Job Description
PLEASE ATTACH THE ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS LISTED AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE Job ID: 38196
Agency: Social Services
Location:Statewide, SDSalary: $ $79,499.84 annually, depending on qualifications
Pay Grade: L
Closing Date: 10/02/2026
This is a Full-Time 40 Hours Weekly position with the Department of Social Services. For more information on the Department of Social Services, please visit https://dss.sd.gov/ .
Make an Impact. Lead with Purpose. Join Us. Help protect South Dakota's children and strengthen families by applying your leadership where it matters most.
The Division of Child Protection Services is seeking an experienced and strategic leader to serve as the Adoption Administrator. This statewide leadership position is responsible for directing, strengthening, and overseeing all adoption and post adoption services within the agency. The Administrator provides centralized supervision of adoption supervisors, adoption workers, and program specialists; ensures consistent application of adoption policy; and drives improvements that support timely permanency for children.
The Adoption Administrator will play a critical role in building a cohesive, accountable, and data informed adoption system across all regions.
Duties of the position include:- Provides statewide leadership and strategic oversight for all adoption services, ensuring consistent policy application and best practice across all regions.
- Supervises adoption supervisors and program specialists, establishing clear expectations, monitoring performance, and supporting staff development to strengthen statewide adoption expertise.
- Implements and monitors adoption policy, ensuring alignment with state and federal requirements and leading initiatives to reduce delays and improve permanency outcomes.
- Oversees quality assurance and compliance, evaluating application of practice standards, identifying inconsistencies, and determining corrective actions for policy compliance issues.
- Directs resource allocation and operational efficiency efforts, including FTE alignment, workload balancing, and geographic deployment strategies to reduce travel burdens and support equitable staffing.
- Ensures accuracy and integrity of adoption data within FACIS, working closely with CQI partners to use data for decision making, performance monitoring, and reporting.
- Collaborates with courts, tribes, and community partners to enhance adoption and post adoption supports and strengthen cross system coordination.
- Oversees the statewide adoption program budget, ensuring responsible expenditure, compliance with state and federal guidelines, and alignment with agency priorities.
- Makes key operational decisions, including staff assignment, workload reallocation, and adoption process improvement strategies to ensure effective and timely permanency.
- Refers major programmatic, budgetary, or agency wide decisions to senior leadership to ensure alignment with broader strategic and fiscal direction.
- Provides leadership in performance management, including personnel selection, evaluation, development, and disciplinary action for supervised staff.
- Represents adoption services in internal and external meetings, committees, and collaborative initiatives related to adoption practice, permanency, and system improvement.
- Supports a culture of accountability, child centered decision making, and continuous improvement across the adoption continuum.
The Ideal Candidate Will Have: Education and Experience:
Bachelor's degree in social or behavioral sciences, human services, business administration, public administration, education, public health, or a related field.
Comparable leadership experience in program or operations management may be considered in place of educational requirements, relevant experience in human resources or social services may also be taken into account.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:- strong knowledge of adoption practice, permanency standards, federal and state regulations, and child welfare policy frameworks to ensure compliance and consistency statewide;
- ability to provide strategic leadership, direction, and oversight for a statewide adoption program, including supervising adoption supervisors, workers, and program specialists;
- skill in implementing, interpreting, and monitoring adoption policy and practice standards, including identifying gaps, ensuring accountability, and guiding corrective action;
- ability to use data for decision making, including understanding data integrity needs, interpreting performance trends, and partnering with CQI staff to improve outcomes;
- strong supervisory and personnel management skills, including performance evaluation, coaching, professional development, and disciplinary action;
- ability to manage statewide resources and budgets, including aligning FTEs, overseeing program expenditures, and ensuring compliance with state and federal funding requirements;
- skill in building and maintaining collaborative relationships with internal and external partners, including courts, tribes, and community agencies, to strengthen adoption and post adoption services;
- strong communication, problem solving, and organizational abilities to support statewide coordination, improve system efficiency, and advance timely permanency.
Additional Requirements: To be considered, please attach your resume. This position is exempt from the Civil Service Act.
This position is eligible for Veterans' Preference per ARSD 55:10:02:08.
Successful applicant(s) will be required to undergo a background investigation. An arrest/conviction record will not necessarily bar employment.
Successful applicant(s) will undergo an abuse and neglect screening.
The State of South Dakota does not sponsor work visas for new or existing employees. All persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and complete an Employment Eligibility Verification, Form I-9. The State of South Dakota as an employer will be using E-Verify to complete employment eligibility verification upon hire.
The State of South Dakota offers $0 premium employee health insurance option plus eleven paid holidays, generous vacation and sick leave accrual, dental, vision, and other insurance options, and retirement benefits. You can view our benefits information here . This position is a member of Class A retirement under SDRS.
Must apply online: https://gen-stateofsouthdako-trn.inforcloudsuite.com/hcm/xmlhttp/shorturl.do?key=56Z
You must apply online, emailed resumes or submissions will not be accepted.
South Dakota Bureau of Human Resources and Administration
Telephone: 605.773.3148 Email: careers@state.sd.us
http://bhr.sd.gov/workforus
"An Equal Opportunity Employer"
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