Early Childhood Education Recruitment and Retention Adminsitrator
Job Description
**Department Information**
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**STATE OF COLORADO RESIDENCY REQUIRED**
**NOTE: This announcement may be used to fill multiple openings.** **This position is open only to Colorado state residents.**
Colorado Governor Jared Polis is committed to building a Colorado For All, a place where everyone has an opportunity to succeed and live the Colorado way of life. Governor Polis is focused on lowering health care costs for hardworking Coloradans, transitioning the state to renewable energy sources, ensuring every Colorado child gets a quality education, and building an economy that works for everyone. **Committed to Diversity -** We are committed to increasing the diversity of our staff and providing culturally responsive programs and services. Therefore, we encourage responses from people of diverse backgrounds and abilities.If you’re looking for a place where you can be your authentic self at work and celebrate the uniqueness of those around you, then we want to talk to you! State of Colorado employees were asked to reflect on their experience with equity, diversity, and inclusion. Click here to learn more about their experiences Colorado For All – Colorado Employees Reflect on Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion.
We offer a generous benefits package including:* 11 paid holidays per year plus vacation and sick leave
* Medical, dental, and vision plans
* State paid life insurance policy
* Choice of 2 retirement plans (defined benefit or defined contribution)
* Optional 401(k) and 457 plans
* State paid short-term disability coverage
* Additional optional life and disability plans
* Credit Union membership
* Training and professional development
To learn more about State of Colorado benefits visit: https://www.colorado.gov/dhr/benefits.
Some positions may qualify for the **Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program****. For more information, go to** https://studentaid.gov/manage-loans/forgiveness-cancellation/public-service **This position will have the opportunity for a hybrid schedule (a combination of in-office and remote workplace).** **Please note – equipment provisioning and certain onboarding tasks will take place in person, in our downtown Denver office, on the first day of employment.
The Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC) ensures the delivery of a comprehensive, community-informed, data-driven, high-quality, and equitable early childhood system that supports the care, education and well-being of all Colorado’s young children, their families and early childhood professionals in all settings. CDEC provides access to collaborative, coordinated, quality early childhood programs and support to children, families, and early care professionals in an effort to best prepare Coloradans for future success. CDEC works with many partners, including parents, schools, child care providers, Early Childhood Councils, counties, Community Centered Boards, early intervention service providers, family resources centers, county human services, county public health, businesses, community organizations, and other stakeholders to provide high-quality early childhood and family support programs.
**Description of Job**
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**About the department:**
The Strategy and System Leadership Unit drives innovation and transformation of the early childhood system through the implementation of robust strategies focused on stabilizing, supporting, and growing the ECE field. Teams within this unit are deeply engaged in cross-agency and stakeholder partners focused on designing responsive alignments with higher education and professional development partners, early childhood councils, funders, and other key workforce strategy partners. These include several compensation-focused strategies including pilot salary increase studies, loan forgiveness, scholarship programs and benefits-focused initiatives. Efforts of this unit include leading responsive higher education partnerships for work-based learning (e.g. apprenticeships, credit for prior learning, and stackable credentials) and transformative new projects that include designing substitute programs, support for Family, Friend, and Neighbor providers and creating learning networks with family child care homes. The Workforce Strategy and System Leadership team has 7 staff members and manages cross-agency partnerships to understand how other agencies can support the early childhood workforce including the Colorado Department of Higher Education, Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (and the Colorado Workforce Development Council), Office of Economic Development and International Trade, and Colorado Department of Education among others. Lastly, this team provides the CDEC lead support for the Early Childhood Workforce Development Subcommittee of the Early Childhood Leadership Commission.
**What you’ll be doing:**
This position sits in the Division of Early Childhood Workforce and reports to the Strategy & System Leadership Unit Manager (QAA 00123). This position requires a unique level of expertise regarding early childhood workforce retention and recruitment initiatives in the state of Colorado and is therefore designated as the senior authority to provide leadership and make decisions related to implementing the statewide early childhood recruitment and retention Initiatives including the Early Care and Education Recruitment and Retention Scholarship as enacted by SB21-236 during the 2021 legislative session. This senior authority also includes overseeing the work-based learning and credit-bearing pathways contract and vendors supporting the recruitment and retention of Colorado’s early childhood workforce.
