Program Manager; WMS DOH

Pesticides Illness Program Manager (WMS
1)

Pesticides Illness Surveillance and Prevention Program

Permanent
· Fulltime
· Homebased

This leadership role supports the Washington State Department of Health’s mission to protect and improve the health of people in Washington through equity, innovation, and engagement. Housed within the Office of Environmental Public Health Sciences, the Acute Pesticides Illness Surveillance and Prevention Program leads statewide efforts to investigate pesticide-related illness, strengthen data-driven prevention strategies, and support a legislatively mandated advisory committee central to interagency coordination and public health protection.

This position provides strategic leadership and subject matter expertise for the Pesticides Program, representing the Department internally and externally. The role provides leadership and staffing to the Pesticide Application Safety Committee, ensures strong partnerships with key partners, pesticide illness investigations are timely, consistent, scientifically sound, and translated into meaningful prevention action across agencies and communities.

You’ll operate at the intersection of science, policy, and public health practice—leading a highly visible program with statewide impact. This role offers meaningful collaboration with state and federal partners, leadership of a skilled investigation team, and a central role in supporting a legislatively mandated committee that shapes pesticide safety efforts across Washington.

Under the direction of the Healthy Homes and Communities Section Manager, this position will:

• Lead and represent the Pesticides Program across state, federal, and local partners, including WSDA, L&I, EPA, FDA, local health jurisdictions, and the Washington Poison Center
• Supervise pesticide illness investigators, ensuring investigations are completed consistently, shared appropriately, and used to inform science-based decisions and prevention strategies
• Provide leadership and administrative support for the Pesticides Application Safety Committee (PASCO) and its advisory committee, ensuring statutory requirements are met
• Maintain strong internal and external partnerships to align investigation efforts with broader public health and environmental justice goals
• Direct and improve programmatic and administrative pesticide illness surveillance and prevention activities
• Supervise three Public Health Advisor 3 staff and provide leadership support to the program epidemiologist
• Collaborate with Department leadership, policy teams, and administrative staff to support PASCO implementation and reporting

The ideal candidate brings demonstrated leadership in public health or environmental health programs, experience supervising professional staff, and the ability to translate complex data into actionable recommendations. They are collaborative, organized, and comfortable representing programs in legislative, advisory, and interagency settings. Experience working with surveillance data, investigations, or policy-informed prevention efforts is highly valued.

Learn more about the Position – View the Complete Position Description

Location:

Washington Management Service (WMS)

Enjoy the flexibility of our hybrid work environment, where you can balance working from home and collaborating in the office. It is anticipated that you’ll be expected to perform work activities in the office or field within the state 10% of the time. Occasional travel outside the state for meetings or conferences will be communicated in advance.

Experience defined below may have been gained through paid or unpaid activities. Please ensure any relevant experience defined below is outlined in your cover letter, resume, and/or applicant profile.

• 4 years successfully leading or managing projects or programs.
• 3 years leading teams, including one year of supervisory experience.
• 2 years of convening diverse partner groups and/or facilitating meetings.
• 2 years analyzing, reviewing, and drafting policies or contracts.
• W…