INTERNAL ONLY CQI/QA Lead Specialist (CS4) -Olympia

About the role

The Commerce Specialist 4 position serves as the Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI)/Quality Assurance (QA) Lead Specialist for the Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP). This role is based in Olympia with hybrid work available, depending on business needs, and requires frequent statewide travel.

Responsibilities

• Establish program priorities and objectives while leading statewide Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI), Quality Assurance (QA), policy development, and strategic quality initiatives for ECEAP.
• Supervise, hire, train, evaluate, and provide ongoing leadership to the ECEAP CQI/QA team, including planning and directing the work of up to six CQI Specialists.
• Lead CQI team meetings, support staff development, and resolve complex issues involving staff, contractors, and programs.
• Develop and maintain ECEAP monitoring policies, procedures, protocols, tools, compliance matrices, and long-range monitoring strategies.
• Monitor contractor compliance with ECEAP contracts and performance standards through desktop reviews, monitoring calls, onsite visits, corrective action plans, and technical assistance.
• Build contractor capacity by providing consultation, onboarding, training, and continuous quality improvement support.
• Collaborate with internal and external partners, convene workgroups, gather stakeholder feedback, and represent ECEAP at meetings, conferences, and statewide initiatives.
• Prepare reports, recommendations, presentations, and training materials for division leadership, elected officials, contractors, partner agencies, and other stakeholders.
• Advise leadership on policy, program implementation, and quality improvement initiatives while supporting statewide planning and strategic decision-making.
• Track contractor waivers and variances and support contractor communications, monitoring schedules, and statewide implementation efforts.
• Participate in onsite monitoring visits and travel statewide, as needed, to support contractor monitoring and technical assistance.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in education, public policy, business administration or political science; and four (4) years of professional experience at management-level in early childhood education, child development, early learning, publicly funded preschool education, comprehensive preschool programming, government contracting, audit or compliance, or closely related fields; and three (3) years of professional performance management/employee supervision experience in a government or education setting.
• OR A combination of education and work experience totaling eight (8) years of professional experience at management-level in early childhood education, child development, early learning, publicly funded preschool education, comprehensive preschool programming, government contracting, audit or compliance, or closely related fields; and three (3) years of professional performance management/employee supervision experience in a government or education setting.
• The ability to take action to learn and grow.
• The ability to take action to meet the needs of others.