King County requires applicants to compete for career service positions. This merit system approach obligates hiring managers to make appointments and promotions on the basis of qualification. Career Service positions are budgeted without a particular expiration for funding.
Career service employees are provided benefits and gain tenure in accord with the labor agreement or administrative rules governing the terms of employment. Career Service employees must serve a probationary period as the last step of the selection process.
Recruitment for most career service positions are open to the public; however, the county may hold recruitments exclusively for promotion of career service employees. Temporary and probationary employees are not eligible for internal promotional opportunities.
Each King County department is allocated positions that are career service – exempt positions. Department Directors, Division Managers, primary assistants and confidential secretaries to such managers as well as physicians and dentists are appointed in accordance with the King County Charter. Employees in these positions accrue benefits and serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority, therefore they do not gain career service status.
We have three categories of paid contingent workers – Temporary Limited Term (TLT), Short-term Temporary (STT) and contract workers.
TLT and STT employees are ‘at will’ employees and do not gain career service status.
TLT positions are approved for up to five years to perform project work or to fill behind a regular, career service employee that is on extended leave or re-deployed within the agency. TLTs are employees that receive benefits but do not gain status in the regular career service.
STT jobs are approved for up six months to perform project work or to fill behind a regular, career service employee that is on shorter leave. STTs are employees that do NOT receive benefits and do not gain status in the regular career service.
King County maintains contracts and service agreements with various vendors that provide on-call, temporary labor as needed to meet operational needs, often on short notice. These workers are employees of the temporary agency, not King County.
Public Health – Seattle & King County generally does not use volunteers or job shadows due to hiring liabilities. Teens ages 15-16 may volunteer with the Tobacco Prevention Program.
Learn about volunteering opportunities available at other King County departments.
