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Working Title: Deputy Chief Operating Officer

Job Class: State Program Administrator, Manager Senior

Agency: Department of Employment and Economic Development

+ **Job ID** : 87887

+ **Location** : St. Paul

+ **Telework Eligible** : Yes, may be eligible for some telework

+ **Full/Part Time** : Full-Time

+ **Regular/Temporary** : Unlimited

+ **Who May Apply** : Open to all qualified job seekers

+ **Date Posted** : 07/30/2025

+ **Closing Date** : 08/19/2025

+ **Hiring Agency/Seniority Unit** : Department of Employment and Economic Development / Managerial

+ **Division/Unit** : Paid Family & Medical Leave

+ **Work Shift/Work Hours** : Day Shift

+ **Days of Work** : Monday - Friday

+ **Travel Required** : No

+ **Salary Range:** $43.38 - $62.41 / hourly; $90,577 - $130,312 / annually

+ **Classified Status** : Classified

+ **Bargaining Unit/Union** : 220 - Manager/Unrepresented

+ **FLSA Status** : Exempt - Executive

+ Designated in Connect 700 Program for Applicants with Disabilities (https://mn.gov/mmb/careers/diverse-workforce/people-with-disabilities/connect700/) : Yes

The work you'll do is more than just a job.

At the State of Minnesota, employees play a critical role in developing policies, providing essential services, and working to improve the well-being and quality of life for all Minnesotans. The State of Minnesota is committed to equity and inclusion, and invests in employees by providing benefits, support resources, and training and development opportunities.

About the Paid Leave Division:

Paid Leave is a new program launching in 2026. The program will provide partial wage replacement to Minnesota workers who are out of work due to a qualifying condition, such as a severe health condition that prevents them from working, or when they need time to care for a family member or a new child.

We are building a program that will be easy for every Minnesotan to use. We are engaging the people who depend on us—workers, employers, caregivers, and insurers—to learn from them and build the program around their needs. We are using modern service delivery and product practices to deliver the program.

The Paid Leave team has high standards and an unrelenting commitment to serving Minnesotans. It is a start-up environment without legacy systems or preconceived ways of working, so we have a unique opportunity to create human-centric processes and systems to deliver this new benefit to Minnesotans.

Position Purpose

We’re looking for an experienced operations leader to serve as the Deputy Chief Operating Officer - second-in-command for Paid Leave’s operations team. This role will oversee the design, implementation, and day-to-day execution of all back-office functions critical to our program’s success.

Key Responsibilities

Lead and guide the following operational areas with excellence, equity, and precision:

+ **Payments:** Ensure timely and accurate delivery of daily benefits payments, fulfilling our commitment to Minnesotans.

+ **Accounts Receivable:** Oversee funds management, including daily money movement, collections, and tax reporting for the program.

+ **Employer Services:** Manage the adjudication of equivalent plan and seasonal employer applications.

+ **Fraud Prevention, Investigation & Recoveries:** Direct efforts to detect, investigate, and recover benefits lost to fraudulent activity.

+ **Controls & Compliance:** Develop and maintain a robust internal control framework to prevent errors, fraud, and abuse. Ensure full compliance with legislation and state regulations.

+ **Analytics:** Empower operations teams with actionable data and performance insights to foster accountability and improvement.

+ **Product Liaison:** Collaborate with the Deputy Product Officer to align operational processes with system design, ensuring a seamless launch and service experience.

This position will be based out of the St. Paul office.

This position is telework (https://mn.gov/mmb-stat/policies/1422-telework.pdf) eligible. Staff are provided with the tools and equipment to be successful in a virtual work environment. Please note, the telework policy could change with notice based on business needs.

Minimum Qualifications

Please ensure that your resume clearly describes your experience in the areas listed and indicates the beginning and ending month and year for each job held. Only applicants whose resumes clearly demonstrate fulfillment of each of these minimum qualifications will be considered for this position.

Four (4) years* of experience in a leadership position overseeing transactional payment processes at scale, with two (2) of those years in a program integrity position, program audit leadership position, or other closely related position as determined by the agency.

*Bachelor's degree in Public Policy, Business, Finance/Accounting, or other closely related field as determined by the agency may substitute one (1) year of experience; master’s degree substitutes for eighteen (18) months of experience.

Applicants that meet the above minimum qualification will be further evaluated on the following:

+ Experience leading an operation at scale.

+ Experience in strategic planning and leadership, with the ability to navigate ambiguity and drive results in fast-paced environments (e.g., start-up or entrepreneur).

+ Experience in process design and management.

+ Ability to develop a measurement plan with clear metrics and scorecards to accurately depict business processes health and direct your attention to top priorities.

+ Experience working with internal and external stakeholders/partnersbuilding trust across cross-functional teams.

Preferred Qualifications

+ Experience partnering with Product Managers to translate visions into functional and technical requirements.

+ Experience in problem solving and translating findings into Continuous Improvement projects to prevent/reduce errors, fraud, and abuse.

+ Ability to work in a start-up environment where roles will evolve over time based on the needs of the organization.

+ Experience with internal controls, quality assurance, compliance, or program auditing.

+ Knowledge relating to detecting and preventing organized fraud.

Our employees are dedicated to ensuring cultural responsiveness. Preferred candidates will have a variety of experiences working effectively with others from different backgrounds and cultures.

Additional Requirements

A job offer will be contingent upon successfully passing a background check. The background check may consist of the following components:

+ Criminal Background Check

+ Employment Records Check (current and former State employees only)

+ Employment Reference Check

+ Conflict of Interest Review

+ Driver’s License and Records Check

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development will not sponsor applicants for work visas. All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the U.S.

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Minnesota State Colleges and Universities is an Equal Opportunity employer/educator committed to the principles of diversity. We prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their race, sex, color, creed, religion, age, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or membership in a local commission as defined by law. As an affirmative action employer, we actively seek and encourage applications from women, minorities, persons with disabilities, and individuals with protected veteran status.

Reasonable accommodations will be made to all qualified applicants with disabilities. If you are an individual with a disability who needs assistance or cannot access the online job application system, please contact the job information line at 651-259-3637 or email [email protected] . Please indicate what assistance is needed.