Introduction

Are you a current Department of Social Services (DSS) employee seeking your next opportunity? If this sounds like you, we encourage you to check out this exciting opportunity to join our team!

The State of Connecticut, Department of Social Services (DSS) is recruiting qualified candidates to join our team as a Social Services Program Division Director in our Enterprise Project Management Office (EPMO).

The Enterprise Project Management Office (EPMO) aligns with and meets the needs in support of DSS' mission to assist Connecticut residents to access various health and human services through an enterprise view of service delivery supported by a complex technology landscape of multiple large-scale, mission critical systems and concurrent projects both in-flight and in planning. The EPMO supports an enterprise approach to project intake, delivery and oversight through a centralized business function. The EPMO increases the transparency of project activities and performance through the application of project management best practices, policies, processes and methodologies enabling DSS leadership to align business imperatives with strategic objectives to ensure the success of individual projects. The Enterprise Project Management Office (EPMO) Division Director is an executive level position reporting directly to the agency Chief Strategy Officer.

POSITION HIGHLIGHTS

• LOCATION: The position is located in Hartford, CT
• SHIFT: First (full time | 40 hours per week) | Hybrid
• SCHEDULE: Monday - Friday
• NOTE: You must be a current DSS employee to be considered. Please see selection plan for additional details.

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU - As a current agency employee, you will receive the same excellent benefits you are already accustom to.

• Visit our State Employee Benefits Overview page!
• Professional growth and development opportunities.
• A healthy work/life balance to all employees.

DISCOVER THE OPPORTUNITY TO

• Engage in a rewarding career
• Make a difference in the public sector
• Work together in a collaborative team environment

PURPOSE OF JOB CLASS (NATURE OF WORK)

In the Department of Social Services this class is accountable for directing the design, development and implementation of multiple state and federal programs.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

• EPMO Leadership, Planning and Execution:
• Manages the overall Enterprise Project Management Office program/project portfolio ensuring efforts are aligned to agency strategic objectives.
• Drives cross-functional planning and effective execution through the development and monitoring of fully integrated program/project specific timelines and budgets.
• Leads the coordination of program/project activities and resources across the agency in a manner that maximizes efficiency and minimizes conflicts.
• Owns the development and socialization of program level roadmaps and development of project plans ensuring stakeholder buy-in and adherence to regulatory and legal compliance standards.
• Ensures adequate coverage of resources, tools and technology required to cover of all areas of expertise necessary to support and execute within the EPMO Director's area of responsibility through the creation and maintenance of staffing plans to support the current and future work demands and program/project deliverables.
• Apply financial modeling, cost benefit analysis and other methods on multi-solution planning that has project, and state / federal operational financial impact.
• Maintain and prepare agency program/project budget, forecast, and vendor burn rates while working with the agency finance department on long range planning.
• Participate and play a key role in activities to procure professional services, vendor support and partnerships with state and federal entities.
• Develops the Enterprise Project Management Office through assessing staffing and skill requirements, establishing professional development plans, setting goals and expectations with team members, mentoring, and giving feedback on performance.
• Stakeholder Management & Communication:
• Cultivate relationships with internal and external agency stakeholders to ensure coordination on cross-agency programs of existing and planned business investments and enhancements to ensure alignment to planned outcomes.
• Ensure the business achieves its business outcomes, managing change effectively, understanding the value of the projects and ensuring the appropriate level of transparency via KPI reporting and other communications.
• Maintain productive relationships between vendors and shared service providers throughout the programs and change management life cycles to ensure business outcomes are achieved to agreed vendor/service performance KPI's.
• Owns and directs the creation and support of central project status, documentation, and archive facilities. Presents information on projects, initiatives or other subjects to peers, teams and executive leadership.
• Develop and drive all program/project level communication by facilitating entrepreneurial meetings across all levels of the agency. Ensures all program/project meetings use the discipline required to engage stakeholders and team members working in a hybrid work environment.
• Ensures appropriate project hand-off and closure occurs, including holding the lessons learned sessions and leveraging learnings to improve cross-team project practices.
• Program Change Control, Risk and Issue Management:
• Demonstrates the ability to adapt and lead change and coach others in the acceptance and support of change and the ability to formulate questions and ideas.
• Lead and facilitate team discussions on project/study strategies, short-term and long-term project planning, opportunities for expediting timelines, identification of resource constraints, and proactively identify complex project issues and risks, and assure appropriate escalation.
• Tracks and manages dependencies across multiple projects; leads escalation processes to make issues visible to stakeholders and leadership; drives resolution of dependency issues through the process.
• EPMO Standards, Processes and Tools :
• Accountable for agency-wide education of EPMO policies, procedures, and standards and consistent application across the entire portfolio of projects.
• Continue to mature processes, tools, and governance associated with Advanced Planning Documents (APD) management in the agency.
• Engages regularly with all levels of leaders on program/project delivery and governance adoption of standards and processes.
• Serve as the agency knowledge center for best practices, processes, templates, lessons learned, historical project repository.
• Performs related duties as required.
• Additional information can be found here.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY

• Considerable knowledge of
  • and ability to apply management principles and practices;
  • and ability to interpret and apply relevant state and federal laws, statutes, regulations and statistical reporting data;
  • programs administered through department;
  • principles and methods of social services administration;
  • legislative process;
• Considerable
  • interpersonal skills;
  • oral and written communication skills.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - GENERAL EXPERIENCE

Ten (10) years of professional experience in the delivery of social or human services programs.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - SPECIAL EXPERIENCE

Two (2) years of the General Experience must have been in a managerial capacity.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - SUBSTITUTIONS ALLOWED

• 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 or a closely related field may be substituted for one (1) additional year of the General Experience.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification
• Experience with Medicaid policy and financing
• Experience with Agile methodology
• Experience with portfolio and program management tools
• Experience with using product management tools such as Jira and Confluence
• BA/BS Degree
• 5+ years of experience in the Health Care Industry at a Director level role
• 5+ years of Program/Project Management
• 5+ years leading an Enterprise Program Management Office
• 5+ years leading and managing Project Management staff

Conclusion