DCS PROGRAM COORDINATOR - 09222026-81206

State of Tennessee; Nashville (TN); On-site; USD 55,000 - 68,000; Full time

Job summary

The State of Tennessee, Department of Children's Services, seeks a Program Coordinator in Nashville to oversee statewide quality improvement initiatives, program evaluation, and coordination of services for children in care. You will monitor contracts, report findings, and collaborate with regional teams to improve outcomes.

Candidates must hold a bachelor's degree and have four years of relevant experience in counseling, case management, or program evaluation for youth, with substitution

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; four years of professional work in counseling, case management, or program evaluations for children/juveniles; substitutions allowed for related graduate coursework or prior DCS experience.

Responsibilities

• Oversee statewide quality improvement initiatives and manage relationships with external stakeholders.
• Maintain monthly reports on program placements, approvals, and data distribution.
• Coordinate evaluation, monitoring, and service provision to ensure contracts meet policy requirements.
• Support staff development and ensure program practices meet regulatory standards.

Skills

Counseling

Case management

Program evaluation

Time management

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

State of Tennessee Job Information

Opening Date/Time 09/22/2026 12:00AM Central Time

Job Information

State of Tennessee Job Information

Opening Date/Time 09/22/2026 12:00AM Central Time

Closing Date/Time 09/28/2026 11:59PM Central Time

Salary (Monthly) $4,562.00 - $5,694.00

Salary (Annually) $54,744.00 - $68,328.00

Job Type Full-Time

City, State Location Nashville, TN

Department Children's Services

LOCATION OF (1) POSITION(S) TO BE FILLED: DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN'S SERVICES, DAVIDSON COUNTY

This is a DCS Program Coordinator position with Network Development that will sit in Davidson County

This position requires a criminal background check. Therefore, you may be required to provide information about your criminal history in order to be considered for this position.

Qualifications

Education and Experience:

Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree and experience equivalent to four years of professional work in one or a combination of the following: counseling or case management services, or program evaluations of counseling or case management services, three years of which must involve providing these services to children and/or juveniles.

Substitution of Education for Experience:

Graduate course work credit received from an accredited college or university in social work, criminal justice, psychology, sociology, human services, and/or child development may substitute for the required experience on a year-for-year basis to a maximum of one year, there being no substitution for the required three years of children's services work (e.g. 36 graduate quarter hours in one or a combination of the above listed fields may substitute for one year of the required experience).

Substitution of Experience for Education:

Experience equivalent to one year as a DCS Program Specialist or a DCS Case Manager 3 with the State of Tennessee.

Necessary Special Qualifications:

• Must be at least twenty-one (21) years of age on the date of application;
• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Possess a valid driver's license prior to and during employment;
• Have a good moral character, as determined by investigation;
• Complete a criminal history disclosure form in a manner approved by the appointing authority;
• Have no conviction for a felony;
• Agree to release all records involving their criminal history to the appointment authority;
• Supply a fingerprint sample in a manner prescribed by the TBI for a fingerprint based criminal history records check.
• Submit to and pass a pre-employment screening test for use of illegal drugs.

Overview

This classification is responsible for Children's Services program evaluation, coordination, and consultative work of considerable difficulty and/or program policy and procedure development work of average difficulty; and performs related work as required. An employee in this class is responsible for program coordination, evaluation, and monitoring to assure programs and contracts are being administered in accordance with all pertinent policies. This the second level in the DCS Program series and may serve in a supervisory role responsible for a subordinate staff.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for statewide implementations of quality improvement initiatives and managing relationships with external stakeholders. Maintains monthly reports on program placements, program exception request approvals and other pertinent data, distributes data on a monthly basis, or on approved distribution timeframe.
• Communicates effectively with the regions and other divisions through various methods of correspondence to assure the delivery of accurate information for relevant investigative tasks. Strengthens partnerships with community agencies and other stakeholders through presentations, engagement, and collaboration.
• Receives information from case management staff to approve necessary services for children initially entering custody and other various needs for assigned program area.
• Utilizes review tools to assess practice and skill set of field staff; monitors service provision for children and families. Monitors network adequacy, identifies service gaps, assesses outcomes, and promotes program improvement.

Competencies (KSA's)

Competencies

• Decision Quality
• Manages Complexity
• Action Oriented
• Organizational Savvy
• Nimble Learning

Knowledge

• Customer and Personal Service
• English Language
• Law and Government
• Public Safety and Security

Skills

• Time Management
• Critical Thinking
• Instructing
• Judgment and Decision Making
• Operations Analysis

Abilities

• Deductive Reasoning
• Inductive Reasoning
• Problem Sensitivity
• Information Ordering

Tools & Equipment

• Office Equipment
• Computer
• Mobile Phone

TN Driver Standards

State of Tennessee positions that may involve driving responsibilities require candidates to meet the following minimum driver qualifications:

• A valid driver's license
• For the past five years, the candidate's driver record must not have record of the following violations: driving under the influence (DUI), reckless driving, license suspension for moving violations, more than 4 moving violations.

Please include your Driver's License Information under the Licenses and Certifications section of your application.

• Agencies may allow an exception based on other factors.