Working Title: Early Childhood Product Management Specialist / Product Management Specialist
Job Class: Product Management Specialist
Agency: Children Youth & Families Dept
Job ID : 93579
Location : St. Paul
Telework Eligible : Yes
Full/Part Time : Full-Time
Regular/Temporary : Unlimited
Who May Apply : Open to all qualified job seekers.This vacancy is open for bids and for all qualified job seekers simultaneously. Bidders will be considered through 4/21/2026. Please note that to be considered a bidder, you must be a permanent, non-probationary DCYF employee in the same job classification as the position posted
Date Posted : 04/15/2026
Closing Date : 04/29/2026
Hiring Agency/Seniority Unit : Children Youth & Families Dept / DCYF Central Office MAPE
Division/Unit : DCYF/Compensation Support
Work Shift: Day Shift
Work Hours : 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Days of Work : Monday - Friday
Travel Required : No
Salary Range: $37.26 - $55.42 / hourly; $77,798 - $115,716 / annually
Classified Status : Classified
Bargaining Unit/Union : 214 - MN Assoc of Professional Empl/MAPE
FLSA Status : Exempt - Administrative
Designated in Connect 700 Program for Applicants with Disabilities (https://mn.gov/mmb/careers/diverse-workforce/people-with-disabilities/connect700/) : 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.
* Telework (https://mn.gov/mmb-stat/policies/1422-telework.pdf) (Within Minnesota or neighboring states) and flexible hours options are available.
This position provides strategic leadership for the design, management, and continuous improvement of an enrollment and attendance product within the Early Childhood Administration Product Group. The role ensures that the product meets program requirements, supports child care providers in submitting accurate enrollment and attendance information, and advances the strategic goals of the product line. Currently, the product supports the Great Start Compensation Support Payment Program, the Child Care Assistance Program, and other aligned and integrated programs within the Early Childhood Administration of the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) .
Responsibilities include:
Channel the voice of the customer and human-centered design principles in development of solutions aligned with other agency systems using a product-centric operating model that incorporates Agile and DevOps principles.
Lead the comprehensive and technical administration of enrollment and attendance processes 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.
Strategically align work between the divisions of Child Care Services and Early Learning at the Department of Children, Youth and Families.
Strategy and Planning: Create and maintain a product vision, roadmap, and governance structure and budget that generates value for customers and stakeholders while realizing financial benefits, creating new knowledge, building capabilities, and reducing risks and liabilities in alignment with product management standards.
Product Development and Management: Oversee the end-to-end product development lifecycle and deliver a high-quality product in a timely manner, aligning with product line objectives and guiding principles and promoting a consistent and easy to navigate user experience through structured product discovery, delivery, and iteration.
Product Stakeholder Engagement and Relationship Management: Establish and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders to foster collaboration and gain support for the product and ensure shared ownership of product outcomes.
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 of experience in product management, service design, business analysis, program management, or a closely related field. Experience must include the following:
Leading or coordinating cross-functional teams to deliver digital services, technology products, or process improvements.
Use of Agile, Scrum, or other iterative development methodologies.
Product management practices, including product lifecycle management, user-centered design, backlog management, and iterative delivery.
Collaboration across diverse stakeholder groups, including technical teams, program staff, and external partners.
Demonstration of strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to present complex information clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
Preferred Qualifications
Knowledge of early childhood systems, including program eligibility, enrollment processes, attendance tracking, and provider participation requirements.
Familiarity with human-centered design methods, especially for populations facing barriers to accessing early childhood services (e.g., multilingual families, families experiencing housing instability).
Experience conducting or using user research with families, early educators, child care providers, and/or county or tribal partners.
Experience working in state government, county human services, tribal nations, school districts, or early childhood provider organizations.
Experience with digital accessibility standards (WCAG) and inclusive design practices.
Additional Requirements
It is the policy of the Department of Children, Youth, and Families that the individual selected for this position successfully complete a background investigation prior to employment, that may include the following components:
Reference check
Criminal Background check
Fingerprinting check (MNJIS/CJIS)
Driver's License Check
Personnel File Review: all current and former public sector employees
Additional assessment may be required during the interview process
AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities is an Equal Opportunity employer/educator committed to the principles of diversity. We prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their race, sex, color, creed, religion, age, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or membership in a local commission as defined by law. As an affirmative action employer, we actively seek and encourage applications from women, minorities, persons with disabilities, and individuals with protected veteran status.
Reasonable accommodations will be made 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 . Please indicate what assistance is needed.
