Regulatory Compliance Specialist

About the role

The Program Specialist VII, SSLC Regulatory Compliance Specialist, supports State Supported Living Centers (SSLC) in complying with ICF-IID standards, Texas Administrative Code requirements, HHSC policies, and related state-operated facility expectations. This role involves preparing for regulatory surveys, investigations, and other reviews; advising centers on regulatory readiness and citation responses; and analyzing data to identify risks and recommend improvements.

Responsibilities

• Attends work on a regular and predictable basis and may be required to work a specific shift schedule, rotating schedule, extended shift, and/or overtime in accordance with agency leave policy.
• Serves in “on call” capacity to assist with and report facility incidents and attend Critical Incident Team meetings as needed.
• Reviews center systems and processes to evaluate compliance, identify risks, determine trends, and recommend corrective actions, process improvements, and standardization of statewide practices.
• Works directly with SSLC Directors, Assistant Directors of Programs, Quality Assurance Directors, and other center staff to prepare for regulatory surveys and investigations.
• Advises centers on how to organize evidence, verify documentation, assess readiness, identify potential compliance gaps, and take timely action to demonstrate substantial compliance with ICF-IID standards before, during, and after regulatory activity.
• Provides technical guidance and assistance prior to, during, and after Regulatory surveys and investigations, and assists with response to regulatory findings, including immediate jeopardy, condition-level, and standard-level citations.
• Serves as a state office point of contact to help centers understand regulatory expectations, prioritize immediate actions, coordinate subject matter expert input, and develop responses that are accurate, complete, timely, and supported by documentation.
• Advises centers on development, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of Plans of Correction, Plans of Removal, and related improvement strategies in response to citations or identified deficiencies.
• Reviews draft responses and supporting documentation for clarity, accuracy, and completeness to demonstrate correction and sustained compliance.
• Assists with informal dispute resolution.
• Collaborates with state office and center subject matter experts and legal or policy resources, as appropriate, to analyze complex compliance issues, resolve operational problems, identify training needs, and ensure consistent interpretation and application of ICF-IID standards across SSLCs.
• Facilitates communication between state office and centers to support timely decision-making, consistent messaging, and effective implementation of regulatory response strategies.
• Gathers, organizes, correlates, and analyzes facts, data, reports, survey findings, plans of correction, monitoring results, and statewide trends to evaluate program performance and identify systemic issues affecting compliance, quality of services, active treatment, and health and safety of individuals served.
• Prepares written analyses, executive summaries, progress reports, recommendations, and other briefing materials for SSLC and state office leadership.
• Develops, recommends, and evaluates policies, procedures, tools, tracking systems, monitoring methods, training materials, and standardized processes designed to improve regulatory readiness, strengthen documentation, support corrective action implementation, and promote consistent statewide compliance with ICF-IID requirements.
• Identifies best practices and lessons learned from statewide and national regulatory activity and shares them with centers to prevent repeat citations and improve outcomes.
• Provides training, coaching, mentoring, and technical assistance to center leadership and staff regarding regulatory review preparation, survey processes, ICF-IID standards, documentation expectations, root cause analysis, corrective action development, monitoring for sustained compliance, and effective response to citations.
• Facilitates meetings, leads workgroups, participates in committees, and collaborates with interdisciplinary teams to address center-specific and statewide compliance priorities.
• Maintains oversight of corrective actions and plans of correction, including follow-up documentation, progress reports, and evidence of sustained implementation.
• Identifies barriers to completion, communicates concerns to appropriate leadership, recommends adjustments when actions are not producing expected results, and assists centers in strengthening monitoring systems to reduce recurrence of deficiencies.

Requirements

• High school diploma or equivalent is required; graduation from an accredited four-year college or university is preferred.
• Two (2) years of experience in program analysis, quality assurance, regulatory compliance, survey preparation, corrective action monitoring, or technical assistance related to services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities; Four (4) years is preferred.
• Experience preparing for regulatory reviews, surveys, or other internal or external reviews.
• Experience developing, reviewing, monitoring, or evaluating Plans of Correction, Plans of Removal, corrective action plans, or responses to citations.
• Experience interpreting and applying ICF-IID standards, TAC requirements, HHSC policies, or similar regulatory requirements.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of ICF-IID standards, TAC requirements, HHSC policies, SSLC operations, and regulatory review processes.
• Knowledge of quality improvement, compliance monitoring, corrective action, and methods for evaluating program effectiveness.
• Knowledge of survey preparation, citation response, Plans of Correction, Plans of Removal, root cause analysis, and sustained compliance monitoring.
• Skill in collecting, organizing, and analyzing data, reports, survey findings, and documentation to identify risks, trends, and needed improvements.
• Ability to interpret and apply ICF-IID requirements, survey findings, citations, regulatory correspondence, and agency policies.
• Ability to review corrective action documents and supporting evidence for accuracy, completeness, clarity, and regulatory alignment.
• Ability to communicate clearly, facilitate meetings, lead workgroups, and present complex information to center and state office staff.
• Ability to provide training, coaching, mentoring, and technical assistance on regulatory readiness, documentation, corrective action, and sustained compliance.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, work independently, exercise sound judgment, and maintain effective working relationships.

Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge of ICF-IID standards, TAC requirements, HHSC policies, SSLC operations, and regulatory review processes.
• Knowledge of quality improvement, compliance monitoring, corrective action, and methods for evaluating program effectiveness.
• Knowledge of survey preparation, citation response, Plans of Correction, Plans of Removal, root cause analysis, and sustained compliance monitoring.
• Skill in collecting, organizing, and analyzing data, reports, survey findings, and documentation to identify risks, trends, and needed improvements.
• Skill in identifying problems, evaluating options, recommending solutions, and advising centers on compliance with ICF-IID standards.
• Skill in preparing reports, summaries, regulatory responses, action plans, correspondence, presentations, and training materials.
• Skill in developing and improving policies, procedures, tools, tracking systems, monitoring methods, and standardized processes.
• Skill in using Microsoft Office and related systems to track work, analyze information, prepare documents, and communicate with others.
• Ability to interpret and apply ICF-IID requirements, survey findings, citations, regulatory correspondence, and agency policies.
• Ability to review corrective action documents and supporting evidence for accuracy, completeness, clarity, and regulatory alignment.
• Ability to communicate clearly, facilitate meetings, lead workgroups, and present complex information to center and state office staff.
• Ability to provide training, coaching, mentoring, and technical assistance on regulatory readiness, documentation, corrective action, and sustained compliance.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, work independently, exercise sound judgment, and maintain effective working relationships.

Benefits

Comprehensive benefits package includes 100% paid employee health insurance for full-time eligible employees, a defined benefit pension plan, generous time off benefits, numerous opportunities for career advancement, and more. Details available on the Benefits of Working at HHS webpage.

Pay

$5,797.66 - $9,508.25 per month

Schedule

Monthly, with up to 40% travel to 13 SSLCs.