Deputy Chief Communications Officer; WMS​/COM

Deputy Chief Communications Officer (WMS3/COM)

As the Deputy Chief Communications Officer, you will help lead a diverse Communications Division in delivering clear, equitable, and accessible messaging in support of the state’s health and behavioral health programs. Working closely with the Chief Communications Officer in Olympia, you will support high-profile media relations, internal communications, centralized operations, constituent relations, and engage in risk management, while ensuring agency messaging is accurate, aligned, and easy for the public to understand.

It is a vital leadership position for a strategic communicator with supervisory experience who wants to amplify the director’s vision and improve health outcomes for Washington residents while balancing on‑site collaboration with telework flexibility.

All HCA employees will apply an equity lens to their work, which may include but is not limited to all analyses of core business and processes.

The Communications Division provides strategic leadership and operational support for external and internal communications on agency business and strategic initiatives for the Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA). Functioning as both the state’s largest health care purchaser and its behavioral health authority, HCA is a leader in ensuring Washington residents have the opportunity to be as healthy as possible. There are three pillars to our work:
Apple Health (Medicaid), the Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB) and School Employees Benefits Board (SEBB) programs, and behavioral health and recovery. Under these pillars, HCA purchases health care, including behavioral health treatment for more than 2.7 million Washington residents and provides behavioral health prevention, crisis, and recovery supports to all Washington residents.

The Deputy Chief Communications Officer provides leadership, direction, and supervision for key functions within the Communications Division and assists the Chief Communications Officer (CCO) in developing and executing a strategic, multi‑faceted communications program. This role helps ensure effective communications with customers, employees, stakeholders, partners, and media, strengthens HCA’s reputation, supports rapid response and issues management, and leverages innovative communication approaches to advance agency goals.

Reporting to the CCO, the Deputy CCO serves as a trusted advisor to the CCO and agency leadership on communications strategy and alignment and supports the CCO by enabling strong division‑wide leadership and decision‑making.

Success in this role requires strong judgement and discretion, adaptability, system‑level thinking, comfort navigating ambiguity and evolving priorities, consistent presence, and the ability to respond quickly during time‑sensitive situations.

This position is eligible to telework but is frequently required to report on‑site to meet business need. Frequency of onsite work will vary based on business and operational needs. HCA has currently suspended the ability to support out‑of‑state telework.

• Supervise and support managers overseeing multiple units within the Communications Division, including internal communications, policy communications, tribal affairs communications, legislative communications, health equity communications, visual communications, and constituent relations.
• Co‑lead with the chief communications officer, HCA’s media relations and rapid response efforts for high‑visibility or time‑sensitive issues; oversee development of talking points and news materials, design and implement media relations training, manage the agency’s reporter database; continuously improve the agency’s online newsroom; and proactively develop stories that advance HCA’s mission.
• Lead the agency plain language program by developing tools, resources, and trainings to support compliance with the governor’s plain language directive; provide consultation to leadership and employees on plain language best practices.
• Serve as HCA’s representative on cross‑agency plain language and other initiatives as assigned.
• Co‑lead division…