Review Vacancy
AgencyMental Health, Office of
TitleEqual Opportunity Specialist 3, Central Office;
Occupational CategoryOther Professional Careers
Bargaining UnitM/C - Managerial/Confidential (Unrepresented)
Salary RangeFrom $97874 to $123715 Annually
Duties Description The New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) is seeking a qualified candidate for the anticipated vacancy of a non-competitive position of Equal Opportunity Specialist 3, M-1. Under the supervision of the OMH Chief Diversity Officer and working in close collaboration with the Associate Commissioner for Children and Families, the Equal Opportunity Specialist 3, M-1 will be responsible for strengthening outreach and community engagement activities with the aim of improving service access for marginalized populations for the public mental health system, initially targeting children and their families in diverse communities who are subject to the children’s settlement agreement. The incumbent will actively engage grassroots, faith-based, and community development organizations who serve and support marginalized and disconnected communities to learn from them and help identify ways to better engage community members and identify effective community defined or non-traditional wellness/healing activities for the possibility of expansion or replication. Additionally, the incumbent will work collaboratively and directly with program staff, and community stakeholders to identify approaches to increase culturally responsive services, greater service availability in underserved communities. Specific duties to be performed may include, but are not limited to the following:
Initiate a community and stakeholder engagement process to inform the identification of effective practices that will better engage and serve diverse communities, beginning with a focus on children and families to assist in settlement efforts.
Serve as the liaison to the Children’s Division responsible for engagement with and service access for underserved populations for the public mental health system, specifically for the children and their families in marginalized communities throughout NYS.
o Develop mechanisms and approaches to strengthen and support outreach efforts to disconnected communities and agencies/organizations therein.
o Identify and build relationships with non-traditional wellness and mental health-oriented providers to learn strategies and approaches for serving disconnected and marginalized communities in various parts of New York State and other parts of the country.
o Identify and recommend models of services and supports for children and families that are best suited to their needs and can ensure quality and treatment outcomes and reduce the likelihood of the need for institutional or other high-intensity out-of-home treatment services or placements in other child-serving systems.
Coordinate efforts engagement with diverse communities, first focusing on with family and youth voice and peer support, LGU and CSPOA efforts, and cross-agency collaboration/systems of care.
Review research focused on diverse populations, marginalized communities, and culturally and linguistically relevant and effective child and adolescent mental health service and treatment models.
o Recommend new and innovative approaches to mental health care based on current research findings and identified effective community practices
o Work in collaboration with the Office of Population Health and Evaluation to explore effective programs that have included research and evaluation to measure effectiveness and replicability.
o Review statewide data, program trends/findings and recommend program changes to support access to care and equity in service provision to help in reducing disparities in mental health care for children and their families. Review data reports, such as utilization rates, patient characteristics, length of stay data, referral and admission patterns, etc.
o Coordinate quality improvement initiatives to include measures and evaluation on serving diverse communities for outpatient community-based programs statewide, particularly those serving children and youth.
o Review program findings to ensure provider quality of care and service access. Make independent recommendations for program changes to ensure program changes, training and technical assistance and support initiatives.
Communicate the results of engagement efforts to inform Division policy and development efforts. Provide recommendations to leadership to establish processes for integration of community, family and youth feedback to be shared and integrated into Divisional and agency policy making.
o Ensure recommendations on policies and guidance developed reflect community, family, and youth input, ensuring all approaches to service provision reflect mission and value-driven language of strengths-based, trauma-informed, family-driven, youth-guided, and culturally and linguistically informed services.
o Identify needs for programmatic and regulatory reform in cases where current policies and/or regulations hamper the implementation of appropriate and effective mental health services for children and adolescents diverse and marginalized communities.
Work with regional field offices, Office of Advocacy and Peer Support Services, and Office of Planning to help align efforts with larger agency initiatives and direction.
Collaborate and maintain relationships with other state agency partners, such as the Office of Children and Family Services, Office of Addiction Services and Supports, Department of Health and State Education Department to collaborate around the needs of communities and populations of children and families.
Represent the Office of Mental Health in community forums, meetings, and other outreach activities and learning community activities.
Minimum Qualifications Non-Competitive Appointment:
Candidates must have eight years of qualifying 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; bachelor’s degree for four years; and J.D. or master’s degree for five years.
Additional Comments Specific scheduled hours and telecommuting availability for this position will be discussed during the interview process. Please note, employees are required to apply and obtain approval through management to telecommute according to operational needs and Agency Telecommuting Program Guidelines.
The Mission of the New York State Office of Mental Health is to promote the mental health of all New Yorkers, with a focus on providing hope and supporting recovery for adults with serious mental illness and children with serious emotional disturbances. Applicants with lived mental health experience are encouraged to apply. OMH is deeply committed to supporting underserved individuals, organizations, and communities. To this end, OMH is focused on implementing activities and initiatives to reduce disparities in access, quality, and treatment outcomes for underserved populations. A critical component of these efforts is ensuring OMH is a diverse and inclusive workplace where all employees' unique attributes and skills are valued and utilized to support the mission of the Agency. OMH is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.
Some positions may require additional credentials or a background check to verify your identity.
Email Address OMHHRM@omh.ny.gov
Address
Street NYS Office of Mental Health
44 Holland Avenue
Notes on ApplyingTo be considered for this position, interested candidates should email a cover letter and resume in Microsoft Word or PDF format to omhhrm@omh.ny.gov. Please include the title of the position and Vacancy ID #225459 in the subject line of your email when applying.
You are advised that, should you accept a job offer with the Office of Mental Health, you may be required to be fingerprinted and pay a fingerprint fee.