(a) The director, in accordance with AS 23.20.020 and 23.20.030, shall employ persons, including a deputy director, make expenditures, require reports, make investigations, and take other action that the director considers necessary to carry out the authority of the office.
(b) The director may delegate powers and duties to a deputy director or to a responsible employee of the agency when the director is absent from the office. The deputy director shall assume the duties and powers of the director when that office is vacant.