LICENSING SPECIALIST - CHILD CARE OPS - 60932120

Florida; Miami (FL); On-site; USD 42,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job summary

Florida Department of Children and Families seeks a Licensing Specialist in Child Care Operations to perform professional counseling, investigative, and administrative duties in licensing childcare facilities. The role focuses on inspections, license determinations, application processing, and data reporting.

Ideal candidates will have a college degree or equivalent and be prepared to manage investigations while coordinating with supervisors, with a strong emphasis on compliance with state

Qualifications

• College degree or High School Diploma.
• 12 months’ experience in a licensed or exempt childcare program.
• Valid Driver License.
• Must possess operational private vehicle for performance of daily work activities; provide proof of vehicle registration and insurance within 30 days of hire.

Responsibilities

• Conduct inspections for childcare homes and facilities to monitor compliance with Handbooks, statutes and safety standards.
• Process initial and renewal applications, including background screenings and required training.
• Determine eligibility and recommend licensure to supervisor/regional program manager.
• Investigate complaints on licensed providers and childcare operations.
• Maintain and update the database tracking system, prepare reports, and initiate administrative actions as required.

Skills

Counseling

Investigations

Administrative

Communication

Time management

Education

College degree or High School Diploma

Job description

Select how often (in days) to receive an alert:

LICENSING SPECIALIST - CHILD CARE OPS - 60932120

Date: Oct 7, 2026

The State Personnel System is an E-Verify employer. For more information click on our E-Verify Website .

Agency: Children and Families

Working Title: LICENSING SPECIALIST - CHILD CARE OPS - 60932120

Current employees will be compensated in accordance with the DCF salary policy.

What will you do:

This is a professional position specializing in counseling, investigative, and administrative activities in Child Care Licensing.

How you will make an impact:

• Conduct inspections for childcare homes and facilities to monitor for compliance with Child Care Handbooks, Florida Statutes, Florida Administrative Code and Health and Safety Checklist standards.
• Process initial and renewal applications, including background screening clearances and training as required.
• Determines eligibility and make recommendations for licensure to supervisor/regional program manager.
• Investigate complaints on licensed providers, illegal childcare operations, and School Readiness providers.
• Maintain and update database tracking system, prepare reports, and initiate administrative action as required.

Minimum Qualifications:

• College degree or High School Diploma
• Minimum 12months or years’ experience working in a licensed or exempt childcare program?
• Valid Driver License
• Must possess operational private vehicle for use in the performance of daily work activities. Selected candidates are required to provide proof of vehicle registration and documentation of the appropriate insurance coverage within 30 days of hire as a condition of employment.

Special Notes:preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Follow policy and procedures, manage time to organize and coordinate work assignments, assess conditions for risk and safety, develop plans, interview, counsel, organize community resources to assist families, evaluate for indicators of abuse and neglect, document, engage, take appropriate actions related to domestic violence, mental health, and/or substance abuse, actively listen and communicate both verbally and in writing, establishing and maintain effective relationships, flexible and able to work independently, utilize computer systems to document, communicate, run reports and track data.

Benefits of Working for the State of Florida:

Working for the State of Florida is more than a paycheck. The State’s total compensation package for employees features a highly competitive set of employee benefits.

With 12,000 employees across the state DCF promotes opportunities and training for all. Our jobs are among the most challenging, complex, and difficult in State government. They are also among the most rewarding. All employees are encouraged to take advantage of available Department opportunities for advancement and professional development.

Where will you work:

Florida is the only state that borders both the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. In other words, no matter where you land in Florida, you’re never more than 60 miles from a body of saltwater. And if the beach isn’t your scene, there are 175 state parks to explore! Meanwhile, Floridians hail from a wide range of backgrounds, cultures, ethnicities, and walks of life, making it an incredibly diverse melting pot that many residents and visitors to Florida love. The Sunshine State is a great place to live and work – Come join our team!

About Department of Children and Families:

Mission:

The mission of the Department of Children and Families is to work in partnership with local communities to protect the vulnerable, promote strong and economically self-sufficient families, and advance personal and family recovery and resiliency.

Vision:

We are a highly skilled workforce committed to empowering people with complex and varied needs to achieve the best outcomes for themselves and their families. In collaboration with community stakeholders, we will deliver world class and continuously improving service focused on providing the people we serve with the level and quality that we would demand and expect for our own families.

Values:

A workforce that operates with integrity maintains loyalty to a code of ethics that requires the courage to take responsibility for providing the highest quality of service to the vulnerable. We are a solutions-focused learning organization built on a foundation of transparency in action and accountability of results. Both within the organization and among our stakeholders, we thrive in a culture of respect for diversity of opinion that is nurtured through open communication. High performing and committed, we are unified in our goal of excellence in achieving quality outcomes for those we serve.

• If you are a retiree of the Florida Retirement System (FRS), please check with the FRS on how your current benefits will be affected if you are re-employed with the State of Florida. Your current retirement benefits may be suspended or voided, and you will be required to repay all benefits received depending upon the date of your retirement.
• The position will perform all job tasks in accordance with laws, rules, regulations, policies, and requirements applicable to state and federal laws or procedures.

We hire only U.S. citizens and lawfully authorized alien workers.

Participation in the State of Florida Direct Deposit Program is required as a condition of employment per F.S. 110.113, and enrollment must be completed within the first 30 calendar days of your appointment.

SELECTIVE SERVICE: Male candidates born on or after October 1, 1962, will not be eligible for hire or promotion into an authorized position unless they are registered with the Selective Service System (SSS) before their 26th birthday or have a Letter of Registration Exemption from the SSS. Verification of Selective Service registration will be conducted prior to hire. For more information, please visit the SSS website: http://www.sss.gov .

BACKGROUND SCREENING REQUIREMENT: It is the policy of the Florida Department of Children and Families that any applicant being considered for employment must successfully complete a State and National criminal history check as a condition of employment before beginning employment, and also be screened in accordance with the requirements of Chapter 435, F.S., and, if applicable, Chapter 408, F.S. No applicant may begin employment until the background screening results are received, reviewed for any disqualifying offenses, and approved by the Agency.

Background screening shall include, but not be limited to, fingerprinting for State and Federal criminal records checks through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and may include local criminal history checks through local law enforcement agencies.

Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority and/or People First Service Center (1-866-663-4735). Notification to the hiring authority must be made in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.

The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with Section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act.

Location:

MIAMI, FL, US, 33128 ALACHUA, FL, US, 32315

For assistance, call the People First Service Center at [phone] Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Eastern time. Pursuant to Florida Law, 110.211 F. S., the State of Florida is an EEO employer.