Salary: $82,487.00 - $97,050.00 Annually
Location : Thurston County - Olympia, WA
Job Type: Full Time - Permanent
Remote Employment: Flexible/Hybrid
Job Number:Department: Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
Division: Student Engagement and Support
Opening Date: 09/04/2026
Closing Date: 9/21/2026 11:59 PM Pacific
DescriptionWASHINGTON MANAGEMENT SERVICEJOB ANNOUNCEMENTBehavioral Health - Program Supervisor
$82,487.00 - $97,050.00 annually
Closes September 21, 2026The Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) seeks to fill the Behavioral Health - Program Supervisor position. This full-time permanent position is based in Olympia, Washington. This position may be eligible for partial to near full-time telework. Telework is a combination of in-building and off-site days.
During your onboarding period (first 6 - 8 weeks) you will be required to be in the office 3 days per week. After you've completed your onboarding period, you may have the option to work a flexible telework schedule (days of the week to be determined with Supervisor approval). While we're happy to offer this balance of in-office connections and telework flexibility, this isn't a fully remote position. Position OverviewThis position sits within SESP and reports to the SESP Director of Student Support. It leads the statewide school-based behavioral health portfolio, providing leadership, program oversight, technical assistance, and subject-matter expertise on behavioral health navigation, suicide prevention, and district systems for recognizing and responding to social, emotional, behavioral, and mental health distress.
The role serves as a connecting point across SESP and OSPI, integrating behavioral health with school safety, HIB prevention, attendance, SEL/MTSS, Medicaid, Title IV, and a wide range of other related whole-child initiatives. It strengthens district capacity and statewide alignment by linking OSPI programs, ESD Behavioral Health Navigators, state partners, and community-based behavioral health systems - translating law, policy, funding, evidence, and stakeholder needs into implementation strategy, guidance, training, and sustainable systems.
Core functions include convening internal and external partners; managing key contracts and statewide supports; monitoring implementation, data, and compliance; identifying and mitigating risk; and using field input to drive continuous improvement.
This position is expected to strengthen statewide and regional capacity to support student behavioral health, improve district implementation of behavioral health and suicide-prevention practices, and increase access to consistent, usable technical assistance. It is also expected to improve coordination among OSPI, ESDs, state agencies, and community providers, and to strengthen the alignment of behavioral health within MTSS and related school supports.
Portfolio includes: RCW 28A.320.127, RCW 28A.410.226, RCW 28A.300.288, the statewide Behavioral Health Navigator initiative, statewide suicide-prevention guidance and training, HB 1634 and other potential Washington Thriving implementation, and emerging school behavioral health policy and funding.
Key ResponsibilitiesProgram Leadership- Serve as the division's strategic systems-level lead for school-based behavioral health, connecting work across SESP, OSPI, state agencies, ESDs, and statewide partners to align policy, systems, resources, and implementation around shared priorities and outcomes
- Understand, articulate and operationalize behavioral-health-related laws, rules, policies, funding requirements, and agency direction into actionable guidance and implementation supports, including HB 1634
- Facilitate and coordinate the statewide ESD Behavioral Health Navigator network, including monthly convenings and maintenance of the Navigator Playbook
- Maintain statewide youth suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention guidance, supporting implementation of RCW 28A.300.288 and RCW 28A.410.226
Technical Assistance and Capacity Building- Develop and maintain practical behavioral health guidance, tools, templates, FAQs, timelines, training materials, modules, web resources, and communications for districts, ESDs, and partners
- Design, deliver, and coordinate behavioral health technical assistance, training, and professional learning for districts, ESDs, and statewide partners that includes recognition, initial screening, and response to social, emotional, or behavioral distress
- Respond to behavioral health and suicide-prevention inquiries from districts, families, and community members
Partnership and System Alignment- Lead, facilitate, staff, or represent OSPI, as assigned, in relevant statewide behavioral health advisory groups, workgroups, interagency meetings, and stakeholder processes, including school behavioral health, youth behavioral health, school safety and well-being, suicide-prevention, and school-based health bodies.
