Early Care & Education Product Manager

Working Title: Early Care & Education Product Manager

Job Class: State Program Administrator Coordinator

Agency: Children Youth & Families Dept

• Job ID: will update once received
• Location: St. Paul
• Telework Eligible: Yes
• Full/Part Time: Full-time
• Regular/Temporary: Temporary
• Who May Apply: Open to all qualified job seekers. 
• Date Posted: 5/24/25
• Closing Date: 6/16/25
• Hiring Agency/Seniority Unit: Children, Youth, and Families Dept/DCYF Central Office
• Division/Unit: DCYF/Early Childhood/ Child Care Services
• Work Shift: Day Shift
• Work Hours: 8:00am - 4:30pm
• Days of Work: Monday - Friday
• Travel Required: No
• Bargaining Unit/Union: 214 – MAPE
• FLSA Status: Admin Exempt
• Designated in Connect 700 Program for Applicants with Disabilities: Yes

The Department of Children, Youth, and Families is unable to provide sponsorship for work visas. Applicants must be eligible to work in the United States at the start of employment. DCYF does not participate in E-Verify.

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.

In the 2023 legislative session, the Governor’s Office, Minnesota legislature, and leaders for children and families worked in partnership to pass legislation establishing the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) to create a sustainable, public face for children’s issues in state government. This new cabinet-level agency brings together programs centered on children and families, including child care and early learning, child support, child safety and permanency, economic support and food assistance, and youth opportunity. Formerly a part of the Department of Human Services, the new Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) Agency became effective on July 1, 2024.

Job Summary

***Employees may generally telework up to 50% of their scheduled workdays in a month. Employees that live 50 miles or more from their permanent/principal work location and live within the State or a county bordering the State may telework more than 50% with approval. ***

***This position is temporary and includes full state fringe benefits; the position is expected to last up to 2 years.***

The Early Care and Education Product Manager will channel the voice of the customer and human-centered design principles in development of solutions aligned with Develop and a learning management system using a product-centric operating model that incorporates Agile and DevOps principles. They will lead the comprehensive and technical administration of early care and education workforce credentialling and quality rating product(s) and build internal capacity around new ways of working, coordinate partner engagement and communication, harmonize the effort with other cross-agency modernization initiatives and enterprise frameworks, and drive change management and training development. They will strategically align work between the divisions of Child Care Services and Early Learning at the Department of Children, Youth and Families, and Early Education Division at the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) and work collaboratively with cross-agency program staff, MNIT staff, local-level grantees and program staff, MDE Early Learning Services, and contractors.

Responsibilities include:  

• Support products developed to track career achievements, through lattice, learning management, training, and coaching.
• Conduct a discovery process and establishing a project charter inclusive of goals and objectives, as well as direct the activities of consultants, project leaders and other staff at all levels.
• Develop and conduct training sessions for internal and external and external personnel, monitor compliance of system users and evaluate policies and procedures for program administration.
• Channel the voice of the customer and human-centered design principles in development of future solutions related to workforce credentialling using a product-centric operating model that incorporates Agile and DevOps principles.
• Lead the Early Care and Education Workforce Credential and Quality Rating to Product Transformation effort and build internal capacity around this new way of working, coordinate stakeholder engagement and communication, harmonize with other modernization initiatives and enterprise frameworks at DCYF and MDE, and drive change management and training development.
• Coordinate all data planning and migration efforts, drive Early Care and Education Workforce Credential and Quality Rating Product development decisions based on strategic analytics needs, and identify and champion cross-product integration, synchronization, and alignment to strengthen the Early Childhood Administration’s ability to make data-driven decisions that improve mission outcomes and produce better cross-administration collaboration and program results.
• Pursue gaining knowledge to continue product ownership, as well as actively participating in team efforts.

Minimum Qualifications:

**To facilitate proper crediting, please ensure that your resume clearly describes your experience in the areas listed and indicates the beginning and ending month, day and year for each job held.**

Four (4) years’ professional experience in leading product management and/or systems/application management. Experience must demonstrate:

• Leading at least one large scale product or service through successful delivery.
• Lead high-quality product development using an agile methodology - iteratively improving products through delivery cycle.
• Ability to interpret and leverage user research, user testing, and data analytics to make and validate product decisions.
• Identifying business requirements for existing or future products and creating and presenting business documents.
• Strong written and verbal communications skills sufficient to develop and deliver presentations to internal and external stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience strategically leading and managing highly politicized relationships with internal and external stakeholders and or partners with competing priorities.
• Experience managing software tools/products.
• Variety of experiences working effectively with others from different backgrounds and cultures.

Additional Requirements

REFERENCE/BACKGROUND CHECKS – DCYF will conduct reference checks to verify job-related credentials and a criminal background check prior to appointment.

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. 

Contact

If you have questions about the position, contact Kerry Gershone at kerry.l.gershone@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 Anny Xiong at anny.xiong@state.mn.us.

If you are an individual with a disability and need an ADA accommodation for an interview, you may contact the Department of Human Services’ ADA Coordinator at 651-431-4945 or DHS_ADA@state.mn.us for assistance.

About Children, Youth and Families Department

Together, we’re working to advance equitable outcomes for children, youth, and families through transformative, partnership-driven policies, programs, and practices.

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
• 12 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.