Limited Period HOPE Senior Planner

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Department ofHealth and Human Services (DHHS)

Senior Planner

Opening Date:February 20 2026

Closing Date: March 5 2026

Job Class Code:0603

Grade: 25 (Professional and Technical Services)

Salary:$54412.80 $76315.20 per year

Position Number:20002-4875

Location: Central Office Augusta

-Limited Period Position-

Core Responsibilities:

The limited period HOPE Senior Planner position will assist with the administrative and operational functions that allow the Higher Opportunity for Pathways to Employment (HOPE) Programs development and implementation of Maines Rural Health Transformation Plan to engage and support student parents who will grow the rural healthcare workforce. This Senior Planner position will make professional-level decisions related to the interpretation and application of policy in order to serve Maine parents seeking post-secondary healthcare credentials. This HOPE position will interact with workforce development community partners and stakeholders. The position will monitor evaluate and contribute to the engagement and success of rural residents whose career goals are to be employed by healthcare providers that serve rural communities.

Additionally the HOPE Senior Planner will assist the Office for Family Independence in administering the HOPE Program which assists parents with low incomes with completion of training and education required to meet their employment goals. This position is responsible for assisting the HOPE Program Manager in day-to-day operations collection of program information and evaluation of the program. Strong interpersonal written communication and problem-solving skills are required. The ability to interact professionally with people engaged in post-secondary training and education pathways higher education faculty and staff community partners and stakeholders is crucial. A HOPE Senior Planner works in a collaborative team environment and should be able to work in a self-directed manner and be accountable for all assigned tasks.

Typical duties for these positions include:

Acting as a liaison between the Department and HOPE Program stakeholders.

Monitoring program procedures and processes for efficiency accuracy and overall service quality.

Evaluating information received from Department vendors.

Collecting and evaluating program applications and applying program rules to determine eligibility.

Administering issuance of program support services applying program rules.

Coordinating developing and providing program outreach training and ongoing policy interpretation to vendor staff and other stakeholders as needed.

Representing the Department at administrative hearings.

Coordinating data reporting internally and in coordination with Department vendors.

Overseeing quality quantity and effectiveness of services provided by program vendors.

Minimum Qualifications:

A Bachelors Degree in assigned area and four (4) years of related work experience. Equivalent related experience may be substituted for education on a year-for-year basis.

Work experience may include: the development delivery or administration of public sector eligibility healthcare or social service programs or comparable experience in a public administration legal business or education environment.

The background of well-qualified candidates will demonstrate the following competencies:

1.A proven aptitude for fostering collaborative relationships communicating regularly and respectfully documenting and reporting relevant information and practicing a high level of professionalism. A background working with families with low incomes is preferred.

ability to oversee the type nature and frequency of services delivered identify trends in service delivery evaluate program performance and help enhance practices and systems to maintain the mission integrity and efficiency of the program.

ability to identify assess and analyze statistical data and develop management reports summarizing program performance for state and federal reporting purposes and departmental decision making.

ability to balance competing priorities under tight deadlines employing exceptional organizational skills attention to detail and using strong professional writing ability to be an informative helpful point of contact for applicants participants vendors and/or stakeholders.

in Microsoft Excel Access and Word with a high level of expertise with Excel preferred including the ability to import query and visually present data.

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Agency information:

The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is dedicated to promoting health safety resilience and opportunity for Maine people. The Department provides health and social services to approximately a third of the States population including children families older Maine residents and individuals with disabilities mental illness and substance use disorders. The Department also promotes public health operates two state psychiatric hospitals and provides oversight to health care providers.

The Office for Family Independence (OFI) is responsible for administration of eligibility determination for a number of programs including MaineCare Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Food Supplement and Child Support.

Application Information:

For additional information about this position please contact Marcus Hatch Recruitment & Retention Specialist at 890-6810 or by email at

To apply please upload a resume cover letter and transcript (transcript needed only if education is used to meet the minimum qualifications).

Please submit all documents or files in PDF or Word format.

To request a paper application please contact

Benefits of working for the State of Maine:

No matter where you work across Maine state government you find employees who embody our state mottoDirigo or I leadas they provide essential services to Mainers every day. We believe in supporting our workforces health and wellbeing with a valuable total compensation package including:

• Work-Life Fit Rest is essential. Take time for yourself using13 paid holidays 12 days of sick leave and3 weeks of vacation leaveannually. Vacation leave accrual increases with years of service and overtime-exempt employees receive personal leave.
• Health Insurance Coverage The State of Maine pays85%-100%of employee-only premiums ($12845.82 - $15112.76 annual value) depending on salary. Use this chart to find thepremium costsfor you and your family including the percentage of dependent coverage paid by the State.
• Health Insurance Premium Credit Participation decreases employee-only premiums by 5%. Visit the Office of Employee Health and Wellness for more information aboutprogram requirements.
• Dental Insurance The State of Maine pays 100% of employee-only dental premiums ($395.72 annual value).
• Retirement Plan The State contributes the equivalent of 14.11% of the employees pay towards the Maine Public Employees Retirement System (MainePERS).
• Parental leaveis one of the most important benefits for any working parent. All employees who are welcoming a childincluding non-birthing and adoptive parentsreceivesix weeks of fully paid parental leave. Additional unpaid leave may also be available under theFamily and Medical Leave Act.

State employees are eligible for anextensive and highly competitive benefits package covering many aspects of wellness. Learn about additional wellness benefits for State employees from the Office of Employee Health and Wellness.

Note: Benefits may vary somewhat according to specific collective bargaining agreements and are prorated foranything less than full-time.

Theres a job and then theres purposeful transformative work. Our aim is to create a workplace where you can learn grow and continuously refine your skills. Applicants demonstrate job requirements in differing ways and we appreciate that many skills and backgrounds can make people successful in this role.

As an Equal Opportunity employer Maine State Government embraces a culture of respect and awareness. We are committed to creating a strong sense of belonging for all team members and our process ensures an inclusive environment to applicants of all backgrounds including diverse race color sex sexual orientation or gender identity physical or mental disability religion age ancestry national origin familial status or genetics.

If youre looking for a great next step and want to feel good about what you do wed love to hear from you. Please note reasonable accommodations are provided to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request.

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If you are unable to complete the online application please contact the Human Resources representative listed on the job opening you are interested in applying for. They will work with you for an alternative method of submitting.