Position Information

NY HELPNo

AgencyPeople With Developmental Disabilities, Office for

TitleEqual Opportunity Specialist 3

Occupational CategoryOther Professional Careers

Salary Grade661

Bargaining UnitM/C - Managerial/Confidential (Unrepresented)

Salary RangeFrom $97874 to $123715 Annually

Employment Type Full-Time

Appointment Type Contingent Permanent

Jurisdictional Class Non-competitive Class

Travel Percentage 0%

Schedule

Workweek Mon-Fri

Hours Per Week 37.5

Workday

From 9 AM

To 5 PM

Flextime allowed? No

Mandatory overtime? No

Compressed workweek allowed? No

Telecommuting allowed? Yes

Location

County To Be Determined

Street Address TBD

City TBD

StateNY

Zip Code00000

Job Specifics

Duties Description The Executive Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at OPWDD was formed with the charge to infuse DEI objectives and methodologies throughout different key business functions and executive ranks within OPWDD. The DEI Office oversees a portfolio of over 100 active projects, a vision-to-action plan for cultural competence, linguistic competence, and equity, and key statewide functions. These functions include: language access; community engagement; policy audits; DEIA training and professional development; annual employee experience surveys; data collection and reporting; referral processes; statewide DEI committees; and much more. With this, we are looking for a strong leader who is a lifelong learner committed to systems-change and outcomes-driven work in state government.

The Equal Opportunity Specialist 3 (EOS 3) will report to the Assistant Director and work closely with the Chief Diversity Officer and DEI team to lead key functions of the DEI Office related to workplace, strategy and impact. They will lead, coach, and supervise DEI staff to design and implement innovative approaches to advance cultural and linguistic competence, and equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility at OPWDD. The person will be expected to create and sustain an environment in the DEI office where new ideas can be shared and explored, meaningful conversations lived experience can take place, and staff are supported to implement creative and long-lasting solutions to increase equity and accessibility for employees, people with developmental disabilities and their families, and all New Yorkers in need of government services.

The EOS 3 will be working directly with research scientists, equal opportunity specialists, program specialists, assistant director, and interdisciplinary teams within the agency. The position requires meaningful collaboration, ongoing communication, and developing shared goals with internal and external partners. As such, the EOS 3 will be expected to maintain knowledge and expertise around diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, cultural and linguistic competence, and lived experience of people with developmental disabilities. The EOS 3 will be expected to provide routine updates to DEI management and ensure the success of the DEI office portfolio, as well as support staff growth and professional development.

The primary duties and responsibilities of the Equal Opportunity Specialist 3 include, but are not limited to:
DEI Partnerships:
-Lead the DEI Office interdivisional partnerships with the agency's divisions and units, which includes:
o Forming interdivisional workgroups;
o Facilitating recurring meetings, setting agendas, and tracking deliverables;
o Information gathering on DEIA hiring practices;
o Developing toolkits for employees, and more.
-Oversee and coordinate the DEI team's participation in DEI workgroups and committees.
-Draft and deliver internal and external presentations on the DEI Office.
-Support ongoing collaboration between divisions and help facilitate meetings, prepare agendas, and track and follow through on action items.
-Represent the Chief Diversity Officer and Assistant Director on the Workforce Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council, as needed.
-Attend interdivisional meetings to advance DEIA practices throughout the agency.

DEIA Strategic Plan Implementation
-Lead the implementation of ongoing DEIA strategic objectives, including:
o Developing accessible resources and communications for OPWDD employees in plain language, including monthly agency messaging on observances, celebrations, updates, resources, and more.
o Designing and disseminating an annual Diversity Calendar.
o Designing and facilitating meaningful employee engagement with DEIA initiatives, such as virtual lunch and learns, webinars, and celebrations across the state with OPWDD employees that highlight DEIA best practices.
o Setting up systems of measurement and progress (Key Performance Indicators).
o Annual progress reports and communication on the agency's DEIA Strategic Plan.
-Lead and coordinate the annual reporting to the NYS Department of Civil Service's Office of Diversity & Inclusion Management, as well as implement recommendations and enhance protocols to complete reporting.

DEIA Training and Evaluation
-Lead the design and implementation of DEIA, cultural and linguistic competence, and other related training initiatives, orientations, and professional development programs for the OPWDD workforce.

-Lead the design and delivery of accessibility programs, specifically related to inclusive plain language. This includes developing and implementing agency-wide protocols and best practices for inclusive plain language, which must involve input from people with lived experience, forming a plain language workgroup, and increasing access to information for people who do not use speech to communicate.

-Create and maintain a comprehensive DEIA training database, which would include quantitative and qualitative data from pre-and post-training assessments and training evaluation surveys for DEIA, cultural and linguistic competence and related trainings on various topics, including but not limited to implicit bias, language access, plain language, disability justice, and more.

