The State of Connecticut, Office of Early Childhood (OEC), is seeking to hire a Social Services Program Administration Manager to serve as the Quality Improvement Director.
WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU
- Visit our new State Employee Benefits Overview page!
- Professional growth and development opportunities
- A healthy work/life balance to all employees
THE TEAM
The Quality Improvement Division provides technical assistance—including education, training, coaching, and mentoring—to child care providers across Connecticut, including Early Start CT programs in schools, centers, and home‑based settings. Key quality improvement activities include Accreditation Quality Improvement Support, Pyramid Model support, business supports, Elevate and Service Navigation, the Early Childhood Professional Registry and education advisement, and guidance on standards, curriculum, and assessment. The division is also responsible for workforce supports, including recruitment, retention, and compensation activities. These services are delivered through contracts with external partners and overseen by Division staff. Most quality improvement supports are available to all providers in Connecticut.
THE ROLE
The QI Director serves as the lead staff member for the division and is responsible for overseeing Quality Improvement staff and their activities. The Director provides strategic vision for the system of quality improvement services and ensures implementation aligns with division and agency priorities. The role also includes fiscal oversight, including budget management, expense monitoring, and spending approvals.
Some key responsibilities include:
- Managing staff and ensuring their work meets contract deliverables and aligns with the agency’s mission and vision;
- Leading fiscal planning, budget oversight, and invoice management;
- Collaborating with external partners to advance activities and achieve shared goals.
POSITION HIGHLIGHTS
- Monday - Friday
- Full-time (40 hours per week)
- First shift (8:00 AM - 4:30 PM)
- Location: Hartford, CT
- Hybrid position (telework and in office)
FOR ASSISTANCE IN APPLYING:
Check out our Applicant Tips on How to Apply! Need more resources? Visit our Applicant Toolkit for additional support throughout the recruitment process.
BEFORE YOU APPLY:
- Meet Minimum Qualifications: Ensure you meet the Minimum Qualifications listed on the job opening by the job closing date. You must specify your qualifications on your application. The minimum experience and training requirements listed must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified.
- Educational Credits: List your earned credits and degrees from accredited institutions accurately on your application. To receive educational credits towards qualification, the institution must be accredited. If the institution of higher learning is located outside of the U.S., you are responsible for providing documentation from a recognized USA accrediting service which specializes in determining foreign education equivalencies to the contact listed below by the closing date listed on the job posting.
- Resume Policy: Per Public Act 21-69, resumes are not accepted during the initial application process. As the recruitment process progresses, candidates may be required to submit additional documentation to support their qualification(s) for this position. This documentation may include: a cover letter, resume, transcripts, diplomas, performance reviews, attendance records, supervisory references, licensure, etc., at the request and discretion of the hiring agency.
- Preferred Shift/Location: Select all location(s) and shift(s) you are willing to work on your application. Failure to do so may result in not being considered for vacancies in that specific location or shift.
- Timely Submission: All application materials must be received by the job posting deadline. You will be unable to make revisions once you officially submit your application to the State. Late submissions are rarely accepted, with exceptions only for documented events that incapacitate individuals during the entire duration of the job posting. Request exceptions by emailing [email protected] (Opens in a New Window).
- Salary Calculations: For current state employees, salary calculations are not necessarily comparable from one of the three branches of state government (i.e., Executive, Legislative, Judicial) to the other.
- Note: The only way to apply to this posting is via the ‘Apply’ or ‘Apply Online’ buttons on the official State of Connecticut Online Employment Center job posting.
AFTER YOU APPLY:
- Some email providers may experience delays or issues delivering messages. To avoid missing important updates—such as referral questionnaires or interview scheduling links—please check your Personal Status Board regularly.
- For added convenience, you can also enable text (SMS) notifications. To do this, log in to your Personal Status Board and select “Update My Contact Information.”
- Referral Questions: This posting may require completion of additional Referral Questions (RQs), which must be completed by the questionnaire’s expiration date. If requested, RQs can be accessed via an email sent to you after the job close date or by visiting your JobAps Personal Status Board (Certification Questionnaires section).
