Salary: $41.75 - $52.92 Hourly
Location : King County Correctional Facility - Downtown Seattle and Maleng Regional Justice Center - Kent, WA
Job Type: Career Service (Exec)
Job Number: 2026SMD27663
Department: DPH - Public Health
Division: Jail Health Services
Opening Date: 07/17/2026
Closing Date: Continuous
FLSA: Non-Exempt
Bargaining Unit: C9A : PROTEC17-DPH, DCHS-Health Prof
Full- or Part-Time: Full Time

Summary
In this role, you'll be deeply engaged in a harm reduction, trauma-informed, and patient-centered approach. Your key responsibilities include facilitating referrals, connecting individuals to medical care, behavioral health treatment, and various benefits and social services. Actively working to eliminate barriers, you will provide essential support such as medication, transportation, cell phones, clothing, and assistance with benefit activation upon release. This support ensures a smooth transition to community from one of two King County jails located in Seattle and Kent, WA.

Note: This recruitment will be used to create an eligibility pool to fill additional Career Service, Term-Limited Temporary (TLT), or Special Duty Assignment (SDA) vacancies that may occur over the next six months.

Additional Incentives

• Public Health employees classified as Social Worker shall be eligible upon approval to receive a 5.5% Master Premium above their current base pay rate on all earnings subject to QUALIFICATION AND APPROVAL as set forth in the Agreement (King County and Union).
• Certification & Licensure Premium pay:upon approval and verification of State of Washington associates license (LMHCA, LMFTA, LICSWA, LMFTA, LSWAA) or recognized equivalent)employees are eligible to receive a premium of ($50.00) per biweekly pay period while certification/licenses are current good standing.
• Clinical supervision offered for licensure (as staffing permits).

Work Schedule

Typical work schedule for this position is 40-hour work week, Monday through Friday, between the hours of 7:00 am to 8:00 pm. May involve weekend work. This position is non-exempt and eligible for overtime.

Work Location

Work locations for this position will be based at the King County Correctional Facility in Seattle at 500 Fifth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104 and at the Maleng Regional Justice Center located at 401 Fourth Avenue N, Kent, WA 98032. However, candidates will need to be available to work at either site if needed. There will also be minimal work in community locations to meet with patients.

Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.
This position is posted as open until filled. First review will be conducted of applications received by July 31st at 11:59 pm PST.
Job Duties

• Equity and Social Justice: Applying equity and social justice principles and practices and understanding of the effects of place, race and policy and systems-based oppression for people experiencing legal involvement, housing instability, economic insecurities, substance use and mental health conditions.
• Comprehensive Assessment: Providing culturally sensitive bio-psychosocial-legal evaluation to assess the legal context in conjunction with biological, psychological, and social factors that identify immediate concerns and long-term goals informing a patient-centered release plan.
• Clinical Interviewing: Ensuring the patient feels heard, respected, and supported. Focus on both verbal and non-verbal cues amid noise and distractions. Quickly address immediate concerns while staying aware of their overall needs. Being mindful of cultural differences, even in a fast-paced setting.
• Case Management: Assessing, planning, coordinating, implementing, tracking, and evaluating the services and resources necessary to ensure successful referrals and linkages for individuals at time of release for a full caseload with complex needs.
• Multi-System Coordination: Collaborative service planning with a diverse team of legal personnel, medical, mental health, and social service providers with the goal of seamlessly ensuring care for patients at release.
• Discharge Planning: Implementing personalized release plans to facilitate a seamless transition from custody to the community. Ensuring suitable referrals and connections to medical care, behavioral health treatment, and a range of social services based on patient-assessed needs and goals.
• Documentation and Reporting: Maintain accurate and up-to-date case records, documenting interventions, progress, and outcomes, and reporting on patient status to support effective case management in an electronic health record.

Experience, Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills
Our ideal candidate will demonstrate the following (Minimum):

• Master's degree in social work, psychology, or counseling from an accredited university or equivalent.
• State of Washington associates license (LMHCA, LMFTA, LICSWA, LMFTA, LSWAA) or recognized equivalent) OR ability to apply for licensed agency affiliated counselor (LAAC) within 30 days of employment.
• Two (2) years' full-time work experience (within the last 5 yrs.) in a counseling, social work, or case management capacity with adult populations experiencing severe and persistent behavioral health conditions.
• One (1) year full-time work experience (within the last 5 yrs.) providing psychosocial assessment and managing a caseload where you routinely coordinated medical, mental health, substance use, and other social services.
• One (1) year of full-time work experience (within the last 5 yrs.) in a counseling, social work, or case management capacity in King, Snohomish, or Pierce County OR ability to demonstrate knowledge of local social and behavioral health services.
• Experience working in a position where you routinely coordinated with the criminal legal system.
• Knowledge of specific challenges, trauma responses, behavior and needs for people experiencing legal involvement, housing instability, economic insecurities, substance use disorder and mental health conditions compounded by discrimination and systemic oppression.
• Pass a security clearance and/or background check to secure access to the jails.
• Proficiency in the use of personal computers, with working knowledge of MS Word, MS Excel, database programs, Internet, cell phones, and Outlook, electronic health record.
• Ability to travel to various sites within Seattle-King County.

The most competitive applicants will have the following experiences and qualifications (Desired):

• Bilingual/ bicultural/ individuals with diverse backgrounds, including people with lived experience with behavioral health and recovery, incarceration, houselessness, people of color, and members of the LGBTQIA+ communities.
• Experience working in a position where you routinely coordinated medical, mental health, substance use, and other social service resources in King County for Medicaid-eligible adults.
• Experience working in a position where you routinely coordinated with the criminal legal system in either King County, Pierce, or Snohomish (courts, defense attorneys, prosecution, probation, correctional institutions).

Work Environment Requirements

• Position is based in a secure jail setting with frequent walking, stair climbing, and navigating confined areas.
• Includes conducting cell-side visits through pass-through slots, often in noisy or low-privacy conditions.
• May require assisting individuals with mobility needs (e.g., pushing wheelchairs) and occasional lifting (up to 25 lbs.).
• Requires emotional resilience, sound judgment, and flexibility, with professionalism and compassion essential for success in a dynamic care environment.

Supplemental Information