Job Description

Job Requisition ID: 52590 
Closing Date: 01/21/2026
​Agency:  Department of Early Childhood
Class Title: SENIOR PUBLIC SERVICE ADMIN (40070) 
Skill Option:  General Administration/Business Marketing/Labor/Personnel 
Bilingual Option:  None
Salary: Anticipated Starting Salary $12,500 - $13,333 per month ($150,000 - $159,9964 per year)
Job Type: Salaried
Category: Full Time 
County: Cook or Sangamon
Number of Vacancies: 1
Bargaining Unit Code:  None
Merit Comp Code: Excluded - Subject to Paragraph (1), (2), (3), or (6) of Section 4d of the Personnel Code

A resume is highly encouraged to evaluate your qualifications and skills as part of your application. Please attach a DETAILED Resume/Curriculum Vitae (CV) to the MY DOCUMENTS section of your application if you decide to provide one.

***This position is Exempt from Jurisdiction B of the Illinois Personnel Code under provision of paragraph 4d(3)***

Position Overview:

The Illinois Department of Early Childhood (IDEC) is seeking a Chief of Staff. The Chief of Staff acts as a strategic partner to the Secretary, helping prioritize initiatives, align departmental goals, and coordinate policy development across divisions. They ensure that the Secretary’s vision and objectives for early childhood education and care programs are effectively communicated and executed throughout the department. They oversee day-to-day administrative operations, including staff workflow, scheduling, and resource allocation. This ensures that the department runs efficiently and that projects are completed on time.The Chief of Staff manages senior staff and supports team leads in implementing programs and projects. This can involve mentoring staff, facilitating collaboration, and troubleshooting internal challenges.

Apply today to join a team committed to making Illinois the best place in the nation to raise a family!

Illinois Department of Early Childhood offers a robust benefit package including:

• Monday-Friday schedule
• Health, life, vision, and dental insurance
• Paid Parental leave
• Pension Plan
• Deferred Compensation, and other pre-tax benefit programs
• Employees earn (12) paid sick days annually
• (10-25) paid vacation days (based on years of service)
• Employees earn (3) paid personal days (pro-rated based on start date)
• (13-14) paid state holidays annually

Work hours and schedule will be mutually agreed upon by supervisor during the onboarding process.

Why Work for Illinois?

Working with the State of Illinois is a testament to the values of compassion, equity, and dedication that define our state. Whether you’re helping to improve schools, protect our natural resources, or support families in need, you’re part of something bigger—something that touches the lives of every person who calls Illinois home.

No matter what state career you’re looking for, we offer jobs that fit your life and your schedule—flexible jobs that provide the gold standard of benefits. Our employees can take advantage of various avenues to advance their careers and realize their dreams. Our top-tier benefits and great retirement packages can help you build a rewarding career and lasting future with the State of Illinois.

Essential Functions

• Serves as Chief of Staff to the Secretary of the Department of Early Childhood.
• Provides major administrative input into planning for current and future Departmental initiatives and direction for operations.
• Serves as full line supervisor.
• Serves as primary resource person and liaison between the Secretary, Assistant Secretaries, and administrators/senior staff with the Governor’s Office, and other State Agencies and constitutional officers.
• Serves as a member of the Secretary’s Executive/Senior Staff.
• Represents the Secretary at various Department, public and private meetings with authority to make decisions which commit the Department resources and staff to specific courses of action.
• Performs other duties as required or assigned which are reasonably within the scope of the duties enumerated above.

Minimum Qualifications

• Requires knowledge, skill and mental development equivalent to completion of four (4) years of college.
• Requires four (4) years of progressively responsible administrative experience in a public or business organization.

Preferred Qualifications

• Three (3) years of professional experience serving as a section head or equivalent for a government agency, entity providing government oversight or similar organization.
• Three (3) years of professional experience developing and implementing policies and procedures.
• Three (3) years of professional experience supervising professional staff.
• Professional experience representing a program area or organization with public establishments, service providers, legislators, regulatory agencies, and the public.
• Professional experience working with confidential information or sensitive issues.
• Ability to clearly communicate ideas, methods, and principles, both verbally and in writing.
• Ability to develop, implement and evaluate new and revised methods, procedures and performance standards.
• Ability to exercise judgement and discretion in developing, implementing and interpreting departmental policies and procedures.
• Ability to develop and maintain cooperative working relationships.

Conditions of Employment

• Requires the ability to pass a background check.
• Requires the ability to travel in the performance of duties, with overnight stays as appropriate.
• Overtime is a condition of employment, and you may be requested or required/mandated to work overtime including scheduled, unscheduled, or last-minute overtime. This requires the ability to work evenings and weekends.
• Requires the ability to utilize and maintain state issued equipment such as a cell phone, laptop, etc.

*The conditions of employment listed here are incorporated and related to any of the job duties as listed in the job description.

About the Agency:

The Illinois Department of Early Childhood (IDEC) was signed into law in June of 2024 with the focus of making early childhood education and care services simpler, better and fairer for families with young children across the state. During fiscal years FY25 and FY26, IDEC will be working through transitioning data, programs and services from three state agencies – the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), – to IDEC in order to be fully operational by July 2026.

Illinois strives to be the best state in the nation to raise a family with young children and IDEC is committed to continue putting children and families center while reducing complexities and finding efficiencies in the system and advancing equity. 

Work Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30am-5:00pm 
Headquarter Location: 115 S Lasalle St, Chicago, Illinois, 60603 
Work County: Cook
Agency Contact: Melissa Long
Email : dec.jobs@illinois.gov

Posting Group: Leadership & Management; Legal, Audit & Compliance; Social Services

The main form of communication will be through email. Please check your “junk mail”, “spam”, or “other” folder for communication(s) regarding any submitted application(s). You may receive emails from the following addresses:

• donotreply@SIL-P1.ns2cloud.com
• systems@SIL-P1.ns2cloud.com

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