Summary

The position provides leadership aimed at developing and implementing evidence-based public, private, and voluntary support services for pregnant women, children, families, and localities.

Description

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.

Community and Family Support is a division of the Department of Early Childhood. The Division of Community and Family Support (DCFS) provides families and communities across Colorado with the resources needed to support young children to thrive. It is responsible for the administration of programs in three units: Early Intervention, Early Childhood Mental Health, and Family Strengthening. This Division develops and implements public, private, and voluntary support services for pregnant women, children, individuals, families, and localities and quality initiatives that prevent child maltreatment, increase the number of children ready for school, and provide statewide opportunities for families to address the social and emotional needs of infants, toddlers, and preschool children. Programs include Early Intervention Colorado, Nurse Home Visitor Program, Parents as Teachers Home Visiting, Healthy Steps, Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters, Promoting Safe and Sable Families, SafeCare Home Visiting, Family Resources Center Program, the Colorado Children’s Trust Fund, Childhood Mental Health Consultation. In addition to state general and cash funds, programs receive federal formula grants and competitive awards from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Part C. Private foundation funding for the division fluctuates in purpose/focus and amount, but is consistently an important component of the financial picture.

Description of Job

What you’ll be doing:

Under the general direction of the Deputy Director of the Office of Program Delivery, this position performs fiscal and administrative oversight and policy creation/interpretation related to the management and daily operations of the Division of Community and Family Support. The position provides leadership aimed at developing and implementing evidence-based public, private, and voluntary support services for pregnant women, children, families, and localities. Serves as the architect of innovation in structuring, creating, and prioritizing Division of Community and Family program partnerships and quality initiatives that support families and children in the areas of promoting mental health, supporting special needs, educate and support women during pregnancy and families with children up to age eight, improving health and developmental outcomes for children, and promoting safe and stable families and community engagement. The position provides policy direction and leadership in promoting programs aimed at providing access to affordable, high-quality services in the above areas to enhance the healthy development and well-being of children and families and make available the necessary support to families in work and parenting roles.

Major Job Duties include, but are not limited to:

Lead the Division and develop and expand prevention and support services to respond to community needs in alignment with the agency/s strategic plan and performance objectives.
Develop operational strategies that complement and foster the Department’s strategic plan
Review trends and best practices to aid in the development of the overall strategies for the Division of Community and Family Support programs.
Develop policies that align with, and Division operational objectives and intended outcomes.
Guide performance management efforts to improve outcomes.
Exhibits leadership with outside agencies, such as the Department of Education, Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, Department of Public Health and Environment, and in the interests of coordinating service delivery systems and program implementation.
Directs when there is a need to develop new programs, initiatives, or new procedures.
Proposes needed rules for adoption by the CDEC Executive Director
Attends national and state conferences and forums to stay abreast of new developments, research, and programs in the early childhood field for their applicability to Colorado.
Attends trainings to improve own administrative and executive leadership skills.
Stays up to date on journal information in the early childhood field.
Assist with the work being done on the development of a statewide early childhood data system; as director, sets priorities.
Maintain and develop collaborative and professional relationships with funding agencies and service delivery partners, public agencies, and community groups in order to leverage relationships that improve outcomes for Colorado children.
Communicate with stakeholders and collaborate with a variety of functional areas in order to deliver program results that contribute to a nationally recognized program delivery system.
Establish and nurture highly effective relationships with employees, customers, and stakeholders that support and advance program goals and objectives.
Represent the agency and Office of Early Childhood in the community with internal and external stakeholders.
Identify and implement program policy and process improvement initiatives.
Determine methods to measure and gauge the quality and efficiency of family and community services and support.
Measure and track the results CDEC is achieving for families and children as well as to identify specific areas and opportunities for improvement.
Lead and support efforts to continually improve business practices and processes to maximize Department resources and achieve operational excellence.
Assess the results of efforts to improve performance, and make adjustments as needed.
Recruit, train, manage, and develop leadership and support staff.
Oversee program leaders and support efforts to meet operational and professional development goals.
Develop and manage a budget that supports improved program outcomes.
Develop and manage an annual budget.
Provide oversight and direction for Division's operating budget to ensure resources are efficiently and effectively utilized.
Develop comprehensive work plans that support the budget.
Present decision items at budget hearings that are related to the Division.
Responsible for ensuring their respective programs are administered appropriately and in accordance with State Fiscal Rules, Procurement Rules, regulations, statutes, contract provisions, and if applicable, Uniform Guidance 2 CFR 200.
Responsible for managing the program and all vendors throughout the duration. This includes establishing and tracking performance metrics, serving as a subject matter expert, reviewing and approving expenditures, and tracking the budget.
Other duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications, Substitutions, Conditions of Employment & Appeal Rights

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: (New)

(H1A4XX)

Program Management III

Minimum Qualifications

Ten (10) years of full-time professional work experience in a field related to; Public Administration, Public Policy, Government, Law, Education, Early Childhood, Social Work, Public Health, Family Studies, Psychology, and/or Nonprofit Management; must include 2 years of state government experience and at least three (3) years of supervisory/leadership experience to include all aspects of formal supervision of staff.

Education and Experience: A combination of related education and/or relevant experience in an occupation related to Public Administration, Public Policy, Government, Law, Education, Early Childhood, Social Work, Public Health, Family Studies, Psychology, and/or Nonprofit Management equal to ten (10) years; must include two (2) years of state government experience and at least three (3) years of supervisory/leadership experience to include all aspects of formal supervision of staff.

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.

Substitutions: Additional related experience may substitute for the education on a year-for-year basis. Additional appropriate education in a related field may substitute for the experience requirement on a year-for-year basis.

Preferred Qualifications:

State experience relevant to this position
Desired – Masters Degree (majoring in Public Administration, Public Policy, Government, Law, Education, Early Childhood, Social Work, Public Health, Family Studies, Psychology, Nonprofit Management) or Substitute Experience
Experience with strategic planning;
Experience with contract and budget management;
Experience working in early childhood, early relational health, or family strengthening programs;
Supervisory/leadership experience;
Ability to build consensus and collaborate with a variety of stakeholders;
Excellent written and verbal communication skills;
Ability to be self-motivated and self-directed, while possessing the ability to work in a team environment;
Knowledge of early childhood sector Highly Desired
Ability to create change management tools such as communication plans, sponsor roadmaps, coaching/training plans, etc., to effectively manage change;
Ability to work well with project stakeholders regardless of position or authority, including executive sponsors, team members, department heads, customers, vendors, and staff;
Excellent negotiation and consensus-building skills;
Ability to identify problems, determine accuracy and relevance of information and use sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives and to make recommendations;
Able to multi-task, prioritize, and manage time effectively.

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.

Conditions of Employment:

Applicants must pass a background check prior to employment.
Employees who have been disciplinary terminated, resigned in lieu of disciplinary termination, or negotiated their termination from the State of Colorado must disclose this information on the application.
Travel – 10% Occasional travel throughout the state. Occasional out-of-state travel may be required. Incumbent must be able to travel and have reliable transportation.

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.

Supplemental Information

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.)
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.

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.