Executive Director of Child Care Operations (Director of Department of Education)

Introduction

The Maryland State Department of Education is dedicated to supporting a world-class educational system that prepares all students for college and career success in the 21st century. With excellent stewardship from our divisions, we oversee State and federal programs that support the needs of a diverse population â students, teachers, principals, and other educators throughout Maryland.

GRADE

State Salary Grade 25

Salary Range: $120,722 - $190,376Â

• State Salary Guidelines apply for current State employees.

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STATE OF MARYLAND BENEFITS

LOCATION OF POSITION

Nancy S. Grasmick Education Building

200 West Baltimore Street

Baltimore, MD 21201

Main Purpose of Job

The Executive Director (ED) of the Child Care Operations Bureau (CCOB) provides statewide leadership, strategic direction, and operational oversight for Marylandâs Child Care Licensing (CCL) and Child Care Scholarship (CCS) programs. The ED ensures statewide consistency, equity, responsiveness, and high-quality customer service for families, child care providers, and community partners. The ED oversees all regulatory, operational, policy, fiscal, and workforce components of the Bureau while driving modernization, customer-centered service delivery, and continuous improvement aligned with the Office of Early Childhoodâs strategic vision.

A core responsibility of the ED is leading a comprehensive statewide restructuring of the Child Care Licensing system to improve responsiveness, reduce the time needed to license new programs, strengthen provider capacity-building, and modernize operations. This includes evaluating national models, designing a dual-director structure (inspections/compliance and capacity-building/technical assistance), and implementing a data-driven, evidence-based, user-centered design process involving regional offices, licensing staff, unions, providers, Child Care Resource Centers (CCRCs), and interest holders. The ED ensures alignment with HB 477 (2025), which directs MSDE to analyze and propose updates to child care licensing rulesâcovering staffing, ratios, physical standards, profitability, and cross-state benchmarksâwith interim and final reports due in 2026.Â

While the ED does not oversee IT systems directly, they work in continuous partnership with the Executive Director of Finance and IT Systems to ensure that CCOBâs business requirements, data needs, workflows, and user experiences inform the design, procurement, enhancement, and implementation of IT systems that support licensing and scholarship operations. Â

The ED ensures CCS program operations meet federal Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) compliance expectations and collaborates with the CCS Director and the ED of Finance and IT Systems to strengthen processes, improve data use, enhance payment accuracy, and reduce improper payments. The ED serves as MSDEâs lead for monthly statewide child care provider meetings, ensuring transparency, feedback, and partnership.Â

As a key member of the Office of Early Childhood leadership team, the ED leads statewide efforts to ensure safe, developmentally supportive, and high-quality child care for all Maryland children while improving outcomes for families and child care providers.

POSITION DUTIES

Provides statewide executive leadership for CCOB to ensure unified, consistent implementation of licensing and scholarship operations.

• Leads Bureau participation in statewide initiatives including the CCDF State Plan, Preschool Development Grant (PDG), Blueprint for Marylandâs Future, COMAR modernization, and HB 477 alignment.
• Develops annual Bureau and Branch workplans with KPIs tied to inspection timeliness, licensing throughput, provider capacity-building, scholarship processing timelines, payment accuracy, and customer service · Directs the use of evidence-based operational practices such as risk-based monitoring, efficient licensing pathways, and improved provider business supports.
• Ensures coordinated work across CCRCs and Local Early Childhood Advisory Council (LECACs) to assess local child care needs, support provider start-up and expansion, and strengthen early childhood infrastructure.
• Oversees operational and fiscal management of CCOB contracts, grants, procurements, and vendor relationships with strong internal controls.
• Leads data-driven continuous improvement initiatives using Lean processes, human-centered design, and real-time feedback from staff and providers.
• Ensures compliance with state laws, federal regulations, fiscal policies, audit requirements, and proactive risk management.
• Leads the statewide restructuring of the Child Care Licensing system, designing and implementing a modern dual-director model to support health and safety inspections, compliance, provider capacity-building, technical assistance, and root-cause resolution for non-compliance.
• Leads statewide communication on child care licensing, CCS, regulatory changes, and operational updates.Â
• Incorporates user experience and customer-centered design principles into Bureau operations through structured feedback loops with families, providers, and staff.
• Serves as the primary liaison with CCRCs to align technical assistance, provider training, business supports, and recruitment/retention initiatives with statewide goals.
• Ensures consistent implementation and interpretation of child care licensing and scholarship policies statewide.Â
• Leads modernization of CCS and licensing regulations (COMAR), including HB 477 implementation and related stakeholder engagement and change management.
• Directs data-informed monitoring and evaluation systems to track inspection timeliness, compliance trends, licensing throughput, CCS processing, fiscal integrity, and provider capacity.
• Leads statewide communication on child care licensing, CCS, regulatory changes, and operational updates.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION: Bachelorâs degree from an accredited college or university in Public Administration, Business Administration, Education, Early Childhood Education, Human Services, Community Engagement, Social Work, Public Policy, Organizational Leadership, or a related field.

