Chief Medical Officer

The Washington State Department of Corrections (DOC) is the second largest state agency in Washington located in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, the Department operates 10 correctional facilities, 9 re-entry centers, and 84 field offices, serving approximately 13,966 incarcerated individuals and supervising more than 14,000 individuals in the community.

The Department employs approximately 8,800 staff statewide.  The impact of our work affects every community in our state as we work together for safer communities through progressive and human-centered practices, with a focus on successful reentry, the reduction of recifivism, and the individual transformation of those in our care and custody.

Our agency is comprised of dedicated public servants, committed to an equitable and inclusive workplace culture that inspires excellence, promotes innovation, and priortiize safety, leading to better outcomes for our incarcerated population, our staff, and our local communities.

The Department of Corrections is seeking a licensed, board-certified physician to serve as Chief Medical Officer (CMO). Reporting to and serving on the Secretary’s executive leadership team, the CMO provides enterprise-level medical leadership and strategic direction for a comprehensive correctional health system. The CMO reports to the Assistant Secretary of Health Services to ensure the delivery of high-quality, legally compliant, and clinically sound health services across the agency.

This role is responsible for shaping medical strategy, advancing clinical quality and population health outcomes, and leading a statewide patient-centered medical home model within a complex correctional environment. Experience or demonstrated interest in public health, correctional health, or health systems serving underserved populations is highly valued.

The Department continues to work with the VERA institute to reduce our ever-shrinking restrictive housing population and have significantly reduced prison populations by creating evidence-based community alternatives to incarceration.

Duties:

• Executive Medical Leadership
• Provide strategic and operational leadership for a comprehensive statewide health services system, including medical, dental, pharmacy, behavioral health, and substance use disorder treatment services across 10 correctional facilities.
• Establish and execute enterprise-level medical goals, objectives, and performance measures aligned with DOC’s mission and strategic priorities.
• Serve as a senior clinical advisor to executive leadership on matters affecting medical care, patient safety, and health policy.
• Health Services Oversight and Operations
• Lead and support multidisciplinary clinical leadership teams, including physicians, psychiatrists, nurses, pharmacists, psychologists, and allied health professionals.
• Is a collaborating partner with the Assistant Secretary of Health Services to design, implement, and continuously improve clinical operations, treatment protocols, and care delivery models.
• Provide expert consultation on complex clinical, operational, and systems-level issues impacting incarcerated populations.
• Advance data-driven decision-making to improve clinical quality, access to care, efficiency, and health outcomes.
• Advocate for resources and infrastructure necessary to support effective, ethical, and evidence-based medical care.
• Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement
• Serve as a primary point of contact with state and external partners, including the Health Care Authority, Department of Health, and community health organizations.
• Build productive partnerships that support continuity of care, public health integration, and reentry planning.
• Regulatory Compliance and Risk Management
• Ensure compliance with all applicable federal and state laws, professional standards of practice, RCWs, WACs, and departmental policies.
• Collaborate with leadership to manage clinical risk, accreditation requirements, and quality assurance activities.

The Washington State Department of Corrections manages all state–operated adult prisons and supervises adult offenders who live in the community. The Department operates 12 prison facilities including eight major prisons and four minimum-security prison camps.

Health Services is responsible for basic primary care for incarcerated offenders. Care includes medical, dental, and mental health care which are provided to offenders by on–site health care staff. Emphasis is placed on early identification of health concerns, care for acute and chronic health problems, and preventive care. Providers offer medically necessary and quality care in accordance with the Department’s Offender Health Plan.

Washington State Department of Corrections is ranked amongst the nation’s Top 3 states in the field of corrections, and is highly regarded for its groundbreaking and innovative approach to reducing recidivism! Our agency maintains incarcerated adults at 12 state operated prisons and also supervises offenders out in the community. With more than 8,000 employees, we recognize that staff are our greatest asset and provide a wide range of rewarding opportunities in a variety of career fields, both inside and outside of the prisons.