Job Description

Requisition No: 868478

Agency: Children and Families

Working Title: REGION PROGRAM DIRECTOR - CP - 60002910

Pay Plan: SES

Position Number: 60002910

Salary: Current Employees will be compensated in accordance with the DCF Salary Policy.

Posting Closing Date: 01/30/2026

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Region Program Director - CP (Child Protection Director)

Department of Children and Families

Central Region

Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Marion, Sumter, Orange, Osceola, Hardee, Highlands, Polk, Brevard, and Seminole Counties

Open Competitive

This is an executive level leadership position tasked with leading the Central Region Child Protective Investigations Program (Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Marion, Sumter, Orange, Osceola, Hardee, Highlands, Polk, Brevard, and Seminole Counties). This position will serve at the direction of the Statewide Director of Child Protection in the Office of Child and Family Well-Being. This position will require travel throughout the Central region directing regional CPI operations, with occasional statewide travel.

REQUIREMENTS

Essential Job Functions: The Regional Child Protection Director is the operations lead for each region and manages the Child Protective Investigations Services processes in a manner necessary to fulfill all plans, goals, processes, standards, and performance indicators. The position is responsible for focusing on service delivery, operational improvement, industrialization, efficiency, and quality client service. This is advanced professional work supervising and directing employees. The primary duty of the incumbent in this position is to spend the majority of their time communicating with, motivating, training, and evaluating employees, planning and directing their work; and having the authority to effectively recommend actions such as: hire, transfer, suspend, layoff, promote, discharge, assign, and reward or discipline direct reports. Evaluates employees against established standards and takes appropriate actions when necessary (i.e. recognition, reward, corrective action, etc.).

• Through the authority of the Statewide Director of Protection and Safety, supervises and oversees the day-to-day management and administration of all regional Child Protective Investigations programs.
• Ensures the administration of all service programs are carried out in conformity with statewide services plans and all other policies and guidelines established by the Office of Child and Family Well-Being.
• Coordinates with the Director of Protection and Safety and Regional Community Directors to assure that service delivery is consistent with applicable law, rules, policy, and procedure.
• Implements Departmental rules and procedures, ensuring staff are provided training regarding Department procedures and rules, and conducts reviews of staff compliance with rules and procedures.
• Identifies and assesses local needs and approves local systems of care.
• Coordinates the services provided by the Department in the Region with those of other public and privates agencies.
• Conducts routine analyses on state and federal performance indicators for the program areas under the direct responsibility of department staff and submits plans to the Office of Child and Family Well-Being for improvement initiatives.
• Conducts routine analyses to ensure that all services delivered by all Family and Community Services programs, regardless of whether those services are under direct Department control or delivered through a contracted vendor, are meeting established program performance standards and goals, including those standards that apply to the Office of Child and Family Well-being, and submit all findings and any resulting improvement plans or improvement initiatives to the Director of Protection and Safety.
• Oversees all quality assurance and ongoing continual quality improvement initiatives under the responsibility of regional department staff or required through vendor contract requirements for the program areas of assignment and routinely apprise the Director of Protection and Safety.
• Partners with the Regional Community Directors to identify gaps in service delivery models and develop action plans to respond and track the corrective measures taken.
• Ensures that all regional Family and Community Services staff is properly trained on all federal and state statutory requirements as well as all applicable rules, policies and procedures while ensuring ongoing staff compliance through regularly scheduled reviews and evaluations.
• In coordination with the Regional Community Director develops and strengthens local private and interagency partnerships to improve the delivery of services while addressing local service needs.
• In coordination with the Regional Community Director engages in proactive media relations while maintaining a positive working relationship with all local media outlets.
• Coordinates workforce needs with the Director of Protection and Safety to maintain operational integrity within available budget for the program areas under assignment.
• Implements and executes emergency planning activities for the program and geographical areas under assignment.
• Assists the Director of Protection and Safety and the Office of Child and Family Well-being in all ongoing initiatives that ensure the continued advancement of the Strategic Vision throughout communities.
• Handles special projects as assigned by the Director of Protection and Safety.

Educational RequirementsBachelor’s Degree, preference given to individuals who also possess active child welfare certification

Work Experience Requirements: 5+ years’ experience in child welfare (preference given to those with CPI specific experience), with at least 2 years’ experience in a leadership role

Software Proficiency: Microsoft Office applications, Florida Safe Families Network (FSFN)

The State of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer, and does not tolerate discrimination or violence in the workplace.

Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority and/or People First Service Center (1-866-663-4735). Notification to the hiring authority must be made in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.

The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with Section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act.