Labor Relations & Compensation Policy Director

Please note: The starting salary offer will be determined based on the successful candidates’ qualifications within the starting salary range of $150,000 - $165,000 annually. Please note that there is career salary growth beyond this starting range for the successful candidate.


Hybrid: Our physical office is in Olympia, WA. We offer flexible work schedules and locations. This is a hybrid position where most of the work allows for telework. However, you will need to travel to in-person activities, meetings, and events as needed for business purposes.

Why work for OFM
The Office of Financial Management (OFM) serves as the backbone of Washington state government. Our mission is to make our state a better place by connecting people, budgets, policies, data, and systems for state agencies and the Legislature. Our team includes budget advisors, researchers, and other experts, all dedicated public servants working towards an equitable future for every Washingtonian.

If you want to play a key role in enhancing how state government serves its citizens, you’ve found the right place. Join us in making a meaningful difference for every Washingtonian!

The job opportunity
As the Director of our Labor Relations and Compensation Policy Section, you’ll serve as the state’s lead voice on labor relations, trusted by executive leadership, agency leaders, and labor organizations to bring sound judgment, deep labor law knowledge, and steady leadership to complex and high-stakes issues.

This role puts you at the center of labor relations and compensation strategy for the state of Washington. You’ll also guide negotiations and oversee the development and administration of more than thirty collective bargaining agreements and major health care agreements, with decisions that can represent financial commitments of a billion dollars or more. These decisions shape pay, benefits, and working conditions for tens of thousands of state employees and publicly funded service providers.

In this role, how you engage matters. You must communicate carefully and respectfully in every setting, recognizing that your words and decisions can bind agencies, impact working conditions, and create substantial financial obligations for the state.

If you are motivated by public service, comfortable with accountability, and prepared to lead labor relations work that affects hundreds of thousands of people across Washington, this role offers the opportunity to make a meaningful statewide impact.

Duties

What you'll work on

• Develop statewide labor relations strategy and approach with labor organizations representing state employees and publicly funded service providers.
• Making recommendations on state employee compensation strategy.
• Set the direction, activities, and performance measures of the Labor Relations and Compensation Policy Section.
• Work with the Division Chief of the Attorney General's Office (AGO), Labor and Personnel Division, to ensure alignment with legal guidance, consistent collective bargaining agreement interpretation, and a unified approach to labor relations and legal advice to agencies.
• Brief the Labor and Policy Strategy Officer, who will liaise with the Governor, Governor’s policy staff, and Legislative staff on bargaining progress and outcomes and other labor relations matters.

Salary

• $150,000 - $165,000/year

Qualifications

What we need you to bring
Required Qualifications:

• Demonstrated knowledge of professional-level labor relations negotiations, including setting strategy, executing collective bargaining agreements successfully, and implementing the terms of those agreements post-bargaining. As well as leading others to do the same.
• Demonstrated skills as a lead negotiator, preferably in the public sector. This should include demonstrated ability to formulate and articulate labor relations principles and negotiating strategies, including the role of the union and its business interests and goals.
• Demonstrated skills managing a team or workgroup with four or more employees, including responsibility for interviewing, hiring, assigning and directing work, evaluating, setting expectations, instructing, coaching, and identifying training needs.
• Significant experience developing professional working relationships with labor organizations. This includes demonstrated experience diffusing situations that may be contentious or vitriolic to achieve results, settlements, and agreements, with integrity and professionalism.
• Significant experience demonstrating appropriate independent judgment and exceptional personal awareness in a high-profile/strong-influence role that navigates political, contentious, sensitive, or complex matters of high visibility or of significant impact.
• Demonstrated experience effectively managing or leading teams (e.g., staff teams, bargaining teams, coalitions) by using influence and collaboration, developing teamwork, and demonstrating effective people interaction skills.
• Demonstrated ability to research, interpret, and understand RCWs and their implementing WACs.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the state legislative process to include bill analysis.
• Demonstrated knowledge of State Government budget related to collective bargaining implementation and statewide accounting principles related to employees.
• Proficient in common computer applications and the ability to manage collective bargaining proposal development and use of legislative track changes in MS Word.

Desired Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in human resources, business administration, public administration/policy, social sciences, organizational development, labor and employment relations, or related field. A law degree will also be accepted.

We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and that candidate may be one from a less traditional background. Don’t let doubts stop you from applying for this position. If you have transferable experience, please share it with us or contact us with questions about the required qualifications and how your experience aligns with them. Other Information

What we offer:
At OFM, we foster a culture of integrity, innovation, inclusion, and belonging. We value both learned and lived experiences, believing that diversity makes us stronger. To support your health and well-being, we offer a variety of benefit programs for our employees.

Please visit our Recruitment Page for a comprehensive list of benefits available to employees. Here’s a quick glance at some of the unique benefits that OFM offers:

• An environment of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging
• Medical, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance
• 12 paid holidays, 14 paid vacation days (minimum), and 12 days of sick leave per year
• State retirement programs??
  

Application Process:
Once you’ve decided to apply for a state government job, you’ll complete an online application to showcase your qualifications. Please note that once you submit the application, a real person will review it. We do not use AI or other technology that screens your application and rejects it. Please ensure that you provide clear and detailed information about your work history, allowing your qualifications to be accurately assessed. We will contact the top candidates directly to schedule interviews. If you require a reasonable accommodation during the application process, please call 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6384.

Your application will not be considered complete and sent to the hiring teams for review unless you attach all of the following:

• Cover letter: describing your qualifications for this specific position
• Resume: that details your applicable experience and education.
• References: at least three professional references and their contact information.

