Title: Program Manager Sr (Program Guidance Manager) - W1956

State Role Title: Prog Admin Manager III

Hiring Range: $80,000-$110,000 salary commensurate w/exp.

Pay Band: 6

Agency: Department of Social Services

Location: DSS HOME OFFICE

Agency Website: www.dss.virginia.gov

Recruitment Type: Agency Employee Only - A

Job Duties

At the Virginia Department of Social Services, we put people at the center of everything we do. We believe that every Virginian can live a life of dignity and that all voices, ideas and experiences contribute greatly to our pursuit of excellence. Inspired by continuous improvement, we commit ourselves to listening, learning and cultivating environments of trust, respect and positive engagement. Together, we are mission-driven, eager to achieve, and passionate about bringing the best of who we are to those we serve.

We design and deliver high-quality human services that help Virginians achieve safety, independence and overall well-being. We are a $2 billion agency – one of the largest in the Commonwealth of Virginia – partnering with 120 local departments of social services and 31 community action agencies, along with faith-based and non-profit organizations, to promote the well-being of children, adults, and families statewide. We proudly serve alongside 1,650 (state) and 12,200 (local) human services professionals throughout the Social Services System, who ensure that thousands of Virginia’s most vulnerable citizens have easy access to the services and benefits available to them.

The Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) engages families for success. Its Division of Child Support Enforcement (DCSE) manages 251,000 cases to ensure that child support payments of $590 million per year reach families across the Commonwealth. Support Enforcement Specialists establish and sustain helping relationships with parents who have payment obligations as well as parents who depend on those payments.

This position manages policy and program guidance for Virginia’s IV-D child support program in the Division of Child Support Enforcement (DCSE), researching and resolving guidance issues and serving as the expert policy resource for division, agency, Commonwealth and federal relations, interactions and audits/reviews. Additional duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Manages Virginia’s IV-D Program Guidance system in DCSE to ensure compliance, to impact case management performance and critical work items, and to support collections.
• Analyzes statewide child support services, developing and managing systematic processes to inform internal and external audiences of Virginia and national child support policy and program performance trends, addressing program improvement and procedural issues as well as clarification and modification of program policies and practices.
• Serves as the DCSE expert on federal child support regulations regarding program operations and program services.
• Provides guidance, assistance and feedback to DCSE supervisors to support success of critical work item completion by their teams and team members within established time frames.
• Analyzes statewide and district audit compliance results to provide Field Directors and District Managers with recommendations for changes to statewide Program Guidance, training, and services of district offices.
• Manages and directs staff and effectively manages budget and other resources and will provide direct support to the Division Leadership Team and the families of Virginia.

Minimum Qualifications

• Exercises independence and initiative to formulate strategies for quality assurance, customer service satisfaction, and program improvements.
• Considerable knowledge of management practices and principles.
• Knowledge of the nature and structure of government organizations and programs.
• Ability to analyze data in order to identify problems and formulate solutions.
• Ability to manage multiple operational responsibilities and supervise staff, establishing and implementing strategies to meet unit performance goals and plans and to impact operational program results.
• Ability to manage complex programs through managerial collaboration and problem-solving with operational managers responsible for client services and functional managers responsible for program policy, compliance, training, customer service and organizational performance.
• Ability to organize own work and direct the work of others, ensuring staff have the necessary training and knowledge to perform their job duties.
• Ability to provide consultative services to agency management and external interest groups; ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing.

Additional Considerations

• Work experience in supervision.
• Work experience in a child support program in Virginia or another state.
• Experience in planning and managing or supervising programs serving social service populations including complex program management in human services and/or child support enforcement.
• Experience in the process of proposing and reviewing legislation.
• Work experience with voluntary paternity establishment programs or vital records.
• Experience in the process of proposing and reviewing the work of vendors and successful contract management.
• Work experience with vendors and partners on outreach campaigns.

