Quality Improvement Director

State of Connecticut•Hartford, CT

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

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. 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 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.

Requirements

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.
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

Nice To Haves

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

Responsibilities

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
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