188-26 Assistant Division Director

DEFINITION: Under the direction of a Division Director, Deputy Director, or other senior official in a state department or agency, directs the staff and activities of an operational unit responsible for providing general administrative and/or fiscal management, program policy and planning services, or delivering a variety of social, medical, assistance, health care, and other services to a specific client population; does other related duties as required. 

ROLE SUMMARY: Under the leadership of the Director of Data Management & Reporting, the incumbent will lead NJ DCF’s enterprise data platform, governance, and analytics enablement so DCF staff, providers, and partners can rely on well-governed, secure, and timely data to improve outcomes for children and families. The Assistant Director implements the cloud data strategy (Azure and/or AWS), supports pragmatic data governance, and manages a multidisciplinary technical team while partnering closely with program leadership to deliver high-value data products, reporting, and research support. This leader is expected to be hands-on when needed—capable of prototyping, reviewing code, troubleshooting pipelines, and guiding engineers through complex incidents while maintaining high standards for security, privacy, and compliance.

KEY RESPONSIBILTIES: 

Strategic & Roadmap Leadership 

• Play an active role in implementing NJ DCF’s Information Management Strategy Roadmap. 

• Translate business needs into technical roadmaps and manage intake and prioritization. 

• Advise leadership on the impact of federal/state statutory changes. 

• Develop and implement business‑first processes for program management and data management capabilities.

Platform Architecture, Operations & Reliability 

• Own the architecture, delivery, and optimization of DCF’s cloud data lake/warehouse, including orchestration, CI/CD, monitoring, security, and cost management. 

• Champion observability, documentation, and change management across the data ecosystem. 

• Oversee data integration processes to facilitate seamless data flow between systems and applications. 

• Establish data privacy policies and implement disaster recovery and business continuity strategies to ensure organizational data protection.

Governance, Quality, Compliance & Security 

• Participate in governance committees, support implementation of data policies, steward roles, and compliance standards. 

• Implement and maintain an enterprise data catalog and a data quality program with clear SLA. 

• Facilitate implementation of data governance policies and procedures to ensure the accuracy, reliability, and security of data across the organization. 

• Ensure compliance with federal/state mandates and internal policies. 

• Leverage reporting tools to track data quality, usage trends, and KPIs for data products, ensuring actionable insights for stakeholders.

Data Products, Analytics & AI Enablement 

• Design reusable data products for reporting, dashboards, statutory submissions, and research partnerships. 

• Guide responsible use of AI and automation with applicable safeguards. Leadership, Team Management & Stakeholder Engagement 

• Lead, develop, and mentor a technical team of engineers, data modelers, and stewards. • Manage performance evaluations and operational functions for assigned staff. • Build and maintain a positive, inclusive work environment. 

• Support vendor selection, contract oversight, and delivery standards. 

• Represent DMR and DCF in meetings, conferences, and stakeholder engagements. 

General Responsibilities 

• Perform additional duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree in information systems, computer science, engineering, or related field (Master’s preferred). 

• 10+ years in data engineering/analytics/platform roles, including 5+ years managing technical teams. 

• Hands-on experience with Azure/AWS cloud data platforms; strong SQL and Python skills. 

• Experience with CI/CD and Infrastructure-as-Code. 

• Knowledge of AI/ML concepts and responsible AI practices. 

• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills. 

• Experience in data management, business intelligence and analytics environments is required. 

• Experience across product life cycles (emerging, launch, in-line, mature) is preferred. 

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Familiarity with regulatory reporting processes and prior experience working in a highly regulated environment. 

• Demonstrated experience in governance including catalog/lineage and data quality. 

• Knowledge of open data programs and API-based data exchange. 

• Experience with modern data stack components such as Databricks, Spark, dbt, Terraform, and containerization/orchestration frameworks (e.g., Docker/Kubernetes). 

• Experience in software development, including an understanding of programming concepts and the logic flow of applications, is preferred.

NOTE: Applicants are required to submit a completed State of New Jersey Application (DPF-663.pdf) for Employment with their resume at the time of application. Failure to do so will result in disqualification for this position.

REQUIREMENTS: 

Applicants must meet one of the following or a combination of both experience and education. Thirty (30) semester hour credits are equal to one (1) year of relevant experience. 

Ten (10) years of professional experience in a public or private organization involved in programs providing either social/community, medical/health, rehabilitation/education, or vocational/occupational services to a specific client population (physical, intellectual, or developmental disability, juvenile offenders, socially/economically disadvantaged, etc.), three (3) years of which shall have been in a supervisory capacity. 

OR

Ten (10) years of professional experience as an administrator responsible for planning, budgets, and administration of programs in a large public or private agency, three (3) years of which shall have been in a supervisory capacity. 

OR 

Possession of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university; and six (6) years of the above-mentioned professional experience, three (3) years of which shall have been in a supervisory capacity. 

OR 

Possession of a master’s degree from an accredited college or university in a field relevant to the position; and five (5) years of the above-mentioned professional experience, three (3) years of which shall have been in a supervisory capacity. 

“Professional experience” refers to work that is creative, analytical, evaluative, and interpretive; requires a range and depth of specialized knowledge of the profession’s principles, concepts, theories, and practices; and is performed with the authority to act according to one’s own judgment and make accurate and informed decisions.

RESUME NOTE: Eligibility determinations will be based upon information presented on the resume only. Applicants who possess a degree from a college or university outside the United States must provide an evaluation of one’s transcripts from a recognized evaluation service at the time of submission by the above closing date. Failure to do so may result in your ineligibility.
 

LICENSE: Appointees will be required to possess a driver's license valid in New Jersey only if the operation of a vehicle, rather than employee mobility, is necessary to perform the essential duties of the position.

                                              IMPORTANT NOTICES 

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS: The Department of Children and Families provides many employee benefits, including but not limited to: 

• Alternative Workweek Program* 

• Deferred Compensation 

• Health, Dental and Life Insurance 

• Flexible and Health Spending Accounts 

• Pension 

• Telework* 

• Public Service Loan Forgiveness 

• Benefit Leave (Vacation, Sick, Administrative Leave) 

• 13 Paid Holidays 

*Pursuant to Department policy, procedures and/or guidelines

PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS: As a prospective employee of the State of New Jersey, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website at https://studentaid.gov/pslf/.

SAME APPLICANTS: If you are applying under the NJ “SAME” program, you must submit any of the supporting documentation specified in N.J.S.A. 11A:7-13.3 along with your resume by the closing date indicated above.

UNIT SCOPE: Any appointments made from postings which involve movement between unit scopes may result in a forfeiture of rights to any promotional list in a former unit scope. A complete list of DCF unit scopes can be found here: https://www.nj.gov/dcf/documents/about/employment/dcf/DCF_UNIT_SCOPE_LIST.pdf

RESIDENCY: Effective 9/1/11, NJ PL 70 (NJ First Act), requires all State employees to reside in New Jersey, unless exempted under the law, or current employees who live out-of-state and do not have a break-in service of more than 7 calendar days, as they are “grandfathered.” New employees or current employees who were not grandfathered and who live out-of-state have one year after the date of employment to relocate their residence to New Jersey or request an exemption. Current employees who reside in NJ must retain NJ residency, unless he/she obtains an exemption. Employees who fail to meet the residency requirements or obtain an exemption will be removed from employment.

AUTHORIZATION TO WORK: Selected candidates must be authorized to work in the United States according to the Department of Homeland Security, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Regulations. This position does not offer visa sponsorship now or in the future.