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Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
Public Service Manager III
Opening Date: February 17, 2026
Closing Date: March 2, 2026
Job Class Code: MA36
Grade: 36 (Confidential)
Salary: $92,851.20 – $131,518.40 per year
Position Number: 02000-1656
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.
Core Responsibilities:
As Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Office for Family Independence (OFI), you will work in partnership with the Director and Senior Management Team to implement the Office’s strategic priorities, operations, technology, and compliance functions. You will lead by example and serve as a thought partner to the Director and collaborative manager for your direct reports. Key challenges and opportunities that you will address in the first two years include:
• 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 MaineCare community engagement requirements in 2027.
• Managing large vendor-led technology projects to budget and schedule.
Additional responsibilities include:
• 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
Competencies:
• 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.
Minimum Qualifications:
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.
The backgrounds of well-qualified candidates should demonstrate:
- 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 (ie 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 coaching/mentoring/ team-building skills, self-organizational skills, effective decision-making, and professional integrity.
- Professional or lived experience with Medicaid, SNAP, and/or TANF.
Thinking about applying?
Research shows that people from historically excluded communities tend to apply to jobs only when they check every box in the posting. If you’re currently reading this and hesitating to apply for that reason, we encourage you to go for it! Let us know how your experience and passion set you apart.
Agency information:
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is dedicated to promoting health, safety, resilience, and opportunity for Maine people. The Department provides health and social services to approximately a third of the State’s population, including children, families, older Mainers, and individuals with disabilities, mental illness, and substance use disorders. The Department also promotes public health, operates two state psychiatric hospitals, and provides oversight to health care providers.
The Office for Family Independence (OFI) connects Maine families to services and programs that foster health, safety, resilience, and opportunity and help them to meet a wide variety of needs. We determine initial and ongoing eligibility for the MaineCare (Medicaid), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) public assistance programs, and issue benefits for SNAP and TANF. We also provide services related to training and education, child support, disability determination, and fraud investigation/recovery.
Application Information:
For additional information about this position please contact Marcus Hatch at Marcus.Hatch@Maine.gov or (207) 890-6810.
A cover letter is required for this position. Applications submitted without a cover letter will not be reviewed. Your cover letter should directly address the following questions:
• Why are you interested in this role?
• Why would you excel in this role?
• What would you hope to achieve in your first two years in this role?
Please submit all documents or files in PDF or Word format.
VACANCIES ARE LISTED BY LOCATION for 2 weeks on the State of Maine Career Page .
To request a paper application, please contact Mandy.Hernandez@Maine.gov
Benefits of working for the State of Maine:
No matter where you work across Maine state government, you find employees who embody our state motto—”Dirigo” or “I lead”—as they provide essential services to Mainers every day. We believe in supporting our workforce’s health and wellbeing with a valuable total compensation package, including:
- Work-Life Fit – Rest is essential. Take time for yourself using 13 paid holidays, 12 days of sick leave , and 3+ weeks of vacation leave annually. Vacation leave accrual increases with years of service, and overtime-exempt employees receive personal leave.
- Health Insurance Coverage – The State of Maine pays 85%-100% of employee-only premiums ($12,845.82 – $15,112.76 annual value), depending on salary. Use this chart to find the premium costs for you and your family, including the percentage of dependent coverage paid by the State.
- Health Insurance Premium Credit – Participation decreases employee-only premiums by 5%. Visit the Office of Employee Health and Wellness for more information about program requirements .
- Dental Insurance – The State of Maine pays 100% of employee-only dental premiums ($395.72 annual value).
- Retirement Plan – The State contributes the equivalent of 18.91% of the employee’s pay towards the Maine Public Employees Retirement System (MainePERS).
- Parental leave is one of the most important benefits for any working parent. All employees who are welcoming a child—including non-birthing and adoptive parents—receive six weeks of fully paid parental leave . Additional, unpaid leave may also be available, under the Family and Medical Leave Act .
State employees are eligible for an extensive and highly competitive benefits package , covering many aspects of wellness. Learn about additional wellness benefits for State employees from the Office of Employee Health and Wellness .
Note: Benefits may vary somewhat according to specific collective bargaining agreements and are prorated for anything less than full-time.
There’s a job and then there’s purposeful, transformative work. Our aim is to create a workplace where you can learn, grow, and continuously refine your skills. Applicants demonstrate job requirements in differing ways, and we appreciate that many skills and backgrounds can make people successful in this role.
As an Equal Opportunity employer, Maine State Government embraces a culture of respect and awareness. We are committed to creating a strong sense of belonging for all team members, and our process ensures an inclusive environment to applicants of all backgrounds including diverse race, color, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity, physical or mental disability, religion, age, ancestry, national origin, familial status or genetics.
If you’re looking for a great next step, and want to feel good about what you do, we’d love to hear from you. Please note reasonable accommodations are provided to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request.
If you are unable to complete the online application, please contact the Human Resources representative listed on the job opening you are interested in applying for. They will work with you for an alternative method of submitting.
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