About the Opportunity
The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is seeking a dynamic, accomplished executive to serve as Chief Operations Officer (COO). This is a rare opportunity to join the Commissioner’s Executive Staff and shape the operational future of one of the Commonwealth’s most visible state agencies, an organization that touches the life of nearly every Virginian through driver licensing, vehicle titling and registration, motor carrier regulation, and a growing portfolio of digital innovation.
As COO, you will provide unified executive leadership across Driver Services, Vehicle Services, Motor Carrier Services, Innovation, and General Services, ensuring that service delivery, revenue operations, compliance, financial management, infrastructure, and technology initiatives operate as one coordinated, strategically aligned enterprise. This is a position for a leader who thinks at the scale of the whole organization and can translate strategic vision into measurable, agency-wide operational results.
What You Will Do
Executive Leadership & Strategic Management
- Provide executive leadership and management across Driver Services, Vehicle Services, Motor Carrier Services, Innovation, and General Services.
- Develop strategic plans and analytical assessments that inform complex, agency-wide decision-making.
- Recommend and drive strategic actions, ensuring consistent execution throughout the agency.
- Exercise overall leadership of operational programs, including innovation initiatives, IT portfolio governance, and continuous improvement.
Policy & Stakeholder Engagement
- Serve as a trusted voice with diverse constituency groups, responding to high-level inquiries and resolving complex issues with Commonwealth-wide implications.
- Represent the agency in external forums and serve as the Commissioner’s designee on operational matters.
- Engage directly with government officials and General Assembly members in high-level policy discussions.
Financial & Administrative Oversight
- Oversee budget development and execution across operational portfolios, ensuring fiscal responsibility and strategic resource allocation.
- Develop and implement administrative policy consistent with agency objectives and state regulations.
Performance Management & Team Leadership
- Foster an inclusive, high-performing leadership culture, setting clear direction and resolving issues fairly and promptly.
- Develop measurable performance and development plans, deliver timely evaluations, and invest in the growth of leaders across the organization.
What You Bring
- Extensive executive-level management experience in government, public administration, or an equivalent private-sector leadership role.
- A track record of leading multiple, operationally distinct divisions simultaneously at the executive level.
- Demonstrated success in strategic planning, policy development, and large-scale organizational management.
- Experience with legislative processes, government relations, and stakeholder management, including monitoring legislative impacts across program areas.
- Comprehensive knowledge of state government operations, legislative processes, and public administration principles.
- Advanced expertise in budgetary and financial management, including multi-portfolio budget oversight.
- Working knowledge of public procurement law, including the Virginia Public Procurement Act (VPPA).
- Exceptional executive presence, communication skills, and the ability to influence at the highest levels.
- The judgment and credibility to engage effectively with elected officials, political appointees, and senior government executives.
Preferred / Additional Considerations
- Professional certification in public management or a related specialized field.
- Prior experience as a division director, assistant commissioner, or comparable executive role spanning multiple operational functions.
- A demonstrated record of success in legislative relations and policy advocacy.
- Experience managing large, complex budgets across multiple distinct program areas.
Why Join DMV
This is an opportunity to lead at the highest level of a high-impact state agency, with direct influence on the strategic direction of services that matter to millions of Virginians. The role offers telework eligibility, a seat on the Commissioner’s Executive Staff, and the chance to leave a lasting mark on the Commonwealth’s operations and innovation agenda.
Special Instructions
You will be provided a confirmation of receipt when your application and/or résumé is submitted successfully. Please refer to “Your Application” in your account to check the status of your application for this position.
Contact Information
Name: DMV Employment
Phone: (804) 367-0528
Email: employment@dmv.virginia.gov
In support of the Commonwealth’s commitment to inclusion, we are encouraging individuals with disabilities to apply through the Commonwealth Alternative Hiring Process. To be considered for this opportunity, applicants will need to provide their AHP Letter (formerly COD) provided by the Department for Aging & Rehabilitative Services (DARS), or the Department for the Blind & Vision Impaired (DBVI). Service-Connected Veterans are encouraged to answer Veteran status questions and submit their disability documentation, if applicable, to DARS/DBVI to get their AHP Letter. Requesting an AHP Letter can be found at AHP Letter or by calling DARS at 800-552-5019.
Note: Applicants who received a Certificate of Disability from DARS or DBVI dated between April 1, 2022- February 29, 2024, can still use that COD as applicable documentation for the Alternative Hiring Process.
