Policy & Performance Administrator | Internal

The Policy & Performance Administrator (WMS Band 2) serves the agency and the division by providing policy and operational expertise on the coordinated implementation of new federal Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) rules with impacts in multiple programs.

• Represent the agency and division to government and industry partners
• Advocate, negotiate, and provide our perspective on local, state, and national issues
• Provide expert input to programs about the content of federal contract and cooperative agreement proposals and reports
• Ensure that funding opportunities are well aligned to our mission and strategic plan
• Maximize the state's return on its public investments in our programs
• Act as the Project Director, as assigned, for federal umbrella contracts and cooperative agreements
• Ensure that execution, delivery, and close out of the contracts and cooperative agreements are complete
• Work with the division's programs to develop measurable and meaningful performance metrics and the corresponding reporting systems
• Provide critical intelligence in our drive to continuously improve our performance and allow us to more quickly and accurately report on and analyze statistics on core functions as needed
• Provide ongoing oversight and support to ensure that performance measures are used to effectively manage operations, identify and manage risks, and effect organizational changes
• Provide insightful analysis of strategic planning initiatives, legislative issues, and rule changes impacting the division
• Represents the division to policy makers to make sure that impacts of policy changes are considered in the policy development phase

• Bachelors Degree in a field of science, agriculture or related field
• Technical expertise in public health, food science, and knowledge of microbiology
• Skilled communicator and leader
• Adept in personnel management principles, program management, financial management, team facilitation, and the ability to work in a diverse and sensitive political environment
• Familiar with and capable of operating computers to use word processing, spreadsheet, and database and e-mail programs
• Expertise in food, dairy, custom meat, feed, and produce regulations
• Proficiency or course work in food processing technology, labeling regulation, food distribution systems, human resource management, facilitation, negotiation, financial management, grant writing, and contracting
• Knowledge and experience with FDA regulatory requirements
• Comfortable with organizational change management
• Skilled at quantitative performance measurement, data analytics, business process improvement and applying data to team behavior change

• Salary
• Flexible/Hybrid work arrangement
• Paid holidays and vacation
• Dependent care assistance
• Flexible spending accounts
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness
• Tuition Waiver
• Deferred Compensation
• Health insurance
• 401k matching
• Flight privileges

The Washington State Department of Agriculture has been serving the state for more than 100 years.