As Senior Authority, this position makes decisions that impact policies, processes, and strategies adopted by other state agencies including the Colorado Department of Education (CDE), the Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE), and the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE). These state agencies and community partners depend on this senior authority to provide technical guidance and direction related to aligning Colorado’s early childhood workforce recruitment, retention strategies, goals, and objectives. This senior authority also influences statewide decisions that impact early childhood workforce qualifications, policy, funding streams, and infrastructure **Duties include but are not limited to:*** Designated senior authority to provide leadership and make decisions related to implementing the statewide Early Childhood Workforce Recruitment and Retention Initiatives including the Early Care and Education Recruitment and Retention Scholarship and Grant Program as enacted by SB21-236 during the 2021 legislative session and continued through SB22-213.
* Senior authority is also delegated to manage the work-based learning and credit-bearing pathways contract and vendors that support recruitment, and retention of Colorado’s early childhood workforce.
* Evaluate program performance and recommend policies, procedures, and actions to ensure the achievement of goals.
* Establishes operational objectives that include quantitative, qualitative, and milestone data and information to allow for continued monitoring and assessment.
* Develop a vision and strategy to create system-level workforce conditions that support developing a pipeline of new professionals coming into the field and retention of professionals across workforce roles.
* Develops and implements statewide policies, procedures, and operating guidelines governing the Recruitment and Retention initiatives to ensure compliance with State statutes, rules, policies, and procedures.
* Coordinates with early childhood workforce data projects and data collection efforts to align workforce initiatives
* Monitors grantee performance and determines whether grantees are meeting goals
* Designs and implements strategy, systems, processes, guidelines, rules, and standards to meet the requirements of the S821-236.
* Directs the implementation of policies, rules, and regulations
* Evaluate contract agreements and documents, negotiate terms with clients and customers, and resolve contract disputes
* Manages contracts and vendors for initiatives that support recruitment and retention of Colorado’s early childhood workforce.
* Interprets state contract and procurement rules to ensure a competitive application and scoring process for distribution of program funds.
* Monitors grantee performance and completion of milestones and reports grantee outcomes to Department leadership, legislators, and other stakeholders.
* Develops and maintains relationships with local early childhood councils, counties, and all other community partners and stakeholders
* Engages with state and community partners to align early childhood workforce efforts and provide opportunities for cross-sector learning and sharing of best practices.
* Facilitates relevant stakeholder meetings, develops work products to to inform needs assessment and strategic plan updates, and ensures meetings provide opportunities for cross-sector learning and sharing of best practices
* Plans, coordinates, and conducts public and partner relations to enhance collaboration
* Establishes collaborative relationships and cooperative agreements with business, community, and family partners
* Other duties as assigned
**Minimum Qualifications, Substitutions, Conditions of Employment & Appeal Rights**
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**Residency Requirement:**
This posting is only open to residents of the State of Colorado at the time of submitting your application. **Class Code & Classification Description:**
**H1A2XX**
Program Management I
**MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:**
**Experience Only:**
Eight (8) years of relevant experience in a field related to early childhood, public policy, communications, or a similar area; with a requirement of at least four years of professional experience in Early Childhood Education leadership, such as serving as a director or family child care provider, or in roles involving finance/accounting, contract management and monitoring, grant management, and/or project management.
OR
**Education and Experience:**
A combination of related education and/or relevant experience equal to eight (8) years in a field related to early childhood, public policy, communications, or a similar area; with a requirement of at least four years of professional experience in Early Childhood Education leadership, such as serving as a director or family child care provider, or in roles involving finance/accounting, contract management and monitoring, grant management, and/or project management.
**Substitutions:*** Additional appropriate experience will substitute for the degree requirement on a year-for-year basis.
* Additional appropriate education will substitute for the required experience on a year-for-year basis.