Questions:
OFM's Staff ASL interpreter is available to all deaf and hard-of-hearing applicants. For questions about this recruitment or to request a reasonable accommodation during the application or interview process, please email us at TalentAcquisition@ofm.wa.gov.

The Office of Financial Management is an equal opportunity employer. We strive to create a working environment that includes and respects cultural, racial, ethnic, sexual orientation, and gender identity diversity. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, persons with disability, persons over 40 years of age, and disabled and Vietnam-era veterans are encouraged to apply.

This position is exempt from civil service rules.

For more information, please see WAC 357-19-195.

Benefits

More than Just a Paycheck!
Employee benefits are not just about the kind of services you get, they are also about how much you may have to pay out of pocket. Washington State offers one of the most competitive benefits packages in the nation.

We understand that your life revolves around more than just your career. Like everyone, your first priority is ensuring that you and your family will maintain health and financial security. That's why choice is a key component of our benefits package. We have a selection of health and retirement plans, paid leave, staff training and other compensation benefits that you can mix and match to meet your current and future needs.

Read about our benefits:
The following information describes typical benefits available for full-time employees who are expected to work more than six months. Actual benefits may vary by appointment type or be prorated for other than full-time work (e.g. part-time); view the job posting for benefits details for job types other than full-time.

Note: If the position offers benefits which differ from the following, the job posting should include the specific benefits.

Insurance Benefits
Employees and their families are covered by medical (including vision), dental and basic life insurance. There are multiple medical plans with affordable monthly premiums that offer coverage throughout the state.

Staff are eligible to enroll each year in a medical flexible spending account which enables them to use tax-deferred dollars toward their health care expenses. Employees are also covered by basic life and long-term disability insurance, with the option to purchase additional coverage amounts.

To view premium rates, coverage choice in your area and how to enroll, please visit the Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB) website. The Washington Wellness program from the Health Care Authority works with PEBB to support our workplace wellness programs.

Dependent care assistance allows the employee to save pre-tax dollars for a child or elder care expenses.

Other insurance coverage for auto, boat, home, and renter insurance is available through payroll deduction.

The Washington State Employee Assistance Program promotes the health and well-being of employees.

Retirement and Deferred Compensation
State Employees are members of the Washington Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS). New employees have the option of two employer contributed retirement programs. For additional information, check out the Department of Retirement Systems' web site.

Employees also have the ability to participate in the Deferred Compensation Program (DCP). This is a supplemental retirement savings program (similar to an IRA) that allows you control over the amount of pre-tax salary dollars you defer as well as the flexibility to choose between multiple investment options.

Social Security
All state employees are covered by the federal Social Security and Medicare systems. The state and the employee pay an equal amount into the system.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness
If you are employed by a government or not-for-profit organization, and meet the qualifying criteria, you may be eligible to receive student loan forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.

Holidays
Full-time and part-time employees are entitled to paid holidays and one paid personal holiday per calendar year.

Note: Employees who are members of certain Unions may be entitled to additional personal leave day(s), please refer to position specific Collective Bargaining Agreements for more information.

Full-time employees who work full monthly schedules qualify for holiday compensation if they are employed before the holiday and are in pay status for at least 80 nonovertime hours during the month of the holiday; or for the entire work shift preceding the holiday.

Part-time employees who are in pay status during the month of the holiday qualify for the holiday on a pro-rata basis. Compensation for holidays (including personal holiday) will be proportionate to the number of hours in pay status in the month to that required for full-time employment, excluding all holiday hours. Pay status includes hours worked and time on paid leave.

Sick Leave
Full-time employees earn eight hours of sick leave per month. Overtime eligible employees who are in pay status for less than 80 hours per month, earn a monthly proportionate to the number of hours in pay status, in the month to that required for full-time employment. Overtime exempt employees who are in pay status for less than 80 hours per month do not earn a monthly accrual of sick leave.

Sick leave accruals for part-time employees will be proportionate to the number of hours in pay status, in the month to that required for full-time employment. Pay status includes hours worked, time on paid leave and paid holiday.

Vacation (Annual Leave)
Full-time employees accrue vacation leave at the rates specified in WAC 357-31-165(1) or the applicable collective bargaining agreement (CBA). Full-time employees who are in pay status for less than 80 nonovertime hours in a month do not earn a monthly accrual of vacation leave.

Part-time employees accrue vacation leave hours in accordance with WAC 357-31-165(1) or the applicable collective bargaining agreement (CBA) on a pro rata basis. Vacation leave accrual will be proportionate to the number of hours in pay status, in the month to that required for full-time employment.

Pay status includes hours worked, time on paid leave and paid holiday.

As provided in WAC 357-58-175, an employer may authorize a lump-sum accrual of vacation leave or accelerate the vacation leave accrual rate to support the recruitment and/or retention of a candidate or employee for a Washington Management Service position. Vacation leave accrual rates may only be accelerated using the rates established WAC 357-31-165.

Note: Most agencies follow the civil service rules covering leave and holidays for exempt employees even though there is no requirement for them to do so. However, agencies are required to adhere to the applicable RCWs pertaining holidays and leave.

Military Leave
Washington State supports members of the armed forces with 21 days paid military leave per year.

Bereavement Leave
Most employees whose family member or household member dies, or for loss of pregnancy, are entitled to five (5) days of paid bereavement leave. In addition, the employer may approve other available leave types for the purpose of bereavement leave.

Additional Leave
Leave Sharing
Parental Leave
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
Leave Without Pay

Please visit the State HR Website for more detailed information regarding benefits.

Updated 01-07-2026