The Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) is an Agency within the Executive Office of Education and reports to the Board of Early Education and Care. EEC's vision is that children, youth, and families reach their full potential now and in the future. EEC's mission is to, in partnership with families, educators, programs and other stakeholders, use data driven decision-making to inform work around the following objectives:

• Family Access: Families have equitable access to quality and affordable early education and care in the communities in which they live, learn, and work.
• Program Stability: Early education and care programs are operationally stable and financially sustainable.
• Program Quality: Early education and care programs support children's health and safety and provide high quality environments that are culturally responsive, inclusive, and support children's learning and development in partnership with families.
• Workforce Supports: A diverse field of educators, leaders, and program staff is competitively compensated and supported by clear professional pathways that promote quality, retention, and advancement.
• Agency Infrastructure: EEC has sufficient internal capacity, organizational structures, and diverse perspectives and expertise to carry out its mission and strategic objectives

The Director of Residential & Placement Services will be responsible for ensuring the Residential and Placement licensing activities are state of the art and in keeping with the high standards required to meet the Department's important mission. The on-site licensing and investigative operations by the agency field staff ensure that the agency's State and Federal statutory mandates and mission statement are communicated to, and supported within, residential and placement programs across the Commonwealth, assuring that the highest quality of residential and placement care is available to the vulnerable populations receiving these vital services. They will be responsible for providing leadership and oversight of day-to-day operations of the Residential and Placement Licensing unit and the supervisors of their respective teams. In addition, the candidate will ensure that agency policies, procedures, mandates, licensing regulations and interagency agreements are executed lawfully and in accordance with the Department's mission.

Key Responsibilities:

Oversight of Residential & Placement Licensing Unit Activities

Through leadership and oversight of the daily management of the Residential and Placement Unit:

• assure the health, safety, treatment, permanency and well-being of children and youth being cared for or in the custody of residential and placement providers
• oversee regular unannounced and announced yearly monitoring and licensing visits
• oversee the Differential Licensing model to ensure that programs are complying with regulatory oversight and that children and youth are receiving appropriate services in a safe environment
• review all child abuse and neglect reports from the Department of Children & Families to determine the level of risk and escalating those reports requiring an investigation through the Investigations Unit
• oversee all investigations conducted by the licensors for timeliness and appropriateness of citations issued

Trend Analysis & System Implementation

• Develop and implement a systemic and quality improvement approach to review results of monitoring, licensing and investigation visits in coordination with oversight of the Deputy Commissioner for Field Operations and Licensing Supervisors
• Identify trends and patterns regarding programs and advises the Commissioner about such trends and patterns in residential and placement program settings and makes suggestions to improve the safety, well-being and permanency for children and youth in order to determine the appropriate actions of the agency pursuant to the Department's statutory responsibilities and mission
• Develop a quality improvement system to monitor and evaluate the residential and placement unit's licensing performance, including the professional development of staff, by leveraging relevant systems, including information technology (IT) associated with licensing, program supports, and consumer education

Policy and Procedure Development & Evaluation

• Provide oversight, input and coordination that support the efforts of the agency to promote safety, well-being, permanency and quality care in residential and placement programs. This includes ongoing review, revisions and implementation to all aspects of the agency's R&P operations and continuous quality improvement efforts including regulations, policies, communication, work products, training, and licensing tools for efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery.
• Collaborate with and seek input from both internal and external stakeholders for communication and training needs
• In participation with the Deputy Commissioner for Field Operations and Director of Field Operations Policy, develop policies, standards and operations, including associated training opportunities for the Residential and Placement Unit that represent nationwide best practices, appropriately utilizing agency resources to increase efficiency, and seek input from the Department's external partners to ensure effectiveness.
• Ensure that all changes to agency policy and regulations are communicated to all external partners and conduct such trainings as needed for the effective implementation of such changes

