January 19, 2024

Hiring Spotlight: Maryland Family and Medical Leave Insurance

The Digital Service Network (DSN) recently sat down with the Maryland Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) team to learn more about an exciting role they’re hiring for.

About the team

Maryland’s Family and Medical Leave Insurance​​ (FAMLI) system ensures that all workers in Maryland have paid time off for medical and family reasons. As a digitally native government service, the FAMLI team strives to make their program inclusive, simple, and easy to use. They’re engaging the people who depend on them—workers, employers, caregivers, and insurers—to learn what they need, and responding to those needs swiftly, respectfully, and meaningfully.

FAMLI is a $2 billion social insurance system, delivered as a digitally-native public-facing service. The Digital Services Team is central to bringing a modern, product-oriented approach to creating, launching, and continuously improving the digital platform powering family and medical leave in Maryland. The team is responsible for providing intuitive and user-oriented experiences to workers who need to take paid leave, to employers who need to interact with our office, and to the government employees processing claims and engaging with the public.

As a part of the Digital Services team you will be on the front line of making paid leave for Marylanders possible. Through human-centered approaches to product development the team aims to create pathways for all Maryland employees and employers to interact with their program and receive this critical benefit in times of need.

This is a greenfield opportunity to be a part of building the tools and organization that will be delivering critical benefits to millions of Marylanders.

The team is hiring

The FAMLI Division is currently hiring a head of user experience and service design. See the full job description. This position reports to the director of digital services for FAMLI and collaborates with teams across the division, including community engagement, policy, and communications. This is a hybrid position, based in the Maryland Department of Labor in Baltimore, MD. 

Diving Deeper

What are you looking for in a candidate? 

This role is a critical part of the FAMLI Digital Services leadership team. As the head of user experience and service design we’re looking for someone who can bring multiple years of experience in user research, service design, and/or project management to the team. This role will oversee and help prioritize multiple concurrent threads of user research as well as supervise up to three product owners in their management of the most crucial software-development workstreams for FAMLI.  This is a first-line supervisory position and a second-line managerial position.

The head of user experience and service design position is a career-defining opportunity for someone passionate about using a human-centered approach to deliver essential benefits to our users. The head of user experience and service design will have the opportunity to help shape the foundation for all of FAMLI’s digital products. The ideal candidate will have experience with human-centered design, building and executing a digital product vision, and collaborating and communicating effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders.

How do these roles contribute to the organization’s broader mission? 

This role is a critical part of the FAMLI Digital Services leadership team and is responsible for holding the organization accountable to our goal of building software that serves our end users and staff with respect and compassion. This role sets the standards for product ownership and user research across the program and also maintains the shared understanding of how our users interact across our services.

What does the hiring process look like? What should a candidate expect? 

Candidates must submit their applications by the posted deadline. Phone interviews will start about a week after the application period closes. Selected candidates will participate in two interviews with different members of the FAMLI team. 

Any advice for a candidate applying? 

We recognize that everyone brings skills and experiences to the table and that not everyone “checks all the boxes.” Apply anyway! Tell us why you’re the right fit for the job. Don’t forget to attach your resume and cover letter to your application. 

We’re interested in talking to candidates from diverse professional backgrounds who are passionate about building a human-centered product that will touch the lives of all Marylanders.

Why should a candidate consider applying to any of these roles? 

Joining the FAMLI team is a rare opportunity to shape a new program that will lend financial stability and job security to millions. By joining the FAMLI Digital Services Team, you’ll be at the forefront of this innovative approach and creating lasting impact.

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