Lead Administrative Law Judge

NOTE: This position is eligible for part-time telework, as some in-person hearing responsibilities are necessary. If working remotely, the alternate worksite must be located in Washington state.

NOTE: Interviews for this position will occur on October 31, 2024

The Opportunity:
OAH is currently looking to fill a Lead Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) position in our Regulatory & Education Division. A Lead ALJ contributes to the mission by filling in for the Division Chief ALJ and Senior ALJs as needed; serving as a subject matter expert on the assigned caseloads; supporting agency-wide initiatives; mentoring, training and coaching ALJs, and providing feedback on ALJ performance. The Lead ALJ also manages a caseload, completes prehearing work, conducts hearings that are fair in substance and appearance, and issues well-reasoned decisions within the agency’s timeliness standards. The Lead ALJ assists the Division Chief ALJ and Senior ALJs to ensure that the assigned caseload meets federal and agency performance measures.

This position works on the following caseloads:
Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI)
The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) caseload includes a number of case types, including special education, student transfer, teacher certification, and food program. The bulk of the work is the special education cases. These cases have significant prehearing work, including discovery and dispositive motions. Hearings are in person and typically last from two days to more than two weeks. Hearings take place throughout the state and may require overnight travel. Parties are often represented by attorneys and may call expert witnesses. The hearings are similar to civil trials. Cases often involve multiple issues requiring an ALJ to make many findings of fact, and address numerous legal issues. ALJs may conduct settlement conferences. For student transfer cases, in contrast, there are typically only one prehearing conference, the hearings are by phone, and they rarely last more than two hours. Teacher certification and food program cases are generally held in person and typically last a few days. All OSPI decisions are final.

About the Agency:
The 1981 Legislature created the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH) to offer Washingtonians an independent, fair, and neutral forum to hold administrative hearings on disputed matters referred by state and local government agencies. Operating out of field offices in Olympia, Tacoma, Seattle, and Spokane Valley there are currently 230 employees, including 120 administrative law judges who preside over administrative hearings involving unemployment insurance benefits, child support, food assistance, medical benefits, business and professional licensing, and more.

OAH conducts hearings for more than 30 agencies and 160 programs. Our referring agencies include the Employment Security Department (ESD), Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), Health Care Authority (HCA), Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB), Department of Financial Institutions (DFI), the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), and others.

For more information about OAH, please visit our website at oah.wa.gov.

OAH Mission: To hear and independently resolve disputes between the public and state agencies with an impartial, quick, and easy to access process.
 
OAH Vision: All people of Washington can meaningfully participate in their hearing and understand the result.

OAH Values:
•    Fairness and independence
•    Diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect
•    Performance excellence
•    Integrity
 
OAH Goals:
•    Performance Excellence: We deliver high quality, timely work.
•    Convenience & Accessibility: We make it easy for people to do business with us.
•    Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Respect: We promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect.
•    Good Stewards: We are efficient, effective, and accountable.

OAH Offers:
•    Work that is important and makes a difference.
•    In-house training and professional development opportunities.
•    Healthy work/life balance, including remote work options.
•    Comprehensive benefits package.


Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Serve as Subject Matter Expert (SME) on assigned caseload(s).
• Mentor and coach ALJs assigned to the assigned caseload(s).
• Complete tasks delegated by the Division Chief ALJ and Senior ALJs to assist in the management and daily operation of the assigned caseload(s).
• Make recommendations for process improvements and training.
• Serve as a resource for OAH committees, workgroups, and project team(s) as assigned.
• Foster a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture of innovation, trust, and respect that welcomes feedback and collaboration, both within the assigned division and between all other OAH offices and business units. 
• Make recommendations to division and caseload management and carry out management decisions.
• Manage an assigned workload commensurate with level of experience, complexity of cases, and overall agency workload as determined by your supervisor.
• Maintain a thorough understanding of statutes, regulations, case law, and agency procedures relevant to assigned caseload(s) and keep current on new developments.
• Preside over and rule on pre-hearing, hearing, and post-hearing matters.
• Work with supervisors as necessary to meet assigned caseload timeliness standards and other deadlines, being mindful of time pressures and stressful circumstances related to the job. 
• Use agency equipment and technology systems to perform and manage work and communicate with others. 
• Make a clear and complete hearing record.
• Make legally sufficient Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law on all contested issues. 
• Write accurate legal documents that clearly set out the analysis used in reaching decisions, use proper grammar, clear language, and “plain talk” when possible.
• Demonstrate judicial demeanor and maintain control of legal proceedings involving multiple parties. 
• Keep supervisor(s) timely informed of work progress, significant developments, case status, and other issues. 
• Follow specific work directives of supervisor(s), as appropriate for the position.
• Maintain reliable and regular attendance and be readily available to coworkers and others, as appropriate for the position.
• Protect privileged and confidential information.
• Comply with all office policies, administrative and court rules, state ethics laws, and the OAH Code of Ethics for ALJs. 
• Accurately track and account for case-specific work and non-billable hours.
• Appropriately demonstrates respect, diversity, equity and inclusion practices with parties, stakeholders and co-workers.

 


 Required education and/or experience:

• Juris Doctor degree or equivalent (if obtained out of the United States).
• Active or judicial membership in good standing with the Washington State Bar Association (WSBA).
• Minimum of five years (5) of legal experience as a licensed attorney, or one year as an Entry or Line ALJ.

 
Required position-specific competencies:

• Develops Self and Others: Is self-aware, adaptive, and willing to learn and improve. Coaches others through purposeful instruction and targeted questioning. Gives and accepts constructive feedback. Welcomes mistakes as opportunities to learn. Creates a safe environment in which to experiment. Gives early and frequent feedback to cultivate individual growth and encourages strong performance management principles. Focuses on the situation, issue, or behavior rather than the person.
• Fosters Collaboration: Participates in, leads, and supports the team. Builds trusting, cooperative relationships and meaningful connections with supervisor and coworkers. Seeks to learn and understand rather than to be a “knower.” Effectively collaborates with supervisor and appropriate others to assess needs, identify objectives, and prioritize actions to achieve team and OAH goals. Provides input and encourages the input of others on the team. Supports decisions once a decision is made. Shares pertinent information and keeps others informed of changes. Accepts and quickly implements changes to workload according to the needs of the team.
• Models the Way: Earns the trust, respect and confidence of supervisor, coworkers and customers through consistent honesty, authenticity, transparency, and professionalism. Sets personal example of ideal employee behavior for others and leads by example. Follows through on promises and commitments. Leads with humility and respect. Brings authentic best self to work.
• Project Management: Experience in project management which includes creating project plans including goals, timelines, constraints, risks, which include all affected parties, and identifying outcomes and assignments.   Effectively organizes multiple assignments of a complex nature or involving competing priorities to produce work products that are accurate, thorough, and timely.
• Valuing Others: Develops and leverages relationships within and across work groups to achieve results. Works effectively with individuals of diverse cultures, interpersonal styles, abilities, motivations, or backgrounds. Seeks out and uses unique abilities, insights, and ideas from diverse individuals.

 
Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Expertise in the assigned caseloads with the ability to train, mentor and educate others on the caseload.
• Adjudication experience 
• Litigation experience
• Mediation experience 

 How to apply:
To begin the online application process, click the green "Apply" button on this announcement on careers.wa.gov or governmentjobs.com. To be considered for this position, you must include the following information in your online application and complete the supplemental questionnaire. Application materials must clearly show how you meet the qualifications for the position in order to be considered.
 
Application must include:

• An attached letter of interest describing how you meet the qualifications for this position; and,
• An attached detailed chronological resume; and 
• A completed online application profile that includes education and employment history; and
• Three professional references, including at least one supervisor, with current contact information.

OAH is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity diversity, age, honorably discharged veteran, veteran status, genetic information, or the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability or the use of a trained guide dog or service animal by a person with a disability.

Salary : $93,348 - $122,496