This position is relied upon by the Employment Security Department and by the State of Washington to ensure that all money that ESD pays out is to eligible claimants.

The ideal candidate for this position will work collaboratively with stakeholders, industry experts and partners to ensure a united front against fraud. They will have a strong understanding of regulatory compliance and an ethical approach to their work. 

The successful candidate will have the opportunity of leading cross-functional teams in implementing and maintaining robust fraud prevention strategies.

This position is relied upon to lead a team of subject matter experts with a demonstrated commitment to team cohesion, respect, and inclusion.

Understanding DEI principals is vital. A successful candidate should be able to recognize the importance of fair treatment, access, and opportunity for all individuals within systems and institutions. They should also actively promote and celebrate diversity, equity, and inclusion, ensuring that all team members feel welcome and valued.

If you have a have a human centered leadership approach, and the ability to see the big picture, identify vulnerabilities, anticipate challenges, and enable teams to develop fraud prevention and mitigation strategies, we encourage you to apply.

Some of the values we are looking for in this leadership position; Influence, nimbleness, authenticity, and the ability to navigate ambiguity.

About the position:

The Fraud Chief of the Washington State Employment Security Department (ESD) is the organization’s top fraud leader responsible for developing policy and procedures and overseeing operations aimed at preventing, detecting, and remediating and mitigating instances of fraud against Washington taxpayers and, at the same time, minimizing false positives that prevent legitimate claimants from obtaining benefits.

ESD’s Fraud Chief will work in collaboration with other senior leaders across the agency to institute an enterprise-wide approach to combating all types of fraud against the state’s unemployment insurance, Paid Family and Medical Leave, and WA Cares Fund programs and trust funds. The Chief is comfortable overseeing multiple business units and integrating disparate sources of information to form a cohesive anti-fraud strategy. The Chief is also a subject matter expert on the topic of fraud detection, prevention, and remediation and mitigation as well as on reducing false positives —including best-in-class operating models and organizational structures. The Fraud Chief will lead fraud incident response teams and efforts in order to remediate and mitigate small or large-scale incidents of fraud.

The Fraud Chief not only protects the organization from financial losses but also contributes to positive societal change by championing diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Program integration - lead the work to centralize fraud unit activities into one agency-wide program.
• Internal Leadership and management - oversee a complex operation of managers, supervisors, and investigators that triage, investigate, and adjudicate claims suspected of fraud.
• Proactive fraud detection - champion organizational efforts to assess and install technology solutions to help prevent, detect, and remediate and mitigate fraud, and ensure the fraud detection plan is culturally relevant.
• Ensuring cultural alignment – champion organizational efforts related to Equity, Diversity, and inclusion.
• Act as the agency subject matter expert regarding fraud.

Scope of the role:

The Fraud Chief will oversee a team with approximately 50 staff.

Operating budget controlled.

The annual budget for staff and services that will be overseen by the Fraud chief is approximately $5.5 million. 

Other financial influences/impacts.

The Trust Funds that will be protected by this work include the Unemployment Insurance trust fund, the Paid Family and Medical Leave trust fund and the Long-Term Services and Services (WA Cares Fund) trust fund.

Required Education, Experience, and Competencies.

• A bachelor's degree in a relevant field such as criminal justice, finance, accounting, or a related field. Or substituting experience
• Six years of experience in fraud detection, investigation, or prevention. Experience attained within a government agency, law enforcement, banking, financial services or a related field.
• A strong understanding of state and federal laws related to fraud within government eligibility programs.
• Two years of experience leading development and execution of program integrity and compliance strategic plans for large, complex, geographically distributed programs at the mastery level of knowledge.
• Experience analyzing complex data, identify patterns or anomalies, and make sound decisions based on evidence in order to detect and prevent fraud.
• Experience leading and managing a team of investigators and analysts and collaborating with stakeholders and law enforcement agencies.
• Experience communicating ideas, conclusions and factual data in concise and understandable form both orally and in writing to diverse audiences with varying levels of understanding.
• Demonstrated cultural competency within program integrity for populations served.

Preferred/Desired Education, Experience, and Competencies.

• A master's degree in criminal justice, finance, accounting, or a related field.
• Professional certifications in fraud detection or investigation, such as the Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) certification.

Additional Requirement of Employment: 

• Please submit only the required documents as noted below and ensure all Personal Identifying Information (PII) such as Social Security numbers etc. are edited out of your materials for privacy.
• Please submit your Cover Letter, and Resume with your Online Application through the "Add Attachments" field.

• Must be able to pass an Unemployment Insurance (UI) Claim & Benefit Information Review.
• Must be able to travel as needed.

Our agency's mission and values drive every decision that we make, determine how we interact with others, and are at the core of who we are. Our values are Belonging, Love, Equity, Stewardship, and Access. We understand that a work environment that respects your work/life balance is key; that's why many of our positions are eligible for flexible work schedules and teleworking opportunities. Through support, value, and trust, our employees are empowered to grow and develop into their best self. 

Opportunity for All

We strive to create a working environment that includes and respects cultural, ethnic, racial, religious, sexual orientation, and gender identity diversity. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, people over 40 years of age, people with religious beliefs, veterans or people with military status, and people of all sexual orientations and gender identities are encouraged to apply.

The Employment Security Department is an equal opportunity employer/program. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities.

If you are a person needing assistance in the application process, if you need this job announcement in an alternate format, or if you have general questions about this opportunity, please contact Sanyu.Tushabe@esd.wa.gov or at 360.480.4514 or the Talent Acquisition Team, Washington Relay Service 711. If you are having technical difficulties creating, accessing, or completing your application, please contact careershelp@des.wa.gov or (360) 664-1960 or toll free (877) 664-1960, Washington Relay 711.