OAH is recruiting for a Division Chief Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) to lead the ALJs in our Regulatory & Education Division.

• This duty station for this position is the Tacoma OAH facility.
• This position is eligible for part-time telework, as there are some in-person supervisory responsibilities.
• If teleworking, the alternate worksite must be in Washington state.

The Division Chief ALJ supports OAH and the Regulatory & Education Division by providing management of daily operations and oversight for agency-wide caseload operations. The position serves as a liaison to referring agencies, representative groups, case participants, and other stakeholders while fostering an environment in the assigned division that supports the mission, vision, values, and goals of the OAH.

The Division Chief ALJ is responsible for the performance of the ALJs in their assigned division. The Division Chief ALJ serves as a member of the OAH Leadership Team and communicates with the Chief ALJ, Deputy Chief ALJs, other Division Chief ALJs, Legal Administrative Managers, Headquarters staff, and their division on OAH and caseload-wide issues. The Division Chief ALJ serves as an advisor to the Chief ALJ, Deputy Chief ALJs, and other Division Chief ALJs on matters regarding the caseload, personnel, and other significant matters.

This position has oversight for agency-wide operations for 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.
• Regulatory (REG): Regulatory caseload consists of appeals or claims arising out of administrative action involving over 25 state agencies, as well as numerous local government agencies. These agencies include the Departments of Labor and Industries, Licensing, Transportation, and Financial Institutions as well as the Liquor and Cannabis Board, Gambling Commission, Washington State Patrol, and Washington State University. This caseload includes appeals arising out of determinations issued by the Employment Security Department relative to the Paid Family & Medical Leave Act. An ALJ first holds a prehearing conference to set a case schedule, including witness and exhibit disclosures, motion practice, and a hearing date. Depending on complexity, cases will resolve on summary judgment, or through an evidentiary hearing. OAH issues either an initial order, a final order, or no order at all, depending on the agency and type of case involved. Dispositive orders, if issued, are generally due 60 days after the close of record following a full adjudicative proceeding, 10 days after the close of record following a brief adjudicative proceeding, and 30 days after the close of dispositive motion briefing and/or argument.