Business Assistance Section Manager

Job Description - Business Assistance Section Manager )

Position Title:

Business Assistance Section Manager - )

Ready to shape Montana’s business culture and lead statewide impact? As Business Assistance Section Manager with the Montana Department of Labor & Industry, you will lead a team of professionals who partner with employers across the state to promote fair, lawful, and sustainable workplaces. This leadership role blends regulatory expertise, team development, and continuous improvement to help Montana businesses navigate working relationships, wage and hour, workers’ compensation, employment verification, and prevailing wage requirements.

Empowering all Montanans through work and opportunity.

• Respect
• Integrity

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.

The Business Assistance Section Manager provides strategic leadership and oversight for a unit that supports employers in understanding and complying with state and federal labor standards. The role is responsible for aligning unit work plans, goals, and processes with division objectives while fostering a culture of proactive assistance, accountability, and high‑quality customer service for Montana businesses.

• Provides leadership and vision by developing processes that identify businesses which are not in compliance with labor laws and assist them in coming into compliance.
• Supervise and develop knowledgeable teams
  , delegate authority, and foster an environment of high performance and continuous learning.
• Develop training and audit plans for prevailing wage projects while ensuring compliance with required state laws.
• Utilize data analytics to monitor program effectiveness, identify trends, and develop actionable solutions for improvement.
• Monitors and evaluates the progress of unit work plans, goals, and objectives to ensure alignment with divisional priorities. Continuously assess processes and identify opportunities for improvement to support the division’s strategic objectives. Implement policies and procedures that guide daily operations and advance long‑term organizational goals.
• Provides budget administration support by collaborating with the Bureau Chief and Division Administrator in the development, management, and oversight of the unit’s budget.
• Coaches, trains, and mentors staff to ensure they have the resources necessary to perform their duties effectively. Provides regular feedback—both orally and in writing—to recognize performance, encourage development, and maintain clear expectations.

• Interpret and Implement Advanced Labor Standards: Apply Montana and federal labor standards including wage and hour, worker’s compensation, working relationships, employment verification, and prevailing wage, to complex fact patterns, make sound compliance determinations, and provide practical, risk aware guidance to employers.
• Regulatory Program Design and Oversight: Design, implement, and continuously improve compliance programs, including audits, monitoring tools, and corrective action processes that promote voluntary compliance and withstand regulatory scrutiny.
• Data Driven Performance and Process Improvement: Use data, metrics, and trend analysis to diagnose problems, set performance targets, and lead structured improvement initiatives that enhance timeliness, consistency, and customer experience.
• Strategic Budget and Resource Management: Manage an operating budget, forecasting workload and staffing needs, and making trade‑off decisions that balance statutory requirements, service expectations, and limited public resources.
• Inclusive Leadership and Staff Development: Lead diverse teams by setting clear expectations, providing ongoing coaching, addressing performance issues, and building a positive culture of equity with professional growth opportunities.
• High Impact Training and Outreach: Develop and deliver focused trainings, tools, and outreach tailored to employers and stakeholders, including those working on…