Project/Program Manager IV - Policy Manager

This recruitment is open only to current King County employees. External applicants are not being considered. Are you ready to step into a high-impact leadership role where your expertise will shape environmental policy, guide strategic decisions, and influence regional partnerships across King County? The Hazardous Waste Management Program is seeking a dynamic policy manager to lead our Policy line of business, drive upstream solutions, and ensure our communities thrive in a cleaner, safer future. This is a chance to work at the intersection of strategy and action. This role offers the chance to influence high-impact initiatives, drive equity-centered solutions, and ensure King County remains a leader in protecting communities from hazardous waste and harmful chemicals. This position will serve as a key leadership position on highly visible priorities, including: 1) analysis of complex policy, legislative, and social issues; 2) development of upstream policy and legislative strategies to reduce toxic exposures to people and the environment; 3) supervise and inspire a talented team of policy professionals; 4) development and implementation of operational policies, procedures, methods, and standards for the Program’s policy work; and 5) provide strategic direction and leadership to a broad range of policy, planning, and initiatives to advance the Program’s mission and vision. If you’re a leader who excels at collaborations, tackling complex challenges, and driving policies that create lasting change, this is a great opportunity for you! About the Role The Policy Manager plays a critical role in shaping and advancing policies that protect King County residents and small quantity generator (SQG) businesses from hazardous waste and harmful chemicals. Reporting to the Program Director, this expert-level leadership position leads and develops a team of policy professionals, providing strategic direction, setting clear priorities, and ensuring the delivery of high-impact, system-level results. The Policy Team leads key initiatives to expand access to safer products and convenient end-of-life options for moderate-risk waste (MRW). This includes advancing product stewardship and extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs, such as EPR for all household hazardous waste (HHW); supporting policies that drive safer chemical and material alternatives; implementing and assessing new laws; and collaborating with partners across local, regional, and national coalitions. The team also works to reduce exposure to priority contaminants and materials, including lead, chemicals of emerging concern, and persistent bioaccumulative toxins. Success in this senior leadership role requires deep public-sector policy expertise, legislative strategy experience, systems thinking, and strong data and regulatory analysis skills. The ideal candidate is politically astute, highly collaborative, and an exceptional communicator with a strategic mindset and the ability to navigate complex and evolving policy issues. They demonstrate strong supervisory skills, including the ability to lead and develop staff, set clear priorities, and hold teams and cross-functional processes accountable to high standards of performance. The Policy Manager excels at building durable partnerships, driving innovation, and advancing policy solutions that strengthen environmental and public health protections, embed equity, and reduce toxic exposures across King County. About the Team The Local Hazardous Waste Management Program is a multijurisdictional coalition of government agencies working together to protect and enhance public health and environmental quality across King County. This is done by reducing the threat posed by the production, use, storage, and disposal of hazardous materials. Through coordinated regional services and unified strategies, the Program helps residents and businesses safely manage hazardous materials and reduce pollution in local waterways, neighborhoods and natural areas. Learn more about the Hazardous Waste Management Program. The Program is a collaborative effort of several participating agencies. This position is hired by the Water and Land Resources Division (WLRD) within the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks, which is one of the participating agencies. The Water and Land Resources Division (WLRD) is at the forefront of King County’s efforts to protect and restore clean water and healthy habitat and strengthen the resilience of communities, environment, and infrastructure in the face of climate change. The Division has a strong track record of developing innovative strategies for protecting working farms and forests, restoring habitat, and ensuring the county residents have equitable access to green space. We reduce flood hazards, manage stormwater, reduce toxic threats, and provide other natural resource management services throughout King County. WLRD’s mission is to protect, restore, and manage King County's water and land using the best available science, innovation, and collaborating with partners and the community. These, and many more programs, make WLRD an exciting and fulfilling place to work. For more information about the division, see Commitment To Equity and Social Justice: King County, named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is a diverse and vibrant community that represents cultures from around the world. We prioritize equity, racial and social justice, making it a foundational and daily expectation for all employees. As a Project Program Manager IV - Policy Manager you will actively apply these principles in all aspects of your work. Learn more about our commitment at What You Will Be Doing: Policy and Analysis – Leads and analyzes policy initiatives, engages in legislative and rule-making engagement, and management of policy planning for the Hazardous Waste Management Program. Program, Team and Staff Management – Leads and supports a professional team by providing direction, project oversight, and fostering a collaborative, strategic, and high-performing