Maternal and Child Health Director of Operations

Location: Austin, TX

About the role

Under the direction of the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Section Director, the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Director of Operations oversees human resources, information technology, financial and grant management, and daily section project coordination activities for the MCH Section. Plans, assigns, and supervises section operational activities; establishes section operational goals and objectives; develops and approves section operational schedules, priorities, and goal standards; and manages section operations staff and program evaluation activities.

Responsibilities

• Supervision and staff management:
  • Directs the daily operations within the MCH Section.
  • Manages section operational staff activities to verify program implementation.
  • Guides the development of section operational staff priorities, initiatives, and work schedules to achieve section objectives, performance indicators, and project deadlines.
  • Hires sectional operational staff including posting vacancies, reviewing applications, interviewing candidates, and recommending a final candidate for approval to hire.
  • Conducts section operational staff performance evaluations, monitors the ongoing activities of staff, and initiates and follows through with human resources activities. (35%)
• Develops, implements, and evaluates MCH Section goals and objectives and coordinates with the other MCH units and sections within the Community Health Improvement (CHI) Division consistent with the DSHS strategic plan (including performance measure reports).
• Develops, implements, monitors, and evaluates section standards, policies, and rules to support essential section operations and to confirm compliance with state and federal laws and regulations.
• Analyzes section operational statistical and operations data, interprets results, prepares monthly section operational reports, and makes presentations to diverse groups.
• Initiates and guides special section operational studies to assess program evaluation outcomes. (30%)
• Serves as the MCH section operational lead of grant and contract development in coordination with financial and grant management section staff.
• Confirms section operational staff follow agency procedure for submitting grant applications, interagency agreements, and requests for proposals.
• Monitors section’s grant status, interagency agreements, and requests for proposals to confirm section operational staff progress through all approval stages for timely implementation.
• Develops and confirms section operational funding allocation methodologies are applied.
• Monitors section operational program and grant expenditures and leads section operational budgetary oversight. (25%)
• Participates and manages section operation staff who review and analyze MCH section and CHI division priority legislation related to tracking legislative bills, identifying, and writing DSHS legislative initiatives including legislative appropriations requests and proposed section legislative program initiatives.
• Manages the section contact for unit bill analysis and impact statements for MCH programs, contractors, counties, and hospitals.
• Serves as section operational resource for legislators, other elected officials, governmental entities, and the public at legislative meetings. (5%)
• Other duties as assigned include, but are not limited to, actively participating and/or serving in a supporting role to meet the agency’s obligations for disaster response and/or recovery, Continuity of Operations (COOP) activation, and/or serving on the State Medical Operations Center (SMOC) team. Such participation may require an alternate shift pattern assignment and/or location. (5%)

Requirements

• Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university in a science or liberal arts major; a master’s degree in public health or public administration is preferred.
• A minimum of 3 years’ experience working in the field of maternal and child health or similar program with a public health perspective.
• A minimum of 3 years’ experience in supervision of employees including hiring, staff development and evaluation, counseling, and identification and implementation of human resource activities.
• Experience in human resources, information technology, financial, contract, and grant management, and daily section project coordination activities.
• Experience in program planning and management.

Skills

• Knowledge in supervision of employees such as hiring, staff development, evaluation, and counseling of employees, and identification and implementation of human resources, information technology, financial and grant management, and daily section project coordination activities.
• Knowledge of public health policy and state and federal agency laws and regulations related to community health services.
• Knowledge of the principles and practices of public health administration and management.
• Knowledge of the Texas legislative process and state and federal laws pertaining to public health.
• Knowledge of community health care delivery needs and barriers among diverse Texas populations.
• Knowledge of grant funding processes and competitive awarding of funds.
• Knowledge of agency budget and accounting principles and applications.
• Knowledge of best practices in community health service delivery.
• Skill in operational planning including developing section activities, goals, and objectives for strategic planning, development, and evaluation.
• Skill in developing and implementing contracts and grant applications.
• Skill in identifying resources needed to accomplish service delivery objectives and budget development.
• Skill in developing and evaluating administrative policies, procedures, and protocols.
• Skill in identifying, evaluating, and solving issues and implementing effective solutions.
• Skill in managing multiple and competing priorities.
• Skill in quality improvement for program evaluation implementation.
• Ability to plan, organize, and complete multiple activities in a timely fashion.
• Ability to plan, assign, and supervise the work of others.
• Ability to work in a professional manner with employees and the public including establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with diverse individuals and groups.
• Ability to express ideas clearly and concisely both verbally and in writing.
• Ability to work with the legislature and produce effective results.

Benefits

DSHS offers insurance coverage and other benefits available through the State of Texas Group Benefits Plan administered by the Employee Retirement System of Texas (ERS).

Pay

Salary Range: $6,377.50 - $8,581.66 per month

Schedule

• Full time
• Day shift
• Eligible for telework
• Travel: Up to 20%