ASST SECRETARY-CHILD & FAMILY WELL-BEING

Requisition No: 839530 

Agency: Children and Families

Working Title: ASST SECRETARY-CHILD & FAMILY WELL-BEING

 Pay Plan: SMS

Position Number: 60074206 

Salary:  $135,000 - $150,000 annually 

Posting Closing Date: 11/01/2024 

Total Compensation Estimator Tool

Assistant Secretary

Office of Child & Family Well-Being

Department of Children and Families

Tallahassee, Florida

Open Competitive

Current employees will be compensated in accordance with the DCF salary policy.

This is not a telework position.

Candidate will be required to work in the DCF Headquarters Tallahassee Office.

What you will do:

The Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) is the state of Florida’s social services agency.

The agency oversees services for child safety, fostering, adoption, domestic violence, adult protective services, refugees, homelessness, mental health, substance abuse, childcare providers, human trafficking and public assistance. The agency’s mission is to work in partnership with local communities to protect the vulnerable, promote strong and economically self-sufficient families, and advance personal and family recovery and resiliency. To learn more about DCF, please visit https://www.myflfamilies.com/.

In this position, you will serve as a member of the Executive Leadership Team and provide executive direction and oversight of the Department's Child Welfare programs including: Florida Abuse Hotline, Interstate Compact for Placement of Children, Child Protective Investigations, Family Navigation, Prevention and Partnerships, Missing Children, Policy, Business Operations, Data and Information and Strategic Initiatives.

How you will make an impact:

• Responsible for formulating and directing Department policy and monitoring effectiveness. Ensure implementation of state and federal laws, regulations and mandates, and,monitor client services to meet the most efficient and effective long and short-term goals of the Department.

• Serve as key policy advisor to the Secretary on program issues. Develop and maintain a system for inter- and intra-program information dissemination and documentation control for all program offices to confirm that planning is based upon the most current information available and their reports are of uniform quality.

• Review and monitor the policy direction for Child Welfare programs relating to the standards for integration of services, and verify that any problem solving efforts are coordinated and implemented in accordance with the governing federal and state statutes and Department policies and operating procedures.

• Provide expert testimony relating to the Department's child welfare policies to the Florida Legislature and Executive Office of the Governor. Represent the interests of the Department with the US Department of Health and Human Services, US Department of Agriculture and other federal agencies, local government associations, advocacy groups, provider organizations, and other interest groups.

• Oversee a statewide system of quality assurance to assure that state-operated and contracted services are provided in an efficient manner, achieve expected outcomes, and are in compliance with state and federal laws and rules, and appropriate clinical standards.

• Monitor and oversee contracts and grants within the Office of Child and Family Welfare, including planning, coordination, participation in and approval of procurement and contracts. Support document preparation and the development of organizational process improvement initiatives.

• Review all contracts, amendments, renewals, extensions, and all other procurement, grants and contracts documents required within the program area.

• Maintain subject matter expertise knowledge of all program relevant Florida Statutes, Florida Administrative Code, program policies and procedures.

Qualifications:

• Seven years of experience working in organizations that deliver child protective or child welfare services.  
• Five years of experience serving in an executive management role.   
• Experience managing large teams.
• Experience providing operational leadership through the formulation of operational plans and procedures.
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university is preferred.
• Ability to travel overnight to conduct official business.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Judgment and Decision Making:

Weighing the relative costs and benefits of a potential action. Critical Thinking: Using logic and analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches. Management of Personnel Resources: Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job. Speaking: Talking to others to effectively convey information. Writing: Communicating effectively with others in writing as indicated by the needs of the audience. Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions. Active Listening: Listening to what other people are saying and asking questions as appropriate. Information Gathering: Knowing how to find information and identifying essential information. Problem Identification: Identifying the nature of problems. Systems Evaluation: Looking at many indicators of system performance, taking into account their accuracy. Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents. Idea Evaluation: Evaluating the likely success of an idea in relation to the demands of the situation. Administration and Management: Knowledge of principles and processes involved in business and organizational planning, coordination, and execution. This may include strategic planning, resource allocation, manpower modeling, leadership techniques, and production methods. Law, Government and Jurisprudence: Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process. English Language: Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar. Personnel and Human Resources: Knowledge of policies and practices involved in personnel/human resource functions. Communications and Media: Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods including alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media. Economics and Accounting: Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices and the analysis and reporting of financial data. Psychology: Knowledge of human behavior and performance, mental processes, psychological research methods, and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

Candidate Profile (application) must be completed in its entirety.