- Build and maintain trusted relationships across OSPI, ESDs, Tribes, DOH, HCA, and community behavioral health partners
- Proactively connect and integrate school-based behavioral health with MTSS, safety, attendance, SEL, and Title IV to support a coherent continuum of care
- Serve as a primary programmatic connection for school behavioral health with the Department of Health, Health Care Authority, ESD/AESD partners, Washington Thriving, community behavioral health providers, and other statewide partners, including coordination of the school behavioral health technical assistance and training framework
- Convene an internal cross-program behavioral health space to reduce duplication and strengthen shared understanding across SESP
Data, Reporting, and Continuous Improvement- Monitor program implementation, statutory reporting, training participation, and statewide service quality
- Lead district data communications and reporting for behavioral health data collections, including the RCW 28A.320.127 district-plan cycle
- Use data, stakeholder input, and equity analysis to improve program design, technical assistance, and recommendations
- Prepare required reports, dashboards, issue briefs, presentations, and executive summaries
Fiscal and Resource Stewardship- Manage assigned behavioral health contracts, grants, and appropriations supporting statewide implementation
- Develop and manage subject-matter expert contracts
- Support development and administration of behavioral health grants or funding opportunities as resources become available, including implementation expectations and monitoring
Required Qualifications:Required Education, Experience, and Competencies:- Bachelor's degree in education, public policy, public administration, public health, social or behavioral sciences, social services, or a closely related field; and at least three (3) years of progressively responsible experience in statewide or large-scale program implementation, systems coordination, policy implementation, technical assistance, grant or public-sector program management, or related work.
OR
- An equivalent combination of education and professional experience totaling seven (7) years that demonstrates progressively increasing responsibility in relevant program leadership, systems coordination, policy implementation, technical assistance, grant administration, or public-sector program management.
- Must reside of in the state of Washington as a condition of employment
- Periodic statewide travel, including travel to districts, ESDs, trainings, coordinator meetings, conferences, interagency meetings, or incident-related activities.
Additionally:
- Demonstrated knowledge of, or professional experience in, school-based behavioral health, youth behavioral health, suicide prevention, emotional/behavioral distress response, or a closely related behavioral health system sufficient to provide credible statewide guidance and technical assistance.
- Ability to interpret relevant laws, regulations, and policy requirements (e.g., RCW 28A.320.127, RCW 28A.410.226, RCW 28A.300.288) and translate them into accurate, actionable guidance.
- Demonstrated ability to lead and facilitate groups of experienced subject-matter professionals across agencies, districts, ESDs, Tribes, and/or community organizations toward shared decisions and outcomes, without requiring equivalent technical depth in each domain.
- Demonstrated ability to lead complex programs or initiatives from planning through implementation and continuous improvement.
- Demonstrated ability to build effective partnerships among diverse professionals, organizations, and communities.
Desired Qualifications: - Experience providing technical assistance, training, facilitation, coaching, or other capacity-building support.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to synthesize complex information for varied audiences.
- Ability to interpret and summarize behavioral health, education, or implementation data to inform program design, reporting, shared measurement, and decision-making.
- Demonstrated ability to work effectively with people from a wide range of backgrounds and support equitable, culturally responsive, and inclusive practices, informed by awareness of documented behavioral health disparities affecting LGBTQ+ students, students of color, and Tribal and rural communities.
- Experience exercising sound judgment, professional composure, and appropriate escalation when communicating about sensitive, urgent, or crisis-adjacent behavioral health issues with families, districts, partners, or leadership.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities and emerging issues, follow through on commitments, and exercise sound judgment.
- Knowledge of Washington's K-12 education system and the roles of OSPI, ESDs, districts, schools, Tribes, state agencies, and community behavioral health partners.
- Experience with statewide behavioral health advisory committees, interagency workgroups, legislative or policy implementation, proviso/statutory rep