Special Instructions

You will be provided a confirmation of receipt when your application and/or résumé is submitted successfully. Please refer to “Your Application” in your account to check the status of your application for this position.

To be considered for this position, you must submit a Commonwealth of Virginia application or resume through the on-line “Virginia Jobs” (RMS) employment site no later than 11:55 p.m. on the closing date listed. Each application is reviewed for documentation that shows the applicant meets the minimum and additional qualifications stated in the job announcement. The decision to interview an applicant is based on the information provided. This website will provide a confirmation of receipt when the application is submitted for consideration. Please refer to your RMS account for the status of your application and this position. Multiple positions may be filled from recruitment.

The selected candidate is required to file a Statement of Economic Interests form pursuant to the Code of Virginia § 2.2-3114, as a condition of employment. The filing must be completed on or before the first day of employment and annually thereafter on or before February 1. The selected candidate is required to complete the Statement of Economic Interest training within 2-months of becoming a state filer and at least once during each consecutive period of two calendar years commencing on the first odd-numbered year thereafter. For more information, please visit http://ethics.dls.virginia.gov/.

Please be advised that this position may be approved to work onsite for two days per week and work remotely for three days per week.

VDSS values the service and experience of our Veterans. As such, Veterans are encouraged to apply and receive preference in the hiring process. AmeriCorps, Peace Corps and other national service alumni also are encouraged to apply. Reasonable accommodations are available to applicants, if requested, during the application and/or interview process.

Virginia Department of Social Services does not provide sponsorship.

The Virginia Department of Social Services is an Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages diversity within its workforce.

We are a “Virginia Values Veterans” (V3) official certified company and state agency that provides hiring preference to Veterans and Members of the Virginia National Guard in support of Executive Order 29, (2010). If you are a Veteran or Virginia National Guard Member, we urge you to respond accordingly on your state application or resume. Minorities, Individuals with disabilities, Veterans and people with National Service experience are encouraged to apply. For more information about our employment practices, please visit our “Vision, Mission and Strategic Plan”. Multiple positions may be filled from this recruitment within 90 days of the closing date.

In addition to a rewarding work experience, VDSS offers excellent health and life insurance benefits, pre-tax spending accounts, state funded Short and Long Term Disability, paid holidays, vacation, tuition assistance, free wellness programs, and a state retirement plan with options for tax-deferred retirement savings including employer matching – Employee Benefits.

If you have been affected by Policy 1.30 Layoff as a state employee and possess a valid Interagency Placement Screening Form (Yellow Form) or a Preferential Hiring Card (Blue Card), you must submit this document through the “Virginia Jobs” (RMS) employment site when you apply.

Selected candidate(s) must successfully pass a fingerprint-based criminal history background check. A record of criminal history does not automatically bar an applicant from consideration. Employment verification will be conducted to include current/previous supervisory employment reference checks.

VDSS will record information from each new employee’s Form I-9 (Employment Eligibility Verification) into the Federal E-Verify system to confirm identity and work authorization.

Selected candidate may be required to assist the agency or state government generally in the event of an emergency declaration by the Governor.

Contact Information

Name: VDSS - Division of Human Resources

Phone: dssrecruitment@dss.virginia.gov

Email: dssrecruitment@dss.virginia.gov

In support of the Commonwealth’s commitment to inclusion, we are encouraging individuals with disabilities to apply through the Commonwealth Alternative Hiring Process. To be considered for this opportunity, applicants will need to provide their AHP Letter (formerly COD) provided by the Department for Aging & Rehabilitative Services (DARS), or the Department for the Blind & Vision Impaired (DBVI). Service-Connected Veterans are encouraged to answer Veteran status questions and submit their disability documentation, if applicable, to DARS/DBVI to get their AHP Letter. Requesting an AHP Letter can be found at AHP Letter or by calling DARS at 800-552-5019.

Note: Applicants who received a Certificate of Disability from DARS or DBVI dated between April 1, 2022- February 29, 2024, can still use that COD as applicable documentation for the Alternative Hiring Process.