Education Services Manager | Adult Basic Education

About the Department

Education Services Manager | Adult Basic Education

Full Time | WMS Band 2

Location: Headquarters | Tumwater, WA 

Salary Range: $8,950 – $9,836 Monthly

This position is represented by the Teamsters 117 bargaining unit. 

Are you passionate about the power of education to change lives and strengthen communities? The Washington State Department of Corrections is seeking dedicated and strategic Education Services Managers to lead education initiatives that support successful reentry and advance public safety! 

The vision for this role is to reduce barriers to basic education access, to include increasing the number of individuals releasing with a high school equivalency, strengthening English Language Acquisition (ELA) opportunities for incarcerated students, and management of education accommodations in partnership with ADA and education partners.  The goal is to increase equitable access to adult basic education for incarcerated students statewide.  

In the Education Services Manager role, you will provide direction and oversight for various services that prepare incarcerated individuals for life beyond incarceration. By ensuring programs are efficient, evidence-based, and aligned with Washington State legislative requirements and RCWs, you will help drive meaningful learning gains, credential attainment, and reduced recidivism. You will collaborate across the Department and with contract partners to implement consistent strategies, promote student engagement, and support measurable outcomes that reflect performance expectations.

The Education Services Manager formulates recommendations aligned with Reentry and Prison Division priorities, strengthens statewide partnerships, and fosters innovative practices that enhance education delivery. This position also manages contracts, ensures responsible stewardship of public funds, and supports engagement with student leadership groups to better meet the needs of corrections education participants.

As a leader within the Reentry Division, you will model a commitment to providing focused opportunities for success while working closely with senior leadership to advance division goals and the Department’s mission to improve public safety by positively changing lives.

A completed application packet will include:

Position 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 an Education Services Manager, some of your duties will include: 

• Providing organizational leadership for education services including performance measures/initiatives within the Reentry Division which could look like: 
  • Serving as the Department's lead on postsecondary educational services, including coordinating student service and reentry efforts
  • Formulating, reviewing/revising, disseminating, interpreting and implementing educational services-related policies, practices, and/or directives
  • Analyzing and monitoring education-related legislation and work sessions, providing a briefing to DOC leadership
  • Building and sustaining effective partnerships with appropriate national and philanthropic organizations, research organizations, state agencies, local and tribal governments, and community partners to enhance data sharing, collaboration, and the delivery of a continuum of services that support educational opportunities, reduction of recidivism, and improve public safety
  • Working collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders to ensure timely and consistent identification, development, and delivery of educational programming within DOC prisons and student services within the community
• Establishing and maintaining positive, respectful, and collaborative relationships with other DOC department personnel to include:   
  • Working interactively with contract Education Service partners and Reentry leadership to create informed and collaborative efforts in educational programs and service delivery
  • Facilitating cross-departmental and multi-disciplinary workgroups and support continuous quality improvement efforts
  • Developing solution-oriented approaches to resolve issues at the lowest level and proactively approach challenges
• Providing leadership of contracted and volunteer educational service providers.
• Oversight of the Education Services process to support incarcerated persons with learning disabilities, TBIs, and other cognitive impairments requiring accommodations to effectively participate in education programming, including GED tests and post-secondary education

Minimum Qualifications

What we need (required qualifications):

• A Bachelor's degree in the areas of Social Sciences, Criminal Justice, Education, Public Administration, or a closely related field. The degree must be from an accredited institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or a foreign equivalent
• AND
• Minimum of 4 years of professional experience managing programs at the state level, corrections, or within higher education institutions with a demonstrated record of effective supervisory skills, strategic planning, and program management and evaluation

AND

• Minimum of 4 years of working in a supervisory or administrative capacity

OR

• An associate degree from an accredited institution of higher education recognized by the US Department of Education and the CHEA or a foreign equivalent

AND

• Minimum of 6 years of professional experience managing programs at the state level, corrections, or within higher education institutions with a demonstrated record of effective supervisory skills, strategic planning, and program management and evaluation

AND

• Minimum of 6 years of working in a supervisory or administrative capacity

OR

• A high school diploma/GED® 

AND

• Minimum of 8 years of professional experience managing programs at the state level, corrections, or within higher education institutions with a demonstrated record of effective supervisory skills, strategic planning, and program management and evaluation.

