Deputy Assistant Secretary of Prisons

Posting number: 2026-06621

Department: Dept. of Corrections

Division: Office of the Deputy Secretary

Job classification: EXEMPT BAND 4

Posting type: Open & Promotional

Categories: Corrections, Executive Management

Summary

Deputy Assistant Secretary 

Exempt Band 4

Location: Tumwater, WA

Salary: $168,418 Annually

The Department of Corrections is seeking a strategic and experienced leader to serve as a Deputy Assistant Secretary within the Prisons Division. The goal of this critical role is to provide overall leadership, direction, and oversight for safety, security, and programming across nine adult male facilities and one female facility. 

Organized under A, B, C, and D commands, this position shares executive responsibility for services impacting more than 12,000 incarcerated individuals and over 5,000 custody and non-custody staff statewide. Reporting directly to the Assistant Secretary of the Prisons Division, the Deputy Assistant Secretary provides statewide leadership and strategic vision for adult prison operations. 

Decisions in this role directly influence institutional safety, operational consistency, and public safety outcomes. The candidate of choice will provide leadership and support to Superintendents and direct key statewide functions including restricted housing, special investigations, security and safety audits, mail and visiting, recreation, language access, ADA compliance, grievance systems, records, sustainability initiatives, and evidence-based programming.

As a member of the Department’s Executive Staff and Executive Leadership Team, this executive role ensures accountability, operational excellence, and collaborative partnerships both internally and externally. This is a high-impact opportunity to shape correctional strategy, strengthen operations, and advance the Department’s mission to improve public safety across Washington State.

A completed application packet will include:

Examples of duties

We are looking for teammates who share our vision of public service and are committed to an equitable and inclusive culture that fosters and inspires excellence, while promoting innovation, engagement, and safety, leading to better outcomes for our incarcerated population, our agency, and our community.

As a Deputy Assistant Secretary, some of your duties will include: 

• Planning, leading, organizing and controlling the work performed by the division
• Directing, monitoring and oversight of operations, security, safety, and emergency response activities conducted in facilities across the Prison Division
• Ensuring clean, effective, and safe prison operations
• Coaching and mentoring new superintendents providing access to training appropriate to level of authority and responsibility
• Reinforcing 2-way communication between all levels of staff and incarcerated individual
• Maintaining the highest standards of personal/professional and ethical conduct and support the state's goals for a diverse workforce
• Providing and ensuring all working environments are free from discrimination and harassment
• Strengthening public confidence in the integrity of department staff by demonstrating and setting the tone for the highest standards of personal and professional integrity, fairness, honesty, and compliance with both the spirit and the letter of the law
• Promoting an environment of public trust free from fraud, abuse of authority, and misuse of public property
• Respecting and protecting privileged information accessible through the course of official duties
• Ensuring that no incarcerated individual or group of incarcerated individuals are given control or authority over other incarcerated individuals with the exception of activities sanctioned within the context of a Therapeutic Community
• Developing and directing implementation plans to respond to sudden shifts in custody and security requirements that require significant changes in policies, procedures, and staff training
• Monitoring application of federal and state laws, administration of rules, regulations, and orders of other agencies with jurisdiction
• Ensuring policies and procedures comply with the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA)
• Facilitating and encouraging public information and education activities by conducting tours, speaking to community groups,