sovereignty, culturally grounded service delivery, and the unique legal, historical, and intergovernmental context in which Tribal governments operate.
• Extensive professional experience in Tribal Early Learning and Indian Child Welfare, such as work as a Social Services or Early Learning Director, social worker, supervisor, or other professional within Tribal Nations or Tribal serving organizations. Possess a thorough understanding of Tribally appropriate early learning and Indian Child Welfare practices and the federal and state laws governing the child care development fund and child welfare system, acquired through meaningful and sustained collaboration within or in partnership with Tribal Nations and Tribal-serving entities.
• Demonstrate proven experience collaborating directly with Tribal Nations and Tribal serving organizations, including the ability to build and maintain effective relationships with Tribal communities and governments. Experience should reflect a strong understanding of Tribal structures, governance, jurisdictional complexities, and the ability to engage in meaningful consultation and partnership with Tribal Nations on issues affecting American Indian and Alaska Native children, families and communities.
• The ability to take action to learn and grow.
• The ability to take action to meet the needs of others.

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

• Knowledge of and experience with tribal communities and governments.
• Leadership experience in a political environment.
• Ability to research, form, build and sustain relationships with tribal governments following government to government sovereignty protocols.
• Demonstrate commitment and effectiveness in culturally relevant institutional change and promoting culturally and linguistically responsive skills and practices.
• Action-oriented work style focused on results, excellent judgement and the ability to see the "big picture".
• A strong public service and customer-focus ethic.
• Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to understand and appropriately respond to the tribal stakeholder, customer, employee and management issues and concerns.
• Ability to address concerns and needs of the Agency’s customers, including tribal governments, tribal early learning programs, public, state and federal agencies, legislators and the Governor.
• Knowledge of advanced management and principles of project management, strategic planning, and organizational development principles, or problem identification and resolution techniques, grant and contract management, and of leadership principles.
• Familiarity with state and federal early learning programs, including: the State Early Childhood Education and
  Assistance Program, the Child Care and Development Fund, Head Start, Early Head Start and Maternal, Infant, Early Childhood Home Visiting program, Early Support for Infant and Toddlers, Strengthening Families

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.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple vacancies.

Must be able to travel to all tribal lands to meet with tribal governments in Washington State.

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.

If you would like to request an accommodation throughout the application/interview process, contact DCYF Recruiter. If you're experiencing technical difficulties creating, accessing or completing your application, call NEOGOV toll-free at [phone] or email [e-mail]. Persons needing accommodation in the application process or this announcement in an alternative format may call the Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) at 360-664-1960.

Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications and wish to claim Veteran's Preference MUST attach a copy of their DD214, NGB Form 22, or Predischarge Certification (issued not more than 120 days prior to End of Term of Service (ETS) by date of submission). If claiming preference based on Predischarge Certification, the individual will be required to provide their official discharge documentation, such as a DD Form 214, NGB Form 22, or equivalent, within 30 days after the date of discharge. Please blackout (redact) the social security number before attaching any documents. For additional information on Veterans’ Preference and guidance on how to determine if you are eligible, click here.

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,