External Partnership Fostering

• Foster positive working relationships between Department staff and EEC's external partners, including State Agencies and provider trade organizations.
• Represent the residential and placement unit and/or identifies staff to participate in project specific work groups, task forces and committees

Other Duties as Assigned

Preferred Qualifications:

• Knowledge of principles and practices towards the operation of residential and placement programming; and the needs of the service population
• Knowledge of the development of children and youth in substitute care
• Knowledge of administrative management and oversight of residential and placement agencies
• Knowledge of clinical, medical, behavioral and educational services and programs for children and youth
• Knowledge of supervision, programming, casework and clinical services within residential and placement settings
• Knowledge of the theories, principals and practices of regulatory administration
• Knowledge of licensing techniques and reports
• Knowledge of investigation techniques and report writing
• Knowledge of the principles and practices of management including planning, organizing, motivating and decision-making
• Knowledge of principles and practices of employee relations
• Knowledge of the methods and techniques used in the collection and analysis of data
• Knowledge of the principles and practices of organizational behavior
• Knowledge of the Federal and State laws and regulations governing the functions of the Department of Early Education and Care
• Knowledge of program operations and service provision processes
• Knowledge of principles and practices of appropriate behavioral management
• Knowledge of principles and appropriate applications of physical restraint
• Knowledge of the structure of the Criminal Justice system of the Commonwealth
• Knowledge of principles and practices of criminality and basis of anti-social behavior
• Knowledge of appropriate public speaking techniques
• Knowledge of computer software applications
• Ability to set priorities and identify goals and objectives
• Ability to design and implement operations and agency process improvements and redesign processes
• Ability to interpret policies and procedures in response to requests for information
• Ability to interpret the Department's policies and procedures to the legislature, provider agencies, and advocacy groups relative to residential and placement programming
• Ability to review, interpret and analyze data and research on residential and placement care trends
• Ability to manage and supervise employees including motivating, training and disciplining when necessary
• Ability to coordinate the efforts of others in accomplishing group goals
• Ability to understand, apply and interpret the provisions of law, rules, regulations and policies
• Ability to exercise sound judgment; and deal effectively and tactfully with others
• Ability to handle and disseminate confidential information
• Ability to develop and implement new policies and procedures to achieve goals of the agency
• Ability to design and implement data collection policies and procedures to monitor program operations
• Ability to anticipate and analyze difficult situations and take appropriate action
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively
• Ability to communicate effectively in both written and oral presentations
• Ability to mediate conflict, coordinate competing interests, work under time constraints
• Ability to work with high-level state and local officials and other interested parties
• Ability to properly assess the impact of outside forces
• Skilled in problem solving, consensus building, conflict resolution and team building

Travel will be required for this position.

Questions regarding this position or the application process should be directed to Dawn.E.DeRoche@mass.gov.

Qualifications

MINIMUM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Applicants must have at least (A) six (6) years of full-time or, equivalent part-time, professional, administrative, supervisory, or managerial experience in business administration, business management, public administration, public management, clinical administration or clinical management of which (B) at least two (2) years must have been in a supervisory or managerial capacity or (C) any equivalent combination of the required experience and substitutions below.

Substitutions:

I. A certificate in a relevant or related field may be substituted for one (1) year of the required (A) experience.

II. A Bachelor's degree in a related field may be substituted for two (2) years of the required (A) experience.

III. A Graduate degree in a related field may be substituted for three (3) years of the required (A) experience.

IV. A Doctorate degree in a related field may be substituted for four (4) years of the required (A) experience.

Comprehensive Benefits

When you embark on a career with the Commonwealth, you are offered an outstanding suite of employee benefits that add to the overall value of your compensation package. We take pride in providing a work experience that supports you, your loved ones, and your future.

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An Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer. Females, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

The Commonwealth is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, national origin, veteran status, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. Research suggests that qualified women, Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color (BIPOC) may self-select out of opportunities if they don't meet 100% of the job requirements. We encourage individuals who believe they have the skills necessary to thrive to apply for this role.