Working Title: Strategic Program Analysis Manager
Job Class: State Program Administrator, Manager
Agency: Department of Employment and Economic Development

• Who May Apply: Open to all qualified job seekers
• Date Posted: 03/01/2024
• Closing Date: 03/21/2024
• Hiring Agency/Seniority Unit: Employ & Econ Development Dept / Employ & Econ Dev -Managerial
• Division/Unit: Paid Family & Medical Leave / PFML-Management
• Work Shift/Work Hours: Day Shift
• Days of Work: Monday - Friday
• Travel Required: Yes, up to 20% of the time
• Salary Range: $38.53 - $55.69 / hourly; $80,450 - $116,280 / annually
• Classified Status: Classified
• Bargaining Unit/Union: 220 - Manager/Unrepresented
• FLSA Status: Exempt - Executive
• Telework Eligible: Yes, may be eligible to telework up to four (4) days per week
• Designated in Connect 700 Program for Applicants with Disabilities: Yes

Make a difference in the lives of Minnesotans.

The work you’ll do is more than just a job. Join the talented, engaged and inclusive workforce dedicated to creating a better Minnesota.

The Manager of Strategic Program Analysis will report to the Chief Strategy Officer and will be responsible for building and leading a team of analysts at the intersection of policy development and business analysis. This position will serve as the first Strategic Program Analysis team member and co-create the function with senior leadership in the division. The Manager of Strategic Program Analysis will support the evolution of a team dedicated to making policy easy to understand for various audiences – ensuring consistent understanding inside and outside the division.

The Manager of Strategic Program Analysis serves an important integration role – bridging the gap between what the law requires and what our users need. The Manager will work closely with partners within and outside of state government to ensure our program is compliant with the enabling statute and responsive to the needs of our partners. They will ensure this through policy analysis, rulemaking, and clear documentation of key business decisions and processes.

This position will have the opportunity to build out a team of analysts to support this work. They will work closely with the rest of the Strategy team to meet people where they are, understand their needs, and use that understanding to ensure the program is easy to use and effective. This team will also collaborate with others within the Paid Leave division to ensure consistency in policy interpretation and operational decision-making. This role is an exciting opportunity to develop deep subject matter expertise in the Paid Leave program and make a positive impact in the lives of many Minnesotans.

About Paid Leave:

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 serious health condition that prevents a person from working or when someone needs 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 what they need. 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. Our aim is to deliver a service that delights Minnesotans.

Key Responsibilities:

• This position will build out the vision for the Strategic Program Analysis Team, including setting goals and objectives and designing the organization to best serve the needs of the division. The position will then execute the vision, iterating as necessary, to bring the work to fruition and drive the desired outcomes, ensuring clear policy, strong implementation, and meeting needs for partners and the public.

• Develop program policy, conduct research, and document evidence, decisions, processes, user stories, and requirements to serve product team(s), experience owners, IT partners, and the rest of the division, bringing policy expertise and business/program analysis across division initiatives.

• Support rulemaking/regulatory and legislative processes through clear documentation of policy issues, ensuring the program is well-defined for all partners, in keeping with administration’s intent, of best service to Minnesotans, and that barriers to implementation are mitigated.

• Build, mentor, and manage a high-performing Strategic Program Analysis team that nurtures a customer-driven culture fostering innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement to drive success.

Minimum Qualifications

To receive credit for your education and experience, your resume should clearly describe how you meet each minimum and/or preferred qualification listed, includingdates of employment.

Three (3) years* of experience in program policy development, conducting research and documenting evidence, decisions, processes, user stories, and requirements

AND

One (1) year managing teams to meet the organization's expectations for productivity, quality, or goal accomplishment.

• Bachelor's degree in: Public Policy, Political Science, Economics, Information Technology, Computer Science, Business Analytics, Data Analytics, 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; PhD substitutes for twenty-four (24) months of experience

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

Skills in advanced analysis sufficient to conduct public policy and program analysis, business process analysis for complex policy and program issues.

Experience with rulemaking, sufficient to lead aspects of the rulemaking process on behalf of the division, and/or legislative processes, procedural and political, sufficient to participate in and direct legislative and policy engagement.

