Health & Human Services SME

Health & Human Services Sme

RDTS is seeking a subject matter expert (SME) in the area of health & human services-child welfare systems to support the Maryland State Government. The position is full-time, Monday-Friday with standard office hours (i.e. 8:00am-5:00pm) and fully onsite in Linthicum, MD. The SME is a strategic leader and domain expert embedded in the leadership team, responsible for aligning policy objectives, business requirements, and technical solution architecture across multiple agile teams. This role provides critical insight into health & human services programs for Child Welfare (CPS, Foster Care, In-Home services, GAP, Adoption, Title IV-E) and translates that knowledge into clear, actionable technical direction. As the central liaison between program stakeholders, technical architects, and implementation teams, the SME will guide solution design, drive requirements prioritization, ensure regulatory alignment, and help shape modernization roadmaps.

Responsibilities:

• Serve as a bridge between business and technical teams, translating complex public program policies into executable solution strategies.
• Lead cross-functional design sessions involving architects, product owners, rules SMEs, data teams, and developers.
• Define end-to-end functional and non-functional solution requirements, ensuring alignment with business needs and technical standards.
• Interpret policy documents, federal regulations, and program manuals into technical requirements or decision logic.
• Support and review the implementation of business rules from a program compliance perspective.
• Provide leadership in identifying solution gaps, integration points, and risk areas across enterprise platforms.
• Represent technical delivery teams during planning sessions with state agencies, policy leads, and business owners.
• Coordinate with QA, DevOps, and Security teams to ensure solution alignment, performance expectations, and compliance (e.g., 508, HIPAA).
• Guide modernization planning and documentation efforts, including high-level solution blueprints, product roadmaps, and impact assessments.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with a major in the specific discipline required by the State. (Note: A Master's degree or Ph. D. degree is preferred.)
• Must have at least twelve (12) years of relevant industry experience in the discipline is required.
• Must have at least ten (10) years of combined new and related older technical experience in the IT field directly related to the required area of expertise.
• Strong knowledge of child welfare laws and regulations
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Empathy and compassion for children in need of protection
• Ten (10) + years of experience in public sector technology, with deep exposure to health and human services programs.
• Five (5+) years working directly with state or federal eligibility systems, program modernization efforts, or cross-system solution planning.
• Expertise in programs such as CPS, FosterCare, In-Home services, GAP, Adoption, Title IV-E.
• Proven ability to lead and influence both technical and business-facing teams across enterprise-scale efforts.
• Familiarity with technical stacks such as .node.js, Java, .NET, Corticon, PostgreSQL/Aurora, AWS, and Informatica.
• Experience in documenting functional requirements, user stories, and system interaction diagrams.
• Skilled in managing stakeholder expectations, navigating policy constraints, and advocating for feasible solutions.
• Strong understanding of rules-based systems, modular platform design, service-oriented architecture, and data governance.