- Prepare For An Interview: Interviews are limited to those whose experience and training are most aligned with the role. To prepare, review this helpful Interview Preparation Guide to make the best impression!
- Stay connected! Log in daily to your JobAps Personal Status Board to track your status and check email (including spam/junk folders) for updates and tasks.
- The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class.
- Note: This position will be filled in accordance with contractual language, reemployment, SEBAC, transfer, promotion and merit employment rules. Candidates who are offered and accept a position with the State of Connecticut are bound by the State Code of Ethics for Public Officials and State employees, available at www.ct.gov/ethics.
- This employer may participate in E‑Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I‑9 information to confirm work authorization.
QUESTIONS? WE’RE HERE TO HELP:
Due to high volume, we are unable to confirm receipt or provide status updates directly. For recruitment updates, please check your Personal Status Board and review our Frequently Asked Questions. If you have additional questions about the recruitment process, reach out to Frank DeCusati at [email protected] (Opens in a New Window).
Join the State of Connecticut and take your next career step with confidence!
In the Departments of Aging and Disability Services, Developmental Services, Mental Health and Addictions Services, Social Services, and the Office of Early Childhood this class is accountable for managing program/policy planning, development, implementation and monitoring for a major agency program area.
- Manages staff and/or operations of unit/program;
- Implements social services programs/policies;
- Coordinates, plans and manages unit/program activities;
- Formulates program goals and objectives through the review of agency data;
- Develops or assists in development of related policy;
- Interprets and administers pertinent laws;
- Coordinates research, data analysis and program planning efforts;
- Monitors, analyzes and evaluates programs/policies to determine cost-effectiveness and quality of service;
- Identifies and coordinates training needs;
- Advises leadership of legislative, legal or other program/policy impacts and recommends an appropriate position;
- Monitors all internally and externally initiated program/policy changes;
- Researches, prepares and presents testimony to legislative committees, study committees and courts regarding social services issues;
- Evaluates staff;
- Prepares or assists in budget preparation;
- Maintains contacts with individuals both within and outside of agency who might impact program activities;
- Acts as agency contact with state, federal and community agencies on social services to ensure service delivery;
- Participates in the recruitment and hiring of staff, including outreach, interview and selection;
- Performs related duties as required.
- Considerable knowledge of
- and ability to apply management principles and practices;
- relevant state and federal laws, statutes and regulations;
- social services programs, early childhood programs, deaf and hard of hearing programs, programs for older adults and/or programs for individuals with intellectual disability or behavioral health issues;
- relevant agency policies and procedures;
- Knowledge of community organizations and social services agencies;
- Considerable
- interpersonal skills;
- oral and written communication skills;
- Considerable ability to interpret complex written material including legal narrative and to assess the impact thereof on programmatic goals.
Nine (9) years of professional experience in the delivery of social services programs and/or policies.
One (1) year of the General Experience must have been in a managerial or consultative capacity with programmatic and administrative responsibility for a regional or statewide social services program.
NOTE: For state employees this experience is interpreted at the level of a Program Manager, Operations Manager, Public Assistance Consultant, Planning Specialist and Associate Accountant.
- College training may be substituted for the General Experience on the basis of fifteen (15) semester hours equalling one-half (1/2) year of experience to a maximum of four (4) years for a Bachelor's degree.
- A Master's degree in social work, public administration, accounting, early childhood education or a closely related field may be substituted for one (1) additional year of the General Experience.
- Experience leading program quality improvement initiatives across a system of early childhood programs
- Experience facilitating communities of practice or working groups to build shared understanding of policy and practice
- Experience interpreting written standards, processes, and technical assistance documents
- Experience working with accreditation systems, including National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Early Learning Program Accreditation, National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) Accreditation, Head Start Accreditation, or Montessori Accreditation
- Experience supervising staff and managing budgets for complex programs with multiple State and Federal funding streams
- Experience utilizing feedback from partners and constituents to inform policy development and system improvement
- Experience developing scopes of work, defining performance metrics, and monitoring contractor deliverables
