About the Role
Under Executive Girmay Zahilay’s leadership, we are making King County a high performing government, transparently delivering services that improve the lives of residents. To support this vision, we are seeking a seasoned, detail oriented, and highly collaborative Executive Assistant.
The Executive Assistant will provide comprehensive, high-level administrative support to Executive Zahilay, applying specialized administrative expertise, sound judgment, and exceptional organizational skills. As the highest-level Executive Assistant role in King County, this position is expected to model the administration’s values by serving with integrity, showing initiative, and approaching challenges with a collaborative mindset. This role requires strong attention to detail, a customer-focused approach, and the ability to anticipate needs and adapt in a fast-paced environment. The ideal candidate brings a continuous improvement mindset, actively seeks opportunities to enhance workflows and streamline processes, and demonstrates flexibility–including the ability to shift start and end times as needed to accommodate the Executive’s schedule and priorities.
Ideal Candidate
We are seeking an Executive Assistant who can provide high-level support to the County Executive, anticipate needs, manage complex priorities with discretion, and build positive, collaborative relationships across the organization. The ideal candidate will:
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Have a strong background providing professional-level support to an Executive Director, CEO, COO, or other senior leader, with the ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise sound judgment, tact, and diplomacy when making independent decisions.
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Demonstrate the ability to work effectively with people at all levels, maintain a positive attitude, and show a strong commitment to equity and social justice.
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Possess the ability to navigate differing or conflicting stakeholder perspectives with professionalism and clarity.
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Be proactive and able to coordinate a high volume of diverse assignments, managing multiple competing priorities while maintaining excellent attention to detail.
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Possess strong editing, writing, presentation, and communication skills.
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Understand how large organizations operate, including how to navigate formal and informal channels to move work forward.
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Demonstrates flexibility and adaptability, including the ability to adjust start and end working hours, urgently respond to alterations in the schedule, and recognize shifting priorities to support the Executive when unexpected demands arise.
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Exhibit a commitment to continuous improvement in an aim to increase the efficiency, accuracy, and effectiveness of the role.
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Be highly proficient using office productivity software and relational databases in daily work (Microsoft Office, PeopleSoft HCM, and Oracle EBS) and demonstrate comfortability learning new systems and processes.
Why Join Us
This is a rare opportunity to help shape the operational backbone of King County government. The Executive Assistant will play a pivotal role in creating a more unified, efficient, and resident-centered government—ensuring that 10departments work together as one team to deliver exceptional service to the public.
The King County Executive Department serves residents with a relentless sense of urgency, delivering on commitments with integrity, transparency, and accountability. We are action-oriented, creative problem solvers who collaborate across roles, engage directly with communities, and challenge the status quo to achieve meaningful impact. As a unified team, we uphold high ethical and frugal stewardship standards, embrace change, stay curious, and continuously improve.
We will work in the office at least three days a week to foster connection and responsiveness, arrive prepared and on time, and structure meetings with clear goals and next steps. The team will represent the Executive with professionalism—including responsible social media conduct—and respond promptly when contacted. Across all interactions, we listen first, act quickly, and stay aligned as a team to earn and sustain public trust.
Compensation & Benefits
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Competitive executive-level salary, commensurate with experience
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Comprehensive health, retirement, and leave benefits
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Professional development and leadership growth opportunities
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Ability to make a meaningful impact on how King County delivers for its residents
Application Process
To apply, please submit your résumé, a brief cover letter, and a statement of interest describing how your experience aligns with the Executive’s vision for unified, equitable, and high-performing government.
For questions about this recruitment process, please contact Brittany Hagen Crosser, Human Resource Manager at
[email protected] or 206-477-4035.
