Chief Operating Officer

Public Service Manager III

Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)

Opening Date:
February 17, 2026

Closing Date:
March 2, 2026

Job Class Code: MA36

Grade: 36 (Confidential)

Salary: $92,851.20 – $ per year

Position Number:

Location:

Augusta, OFI Central Office

This is a full‑time position located in Augusta and offers up to three days per week of telework with management approval.

• Ensuring that Maine’s SNAP Payment Error Rate reaches 6% by October 2026 and eventually sustains itself at 5% in Federal Fiscal Year 2027.
• Ensuring 90‑95% of applications, renewals, and other tasks are processed within internal and external timeline targets.
• Operationalizing Maine Care community engagement requirements in 2027.
• Managing large vendor‑led technology projects to budget and schedule.
• Leading multidisciplinary teams to successful outcomes.
• Making decisions that are in the best interest of the people that OFI serves as well as the Department.
• Providing oversight of the Office’s regional and central operations, disability determinations, business technology, HR, compliance, fraud, and contracting functions.
• Collaborating across the Department to balance priorities and ensure unity of effort.
• Coordinating teams and resources to achieve milestones for key projects.
• Engaging with Federal partners and other key stakeholders especially for final approval of technology projects and operational program waivers.
• Working with the Program Financial Officer (PFO) to maintain the financial health of the office, including developing the annual budget and reviewing/approving transactions.
• Managing key vendor contracts and competitive procurements in close collaboration with the Department’s Division of Contract Management (DCM) and others.
• Attending meetings or making decisions in place of the Director in their absence.

• Leadership – Demonstrated ability to manage, coach, inspire, and motivate staff and others to accomplish mission and goals by providing clear direction and positive interpersonal influence. Acts with integrity and respect. Exhibits empathy and humility in decision‑making and interactions.
• Focus on Results – A record of achieving agency/organizational goals through measuring and monitoring organizational and individual performance.
• Data‑informed decision making – Ability to interpret qualitative and quantitative data to inform operational and resource decisions and to interpret data and use critical thinking skills to identify trends to steer the organization towards continuous improvement.
• Staff Support and Development – Continuously assesses strengths and development needs of employees. Provides challenging assignments and opportunities for development. Provides clear and regular feedback.
• Customer Service Orientation – Commitment to meeting consumer needs and building partnerships with constituents, staff, and other state agencies.
• Planning and Organization – Highly organized with strong planning, prioritization, and oversight abilities. Balance competing priorities, anticipate risks, and ensures work is aligned with our Office’s short term/long term strategic goals, project timelines, and available resources.

To qualify, your background must include a 10‑year combination of education and experience in health or human services or related areas. At least five of those years must be in a senior level role managing multiple teams of professional staff.

• A proven ability to successfully manage the delivery of health and human services programs and operations within a large organization.
• A history of being an effective project manager—delegating and holding others accountable for their work products, bringing initiatives to successful implementation across multiple teams.
• Large project management expertise, especially related to technology project and managing large groups of staff performing similar functions to meet organization objectives (i.e., eligibility determinations in OFI’s case).
• The ability to establish effective internal and interagency working relationships.
• Exceptional communication skills.
• A record consistently demonstrating strong personal attributes including…