Children and Families Program Director

At the State of Connecticut, Department of Children and Families (DCF), we have a mission of partnering with communities and empowering families to raise resilient children who thrive. We are proud of our diverse and dedicated workforce who strive every day to meet the needs of those we encounter. Our family-centered, strength-based approach to our work seeks to improve the well-being of the children and families we serve.

We are currently recruiting for one (1) full-time Children and Families Program Director who will be responsible for the administrative functions of regional operations. These opportunities will cover Regions 2 and 3. The work location will be at one of the regional offices within the respective catchment area. The certification list generated for these positions may be used for future approved vacancies.

This is a full-time 40 hours per week, on first shift, with a schedule of Monday - Friday, 8:00 am-5:00 pm, with an hour meal break.

These Program Director positions will be responsible for overseeing the administrative functions for two of six regions. Responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

• Work in collaboration with the regional Engineering, Fiscal, Grants and Contracts, etc. to ensure proper oversight and management of contracts, monitor slot usage of School of Origin Transportation.
• Monitor overtime for the office, review any trends and manage the overtime mitigation processes as needed.
• Liaison for the Centralized payment process.
• Complete monthly staffing report. Liaison for SW/SWS hiring the process, ensuring timely refill requests for vacancies, and assistance with any justifications.
• Management and Oversight of fleet operations (utilization, maintenance and adherence to protocols).
• Develop and monitor budgets for specific program or administrative areas

To Apply:

• The minimum experience and training requirements must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified.
• In order to comply with Public Act 21-69, the State of Connecticut is no longer asking for resumes during the initial application process.

Important Next Step Information for After You Apply:

• Although applicants will receive correspondence via email, as a backup they are also encouraged to sign on to their Personal Status Board on a daily basis to monitor their status, view all emailed notices and complete tasks required in the recruitment process.
• This posting may require completion of additional referral questions (RQs). You can access these RQs via an email that will be sent to you after the posting's closing date or by visiting your JobAps Personal Status Board (Certification Questionnaires section). Your responses to these RQs must be submitted by the question's expiration date. Please regularly check your email and JobAps Personal Status Board for notifications. Please check your SPAM and/or Junk folders on a daily basis in the event an email provider places auto-notification emails in a user's spam.
• At any point during the recruitment process, applicants may be required to submit additional documentation which support their qualification(s) for this position. These documents may include: a cover letter, resume, performance reviews, attendance records, supervisory references, licensure, etc., at the discretion of the hiring agency. Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications as indicated to apply for this position.
• The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class.
• Interviews will be limited to candidates whose experience and training most closely meet the requirements of the position.
• All application materials must be received by the recruiting agency by the time specified on the job opening for the position for which you are applying. Late applications may not be submitted and will not be considered. Exceptions are rare and limited to documented events that incapacitate a candidate during the entire duration of the job posting time period. It is the candidate’s obligation and responsibility to request an exception and provide a legally recognized justification to accommodate such exception. Requests should be made to DAS.SHRM@ct.gov.

Connect With Us:

• If you have any questions pertaining to this recruitment please contact Elizabeth Weston at Elizabeth.Weston@ct.gov and reference the recruitment number.
• Due to the large volume of applications received, the Department of Administrative Services is unable to provide confirmation of receipt or status during the recruitment process. Updates will be available through your JobAps portal account.
• Follow the State of Connecticut on LinkedIn.

In the Department of Children and Families area office or a major program with statewide impact this class is accountable for directing administrative support and/or program services.

• Directs staff and operations of the assigned area of responsibility;
• Coordinates, plans and manages program activities; 
• Formulates program goals and objectives; 
• Develops or assists in development of related policy; 
• Interprets and administers pertinent laws;
• Evaluates staff;
• Develops and monitors budgets for specific program or administrative areas;
• Maintains contact with individuals and organizations within and outside of agency which impact on area or program activities;
• Assists in directing and coordinating allocation of staff and resources to maintain service delivery system or program; 
• Manages systems and/or programs to ensure compliance with federal, state and department mandates; 
• Identifies training and development needs of staff;  
• Speaks before professional and lay groups; 
• Represents Commissioner in community and public relations activities within area as assigned; 
• Prepares and/or analyzes management reports including reports detailing area activities, program operations and client statistics; 
• Evaluates programs and professional social work services provided to children and families;
• Identifies needs of children and families for purposes of determining available community resources; 
• Reviews work of assigned areas for general efficiency and effectiveness with target client populations; 
• Leads the recruitment and hiring of staff, including outreach, interview and selection;
• Performs related duties as required.

• Considerable knowledge of relevant state and federal laws, statutes and regulations; 
• Knowledge of
  • and ability to apply management principles and practices;
  • standards of practice and administration of programs dealing with children and youth; 
  • impact of cultural issues on service delivery and staff relationships;
• Considerable
  • interpersonal skills; 
  • oral and written communication skills.

Nine (9) years of professional experience in the field of child welfare programs, children's protective services, foster services, adoption or social and human services.

Two (2) years of the General Experience must have been in a managerial capacity with responsibility for planning, development, implementation or supervision of administrative or program services in child welfare, children's protective services, children's mental health or juvenile justice.

NOTE: For state employees this experience is interpreted at the level of a Children and Families Program Supervisor.

• College education 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 or other advanced degree in the behavioral sciences, public administration, education, social work or a closely related field may be substituted for one (1) additional year of the General Experience.

NOTE: Closely related fields are child welfare, applied sociology, social and/or human services, clinical psychology, child development, criminal justice, counseling, human development and family relations, human service, marriage and family therapy.

• Experience leading quality improvement and assurance initiatives to determine strategies to improve case practice and outcomes for children and families.
• Experience with the application of the agency's key results and Strategic Plan.
• Experience using LINK, ROM, and other reporting platforms to review, collate, and analyze data and produce reports.
• Experience using Excel to analyze data and develop reports.
• Experience partnering with internal and external partners such as Fiscal, Engineering, Grants and Contracts, etc. on projects to improve case practice and outcomes for children and families.

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

As defined by Sec. 5-196 of the Connecticut General Statutes, a job class is a position or group of positions that share general characteristics and are categorized under a single title for administrative purposes.  As such, a job class is not meant to be all-inclusive of every task and/or responsibility.