• Include supervisor names and phone numbers for all periods of employment.
• Account for and explain any gaps in employment so that the hiring process is not delayed.
• Experience, education, training, knowledge, skills and/or abilities as well as responses to pre-qualifying questions must be verifiable to meet the minimum qualifications. 
• It is unacceptable to use the statement “See Resume” in place of entering work history.
• If you experience problems applying online, please call the People First Service Center at (877) 562-7287.   

Benefits of Working for the State of Florida:

Working for the State of Florida is more than a paycheck. The State’s total compensation package for employees features a highly competitive set of employee benefits.

For a more complete list of benefits, visit www.mybenefits.myflorida.com.

Growth Opportunities:

With 12,000 employees across the state DCF promotes opportunities and training for all.  Our jobs are among the most challenging, complex, and difficult in State government. They are also among the most rewarding. All employees are encouraged to take advantage of available Department opportunities for advancement and professional development.

Where you will work:

Florida is the only state that borders both the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.  In other words, no matter where you land in Florida, you’re never more than 60 miles from a body of saltwater.  And if the beach isn’t your scene, there are 175 state parks to explore!  Meanwhile, Floridians hail from a wide range of backgrounds, cultures, ethnicities, and walks of life, making it an incredibly diverse melting pot that many residents and visitors to Florida love.  The Sunshine State is a great place to live and work – Come join our team!

About Department of Children and Families:

Mission:  The mission of the Department of Children and Families is to work in partnership with local communities to protect the vulnerable, promote strong and economically self-sufficient families, and advance personal and family recovery and resiliency.

Vision:  We are a highly skilled workforce committed to empowering people with complex and varied needs to achieve the best outcomes for themselves and their families. In collaboration with community stakeholders, we will deliver world class and continuously improving service focused on providing the people we serve with the level and quality that we would demand and expect for our own families.

Values:  A workforce that operates with integrity maintains loyalty to a code of ethics that requires the courage to take responsibility for providing the highest quality of service to the vulnerable. We are a solutions-focused learning organization built on a foundation of transparency in action and accountability of results. Both within the organization and among our stakeholders, we thrive in a culture of respect for diversity of opinion that is nurtured through open communication. High performing and committed, we are unified in our goal of excellence in achieving quality outcomes for those we serve. 

To learn more please visit https://www.myflfamilies.com/.

• If you are a retiree of the Florida Retirement System (FRS), please check with the FRS on how your current benefits will be affected if you are re-employed with the State of Florida.  Your current retirement benefits may be suspended or voided, and you will be required to repay all benefits received depending upon the date of your retirement.
• The position will perform all job tasks in accordance with laws, rules, regulations, policies, and requirements applicable to state and federal laws or procedures.

We hire only U.S. citizens and lawfully authorized alien workers.

Participation in the State of Florida Direct Deposit Program is required as a condition of employment per F.S. 110.113, and enrollment must be completed within the first 30 calendar days of your appointment.

SELECTIVE SERVICE:  Male candidates born on or after October 1, 1962, will not be eligible for hire or promotion into an authorized position unless they are registered with the Selective Service System (SSS) before their 26th birthday or have a Letter of Registration Exemption from the SSS.  Verification of Selective Service registration will be conducted prior to hire.  For more information, please visit the SSS website: http://www.sss.gov.

BACKGROUND SCREENING REQUIREMENT: It is the policy of the Florida Department of Children and Families that any applicant being considered for employment must successfully complete a State and National criminal history check as a condition of employment before beginning employment, and also be screened in accordance with the requirements of Chapter 435, F.S., and, if applicable, Chapter 408, F.S.  No applicant may begin employment until the background screening results are received, reviewed for any disqualifying offenses, and approved by the Agency.  Background screening shall include, but not be limited to, fingerprinting for State and Federal criminal records checks through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and may include local criminal history checks through local law enforcement agencies.

The State of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer, and does not tolerate discrimination or violence in the workplace.

Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority and/or People First Service Center (1-866-663-4735). Notification to the hiring authority must be made in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.

The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with Section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act.