Deputy Director, MDCS

Deputy Director, MDCS

The Mass Hire Department of Career Services (MDCS) mission is to develop, coordinate and maintain a coherent workforce development system that supports and promotes the Commonwealth's workforce and economic efforts by delivering quality employment, education, training, and career guidance services to fill the needs of employers for a skilled workforce and promotes lifelong learning for their employees. MDCS seeks a visionary, collaborative, and strategic leader to serve in the new position of Deputy Director.

Based on the evolving MDCS organizational structure, this role is central to executing agency-wide initiatives and ensuring seamless coordination across directorates. The primary purpose of the role is to help drive alignment with the vision set by the MDCS Director and Secretary of the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development (EOLWD). Reporting directly to the MDCS Director, the Deputy Director will oversee the following key operational areas: strategic planning, communications, training and development, complaint resolution, and cross-team collaboration.

Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Leading long‑term planning, performance goal setting, and cross‑departmental alignment.
• Supervising a new communications team to ensure consistency, transparency, and strategic outreach across all platforms.
• Guiding public relations, stakeholder engagement, branding, and internal communication efforts.
• Overseeing workforce programs training and professional development initiatives for statewide workforce staff.
• Driving consistency in content, delivery, and measurement across all learning programs.
• Identifying skill gaps and supporting talent pipeline development.
• Cultivating a collaborative culture across MDCS offices and teams to improve and streamline service delivery and encourage innovation.
• Leading or supporting cross‑functional work groups focused on streamlining operations and enhancing service delivery.
• Identifying inefficiencies and recommending policy or procedural changes.

The ideal candidate will possess senior‑level leadership in workforce development, public administration, or government operations with a minimum of 10 years' administrative or management experience, with a proven track record in leadership and operational excellence. A background in federal regulatory compliance, grievance systems, policy development and implementation, and customer service design based in person‑centered frameworks is essential. An understanding of all Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) programs and knowledge of all DOL regulations related to WIOA are required.

Strong communication, interpersonal, problem‑solving, and organizational skills are essential.

Minimum entrance requirements: applicants must have at least seven years of full‑time or equivalent part‑time professional, administrative, supervisory, or managerial experience in business administration, business management, public administration, public management, clinical administration, or clinical management of which at least three years must have been in a managerial capacity.