Administrative Supervisor

State of Montana•Helena, MT

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

If you like digging into systems, fixing bottlenecks, and helping teams perform at their best, you’ll feel at home in this role. As Section Manager, you’ll be responsible for the day to day operations behind key licensing and permitting services that businesses and professionals depend on. You’ll combine people leadership, process thinking, and data insights to deliver faster turnaround times and a better experience for the customers who count on us. MISSION STATEMENT: Empowering all Montanans through work and opportunity. It's about the people and the impact we make in our communities every day. We are proud of our open, team-based, supportive, and collaborative work environments. Learn more about DLI here. POSITION OVERVIEW: The Section Manager is an operations and people leader for a team that delivers licensing, permitting, and compliance services across several program areas. You own day to day operations, coach and develop your team, and use data to spot bottlenecks and improve workflows. You partner with business and technology teams to refine systems and processes, translate real world needs into practical solutions, and make sure the team’s work aligns with broader goals. In this position, you shape how customers experience some of the most important licensing and compliance services in the state. You streamline processes so customers spend less time waiting and more time working, and you help teams resolve issues before they become delays. You collaborate with internal partners, industry representatives, developers, and IT teams to modernize services, improve online tools, and create a straightforward, predictable experience for the people who rely on us. WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU: A chance to lead a team whose work directly affects customers getting what they need on time. Daily collaboration with business owners, developers, technical specialists, and cross functional teams on real operational challenges. Growth opportunities in leadership, data driven operations, process design, and strategic execution. Space to test ideas, improve systems, and see the impact of your decisions in real outcomes for customers and staff.

Requirements

Proven people leadership experience, with the ability to build trust, set direction, and grow others through coaching and feedback.
Strong operations management skills, including planning, prioritization, resource management, and performance measurement.
Experience working in regulated or highly structured environments and turning rules and requirements into practical, day to day actions for a team.
Project management skills, including planning, coordination across teams, risk/issue tracking, and delivering initiatives on time.
Strong analytical and problem solving skills, including comfort using data, metrics, and system information to understand issues and drive improvements.
Clear, confident communication and collaboration skills for working with internal teams, customers, and external stakeholders.
Ability to present complex or technical information in a simple, compelling way in meetings, presentations, and briefings for varied audiences.
Demonstrated ability to speak effectively in public settings, tailor messages to different groups, and develop professional presentation materials that make complex topics accessible and engaging.
Experience leading staff across multiple functional areas, such as operations, customer service, licensing, permitting, or compliance.
Experience managing complex projects using established project management methodologies or tools.
Experience applying strategic planning, Lean/continuous improvement, or similar methods to improve business operations.
Hands on experience working with IT or technical teams to design, improve, or support systems or digital workflows.
Experience interpreting and applying rules, policies, contracts, or compliance requirements in a work setting.
Experience using data, reports, or dashboards to support day to day operational decisions.
Experience presenting or communicating technical or complex information to non technical audiences.

Nice To Haves

Prior formal management experience is preferred; comparable demonstrated leadership (such as leading projects, teams, or initiatives) will also be considered.

Responsibilities

Lead a diverse, high performing team and ensure work is prioritized and executed in line with organizational goals and customer needs.
Set clear expectations, give regular coaching and feedback, address performance and workflow issues, and model professionalism and accountability.
Oversee daily operations, including resource allocation, workload balancing, queue management, and escalation support to maintain continuity of service.
Define performance goals, track key metrics, and use data to identify gaps, improve turnaround times, and inform decisions.
Manage the full employee lifecycle for your team, including hiring, onboarding, performance reviews, and ongoing development.
Build capabilities through targeted training plans that align with operational needs, changes in systems, and new strategic initiatives.
Lead and support projects using structured project management approaches, maintain documentation, and regularly communicate status and milestones to stakeholders.
Partner with technology teams to turn business problems into clear system requirements, test enhancements, and support successful implementation.
Drive cross team collaboration to reduce friction points, standardize processes where it makes sense, and raise the quality and consistency of customer service.

Benefits

Being able to enjoy the quality of life in the beautiful state of Montana is one of the benefits you will love about this opportunity!
Our mountains, waterways and open spaces provide not only beautiful scenery but year-round recreational opportunities including hiking, camping, biking, fishing, boating, hunting, skiing and snowmobiling.
Montana boasts a high-quality education system and a variety of entertainment including fairs, rodeos, and theaters.
Work/life balance with hybrid schedules or partial telework may be available within the state of Montana.
38 paid days off a year including vacation, sick leave and holidays.
Military leave\: You’ll get up to 15 days of military leave with full pay.
Longevity raises with continuous service, as well as any negotiated market increases and state statutory raises.
Health, dental, vision, life insurance coverage, flexible spending accounts, EAP
Free telehealth and access to free employee medical clinics through our medical plan
Choice between two retirement plans with an employer contribution between 8.73% - 9.07% of your annual salary.
A third optional 457(b) deferred compensation plan is also available.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness- Employment with the State of Montana may qualify you to receive loan forgiveness
Career progression, training opportunities and room for professional growth.
State employee discounts at various businesses across the state.
This position may be eligible for a statutory $1.00 an hour base pay increase effective on July 1, 2026.
This position may be covered by a Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association (VEBA)