Director of Child Care Health and Safety (Program Manager Senior II)

This position provides statewide leadership, regulatory oversight, and expert guidance to ensure that all Maryland children—birth through age five, and school-age children through 13—have access to safe, healthy, and high-quality early childhood and school-age programs. Reporting to the Executive Director for Child Care Operations, the Director leads Maryland’s child care licensing system, including standards development, investigations, monitoring, enforcement, technical assistance, and operational quality assurance for public, private, and in-home child care programs and nursery schools. Additionally, this position is responsible for leading the ongoing review and modernization of Maryland’s child care licensing regulatory (COMAR) framework and efforts to improve the efficiency of Maryland’s child care licensing system, using continuous quality improvement approaches. This position also ensures alignment of child care licensing functions across Maryland’s early childhood mixed delivery system, including aligning with the Child Care Scholarship (CCS) program.

• Directs, Manages leads and oversees Maryland’s Child Care Licensing System, Regulatory Compliance, and Licensing System Modernization.
• Provides strategic leadership and statewide oversight for all licensing functions to ensure compliance with COMAR, state/federal law, and MSDE’s strategic plan, and leads statewide implementation of recommendations emerging from implementation of HB 477, including improvements to transparency, workflow modernization, and customer service standards.
• Directs modernization of licensing regulations to ensure clarity, equity, legal soundness, and alignment with national licensing best practices (e.g., health and safety standards, differential monitoring, enhanced transparency) and ensures statewide consistency in interpreting and applying COMAR and state policy by establishing SOPs, clear expectations, correcting legacy inconsistencies, and implementing continuous quality-improvement mechanisms.
• Develops and directs statewide monitoring, investigation, and enforcement protocols, ensuring all regional offices apply standards consistently and maintain timely, complete documentation.
• Ensures regional offices provide supportive, solutions-oriented technical assistance that strengthens program quality and promotes safe, healthy learning environments.
• Oversees coordination with health, safety, and investigative partners (Health, Fire Marshal, CPS, DSS, law enforcement, local government) to ensure consistent child safety protocols and aligned responses to incidents.
• Supervises 10-15 regional managers and central office leadership, ensuring alignment with MSDE expectations, consistent statewide interpretation and implementation of licensing regulations and procedures, and supervises the Criminal Background Check (CBC) Unit ensuring consistent workflow, adherence to statutory requirements, and staff training on criminal history record check processes.
• Oversees resolution of complex provider, family, and stakeholder complaints that impact child safety, regulatory interpretation, or MSDE reputation and ensures consistent, transparent address of provider complaints, appeals, and disputes in accordance with law and policy.
• Responds to high-level inquiries from MSDE leadership, the State Superintendent, State Board of Education, Governor’s Office, legislators, and external entities and prepares reports, legislative analyses, and updates.
• Represents MSDE on workgroups, committees, councils, hearings, and interagency task forces related to child safety, licensing, and regulatory modernization.

EDUCATION: A Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent 36-post baccalaureate credit hours of course work in Public Administration, Education, Administration/Supervision, Early Childhood, Social Work or a closely related field.

EXPERIENCE: Five years of professional administrative experience in management, administration, supervision, and/or policy development of Child Care - Early Learning Programs, one year of the required experience must have been managing the regulatory aspects of a Child Care program.

NOTE: Possession of a Master’s Degree may be substituted for two years of the required administrative experience.

Please include clear and specific information on your application regarding your qualifications.

• Experience coordinating or administering child care programs or services, child care facility health or related field is preferred.
• Experience with the interpretation and application of State and federal statutes, regulations, funding, and policies governing and supporting programs and services for child care programs, child care licensure, and health and safety requirements.
• Experience with Centralized Criminal Background Checks (CBC) established under SB 359/HB 635 (Chapter 361, 2026) and criminal history records checks (CHRCs) for applicants, staff, and individuals requiring background.
• Experience supervising staff and managing multiple administrative activities including oversight and evaluation of staff.
• Experience with establishing resolution to complex provider, family, and stakeholder complaints that impact child safety and involve regulatory interpretation.

Candidates must consent to State and FBI (CJIS) background check as a routine procedure for all employees.Please make sure that you provide sufficient information on your application to show that you meet the qualifications for this recruitment. All information concerning your qualifications must be submitted by the closing date. Successful candidates will placed on an eligible list for at least one year.

State Of Maryland Benefits

Applicants must complete the MD State Government online application for employment and submit their professional resume. The application and resume must clearly demonstrate that the applicant satisfies the minimum qualifications for the position. Applications must be complete to be considered including all related job duties, even if those are also listed on an attached resume. Additional required materials may be uploaded with the online application, submitted to the fax number, or mailed to the address listed.

If you are unable to apply online, paper applications can be obtained from the link below and be faxed to View phone number on workus.org or mailed to MSDE Office of Human Resources, 200 W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD 21201. If there is a supplemental questionnaire, this must be completed and sent in with your paper application. Postmarks will not be accepted.

Inquiries can be made to View phone number on workus.org, TDD View phone number on workus.org. Appropriate accommodations can be made for individuals with disabilities. If you have difficulty with your user account or have general questions about this online application system, please contact the MD Department of Budget and Management, Recruitment and Examination Division at View phone number on workus.org. TTY Users: Call via Maryland Relay.

Proof of eligibility to work is required in compliance with the Immigration Reform and Control Act. Any misrepresentation of academic or experience requirements for this position may result in non-selection or termination of employment.

As an equal opportunity employer, Maryland is committed to recruiting, retaining, and promoting employees who are reflective of the State’s diversity. Individuals with disabilities and bilingual candidates are encouraged to apply. We thank our Veterans for their service to our country.

All application materials must be received in our office by the Closing Date.

Appropriate accommodations for individuals with disabilities are available upon request