Administrative Supports Administrator

Position Overview

The Division of Early Childhood (DEC) is seeking to hire a dynamic, organized, and detailed-oriented employee.  DEC is one of six divisions within the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS). The position serves as the Administrative Supports Administrator for the Office of Operations within the Division of Early Childhood; Directs, coordinates, evaluates, and monitors the activities of operational and program personnel, through subordinate supervisors; Acts authoritatively on policy-making issues impacting statewide operations; Develops short and long-term strategic plans to monitor and ensure progress toward accomplishment of the goals, objectives, and benchmarks; Conducts quantitative and qualitative research and analysis to identify effect relationships among  Early Childhood services for planning purposes; Plans, organizes, develops, revises, implements, tracks, and monitors various formal intergovernmental agreements, data sharing agreements, and/or memorandums of understanding to promote continuity of statewide services; Verifies the organization’s processes to promote equity, social and racial justice, inclusion, and diversity; Serves as full-line supervisor; Develops the Web-Based applications; Generates various routine and ad hoc statistical and/or written reports, presentations, and dashboards, using SAS, Tableau, Microsoft Office Suite, graphs, charts, two-dimensional maps, and ArcGIS maps. Assists in completing highly complex and specialized studies; and Plans, coordinates, develops, implements, and evaluates policies, standards, and procedural guidelines for effective management processes. DEC serves to strengthen and centralize Child Care, Early Intervention, Home Visiting, and Migrant and Seasonal Head Start within IDHS.  The DEC vision is for Illinois’ pregnant persons, young children, and families to have the supports they need to achieve their full potential.  The DEC mission is to enhance equitable access to Child Care, Home Visiting, and Early Intervention programs and services that support whole child development.  DEC is committed to the following guiding values: Whole Child Focus, Quality Service Delivery, Equity, Relentless Pursuit of Mission, Respect and Dignity, and Stability and Sustainability.

Essential Functions

• Serves as the Administrative Supports Administrator for the Division of Early Childhood.

• Plans, manages, evaluates, and implements intergovernmental contacts and corresponding agreements [e.g., Intergovernmental Agreements (IGAs), Data Sharing Agreements (DSAs), and Memorandums of Understanding (MOU)] to initiate, modify, implement, and/or plan for collaborative service delivery.

• Serves as full-line supervisor.

• Plans, develops, and implements technology adaptations and improvements.

• Plans, coordinates, develops, implements, and evaluates policies, standards, and procedural guidelines for the effective management processes of the Administrative Support Unit.

• Performs other duties as assigned or required, which are reasonably within the scope of duties enumerated above.

Minimum Qualifications

• Requires knowledge, skill, and mental development equivalent to completion of four (4) years of college with course work in business or public administration.

• Requires prior experience equivalent to four (4) years of progressively responsible administrative experience in a public or private organization.

Preferred Qualifications

• Four (4) years of professional work experience demonstrating robust organizational, interpersonal, problem-solving, and leadership skills to manage simultaneous multifaceted client data and project management methodologies, strategic planning, and performance measurement that promote equitable and accessible Early Childhood state or federal services through the development and implementation of person-centered and evidence-based policies, procedures, and guidelines using various sources such as cross-functional teams, stakeholders, and qualitative and quantitative information within a public or private organization.  

• Four (4) years of professional work experience in data governance, quality assurance, and compliance with Early Childhood federal and state regulations to develop, implement, and conduct research and comprehensive analysis/interpretation of datasets that identify trends and key insights, resulting in sustainable decision-making and administrative support that promotes an organization’s strategic plan, goals, objectives, and benchmarks.

• Four (4) years of professional work experience serving as full-line supervisor, which includes assigning and reviewing work, providing guidance and training to assigned staff, counseling staff regarding work performance, reassigning staff to meet day-to-day operating needs, establishing annual goals and objectives, approving time off, adjusting first-level grievances, effectively recommending and imposing discipline (up to and including discharge), preparing and signing performance evaluations, and determining staffing needs.

• Four (4) years of professional experience demonstrating strong attention to detail and process management that fosters collaboration among diverse teams and stakeholders to identify, execute, and evaluate comprehensive quality improvement activities, respond to inquiries, conduct research, develop and process agreements (e.g., intergovernmental/data sharing), manage and complete special projects, and coordinate cross-functional system improvement initiatives.

• Four (4) years of professional work experience in demonstrating extensive and strategic data mining/analytical skills to translate raw data/information into clear, grammatically accurate, and concise statistical and written reports, using SAS, Tableau, Microsoft Office Suite, graphs, charts, two-dimensional maps, and ArcGIS maps.

• Four (4) years of professional work experience in effectively communicating complex information by producing high-quality written reports, statistical analyses, policy briefs, and executive summaries within tight deadlines, while exhibiting the ability to deliver clear, concise, and compelling written and oral presentations to large groups of stakeholders (e.g., parents/families, executive leadership, legislators, and external partners).

Conditions of Employment

• Requires ability to travel extensively with overnight stays.

• Requires advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive.

• Requires advanced proficiency in Power BI, Business Objects, and mapping software (e.g., ArcGIS, Quantum GIS, MapInfo Pro, GRASS GIS, Map Tiler).

*All conditions of employment listed here are incorporated and related to any of the job duties as listed in the job description.