Social Services Program Administration Manager

The Office of Early Childhood (OEC) is a unique state agency in Connecticut that helps families with young children achieve better life outcomes. A new state agency, OEC is called on in its enabling statute to be data-driven, human-centered, and result-focused.  We touch the lives of over 200,000 young children, parents, and caregivers annually through our integrated focus on early care and education programs and safety supports, our home visiting programs, and other critical early childhood services.  By scale of funding, OEC is one of the largest departments of Connecticut state government, deploying and leveraging approximately half a billion dollars each year in service of vulnerable families and communities. 

The State of CT Connecticut is a leader in the coordination of early childhood programs throughout the country.  Whereas early childhood programming in most states is fragmented across multiple programs which families must navigate, only a handful of states have created agencies dedicated to integrating the supports families with young children require – an only Connecticut’s has  clear data-driven mandate.  New parenthood and early childhood are extremely important moments in a person’s life and nurturing or harmful experiences during this time can have significant and long lasting impacts.  OEC acts on the overwhelming evidence that intervention early in life, is the most promising way to break the cycle of poverty.   Your work here will have an impact on the economic security, health, safety, and resilience of families with young children. You will help make childcare safer, more accessible and of higher quality; you will provide families with the support they need to help prevent child abuse, neglect, and trauma; you will help families gain greater economic stability; you will support families with young children who have developmental delays. 

We are recruiting for a full-time, Social Services Program Administration Manager to fill one of the agency's most critical leadership roles. Charged with unifying the Birth to Three and Home Visiting units under a single Family Support Division, the SSPAM will lead a group of dedicated professionals working to develop a comprehensive system of care to ensure the health, well-being and positive growth and development of all young children in Connecticut. To this end, the SSPAM will foster collaborative partnerships with both internal and extenreal stakeholders, build a system that is family cerntered, and will advance best practices in early intervention and care through the development and management of grants and contracts.  This position works Monday - Friday.

All applicants must include a resume within the "Resume Tab" of their application with their submission.  Applicants invited to interview may be required to submit additional documentation, which supports their qualification(s) for this position.  These documents may include:  performance reviews, supervisory references, college transcripts, licensure, etc., at the discretion of the hiring agency.

Updates of this recruitment will be provided through your JobAps portal account.  Interviews will be limited to candidates whose experience and training most closely meet the requirements of the position.  For all other inquiries, please contact Ellen Morris, ellen.morris@ct.gov, 860-713-6670. 

In the Departments of Social Services and Developmental 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 operations of unit; implements social services programs/policies; coordinates, plans and manages unit 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; 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 on program activities; acts as agency contact with state, federal and community agencies on social services to ensure service delivery; performs related duties as required.

Considerable knowledge of social services programs, early childhood programs and programs for individuals with intellectual disability; considerable knowledge of relevant agency policies and procedures; considerable knowledge of and ability to apply management principles and techniques; considerable knowledge of relevant state and federal laws, statutes and regulations; knowledge of community organizations and social services agencies; considerable interpersonal skills; considerable 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, the Special Experience is interpreted at the level of Program Manager, Operations Manager,  Public Assistance Consultant, Planning Specialist and Associate Accountant.

1. College training may be substituted for the General Experience on the basis of fifteen (15) semester hours equalling one-half year of experience to a maximum of four (4) years for a Bachelor's degree.

2. 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.

Applicants with the following experience and training is preferred:

• 5-10 years experience in Early Intervention (Birth to Three) and/or 5-10 years experience in Home Visiting.
• Must have extensive knowledge of Part C of the IDEA and State laws and regulations pertaining to Part C of the IDEA.
• Must have knowledge of and experience with CAPTA, child welfare and mandated reporting.
• Must have knowledge of and experience with State procurement procuedures.                                                                   
• Experience with outcome-based payments a plus.
• Must have experience with and oversight of state and federal grants and contracts.
• Must have experience in staff management, supervision and leadership.
• Clinical background in an allied health field, preferably with a behavioral health background and able to serve as the agency lead on Public Act 13-178.
• Must have knoweldge of and a background in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Competencies.
• Experience with Austism spectrum preferred and able to serve as the agency lead on the Autism Advisory Council.
• Experience with tracking the legislative process and ability to work closely with OEC Legislative Liaison on disseminating information to the legislature.