Parks Chief of Staff

Join King County Parks in shaping the future of public spaces and community service! In this new leadership role youll guide initiatives that enhance service delivery strengthen employee engagement and build a culture of excellence and collaboration across the organization.

About the Role:In this new role the Parks Chief of Staff serves as a key advisor to the Director and Deputy Director supporting strategic direction and organizational alignment. Working across the Directors Office and Parks Management Team this role ensures effective processes engaged employees and an inclusive culture. The Parks Chief of Staff collaborates with Equity Inclusion and Belonging Human Resources and Performance Data and Analytics teams to advance employee engagement and track performance against key objectives while ensuring alignment with DNRP departmental goals.

This position follows a hybrid work model blending remote and in-person work.

About the Team:King County Parks has evolved from 150 acres in 1938 to more than 32000 acres. Today our system consists of more than 205 parks 185 miles of regional trails and 250 miles of backcountry trails. Our mission is to steward enhance and acquire parks to inspire healthy communities. We seek to cultivate strong relationships with community partners to enhance park amenities for all King County residents and guests to enjoy today and for generations to come. With the passing of the $1.4B levy in August 2025 it is an exciting time to join King County Parks as the agency grows and provides green space facilities partnerships and services throughout the county.

Commitment to Equity Racial 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. Our True North is to create a welcoming community where everyone can thrive. We prioritize equity racial and social justice making it a foundational and daily expectation for all employees. As the Parks Chief of Staff you will actively apply these principles in all aspects of your work. Learn more about our commitment at now for a rewarding career at theKing County Parks Divisionof the King County Department of Natural Resources & Parks (DNRP). Join our talented workforce in protecting and restoring the natural environment and promoting more resilient sustainable and equitable communities. Enjoy trainingcomprehensive benefits and growth opportunities.

What You Will Be Doing:

• Develop and implement goals that strengthen organizational culture enhance performance and build Parks overall capacity resilience and morale.
• Work with DNRP Department Leadership Team and the DNRP Directors Office to manage and track progress against key division goals and objectives. Create and implement internal strategies to help support Parks growth over time.
• Coordinate with communications staff on strategic key messages aligned with the Divisions goals to employees and customers. Oversee the development and implementation of an internal communication plan.
• Collaborate with the Parks Management Team to enhance operational efficiency and improve service delivery to the public with a focus on Parks Levy initiatives.
• Lead initiatives that enhance Parks productivity effectiveness and overall organizational performance.
• Provide supervision leadership and guidance to Division Public Information work unit. May supervise other teams as assigned.
• Lead Lean and continuous improvement efforts throughout the Division.

Qualifications You Bring:

• Demonstrated experience serving on a leadership team to shape and drive strategy across multiple programs in large multifaceted organizations.
• Experience improving workplace culture and driving employee engagement through effective team building internal communications feedback and performance improvement and professional development initiatives.
• Ability to analyze and assess multi-year budgets and implementation plans to support effective decision-making in organizations anticipating future growth.
• Experience developing and using performance metrics to inform decision making processes.
• Demonstrated experience advising senior leaders and supporting organizational strategy operations policy development or program management.
• Excellent communication skills both written and oral with the ability to communicate effectively within multiple levels of the agency and various external agencies and stakeholders.

Competencies You Bring:

• Manages Complexity: Making sense of complex high quantity and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems.
• Strategic Mindset: Seeing ahead to future possibilities and translating them into breakthrough strategies.
• Collaborates: Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.
• Drives Engagement: Creating a climate where people are motivated to do their best to help the organization achieve its objectives.
• Instills Trust: Gaining the confidence and trust of others through honesty integrity and authenticity.

It Would Be Great if You Also Bring:

• A bachelors degree in environmental science business or a related field or any combination of education and experience that clearly demonstrates the ability to perform all of the job duties of the position.
• Leadership experience in a large public sector government or similarly complex organization.

Working Conditions:

• Work Location:The Parks Directors Office 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 King Street Center 201 S. Jackson Seattle Washington 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 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 departments 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.
• 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.

Application and Selection Process:We welcome applications from all qualified applicants. We value diversity diverse perspectives and life experience and encourage people of all background to apply.

Application materials will be screened for clarity completeness and alignment with the experience qualifications knowledge and skills essential for this role to determine which candidates may be invited to participate in one or more panel interviews.

To apply submit a:

• Complete Application
• Resume
• Cover Letter

Note: Additional documents wont be considered during minimum qualification screening.

Who to Contact: For more information regarding this recruitment please contact Patty Jurgens at .

Discover More About the Parks Division:Visit our website and check us out atFacebook Twitter Instagram and Flickr.

Discover More About DNRP: Visit our websiteexplore aninteractive mapof our recent accomplishments and check us out atFacebookX (formerly Twitter)LinkedInTikTokInstagramYouTubeand 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.

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