**Please note:** The required experience must be substantiated within the work experience section of your application and in the supplemental questions. Your resume will not be reviewed to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications; only the work experience section and supplemental questions of your application will be reviewed to determine this. “See Resume” statements on the application will not be accepted. In addition, **part-time work will be prorated.**
**Preferred Qualifications:*** State experience relevant to this position
* Experience managing multiple high-stakes projects with multiple deliverables simultaneously.
* Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication and public speaking skills, including group facilitation skills.
* Ability to relate to diverse stakeholder groups, develop audience-appropriate messages and adapt strategies to various audiences including executive sponsors, team members, department heads, customers, vendors, and staff
* Experience leading projects with a team of peers and facilitating review and approval workflows with leadership outside of the division, including process improvement skills
* Ability to create change management tools such as communication plans, sponsor roadmaps, project plans, etc., to effectively manage change.
* Experience with workforce recruitment and retention policies and early childhood workforce qualifications
* Experience with cost modeling, grant/pilot project planning, and project implementation.
* Experience with program evaluation techniques, and managing partners to conduct evaluation efforts.
* Professional experience with budget development, performance monitoring and management, and financial reporting
* Knowledge of state legislative and regulatory policy processes including state fiscal rules and procurement policies
* Knowledge of federal program requirements including reporting, administration, and procurement guidelines
* Early Childhood Experience – Familiarity with the Department of Early Childhood, early childhood programs, and/or early childhood education
* Public Sector Experience – Experience working in local, state, or federal government
* Ability to work in a fast-paced, collaborative, team-oriented, often virtual work environment.
* Excellent computer skills with desktop and mobile office productivity applications, Microsoft products (Excel, Word), Smartsheet, and Google Suite
**Highly Desired:**
* Multilingual, Spanish, Arabic, or other language communities
* Master’s degree in early childhood, Education, Human Development, Adult Learning, Public Policy, Leadership or a related field.
* Experience building champions among leadership
* Active listening skills
* Knowledge of Human-Centered Design, Universal Design, and Liberatory Design Principles
**Conditions of Employment:**
* A pre-employment criminal background check will be conducted as part of the selection process as this position is deemed to have direct contact with vulnerable persons. Felony convictions, conviction of crimes of moral turpitude, or convictions of misdemeanors related to job duties may disqualify you from being considered for this position. Should your background check reveal any charges or convictions, it is your responsibility to provide the CDEC with an official disposition of any charges.
**DEFINITION OF PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:**
Work that involves exercising discretion, analytical skill, judgment, and personal accountability, and responsibility for creating, developing, integrating, applying, and sharing an organized body of knowledge that characteristically is uniquely acquired through an intense education or training regimen at a recognized college or university; equivalent to the curriculum requirements for a bachelor’s or higher degree with major study in or pertinent to the specialized field; and continuously studied to explore, extend, and use additional discoveries, interpretations, and application and to improve data, materials, equipment, applications and methods. **APPEAL RIGHTS:**
If you receive notice that you have been eliminated from consideration for this position, you may file an appeal with the State Personnel Board or request a review by the State Personnel Director.
An appeal or review must be submitted on the official appeal form, signed by you or your representative. This form must be delivered to the State Personnel Board by email (dpa_state.personnelboard@state.co.us), postmarked in US Mail or hand delivered (1525 Sherman Street, 4th Floor, Denver CO 80203), or faxed (303.866.5038) within ten (10) calendar days from your receipt of notice or acknowledgement of the department’s action.
For more information about the appeals process, the official appeal form, and how to deliver it to the State Personnel Board; go to spb.colorado.gov; contact the State Personnel Board for assistance at (303) 866-3300; or refer to 4 Colorado Code of Regulations (CCR) 801-1, State Personnel Board Rules and Personnel Director’s Administrative Procedures, Chapter 8, Resolution of Appeals and Disputes, at spb.colorado.gov under Rules.