EXPERIENCE: Five (5) years of progressively responsible management experience in early childhood education, childcare administration, human services, regulatory operations, public administration, or a related field -and- At least five (5) years of senior-level leadership experience overseeing multiple programs, divisions, or operational units with responsibility for strategic planning, policy implementation, fiscal management, and workforce supervision.

DESIRED OR PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Preference will be given to applicants who possess the following preferred qualification(s). Please include clear and specific information on your application regarding your qualifications.

Experience:

• Experience leading statewide childcare licensing, childcare subsidy/scholarship, early childhood education, or regulatory compliance programs.
• Experience implementing large-scale organizational restructuring, business process redesign, or operational modernization initiatives.Â
• Experience designing and implementing customer-centered service delivery models, human-centered design strategies, or Lean process improvement methodologies.
• Experience overseeing childcare licensing systems, inspections, compliance monitoring, technical assistance, provider capacity-building, or quality improvement initiatives.Â
• Experience developing or revising regulations, policies, or administrative rules, including stakeholder engagement and change management processes.Â
• Experience administering federal grant-funded programs, including Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), Preschool Development Grants (PDG), or similar federally funded initiatives.
• Experience with organizational readiness for regulatory reviews, licensing inspections, and funding-related monitoring.Â
• Experience presenting policy recommendations, legislative analyses, or operational reports to executive leadership, governing boards, or legislative bodies.Â
• Experience managing large-scale, interdependent operational programs involving regulatory compliance, service delivery, grants, contracts, or public benefit programs.
• Experience managing budgets, contracts, procurements, and fiscal accountability processes.
• Experience collaborating with diverse stakeholders, including government agencies, community organizations, service providers, advocacy groups, and the public.Â

    Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:Â

• Extensive knowledge of childcare licensing regulations, subsidy administration, early childhood systems, and national best practices in regulatory modernization.
• Knowledge of state and federal early childhood funding streams, fiscal accountability requirements, and program integrity standards.
• Skill in leading complex, statewide change initiatives involving multiple stakeholder groups and competing priorities.
• Ability to build consensus among diverse stakeholder groups while maintaining accountability for outcomes.
• Ability to drive innovation, operational excellence, and customer-focused service delivery across a statewide organization.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

Applicants must consent to State and FBI (CJIS) background check as a routine procedure for all employees.

SELECTION PROCESS

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 be ranked as Best Qualified, Better Qualified, or Qualified. The resulting list of qualified candidates will be in effect for at least one year.

BENEFITS

STATE OF MARYLAND BENEFITS

FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS

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 410-333-8950 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.Â

Inquiries can be made to 410-767-0019, TDD 410-333-3045. 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 410-767-4850. 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 Stateâs diversity. Individuals with disabilities and bilingual candidates are encouraged to apply. We thank our Veterans for their service to our country.Â

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

Appropriate accommodations for individuals with disabilities are available upon request.