Salary: $129,968.18 - $164,742.03 Annually
Location : Chinook Building 401 5th Avenue Seattle, WA
Job Type: Temporary
Job Number: 2026AO27935
Department: DPH - Public Health
Division: Administrative Services
Opening Date: 09/10/2026
Closing Date: 9/21/2026 11:59 PM Pacific
FLSA: Exempt
Bargaining Unit: Z3 : KC Personnel Guidelines
Full- or Part-Time: Full Time
Hours/Week: 40 hours/week

Summary
The Preparedness Section is responsible for conducting a continuous cycle of planning, organizing, training, exercising, and taking corrective action to build Public Health's capability to respond to future emergencies. The Preparedness Section is part of the Office of the Director and works with other Public Health divisions and programs to prepare for threats and hazards that have health, medical, and mortuary impacts. The Preparedness Section is also responsible for activating the department's incident management structure known as Health and Medical Area Command (HMAC) ahead of or during an incident or planned event. Preparedness Section staff members fill key roles in the department's Incident Management Team (IMT) and most recently served in HMAC leading up to and during the 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament.

Reporting to the Preparedness Director, the Preparedness Deputy Director is responsible for directing the daily operations of the Preparedness Section. This includes supervising staff that are responsible for a wide range of activities such as writing plans, managing resources, designing trainings, conducting exercises, and developing corrective action plans. These activities are informed by grant statements of work (e.g., CDC Public Health Emergency Preparedness Cooperative Agreement), department initiatives (e.g., Public Health's 2024-2029 Strategic Plan), and the priorities of our partners and the community. The Preparedness Deputy Director plays an important part in making sure these activities are effective and equitable and that staff are successful in their roles.

This represents a leadership role within the Preparedness Section and the Office of the Director. There will be opportunities to work with the Public Health's Executive Leadership Team. Emergency preparedness is a cross-cutting capability, and this position will support, through the supervision of other Preparedness Section staff, multiple Public Health divisions and programs.

Temporary Opportunity. Special Duty Assignment (SDA) positions are "at will" positions but are eligible for benefits. This SDA is currently anticipated to last 18 months. One factor that could affect the end date of the position is an unanticipated change in funding.
Special Duty Assignments are open to Career Service, Career Service Exempt or other regular (non-temporary) employees in King County who have completed their initial County probation. You must have supervisor approval prior to taking a Special Duty Assignment.
Note: This posting will create a list of qualified candidates that may be considered for selection of additional vacancies of the same position type over the next 6 months.

Work Schedule

Core business hours of the Preparedness Section are 8AM - 5PM Monday through Friday, but staff are permitted to work flexible schedules within those core business hours. Night and weekend work may be required, especially during emerging incidents and emergency responses.
Remote and Onsite Work:

The Preparedness team works in a hybrid model, with days in the office 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 building name and address. Per County policy, staff are expected to work onsite three days a week. (Location: Chinook Building - 401 5th Seattle, WA 98104).
Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.
King County has a robust collection of 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 home workspace with an internet connection where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours.
Job Duties

Direct the daily operations of the Preparedness Section
• Supervise staff responsible for implementing the Preparedness Section's POETE (Planning, Organizing, Equipping, Training, and Exercising) cycle.
• Collaborate with staff to develop and maintain their annual workplans for completing Integrated Preparedness Plan (IPP) activities, grant deliverables, strategic plan initiatives, and other priority POETE projects.
• Support, coach, and evaluate staff as they conceptualize and execute POETE projects. Use different management practices that will ultimately help staff be successful in their work.
• Assist staff in incorporating standards and guiding principles from national best practices such as the Comprehensive Preparedness Guide (CPG) 101, the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP), and the Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) and Response Capabilities into POETE activities.
• Work with staff to incorporate equity principles and intentional efforts to co-create with community into workplans and POETE activities.
• Serve as a resource for staff by developing and maintaining subject matter expertise for threats and hazards with public health impacts.
• Review and provide feedback on staff work products.
• Ensure staff compliance with Public Health policies and procedures.

Plan and implement programmatic services
• Develop and maintain an individual workplan that includes projects that support the Preparedness Section in delivering POETE services.
• Inform the department's administrative standards and practices by representing the operational perspectives of the Preparedness Section in Public Health workgroups such as the Deputy Operations Team, Modern Workplace Governance Group, and Performance Management Advisory Group.

Support the Preparedness Director in managing the Preparedness Section
• Work with the Preparedness Director to develop, prioritize, and implement goals, objectives, and associated performance measures for daily operations.
• Keep the Preparedness Director apprised of the status of daily operations and any barriers or challenges in completing POETE projects.
• Advise the Preparedness Director on annual budget planning based on anticipated operational needs and resources.
• Assess training needs and promote training opportunities for Preparedness Section staff.
• Serve as backup for the Preparedness Director. Attend partner meetings, make decisions, and act on their behalf when there are schedule conflicts or when they are unavailable.
• Perform other duties assigned by the Preparedness Director.

Respond to emerging threats and incidents
• Serve as a member of Public Health's Incident Management Team (IMT). Primary IMT roles for this position during an emergency response include Incident Commander and Section Chief.
• Serve in a scheduled rotation as a Public Health Duty Officer and triage after-hours calls from partners about potential threats and hazards with public health impacts (approximately one week every three months for a total of four weeks per year).
• Work with the Preparedness Director to maintain the Preparedness Section's essential services and continuity of operations during emergency responses.
• Develop and maintain a general understanding of Public Health's everyday services and how they may interconnect with roles and responsibilities during emergencies.

Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills

Minimum Qualifications:
• Demonstrated commitment to providing critical services, resources, and information to promote the health of the most impacted communities during emergencies.
• Demonstrated commitment to racial and social justice both internally within organizations and externally in service delivery and engagement with community partners.
• Demonstrated experience with conceptualizing and executing projects that include all phases of the POETE (Planning, Organizing, Equipping, Training, and Exercising) cycle.
• Demonstrated experience of following and incorporating national best practices such as the Comprehensive Preparedness Guide (CPG) 101, the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP), and the Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) and Response Capabilities into POETE activities.
• Demonstrated ability to establish, monitor, and achieve strategic and operational goals and objectives.
• Demonstrated ability to successfully lead people to bring about desired results in a matrixed team environment.
• Demonstrated ability to break a complex project down into deliverables and milestones and maintain attention to detail over a project lifecycle.
• Demonstrated experience balancing competing priorities while still meeting organizational timelines and commitments.
• Demonstrated experience leading by example and motivating and inspiring others to hold themselves accountable to organizational standards and practices.

Desired Qualifications:
• Experience developing workflows, systems, and tools that led to improved operational effectiveness.
• Knowledge of public health values and services and how they are applied to emergency preparedness or during an emergency response.
• Subject matter expertise regarding Public Health's role in leading Emergency Support Function (ESF) 8 - Public Health, Medical, and Mortuary Services during an incident response.
• Advanced training in the Incident Command System (ICS) and experience serving in an Incident Commander or Section Chief role over multiple operational periods.
Supplemental Information

Application Process

If you are interested in pursuing this position and supporting King County's vision for unified, equitable, and high-performing government, please follow the application instructions carefully. Provide us with your work history as applicable, ensuring that you provide details that highlight your ability to fulfill the requirements for this position.

If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, or you would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process, please contact Alexis Owens at