Division Director, Division of Administrative Hearings

Location: Augusta,Maine,United States

Department of Labor

Job Class Code: MA32
Grade: 32/Confidential
Salary: $77,896.00-110,073.60/Annually
Location: Augusta

Opening Date: January 17, 2025

Closing Date:  February 3, 2025

Does the prospect of working with a diverse and self-motivated team of professionals excite you? If your answer is ‘yes’, then we want to talk to you about the possibility of joining our team!

The Bureau of Unemployment Compensation seeks an experienced Manager and attorney licensed to practice law under the Maine Bar, to serve as the Director of the Division of Administrative Hearings.  The Division Director oversees the lower authority appeal division within a multi-tier adjudication and appeal model used by the Maine Unemployment Insurance Program.  This division is responsible for the first level of appeals of benefit eligibility and unemployment tax liability. This position is a member of the bureau’s senior management team and works closely with the UC Bureau Director and the Unemployment Insurance Commission around matters affecting the application of unemployment insurance law and regulations.  The incumbent may also carry a small caseload of hearings, particularly those of a highly complex or sensitive nature.  The position is based in Augusta, Maine.

The Bureau of Unemployment Compensation operates Maine’s unemployment insurance program, oversees a $600 million Unemployment Trust Fund, collects employer-paid unemployment taxes, and provides temporary financial assistance to individuals who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own while they seek new employment.

We offer a flexible hybrid remote and in-office work schedule.

Primary responsibilities include:  

As a member of the Bureau’s senior leadership team, this position:

• Implements strategies to achieve the division and bureau’s vision, mission and goals,
• Collaborates with senior-level colleagues to provide direction, leadership, and oversight for the Bureau’s goals and policies,
• Builds and sustains collaborative relationships across the Bureau, the Agency, and with Federal and State partners,

As the Administrative Hearings Division Director, this position:

• Provides direction, and leadership to a diverse team and oversees all division operations, administrative and regulatory functions.
• Uses data-driven decision-making to analyze complex situations to affect policy decisions.
• With the Senior Hearing Examiner, hires, develops, supports, supervises, and evaluates the performance of division staff.
• Establishes a work environment characterized by mutual trust and respect, open and direct communication, initiative and accountability and integrity.
• Ensures the fair, accurate and consistent application of Maine Employment Security Law.
• Proposes rules, policy and legislation to ensure fair and equitable treatment in appeal proceedings.
• Ensures Bureau compliance with all state and federal policies, rules and laws.

Skills or knowledge required:

• Experience working in a highly regulated operation, preferably in unemployment insurance, administrative law, or similarly complex programs.
• Experience developing, leading, and providing legal guidance to diverse teams.
• Sound judgment in responding to emergency or high demand situations.
• Proven skill leading ongoing change in culture and or operations
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain collaborative and productive working relationships with staff, internal colleagues, customers, public officials, and the general public.
• Demonstrated skill balancing focus on productivity and quality outcomes.
• Proven ability to understand, interpret, write, and explain complex state and federal unemployment compensation or similarly complex laws and regulations to various constituent groups, staff and leadership.
• Knowledge of state personnel policies and procedures
• Ability to interpret and apply policies and regulations.
• Ability to use applicable computer programs.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally in writing
• Ability to write concise reports. 

Minimum qualifications:

• Management experience
• Law degree from an accredited law school
• Six (6) years experience practicing administrative law or as a presiding officer in adjudicatory proceedings under the Administrative Procedures Act or similar legislation

Maine law requires that the incumbent of this position be an attorney admitted to practice l