Federal Oversight Supervisor (WMS2/DBHR)

State of Washington$81K — $113K *
Education, Government & Non-Profit
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in public administration, business administration, finance, or related field; or eight years of relevant experience.
  • Four years of experience managing programs within complex legal or policy frameworks.
  • The ability to supervise and evaluate professional staff, ensuring effective workload management.
  • Experience interpreting federal guidelines and applying them to program operations.
  • Direct knowledge of Washington State's community behavioral health system and related regulations.

Responsibilities

  • Lead oversight of federal behavioral health grant portfolio and compliance.
  • Develop and implement strategies for federal grant funding and statewide priorities.
  • Monitor and ensure alignment of federal requirements with state objectives.
  • Supervise emergency response coordination for funding related to public health emergencies.
  • Engage stakeholders in planning and implementation of grant-funded initiatives.

Benefits

  • Flexible/hybrid work environment with remote employment options.
  • Participation in an important mission supporting behavioral health operations.
  • Opportunity to lead major projects affecting state healthcare.
  • Engagement with a multidisciplinary team and diverse stakeholders.
  • Access to training and development opportunities in mental health and grant management.
Full Job Description
Salary : $81,348.00 - $113,880.00 Annually
Location : Thurston County - Olympia, WA
Job Type: Full Time - Permanent
Remote Employment: Flexible/Hybrid
Job Number:
Department: Health Care Authority
Division: BHR
Opening Date: 08/07/2026
Closing Date: 8/21/2026 11:59 PM Pacific

Description
Federal Oversight Supervisor (WMS2/DBHR)
71115128
As the Federal Oversight Supervisor for the Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery (DBHR), you will serve as the premier authority on federal grants and compliance. Reporting directly to the DBHR Director and Chief of Staff, you will lead high-priority, high-risk projects that directly shape the state's healthcare landscape. You will manage a talented, multidisciplinary team to optimize millions of dollars in federal resources, including vital SAMHSA Block Grants (MHBG and SUPTRS) and emergency response funds (FEMA).
All HCA employees will apply an equity lens to their work, which may include but is not limited to all analyses of core business and processes.
About the position:
The Federal Oversight Supervisor is located within the Chief of Staff office, within the Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery. This reports directly to the DBHR Chief of Staff and is a member of the DBHR management team with a mission and goal of supporting behavioral health operations for the state of Washington.
This position is eligible to telework but is frequently required to report on-site to meet business need. The default assigned work location of all Health Care Authority (HCA) positions - both on-site and telework eligible positions - is within the State of Washington. This position reports to Olympia, WA. Frequency of onsite work will vary based on business and operational needs. All agency employees are required to report on-site in Olympia on their first and last days of employment to pick up and return state-issued equipment, regardless of telework status or location.

Duties
Some of what you will do:
  • Provide strategic leadership and oversight for the agency's federal behavioral health grant portfolio.
  • Direct planning, development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of federal behavioral health grants.
  • Establish strategic priorities and operational frameworks for DBHR's grant portfolio.
  • Ensure alignment between federal funding requirements and state behavioral health priorities, and agency / division strategic objectives.
  • Lead the development of statewide grant strategies and funding plans.
  • Oversee grant compliance, performance monitoring, and risk mitigation activities.
  • Advise executive Leadership regarding federal funding opportunities, emerging federal funding initiatives, and grant-related risks. Ensure effective coordination among behavioral health program areas impacted by federal funding.
  • Provide leadership for statewide planning and oversight of federal grants. Provide supervision and support to the federal block grant team.
  • Direct development and submission of the MHBG and SUPTRS combined application.
  • Oversight of annual reporting, expenditure reporting, and federal performance reports and audits.
  • Guide and ensure meaningful stakeholder engagement and government-to-government collaboration including consultation, roundtables, listening sessions, and public comment periods.
  • Coordinating statewide needs assessments to inform planning activities and priority-setting processes.
  • Monitor implementation of grant-funded activities and outcomes.
  • Ensure compliance with federal statutes, regulations, and SAMHSA priority guidance.
  • Oversee emergency preparedness, response, and recovery grant coordination efforts.
  • Provide supervision to staff responsible for coordinating FEMA and SAMHSA in the event of an emergency declaration.
  • Advise on and oversee behavioral health grant activities associated with disasters, public health emergencies, and emergency response events.
  • Ensure collaboration with emergency management partners, agency leaders, and behavioral health administrative service organizations to identify funding opportunities, community need, and support response efforts.
  • Ensure timely grant applications, implementation plans, and required reporting.
  • Oversee processes to support rapid deployment and management of emergency behavioral health funding.
  • Lead agency-wide knowledge and processes for federal behavioral grant management processes.
  • Oversee grant planning, review, submission, monitoring, and reporting procedures.
  • Develop and guide internal controls and accountability mechanisms for federal grant management.
  • Coordinate cross-divisional review and approval processes.
  • Identify opportunities to improve grant management effectiveness and efficiency.
  • Ensure compliance with federal grant regulations, audit requirements, and agency policies.
  • Support development of grant performance measures, and outcome reporting frameworks.