work environment. Advance Program Goals – Advances program goals by protecting public health and the environment, promoting racial equity and environmental justice, and preventing hazardous waste through upstream, safer, and systemic solutions. Intergovernmental and Strategic Partnerships – Leads cross-agency coordination and strategic partnerships to advance policy priorities, align approaches across jurisdictions, and build strong relationships with key regional and state partners. Strategic Program Leadership and Cross-Agency Coordination – Provides senior leadership in long-range policy strategy, cross-agency coordination, and data-informed decision-making to advance consistent and effective Program policy. Qualifications You Bring: Progressive leadership experience in public sector policy, program, and project management, with increasing responsibility and proven results. At least 5 years of proven leadership experience successfully leading teams and supervising professional staff to achieve results. Demonstrated public sector policy experience in analysis, development, engagement, and implementation. Demonstrated experience with public sector entities, regulatory environments, governance, and elected officials. Experience leading complex, multi-stakeholder or cross-agency initiatives and collaborating with diverse partners, and applying equity and social justice principles in those efforts. Excellent oral and written communication skills, with proven ability to interpret, craft, and present complex information effectively to diverse audiences. Excellent interpersonal skills with proven ability to collaborate effectively with executive leadership, diverse stakeholders, and multi-disciplinary teams. Competencies You Bring: Manages Complexity – Making sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems. Ensures Accountability – Holding self and others accountable to meet commitments. Builds Effective Teams – Building strong-identity teams that apply their diverse skills and perspectives to achieve common goals. Manages Ambiguity – Operating effectively, even when things are not certain, or the way forward is not clear. Decision Quality – Making good and timely decisions that keep the organization moving forward. It Would Be Great If You Also Bring: Advanced experience navigating legislative or regulatory process, including shaping or advancing policy proposal at local, state, or federal levels. Subject matter expertise in addressing hazardous materials and their effect on environmental and human health. Ability to lead long-range strategic policy initiatives, including forecasting emerging issues and aligning policy direction with organizational or regional priorities. Skill in building and sustaining cross-sector partnerships and coalitions. Working Conditions Onsite Work Details: Work Location: The Local Hazardous Waste Management Program team works in a hybrid model, with days in the office, and field, as well as telecommuting. The ratio of remote to onsite work will be dependent on business needs and is subject to change. The primary onsite location is King Street Center, 201 S. Jackson St, Seattle, WA. Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to work place reporting requirements. King County has a robust collection of tools and resources to support working remotely. The individual selected for this opportunity will join an innovative and progressive team that is redefining how we work as we transition to the department's hybrid environment. Employees will be provided with a County-issued laptop and must maintain a in-home workspace with an internet connection where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours. Work Schedule: This full-time position works a 40-hour work week. This position is exempt from the overtime provision of the Fair Labor Standard Act (FLSA) and is not overtime eligible. Union Representation: This position is not represented by a union. Discover More About the Water and Land Division by visiting our website. Discover More About DNRP: Visit our website, explore an interactive map of our recent accomplishments and check us out at Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Keeping King County Green News. Sign up for Job Alerts to be notified of additional career opportunities with King County. Select the Natural Resources category for DNRP opportunities and explore other categories of interest. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving of the nation's best places to live, work and play. King County's Vision, Mission, and ACTIVATE Values unite us. King County serves residents with a relentless sense of urgency, delivering on commitments with transparency and accountability. We are action-oriented, creative problem solvers who collaborate across roles, engage directly with communities, and challenge the status quo to achieve meaningful impact. As a unified team, we uphold high ethical and stewardship standards, embrace change, stay curious, and continuously improve. Across all interactions, we listen first, act quickly, and stay aligned as a team to earn and sustain public trust. Learn more about our Vision, Mission, and ACTIVATE Values here and visit our Why work at King County page here. King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on sex, race, color, national origin, ethnicity ,religious affiliation, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age except by minimum age and retirement provisions, pregnancy, status as a family caregiver, parental status, marital status, military status or status as a veteran who was honorably discharged or who was discharged solely as a result of the person’s sexual orientation or gender identity or expression, citizenship or immigration status, genetic information, or other protected class. However, to the extent that distinction or differential treatment on the basis of citizenship or immigration status is authorized by either federal or state law, regulation, or government contract, it is not an unfair practice. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation. #J-18808-Ljbffr King County