-Create and maintain a comprehensive DEIA engagements database, which would include quantitative and qualitative data from evaluation and feedback surveys for DEIA engagements, such as virtual lunch and learns, webinars, strategic planning forums, community engagement initiatives, and other programs and activities for OPWDD employees.

-Oversee large-scale employee surveys to gather input and insight to advance DEIA.

Lead and support special projects and all other duties as assigned by DEI management and agency commissioner.


This position may be filled at one the following locations:
• Albany- 44 Holland Avenue, Albany
• New York- 25 Beaver St, New York


LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nys-office-for-people-with-developmental-disabilities/posts/?feedView=all

#LI-JB2

Minimum Qualifications Non-competitive: eight years of experience* in equal opportunity, diversity and inclusion, or human rights. At least one year of the experience must have been at a supervisory level; OR one year of State service in an equal opportunity, diversity and inclusion, minority business, employment compliance, human resources, or training position allocated at or above Grade 23.

*Qualifying experience includes working with organizations concerned with equal opportunity, diversity and inclusion, civil rights, minority business development, or similar programs; or in recruiting, training, and upgrading the educational and job qualifications of protected class members.

Substitutions: associate’s degree may substitute for two years of the nonsupervisory experience; bachelor’s degree for four years; and Juris Doctor or master’s degree for five years.

Additional Comments • Preference will be given to OPWDD employees impacted by closures. If you are being impacted by closure, please indicate this on your resume.

• All OPWDD employees must be eligible and maintain eligibility for full and unconditional participation in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Continued employment will depend on maintaining eligibility.

• If you are employed by state government you may be able to receive loan forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF). The PSLF Program forgives the remaining balance on Direct Loans after 120 qualifying monthly payments have been made under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time for a qualifying employer. For more information on PSLF, please visit www.studentAid.gov/publicservice.

• Employees on long term leave can bid on positions but must be able to report to work within fourteen (14) days and be able to perform the essential functions of their positions with or without reasonable accommodation (RA).

• If an employee or job applicant believes that they need a reasonable accommodation, they should contact the Reasonable Accommodation Unit at (518) 486-7222 or email accommodationrequests@opwdd.ny.gov to obtain information and RA forms.

• Savings programs such as the U.S. Savings Bond and the College Savings Plan.

• Voluntary pre-tax savings programs such as Health Care Spending Account and the Dependent Care Advantage Account offer employees options to pay for uncovered health care expenses or dependent care expenses.

• Access to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) an assessment and referral service that connects employees with local service providers and support services to address their personal needs.

• Life insurance and Disability insurance.

• The New York State Deferred Compensation Plan is a voluntary retirement plan that offers employees the option to invest a part of their salaries for retirement on a tax-deferred basis.

• Paid Holidays and Leave:
° Thirteen (13) paid holidays each year.
° Thirteen (13) days of paid vacation leave initially.
° Five (5) days paid personal leave each year.
° Paid sick leave each year, which may carry over from year to year.

• Health Care Coverage:
Employees and their eligible dependents can choose from a variety of affordable health insurance programs. Employees are provided family dental and vision plans at no extra cost.

• Paid Parental Leave:
Paid Parental Leave allows eligible employees to take up to 12 weeks of paid leave at full pay for each qualifying event. A qualifying event is defined as the birth of a child or placement of a child for adoption or foster care.

• Retirement Program:
Participate in The NYS Employees’ Retirement System (ERS), which is recognized as one of the best-managed and best-funded public retirement systems in the nation.

• Professional Development and Education and Training:
NYS offers training programs and tuition assistance to eligible employees to maintain and increase their professional skills and prepare them for promotional opportunities. For more information, please visit https://oer.ny.gov/training-and-professional-development.

• Additionally, the Public Service Workshops Program (PSWP) offers certain professional training opportunities for PEF represented and M/C designated employees that may grant continuing education credits towards maintaining professional licensure. For more information, please visit https://oer.ny.gov/public-service-workshops-program-pswp.

• OPWDD is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer dedicated to creating and sustaining a culture of inclusion. We believe that we are most effective in managing and improving our service system with a diverse team of employees. With such a large workforce, we rely on the collective individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, self-expression, ideas and talent that our employees bring to their work. This speaks to our culture and is a key part of our successes. As we continuously recruit people for our team, we welcome the unique contributions that applicants bring in terms of their education, culture, ethnicity, race, sex, gender identity and expression, nation of origin, age, languages spoken, veteran’s status, color, religion, disability, sexual orientation and beliefs.

***All people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.***

Some positions may require additional credentials or a background check to verify your identity.

How to Apply

Name Central Office Human Resources

Telephone (518) 473-4785

Fax (518) 474-9902

Email Address MainOffice.Careers@opwdd.ny.gov

Address

Street Central Office Human Resources

44 Holland Ave

City Albany

State NY

Zip Code 12229

 

Notes on ApplyingPlease email your cover letter resume to MainOffice.Careers@opwdd.ny.gov and reference vacancy ID in your email.