Skills in technical business analysis skills sufficient to translate program and policy requirements to user stories and other artifacts to communicate effectively with vendors, product teams and IT partners.

Ability to plan, budget, organize, supervise, and coordinate programs and personnel, to delegate, fix accountability, measure progress, evaluate results and to initiate improvements.

Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with employees and the public, communicating effectively between a diverse set of internal stakeholders.

Incumbent must maintain valid driver's license, & insurance, OR have other reliable transportation.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience working in a start-up environment where solution-oriented problem solving is needed for uncertain and non-routine questions while applying the interpretation of law, understanding of agreements, policies, and judgement of future difficulties.

Knowledge of Agile methodology and product development sufficient to immediately engage effectively in product development and on Agile teams.

Knowledge of service design and human-centered design approaches.

Knowledge of political sensitivity and awareness sufficient to advice program leadership on best path forward and potential pitfalls for policy, statutory, and regulatory work.

Experience using and interpreting data obtained from multiple sources and interpret information to non-policy/analysis-oriented positions.

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

This position requires successful completion of the following:

Resumes of all applicants to this posting will be evaluated against the Minimum Qualifications stated above. If your skills match the required skills for this position, the department may contact you. Employee reference checks will be conducted on all finalists. This may include a review of documentation related to job performance and education. It includes contact with the applicant's current and/or former employers

A Federal Background Check will be conducted on all finalists for this position. A criminal conviction will not automatically remove you from consideration for employment.

When the position requires travel and the applicant drives a state owned or leased vehicle, a driver's license record check will be conducted.

Must be legally authorized to work in country of employment without sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H1B status).

How to Apply

Select “Apply for Job” at the top of this page. If you have questions about applying for jobs, contact the job information line at 651-259-3637 or email careers@state.mn.us. For additional information about the application process, go to http://www.mn.gov/careers.

If you have questions about the position, contact Tim High at tim.high@state.mn.us.

To receive consideration as a Connect 700 Program applicant, apply online, email the Job ID#, the Working Title and your valid Proof of Eligibility Certificate by the closing date to Talent Acquisition at talent.acquisition.deed@state.mn.us.

The Department of Employment and Economic Development is an equal opportunity, affirmative action, and veteran-friendly employer, and encourages all qualified candidates to apply for job opportunities. If you are an individual with a disability who needs assistance or cannot access the online job application and search tools, please contact Karen Lilledahl at Karen.Lilledahl@state.mn.us. Please indicate what assistance is needed.

Why Work for Us

Diverse Workforce

We are committed to continually developing a workforce that reflects the diversity of our state and the populations we serve. The varied experiences and perspectives of employees strengthen the work we do together and our ability to best serve the people of Minnesota.

A recent engagement survey of State of Minnesota employees found:

• 95% of employees understand how their work helps achieve their agency’s mission
• 91% of employees feel trusted to do their jobs
• 88% of employees feel equipped to look at situations from other cultural perspectives when doing their job
• 87% of employees report flexibility in their work schedule

Comprehensive Benefits

Our benefits aim to balance four key elements that make life and work meaningful: health and wellness, financial well-being, professional development, and work/life harmony. As an employee, your benefits may include:

• Public pension plan
• Training and professional development
• Paid vacation and sick leave
• 11 paid holidays each year
• Paid parental leave
• Low-cost medical and dental coverage
• Prescription drug coverage
• Vision coverage
• Wellness programs and resources
• Employer paid life insurance
• Short-term and long-term disability
• Health care spending and savings accounts
• Dependent care spending account
• Tax-deferred compensation
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Tuition reimbursement
• Federal Public Service Student Loan Forgiveness Program

Programs, resources and benefits eligibility varies based on type of employment, agency, funding availability, union/collective bargaining agreement, location, and length of service with the State of Minnesota.

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Minnesota state agencies are equal opportunity, affirmative action, and veteran-friendly employers. The State of Minnesota recognizes that a diverse workforce is essential and strongly encourages qualified women, minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans to apply.

We will make reasonable accommodations 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 careers@state.mn.us and indicate what assistance is needed.