Field Operations Quality Assurance Specialist (Compliance Specialist 3)

About the role

The Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care is seeking a Field Operations Quality Assurance Specialist (Compliance Specialist 3) to strengthen investigative and licensing practices, promote consistency and fairness, and ensure decisions are grounded in evidence, policy, and child safety.

Responsibilities

• Promote the health, safety, and well-being of children in child care facilities by ensuring consistent, compliance-driven, and aligned investigative practices and licensing enforcement actions.
• Develop and implement a consistent case review and audit process to evaluate the quality, accuracy, and timeliness of investigations and licensing enforcement actions.
• Identify trends, strengthen documentation and evidence review practices, reduce duplication in review processes, and ensure alignment in rule interpretation, compliance determinations, and regulatory decision-making across regions.
• Lead the development and delivery of training, guidance, and practice tools to support Regional Managers, Investigative Specialists, Licensing Specialists, and Senior Licensing Specialists in conducting high-quality, neutral, and child safety focused investigations and licensing reviews.
• Evaluate high-risk, sensitive, or ambiguous cases for direction, escalation, enforcement, or cross-agency coordination, providing clear, defensible recommendations and maintaining investigative neutrality.
• Serve as a neutral consultation resource to field staff and leadership, providing guidance on complex, high-risk, or sensitive investigations, including those involving potential bias, prior provider relationships, or cross-agency coordination.
• Support systems-building efforts by partnering with Field Operations and other programs to strengthen investigative and licensing processes, clarify expectations, and improve operational efficiency.

Requirements

• Five years experience doing administrative research that included compiling and evaluating facts to recommend management action, or decide compliance or eligibility with program guidelines and regulations. Three of the five years must be above the technical support level.
• College-level course work may substitute for experience on the basis of 45-quarter units per year, up to a maximum of three years.

Qualifications

• Regulatory and Compliance Expertise: Depth of experience interpreting and applying statutes, administrative rules, and policy in complex or ambiguous situations. Ensure legal sufficiency and consistency across investigations and enforcement actions.
• Investigative Quality Assurance and Case Review Skills: Demonstrated skill in reviewing investigative documentation, assessing evidence sufficiency, identifying gaps, and ensuring statewide alignment in findings, enforcement decisions, and written notices.
• Training, Coaching, and Practice Development: Ability to design and deliver training, develop guidance, lead calibration discussions, and build standardized investigative and licensing practices. Emphasis on coaching staff toward neutral, child-safety-centered investigations.
• Complex Case Consultation and Risk Assessment: Experience evaluating high-risk, sensitive, or ambiguous cases for direction, escalation, enforcement, or cross-agency coordination. Ability to provide clear, defensible recommendations and maintain investigative neutrality.
• Communication, Conflict Management, and Collaboration Skills: Skilled in working with frustrated/hostile individuals, maintaining professionalism, coordinating across different groups and organizations, internal and external, and ensuring clear, accurate, legally defensible communication.

Skills

• Regulatory and Compliance Expertise: Depth of experience interpreting and applying statutes, administrative rules, and policy in complex or ambiguous situations. Ensure legal sufficiency and consistency across investigations and enforcement actions.
• Investigative Quality Assurance and Case Review Skills: Demonstrated skill in reviewing investigative documentation, assessing evidence sufficiency, identifying gaps, and ensuring statewide alignment in findings, enforcement decisions, and written notices.
• Training, Coaching, and Practice Development: Ability to design and deliver training, develop guidance, lead calibration discussions, and build standardized investigative and licensing practices. Emphasis on coaching staff toward neutral, child-safety-centered investigations.
• Complex Case Consultation and Risk Assessment: Experience evaluating high-risk, sensitive, or ambiguous cases for direction, escalation, enforcement, or cross-agency coordination. Ability to provide clear, defensible recommendations and maintain investigative neutrality.
• Communication, Conflict Management, and Collaboration Skills: Skilled in working with frustrated/hostile individuals, maintaining professionalism, coordinating across different groups and organizations, internal and external, and ensuring clear, accurate, legally defensible communication.

Benefits

Comprehensive benefits package includes low-cost medical, vision, and dental coverage for you and your family, plus optional benefits like life and disability insurance, deferred compensation, and flexible spending accounts. Work-life balance features include 11 paid holidays, 3 personal days, 1 special day, monthly sick leave, and vacation accruals that increase every 5 years. Student loan forgiveness is available after 120 qualifying payments. Inclusive culture fosters fairness, equity, and inclusion, welcoming and valuing diversity.

Pay

$5,988 - $9,191 annually

Schedule

Hybrid schedule of working both in the office (Salem) and at an alternate location (home). In-office work is expected weekly or as needed. Requires travel to field offices and site visits located throughout Oregon.