H1B3XX
**Supplemental Information**
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**How to Apply****(PLEASE READ CAREFULLY)**
Please note that ONLY your State of Colorado job application will be reviewed during the initial screening; if you submit a resume and cover letter, they will be reviewed in later stages of the selection process. Therefore, it is paramount that you clearly describe all your relevant experience on the application itself. Applications left blank or marked “SEE RESUME” will not be considered.
Complete Applications must include the following documents:
* A complete CDEC Application for Announced Vacancy (please submit online using the green ‘APPLY’ button at the top of this announcement)
* A complete Supplemental Questionnaire (The questionnaire is part of the online application. You will be prompted to answer them as you are completing your online application.)
* A cover letter that describes your interest in this position, how your experience aligns with the minimum and preferred qualifications of this position. Cover letters must be uploaded as an attachment to your online application. Cover letters will not be accepted after the closing date and time of the announcement.
* If you are using education to qualify, a copy of your official or unofficial transcript showing that your degree has been conferred and the name of your school, or your NACES accreditation. Please submit this as an attachment to your online application.
* If you are a veteran, a copy of your DD214. Please submit this as an attachment to your online application.
Your application will be reviewed against the minimum qualifications for the position. If your application demonstrates that you meet the minimum qualifications, you will be invited to the comparative analysis process, which is described below**.**
**Comparative Analysis Process**
The comparative analysis process will consist primarily of a review of applications against the minimum and preferred qualifications of this position. Applications will be reviewed in comparison to all others in the applicant pool in order to identify a top group of candidates who may be invited for a final interview. Depending on the size of the applicant pool, additional selection processes may be utilized to identify a top group of candidates. Applicants will be notified of their status via email.
Failure to submit properly completed documents by the closing date will result in your application being rejected.
The State of Colorado believes that equity, diversity, and inclusion drive our success, and we encourage candidates from all identities, backgrounds, and abilities to apply. The State of Colorado is an equal opportunity employer committed to building inclusive, innovative work environments with employees who reflect our communities and enthusiastically serve them. Therefore, in all aspects of the employment process, we provide employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, medical condition related to pregnancy, creed, ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic information, or military status (with preference given to military veterans), or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law.
**Transfer, Non-Disciplinary Demotion or Reinstatement**
If you believe that you are eligible to be considered as a transfer, non-disciplinary demotion, or reinstatement to this vacancy, you must submit a completed application following the directions in this job announcement and you will be included in the selection process along with other qualified applicants. If you are the finalist for this position after the selection process, Human Resources will confirm your eligibility to be appointed as a transfer, non-disciplinary demotion, or reinstatement applicant.
**ADAAA Accommodations:**
CDEC is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, our agency will assist individuals who have a disability with any reasonable accommodation requests related to employment, including completing the application process, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, participating in the employee selection process, and/or to perform essential job functions where the requested accommodation does not impose an undue hardship. If you have a disability and require reasonable accommodation to ensure you have a positive experience applying or interviewing for this position, please direct your inquiries to the HR Specialist Jenny Nguyen at jenny.n.nguyen@state.co.us **Technical Assistance:**
If you experience difficulty in uploading or attaching documents to your online application, or for any other technical difficulties, call NEOGOV technical support at 855-524-5627 anytime between 6:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. (Pacific Time).
**The Department** **does not offer sponsored visas for employment purposes.** **HOW TO APPLY:** Please submit an online application for this position at https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/colorado. Reach out to the Department Contact to apply using a paper application, including any supplemental questions. Failure to submit a complete and timely application may result in the rejection of your application. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that application materials are received by the appropriate Human Resources office before the closing date and time listed. **IF NOT APPLYING ON-LINE, SUBMIT APPLICATION TO:**
Online applications are strongly preferred. If you are unable to submit an online application, please reach out to the contact listed. Please note, all applications must be received by the closing date listed on the job posting.
**DEPARTMENT CONTACT INFORMATION:**
**jenny.n.nguyen@state.co.us**
METHODS OF APPOINTMENT: Appointment to the vacancy or vacancies represented by this announcement is expected to be from the eligible list created. However, at the discretion of the appointing authority, the position(s) may be filled by another method of appointment for a valid articulated business reason.
