Description

About the Role:

As Deputy Division Director, you will be a key member of the leadership team, reporting to the Division Director and partnering with the Chief of Staff to shape strategy, strengthen organizational performance, and embed equity across the work. You will serve as a strong and reliable partner who can manage across and down, complementing the Division Director’s focus on managing up and outward to ensure cohesive, aligned, and effective leadership throughout the division. You will help ensure that long-term decisions appropriately balance regulatory responsibilities, asset stewardship, fiscal realities, and community needs.

The division is entering a pivotal period of transformation after several years of growth. You will help refine structures, improve processes, and build the adaptability needed to navigate increasing regulatory, financial, and operational pressures. Working closely with senior leaders, you will support modernization efforts, strengthen alignment between capital and operations, and prepare the workforce and system for emerging challenges such as aging infrastructure, climate impacts, regulatory requirements, and organizational changes.

A central part of your role will be strengthening coordination between capital and operations, improving communication, aligning priorities, and ensuring efficient, shared processes across multiple business lines. Your leadership will focus on supporting teams, removing barriers, and providing clear direction.  

We’re seeking a leader who listens, builds trust, and champions practical, sustainable approaches to infrastructure. You will value the essential work of maintaining and repairing our systems while keeping an enterprise-wide view of long-term needs. Your leadership will emphasize data-driven decisions, meaningful KPIs, strong performance measurement, cross-functional collaboration, and thoughtful change management.

Equally important, you will help cultivate a positive, inclusive, and supportive workplace for a diverse, unionized workforce of nearly 1,000 employees. You will foster a culture where people feel valued, supported, and empowered to succeed, and build trust through transparency, partnership, and clear communication.

This role is ideal for a collaborative, relationship-driven leader who thrives in complexity and is committed to public service, sustainability, and equitable outcomes. If you’re ready to help guide one of the region’s most essential public utilities into its next chapter of resilience and innovation, we invite you to explore this opportunity.

**INFORMATIONAL SESSION**

Join us for an engaging and informative session where applicants and potential candidates can learn about this role.  

When: Wednesday, March 25th, 12:00PM to 12:45PM
Where: Virtual-Teams Webinar
Register: Click Here

Requirements

What You Will Be Doing:

As the Deputy Division Director of the Wastewater Treatment Division, you will represent the Division’s mission, goals, and values with diverse internal and external stakeholders, communicate key decisions, and ensure alignment with our commitment to sustainability, innovation, equity, and operational excellence. Key responsibilities include:

• Drive Organizational Effectiveness: Oversee and manage development and implementation of assigned internal initiatives, programs, and policies that affect the division’s operational administration and effectiveness. 
• Build and Inspire Teams: Engage and motivate staff by fostering a positive, collaborative work environment that encourages active participation in decision-making. Develop a high-performing team grounded in trust, transparency, and a results-driven culture.
• Financial Stewardship: Review, analyze, and provide strategic guidance on the Division’s budget to ensure responsible financial oversight and alignment with sustainability goals.
• Use Data to Drive Results: Leverage data and analytics to inform strategy, track performance, and ensure measurable outcomes across programs and initiatives.
• Make Strategic Decisions: Make complex programmatic decisions involving policy, legal, financial, labor, and public involvement considerations, along with coordination of diverse agencies and interest groups, resource allocation, staffing strategies, and project development and direction.
• Advance Capital Program Delivery: Support the capital program and portfolio management, drive projects of special interest, support teams to overcome project challenges and improve capital program processes, supervise the Projects Control Officer.
• Support Operations & Safety: Support wastewater utility operations to overcome challenges and improve processes; support overflow response, recovery, and coordination; oversee the Safety and Hazardous Material Program and supervise the Safety and Emergency Manager; chair the Asset Management Steering Committee, and provide guidance to the asset management program.
• Manage Special Projects: Oversee and manage special projects/programs that are politically sensitive, inter-governmental, strategic, regulatory, and/or confidential for the Division Director’s Office. Supervise the Director’s Office Special Projects Manager.
• Champion Equity, Racial and Social Justice: Foster an anti-racist, pro-equity workplace where all employees thrive, and build strong relationships across the division to ensure services are delivered equitably and that the organization operates as “One King County.”
• Act as the Division Director in their absence.

Qualifications You Bring:

• Leadership and People Development: Proven success managing large, diverse teams and senior leaders. Builds trust, strengthens culture, and leads through change. Skilled in coaching, employee development, workforce planning, and fostering a collaborative, respectful environment.
• Capital Program Expertise: Experience with capital planning and project delivery, including portfolio and contract management. Able to align capital and operational priorities, use data effectively, and coordinate multidisciplinary teams.
• Operational Expertise: Demonstrated success leading large and complex operational organizations across the public or private sector, with strong knowledge of system operations, regulatory compliance, asset management, and capital program delivery.
• Relevant Experience: While direct wastewater experience is highly valued, candidates with substantial transferable experience overseeing critical infrastructure and service delivery, such as utilities, public works, energy, transportation, or senior government operations, are also encouraged to apply.
• Political & Strategic Acumen: Ability to operate effectively in a policy-driven and politically sensitive environment. Skilled at representing an organization with governance bodies, regulators, tribes, and regional partners. Capable of evaluating risk, anticipating challenges, and communicating tradeoffs clearly.
• Equity & Social Justice: Deep commitment to equity and social justice, with experience embedding these principles into policies, operations, and services. 
  Environmental Commitment: Committed to environmental protection, sustainability, and long-term system resilience, and to integrating environmentally responsible practices into operations and decision-making.
• Labor Relations: Experience working in a unionized environment, including navigating labor relations and collective bargaining agreements.
• Emergency Preparedness & Safety: Familiarity with emergency response coordination, safety programs, and asset management principles.

It Would Be Great if You Also Bring:

• Experience in wastewater utility management, including a strong understanding of environmental regulations, climate considerations, and sustainability practices.
• Experience applying collaborative delivery methods on major capital or infrastructure projects, including building strong partnerships with project teams, consultants, community members and regulatory agencies.