Title: Chief Licensing and Compliance Officer

State Role Title: Salary Non-Specified

Hiring Range: Hiring range for this position is $150,872-$165,960, commensurate with education and experience

Pay Band: UG

Agency: VA Cannabis Control Authority

Location: VA Cannabis Control Authority

Agency Website: https://cca.virginia.gov/

Recruitment Type: General Public - G/This position is contingent upon the approval of pending legislative actions.

Job Duties

The Chief Licensing and Compliance Officer (CLCO) provides executive leadership and strategic direction for all cannabis licensing, regulatory compliance, and policy functions for the agency. This role ensures that Virginia’s cannabis industry operates in full accordance with statutory and regulatory requirements, supports public health and safety, and maintains the integrity of the legal market. Key responsibilities include:

Licensing Leadership and Operations Management
• Oversee all cannabis licensing functions, including application intake, suitability assessments, renewals, amendments, and regulatory reporting.
• Develop and maintain transparent, equitable, and efficient licensing systems, workflows, and decision-making processes.
• Ensure all licensing determinations align with statutory mandates, agency objectives, and public interest considerations.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with state and local governments, regulatory partners, and community stakeholders.

Regulatory Compliance Oversight
• Lead statewide compliance programs, including inspections, monitoring activities, corrective action processes, and enforcement coordination.
• Conduct compliance risk assessments and implement mitigation strategies to reduce diversion, public health concerns, and regulatory violations.
• Manage internal and external audits, investigations, and enforcement referrals.
• Ensure consistent and fair application of regulations across regions and license types.

Policy Development and Regulatory Governance
• Develop, update, and enforce agency policies, rules, guidance documents, and Standard Operating Procedures that support statutory compliance.
• Interpret complex cannabis laws and translate them into clear operational and regulatory requirements.
• Monitor legislative and regulatory changes and lead internal implementation efforts.
Training, Communication, and Culture Building
• Communicate regulatory expectations to staff, licensees, policymakers, and the public.
• Develop and deliver training for inspectors, investigators, licensing personnel, and external stakeholders.
• Foster a culture of integrity, fairness, transparency, and public service within the agency.
• Support organizational change management during regulatory updates or program expansion.

Executive Reporting and Stakeholder Engagement
• Prepare and present licensing trends, compliance findings, and regulatory updates to executive leadership, legislative committees, and oversight bodies.
• Ensure accurate documentation and recordkeeping to support audits, public records requests, and regulatory inquiries.
• Collaborate across divisions and with government agencies, law enforcement, and public health partners.
• Represent the agency in public meetings, hearings, and interagency workgroups.

Strategic Leadership and Risk Management
• Anticipate regulatory trends and emerging industry risks to inform long term agency strategy.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate compliance, operational, and public safety risks.
• Provide sound decision making grounded in statutory authority, ethical standards, and public interest priorities.
• Support crisis response, enforcement escalations, and high profile regulatory matters.

Minimum Qualifications

• Cannabis regulatory (or other highly regulated field) frameworks, statutory requirements, and applying administrative regulations.
• Licensing systems, suitability standards, and regulatory decision-making procedures.
• Compliance monitoring, inspection protocols, and enforcement processes.
• Government operations, public administration, and regulatory governance.
• Risk management, audit principles, and administrative law.
• Analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• Strong organizational and project management skills.
• Negotiation, regulatory communication, and stakeholder engagement.
• Ability to design and deliver training for regulatory staff and licensees.
• Lead cross functional regulatory teams and manage multiple priorities.
• Maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive regulatory information.
• Interpret complex regulations and apply them consistently and fairly.
• Build and sustain a culture of compliance, accountability, and public service.

Required Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in public administration, legal studies, regulatory affairs, business, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and professional experience.
• Significant experience (typically 7–10+ years) in regulatory compliance, licensing, public administration, or a related discipline.
• Demonstrated leadership experience within a regulatory, governmental, or highly regulated environment.
• Proven experience developing and managing compliance or licensing programs.

Additional Considerations

• Advanced degree (JD, MBA, MPA, MPP, or related field).
• Professional certifications such as:
      o Certified Compliance & Ethics Professional (CCEP)
      o Certified Public Manager (CPM)
      o Regulatory Affairs Certification (RAC)
• Experience working with cannabis regulatory agencies, administrative hearings, or legislative bodies.


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.

Contact Information

Name: Robin Hollenbeck

Phone: (804) 653-9490

Email: robin.hollenbeck@cca.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.

Reasonable accommodations are available to individuals with disabilities during the application and/or interview processes per the Americans with Disabilities Act. Please call (804) 653-9490 for assistance.

The Commonwealth of Virginia is an Equal Opportunity Employer. It is the policy of the Commonwealth of Virginia to prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, veteran status, political affiliation, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions in the recruitment, selection, and hiring of its workforce.