AND

• Minimum of 8 years of working in a supervisory or administrative capacity

What will make your application stand out (preferred qualifications): 

• Master's degree in Social Sciences, Criminal Justice, Education, Public Administration, or a closely related field
• Oral and written communication skills
• Ability to explain complex or technical information in user-friendly language
• Actively listens to others, paraphrases and asks clarifying questions, and is able to clearly and concisely emphasize key messages
• Ability to facilitate meetings
• Analytical skills
• Ability to embrace challenges in new and innovative ways
• Ability to break down, sort, and synthesize information, identify key themes and messages, formulate accurate conclusions, and provide briefings to support information management of critical issues
• Working knowledge of RCWs, WACs, department policy, federal law, the legislative process, case management, and incarcerated individuals
• Familiar with adult and higher education standards, privacy acts, and state and federal financial aid applications and rules
• Experience in data development, analysis, and presentation

Other Qualifications

Vision: Working together for safer communities.

Mission: Improving public safety by positively changing lives.

Our Commitment: To operate a safe and humane corrections system and partner with others to transform lives for a better Washington.

Our Core Values:

DOC 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, gender expression, 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.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• This recruitment may be utilized to fill more than one position. 
• Please include a minimum of three (3) professional references with your application. A professional reference is defined as an individual who has been paid to supervise your work and can attest to your work performance, technical skills, and job competencies. If you do not have any or sufficient professional references, please include non-related professionals, such as educators or other professional associates.
  **Please note:  Phone number AND email address are required for all professional references.
• A background check including criminal record history will be conducted prior to a new hire.  Information from the background check will not necessarily preclude employment but will be considered in determining the applicant’s suitability and competence to perform in the position.
• Employees may work directly with or near incarcerated individuals in a potentially hazardous setting. Please consider this when deciding whether to apply. 
• We are committed to maintaining a drug and alcohol-free work environment, and our employees are expected to comply with all state and federal laws. A pre-employment drug test may be administered as part of the selection process, and applicants who test positive for any controlled substances, will be disqualified from consideration. 
• Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) is an aerosol pepper spray made available as a means of self-defense and/or de-escalation. Applicants with sensitivities or allergies are encouraged to ask about the level of exposure they could expect in this position. 
• Animal care projects are a common component of most Washington State prisons, including dog and cat programs. Applicants with animal sensitivities or allergies are encouraged to ask about the level of exposure they could expect in this position.
• Tuberculosis (TB) is a priority health issue for DOC employees. The successful candidate may be required to provide valid proof of a baseline TB skin test within 60 days from the date of hire.  When positive tests result, further information, testing and treatment will also be required. Employment is not contingent upon test results.
• Foreign equivalent degrees awarded outside the United States must have a credential evaluation report attached to your application. You may request the required evaluation/documentation from www.wes.org and www.aice-eval.org. Until this documentation is provided, you will not be selected to move forward in the hiring process.
• DOC complies with the employment eligibility verification requirements for the federal employment eligibility verification form I-9. The selected candidate must be able to provide proof of identity and eligibility to work in the United States consistent with the requirements of that form. https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents
• DOC does not use E-Verify; therefore, we are not eligible to extend STEM-Optional Practice Training (OPT). For information, please visit www.uscis.gov.

Telework Details

This position may be allocated for telework. If authorized for the role, work may be performed from your home or another offsite location within the state of Washington using a reliable internet or cellular hotspot service at that time.  Employees are expected to perform assigned duties in a safe manner, to take proper care all state-issued equipment, and maintain confidentiality of all information in possession while working offsite.  Employees will be required to commute to a Department of Corrections facility or field office as business requires, to potentially include components of the onboarding process. Some offices will have a “drop in” area available, however, a dedicated workspace within a DOC facility will not be provided.

What We Offer: 

As an employee of the Department of Corrections, your work-life integration is a priority. Washington State employees are offered one of the most inclusive and competitive benefits packages in the nation. Besides comprehensive family insurance for medical, dental, and vision, these perks also may include:

• Remote/telework/flexible schedules (depending on position)
• Up to 25 paid vacation days a year
• 8 hours of paid sick leave per month
• 12 paid holidays a year
• Generous retirement plan
• Flex Spending Accounts
• Dependent Care Assistance
• Deferred Compensation and so much more!

PERS: State Employees are members of the Washington Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS).  New employees have the option of two employer contributed retirement programs.  For additional information, check out the Department of Retirement Systems' web site.

For questions about this recruitment, or to request reasonable accommodation in the application process, please email [email protected] or call us at 509-630-9160. For TTY service, please call the Washington Relay Service at 7-1-1 or 1-800-833-6388.