Job Description

Initial Posting Date: 10/24/2025
Application Deadline: 11/09/2025
Agency: Department of Early Learning and Care
Salary Range: $4,833 - $7,407
Position Type: Employee
Position Title: Legal & Compliance Specialist (Compliance Specialist 2)
:
The Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care is excited to announce a permanent opening for a Legal & Compliance Specialist (Compliance Specialist 2).
Are you detail-oriented and passionate about child safety and public service? Join our team and play a key role in ensuring Oregon's child care environments are safe, compliant, and high-quality. You'll collaborate with legal and compliance professionals, review licensing documentation, and help guide critical decisions that protect children and support families.
This position will work a hybrid schedule of working in the office (1-2 times per week/as needed), in the field, and at an alternate location (home).
At DELC, we are dedicated to helping Oregon's young children and families learn and thrive. As the state agency responsible for early learning programs, child care licensing, and family support services, we play a crucial role in shaping the future of Oregon's children from birth to kindergarten.
We administer state-funded early learning programs, including home visiting and site-based infant, toddler, and preschool services. We also develop coordinated systems through Early Learning Hubs and collaborate with Child Care Resource and Referral organizations to provide training, coaching, and quality improvement opportunities for early learning providers.
With over 275,000 young children in Oregon, we have a unique opportunity to transform early childhood support systems, creating a brighter future for families across the state. Research shows that investing in early childhood has lifelong benefits, and now is your chance to be part of an agency making a lasting impact for generations to come.
Why Join Our Team? We are passionate about equity in early childhood education. At DELC, we value dedication, integrity, and collective wisdom, fostering a diverse, inclusive, and welcoming workplace where all employees can thrive. We challenge ourselves to lead with courage, refine practices, and drive meaningful change for children and families statewide.
What We Offer:

• Comprehensive Benefits: Low-cost medical, vision, and dental coverage for you and your family, plus optional benefits like life and disability insurance, deferred compensation, and flexible spending accounts.

• Work-Life Balance: 11 paid holidays, 3 personal days, 1 special day, monthly sick leave, and vacation accruals that increase every 5 years.
• Student Loan Forgiveness: Potential federal loan forgiveness after 120 qualifying payments.
• Inclusive Culture: A diverse, welcoming workplace committed to equity and continuous improvement.

Our Commitment to Equity: Equity is at the heart of our mission. We strive to remove barriers, foster inclusiveness, and create meaningful change for underrepresented communities. Our goal is to ensure all DELC employees, child care providers and the children and families we support thrive. If you are ready to make a difference and help shape Oregon's future, we would love to have you on our team!
What you will do:
This position supports the goals of the Division through in licensed child care and the Central Background Registry. It is a state level position that focuses on the Division's responsibility to provide safe and healthy environments for children through licensing child care providers and administering a Central Background Registry.
This position works closely with the Compliance Specialists 3s, Compliance Manager, and Legal and Enforcement Director and serves as a liaison with licensing staff to help ensure quality and consistency in the legal documents and processes. This involves interpreting regulations, laws and guidelines, reviewing current and proposed documents and compliance enforcement processes, seeking input from interested parties, making recommendations to the Compliance Manager and/or Legal and Enforcement Director, and drafting proposed revisions.
This position may review law enforcement and protective service records of child care applicants and, in the case of family child care, other adult residents in the home. This person may decide what and how much additional information is needed to determine if the applicant meets standards.
This position may work as part of a team that processes applications for registered and certified family child care and the central background registry, receives and reviews complaint allegations, reviews compliance history to determine possible legal action needed, conducts criminal history and child protective history checks, and generally manages the various regulatory activities involved in the registration process and the process of enrollment in the Central Background Registry. In addition, this position provides information to the public about individual providers (status and compliance history) and may be the primary contact person for regulatory communication with the Division's field office staff.
What we are looking for (minimum qualifications):
Four years of experience doing administrative research that included compiling and evaluating facts to recommend management action, or decide compliance with program guidelines and regulations. Two of the four years must be above the technical support level. Note: college-level course work may substitute for experience on the basis of 45-quarter units per year, up to a maximum of three years.
In addition, we are looking for applicants that have the following Desired Attributes (requested skills):

• Knowledge and experience in early childhood development, child care regulations, and recent or active involvement in the child care field
• High skill in interpreting, applying, and explaining laws, regulations, rules, and policies to a diverse audience
• Strong relationship building, de-escalation skills, and customer service experience, often handling difficult situations and frustrated customers.
• Ability to analyze and use multiple perspectives and facts to arrive at a well-informed conclusion
• Ability to multi-task, prioritize work assignments and respond to emergent situations.
• Perform with a high degree of accuracy, excellent attention to detail and good judgement.
• Experience working independently
• Proficient in Microsoft office (Word, Excel, Access) and strong written communication skills (spelling, grammar, and editing/proofreading).
• Experience with performing research, collecting information, and documenting facts
• Ability to handle and maintain composure and professionalism in stressful situations and procedures
• Experience in analyzing various documents, information, and data to enforce and inform decisions that will communicate needs or make recommendations to leadership and unit team members based on independent review.

The Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care strives to create an inclusive environment that welcomes and values the diversity of the people we serve. We foster fairness, equity, and inclusion to create a workplace environment where everyone is treated with respect and dignity. Candidates of all racial and ethnic backgrounds, as well as bilingual/multicultural individuals, are encouraged to apply.
To Apply:
The screening of candidates will be based on a review of an attached resume (limit to two pages). While a cover letter is not required, it is highly encouraged. If you submit a cover letter, please tailor it to the position and address your experience with the desired attributes listed above. Candidates whose backgrounds most closely match the desired attributes and experience section as outlined in this announcement will be invited to interview. For helpful tips on putting together your application materials and interviewing, visit our page.
Additional Information:
This recruitment announcement will be used to establish a list of qualified candidates to fill the current vacancy and may be used to fill future vacancies as they occur.
This position is subject to both a Child Protective Services and Criminal Justice Information Systems (CJIS) check, including FBI fingerprinting, and will be required to enroll in the Central Background Registry. Both of these checks must be completed and approved prior to starting with the agency. The results can take 1-3 weeks to get back. Adverse background data will be grounds for immediate disqualification. This position will require travel to field offices and for meetings, therefore, a valid driver license and acceptable driving record is required, unless the successful applicant can provide a satisfactory alternate mode of transportation.
Eligible veterans who meet the qualifications will be given veterans' preference. For further information, please see the following website: .
The Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care does not offer visa sponsorship. Within three days of hire, all applicants will be required to complete the US Department of Homeland Security's Form I-9, confirming authorization to work in the United States. The Department is an E-Verify employer.
The job posting closes at 11:59 PM (PDT) on the close date. After you submit your application, be sure to respond to the two questionnaires relating to public records requests and veterans' preference immediately following your submittal. These questions are necessary to complete the application process.
External Applicants (non-state of Oregon employees): If you would like to retain a copy of this job posting, please print a copy before submitting your application. Once the job posting has closed, you will not be able to access the posting.
The employee in this position will be represented by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and will be subject to all terms and conditions of the collective bargaining agreement. Pay and benefits on all job listings may change without notice.
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Applicants with a disability may request a reasonable accommodation to participate in the hiring process. For assistance regarding reasonable accommodation requests, please contact the agency recruitment team at
The Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer committed to a diverse workforce. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job. We would encourage you to apply, even if you don't meet every one of our desired attributes listed. If you are unsure whether you meet the qualifications of this position, please feel free to contact us to discuss your application.

Skills Required