Director of Engineering Operations

Speridian Technologies is recruiting for a Director of Engineering Operations for our State of California Client, the Department of Healthcare Services, Behavioral Health. This person will be part of a long-term, fully budgeted, state-of-the-art, extremely vast technical modernization project working with a variety of cross-functional teams and stakeholders.
This is a remote role; however, there will be meetings in the Sacramento area several times a year.  Candidates are expected to work business hours, Monday-Friday, Pacific Time Zone.
Join DHCS’s Behavioral Health Transformation: Where Purpose Meets Innovation
Location: Remote
Department: Department of Healthcare Services (DHCS), Behavioral Health Transformation (BHT)
Commitment: Full-Time Consultant (W2 employee of Speridian or 1099/IC for Speridian) 
At DHCS we are leading a transformative journey in behavioral health, reshaping systems and services to ensure better outcomes for communities across California. Our behavioral health transformation initiative is more than a project- it's a movement to make California a leader in accessible, high-quality health services. We're setting the stage for a new era of government services built on agile methodologies, cutting-edge technologies, continuous improvement, AI, and relentless commitment to serving the public good
At DHCS we're looking for innovators who are passionate about purposeful work and excited by the opportunity to drive lasting change through innovative solutions
Lead Large‑Scale Technology That Transforms Behavioral Health Across California
The Opportunity
This is a rare opportunity for a senior technology leader to help run and shape one of the largest and most meaningful technology transformations in California—a multi‑year effort involving 250+ people, complex vendor ecosystems, and systems that directly impact millions of Californians.
As Director of Engineering Operations, you will play a pivotal leadership role in ensuring that large‑scale product and engineering initiatives are not just delivered—but delivered with excellence, accountability, and real‑world impact. Your work will directly support California’s Behavioral Health Transformation, helping expand access to care, improve outcomes, and modernize systems that serve some of the state’s most vulnerable communities.
This role is ideal for an experienced leader who thrives at scale, has deep technical judgment, and wants their leadership to matter far beyond a single product or company.Your Impact
You will operate at the center of a complex, high‑stakes delivery environment—bringing rigor, clarity, and accountability across engineering, product, architecture, delivery, vendors, and state partners. Your leadership will ensure that:

• Large teams stay aligned to strategic goals and intended outcomes
• Technical solutions are sound, secure, maintainable, and built to last
• Public funds are used responsibly and transparently
• Issues are identified early—before they become failures
• Delivery commitments translate into real, acceptable, high‑quality outcomes

This is not a passive oversight role. You will be deeply engaged, trusted to challenge assumptions, validate delivery claims, and step in when quality, execution, or accountability falls short.
 What You’ll Do

• Lead engineering execution at scale, ensuring work is delivered with quality, speed, and alignment across a large, multi‑team environment
• Serve as a senior operational authority across engineering and product delivery, holding teams and vendors accountable to clear expectations
• Review and validate Statements of Work, work authorizations, invoices, and delivery artifacts, ensuring accuracy and alignment with actual outcomes
• Assess whether deliverables truly meet expectations for technical quality, completeness, maintainability, operational readiness, and product intent
• Identify execution risks, technical gaps, coordination breakdowns, and dependency issues that may not surface in standard reporting
• Clearly and decisively call out deficiencies—explaining what’s wrong, why it matters, and what corrective action is required
• When necessary, recommend rework, rejection, financial adjustment, or recovery of funds to protect delivery integrity and public investment
• Coordinate closely with engineering, product, architecture, delivery leaders, and business stakeholders to maintain alignment and momentum
• Partner with DHCS and state collaborators to support coordination, issue resolution, and overall program success

The Leader We’re Looking For
You are a hands‑on senior leader with the credibility to operate comfortably with executives, engineers, vendors, and public sector partners alike. You bring:

• Deep experience delivering large, complex, enterprise‑scale systems
• Strong technical judgment, with the ability to go deep when needed—not just manage by proxy
• The capability to oversee and, when appropriate, directly contribute to system design and construction, including modern, AI‑assisted development approaches
• A commitment to engineering excellence: maintainability, scalability, security, and operational sustainability
• The confidence to hold others accountable—constructively, clearly, and consistently
• A desire to lead work where success is measured not just in delivery, but in real impact on people’s lives

Why This Role Matters
Few roles offer this combination of scale, complexity, authority, and purpose. You will help ensure that technology funded with public trust delivers on its promise—supporting recovery, access, and dignity for millions of Californians.
If you’re a senior technology leader looking to apply your skills to something that truly matters, this role offers both challenge and meaning at the highest level.
This is a remote role. We prefer candidates to be based in California. There will be times this person will need to be in Sacramento, CA for planning and business meetings. 1-2 times per quarter is expected. 
 

Statement for Speridian Technology

Speridian Technology is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Reasonable accommodations are available for qualified individuals with disabilities during the application process.