Qualifications
Required qualifications:
Qualifying candidates will meet one of the following criteria options:
Option 1:

  • A bachelor's degree in public administration, business administration, finance, public policy or closely related field


AND

  • Four (4) years of progressively responsible management or high-level analysis experience administering programs that operate under complex legal, regulatory, or policy-driven framework.

Option 2:

  • Eight (8) years of experience in the related fields above.

Required competencies:
  • The ability to take action to learn and grow.
  • The ability to take action to meet the needs of others.
  • Direct supervisory experience over professional-level staff, including setting workload priorities, evaluating performance, and driving professional development.
  • Interpreting and applying specific federal statutory guidelines (Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200), ect.)
  • Preparing for, responding to, and resolving federal program monitoring, Single Audits, or federal enforcement actions.
  • Overseeing federal funding streams, ensuring proper subrecipient monitoring, managing complex federal grant tracking, and checking alignment with state matching systems.
  • Direct knowledge of Washington State's community behavioral health system, including outpatient and inpatient care, systems and coordination of treatment (e.g.: MCOs, Behavioral Health Agencies, Dept. of Corrections),
  • Knowledge of federal and state behavioral health statutes, funding, rules, and regulations, including Medicaid regulations.
  • Knowledge of mental health managed care principles and contract issues related to federal funding, medical necessity, resource management, access, quality improvement, cultural competency, and provider contracting.
  • Knowledge of the protocols and processes of the executive and legislative branches of state and local government.
  • Knowledge of continuous quality improvement principles.
  • Knowledge of the Washington State Centennial Accord and the Government-to-Government relationship with Tribes.
  • Effective written and verbal communication skills and ability to work collaboratively with multiple stakeholders including individuals with lived experience, advocates, partner state agencies, providers, state and local government officials and/or legislators and legislative staff in the analysis / development of policies and procedures, WAC and statute for management of publicly funded mental health services.
  • Demonstrated competency to work collaboratively with multiple stakeholders, including publicly funded behavioral health advocates and providers, state and local government officials, legislators or legislative staff.
  • Grant writing and management experience.
  • The ability to take action to learn and grow.

Preferred qualifications:
  • Hands-on experience working directly inside state accounting systems or specific federal tracking portals.
  • Proven capability to lead multidisciplinary technical teams through shifting federal mandates, legislative policy changes, and internal workflow changes.

How to apply:
Only candidates who reflect the minimum qualifications on their NEOGOV profile will be considered. Failure to follow the application instructions below may lead to disqualification. To apply for this position, you will need to complete your profile which includes three professional references and attach in separate files:
  • A cover letter that specifically addresses how you meet the qualifications for this position
  • Current resume

To take advantage of veteran preference, please do the following:
  • Attach a copy of your DD214 (Member 4 long-form copy), NGB 22, or USDVA signed verification of service letter.
  • Please black out any PII (personally identifiable information) data such as social security numbers. Include your name as it appears on your application in careers.wa.gov.

Supplemental Information

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