Description

The ideal candidate is a seasoned legal professional with exceptional judgment, integrity, and leadership skills. You are known for your ability to unify independent legal thinkers around a consistent interpretation of law, and for your commitment to fairness and equity in public service. You thrive in complexity, make timely decisions with confidence, and lead with humility and kindness.

You understand that this role is both judicial and relational—balancing legal precision with human-centered leadership. You are a collaborative communicator who builds trust across teams and agencies, and you bring a growth mindset to your work. You value the contributions of your team and know that success depends on fostering a culture of respect, inclusion, and shared purpose.

 The Employment Security Department (ESD) is seeking a highly accomplished legal professional to serve as Chief Review Judge, leading the Commissioner’s Review Office (CRO)—a quasi-judicial body responsible for issuing final agency decisions in Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Paid Family & Medical Leave (PFML) related matters. These decisions carry statewide impact and are binding on administrative law judges and agency personnel. The Chief Review Judge is the sole position in the agency with authority to publish precedential decisions that shape Washington law and policy.

This is a working manager role with full responsibility for legal decision-making, team leadership, budget oversight, and strategic coordination with internal and external stakeholders. The position reports directly to the Commissioner and operates independently, while remaining aligned with the agency’s mission, vision, values, and strategic goals.

The Chief Review Judge supports ESD’s mission to contribute to healthy communities by providing equitable access to resources that improve economic security. The CRO ensures fair, impartial, and legally sound decisions in appeals involving UI and PFML benefits and tax matters. In addition, this position leads a team of six Review Judges, a Deputy Chief Review Judge, and a Legal Administrative Manager, and manages a $1.8 million annual operating budget.

This role is responsible for:

Selecting and publishing binding precedential decisions
Personally deciding the most complex and high-impact cases
Ensuring consistency and legal integrity across thousands of decisions annually
Maintaining strong partnerships with the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH), the Attorney General’s Office (AGO), and internal ESD teams
Fostering an inclusive, collaborative, and high-performing team culture

Additionally, some of your duties may include:

Train and mentor Review Judges, including intensive onboarding for new hires
Coordinate with OAH, AAGs (Assistant Attorneys General), and ESD divisions on legal and operational matters
Lead legal seminars and outreach on administrative law, UI and PFML issues
Advise on settlement and appeal strategies for judicial review cases

Requirements

Required Education, Experience, and Competencies:

Juris Doctorate
Active or judicial member of the Washington State Bar Association
Within the past 15 years: (A) Five years of trial practice, hearings examiner experience, or service on a judicial/administrative tribunal
(B) Five years of management experience in a public or private organization or substantial unit thereof
These periods may overlap if both roles were performed simultaneously
At least one year of experience in a field of law related to UI or PFML cases
Required Competencies:

Law & government knowledge
Complex problem-solving
Active learning
Deductive reasoning
Inductive reasoning
Interpersonal skills
Problem recognition
Decision-making
English language proficiency
Clear writing
Active listening
Reading comprehension
Customer service
Legal research tools (Westlaw, Lexis)
Task and time prioritization
Preferred Competencies:

Knowledge of administrative, procedural, substantive, and common law
Familiarity with rules of evidence and applicable Federal/State laws and regulations
Understanding of departmental policies, public disclosure law, and agency structure
Ability to review hearing records for procedural and legal errors
Skilled in legal research and providing legal advice
Capable of drafting clear findings, conclusions, and orders
Able to instruct others in disclosure and administrative law
Knowledge of strategic planning, resource allocation, and team coordination
Performance monitoring and improvement
HR expertise in recruitment, training, compensation, and labor relations
Effective staff management and equitable leadership
Insight into human behavior, learning, and motivation
Familiarity with UI and PFML tax, wage rules, and agency procedures
 
Additional Requirement of Employment:

This position is stationed in Olympia, Washington and requires frequent in-office attendance. 
Must be able to pass Unemployment Insurance (UI) & Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) claim and fraud check.