Summary

The DIF Grant Engagement and Outreach Specialist will be a key member of the Disability Innovation Fund (DIF) Grant Team, responsible for supporting and enhancing stakeholder engagement, communication, and programmatic outreach efforts. This role will ensure effective coordination and impactful dissemination of information, playing a vital part in achieving the grant’s objectives to improve transition outcomes for youth and students with disabilities across Colorado.

Description

The Department of Labor and Employment keeps Colorado strong and competitive. We connect workers with great jobs and assist those who have been injured on the job. We help people who are unemployed through no fault of their own by providing temporary wage replacement and we ensure fair labor practices. We provide an up-to-date and accurate picture of the economy that helps in decision making. And we protect the workplace – and Colorado communities – with a variety of consumer protection and safety programs.

This is a values-driven organization, committed to accountability, agility, collaboration, and respect. We believe in outstanding customer service, an inclusive culture, continued process improvement and in our role as a trusted and strategic partner. Recognizing that knowledgeable employees drive our success, we are seeking dedicated individuals who exhibit our shared values and our passion for quality and excellence in all we do.

In addition to rewarding and meaningful work, we offer excellent benefits:

Strong, secure, yet flexible retirement benefits including a PERA Defined Benefit Plan or PERA Defined Contribution Plan plus 401(k) and 457 plans
Medical and dental health plans
Employer supplemented Health Savings Account
Paid life insurance
Short- and long-term disability coverage
11 paid holidays per year plus vacation and sick leave
BenefitHub state employee discount program
MotivateMe employee wellness program
Excellent work-life programs, such as flexible schedules, training and more
Access to participate in employer-supported employee affinity spaces
RTD EcoPass Commuter Program
Some positions may qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. For more information go to https://dhr.colorado.gov/dhr-resources/student-loan-forgiveness-programs

Our agency website: Colorado Department of Labor and Employment

CDLE has implemented a pilot program on March 1st, 2022 which will award Disability Hiring Preference Points similar to the Veterans’ Preference Points program. During your application process you will be asked if you would like to be considered for either of these programs for additional points in the hiring process. To learn more about Disability Hiring Preference and what will be required to participate, please visit our website: https://sites.google.com/state.co.us/disability-hiring-preference/home

PLEASE NOTE: With the beginning of this program, CDLE will no longer accept attachments of any kind with applications. Please be as thorough as possible in documenting your education and work history in the application system. Attachments will not be accepted or considered during any phase of the hiring process including minimum qualification screening, comparative analysis, or interviews.

Description of Job

Salary Information:

HOURLY
$28.30 – $39.68
BIWEEKLY
$2,264.31 – $3,174.47
MONTHLY
$4,906.00 – $6,878.02

Position purpose: The DIF Grant Engagement and Outreach Specialist will be a key member of the Disability Innovation Fund (DIF) Grant Team, responsible for supporting and enhancing stakeholder engagement, communication, and programmatic outreach efforts. This role will ensure effective coordination and impactful dissemination of information, playing a vital part in achieving the grant’s objectives to improve transition outcomes for youth and students with disabilities across Colorado. This position will focus on building strong relationships with youth, families, and community partners, facilitating their active involvement in grant activities, and ensuring the seamless execution of outreach and engagement initiatives. This role will ensure youth and family engagement by implementing a youth ambassador program, facilitating planning and advisory committee meetings and partnering directly with pilot school-based interdisciplinary teams throughout Colorado. This position is term-limited and set to expire 6/30/2028.

Duties:

Youth and Family Engagement: The DIF Grant Engagement and Outreach Specialist leads efforts to elevate youth and family voice across all aspects of the Pathways to Partnership Innovation Model Demonstration Project. This position designs, launches, and manages the Youth Ambassador program at each of the five interdisciplinary pilot sites, creating paid, student-led opportunities that promote peer outreach, leadership, and authentic representation in team planning and activities. Beyond the pilot sites, the Specialist ensures that youth and family perspectives shape the entire project by facilitating the planning and advisory team meetings, driving inclusive outreach strategies, coordinating with partners, and integrating feedback loops into program development. While the Family Coalition facilitates training and focus groups, this role actively collaborates with them and other partners to ensure engagement efforts are accessible, culturally responsive, and designed to reach families and students statewide. Through consistent coordination with interdisciplinary teams, school districts, Centers for Independent Living, and DVR staff, the Specialist ensures that the project reflects and responds to the needs of the youth and families it serves.

Interdisciplinary Team Coordination and Onboarding: The DIF Grant Engagement and Outreach Specialist collaborates with the DIF team to lead coordination efforts across interdisciplinary teams at each pilot site to ensure consistent, collaborative implementation of the Pathways to Partnership model. This position coordinates the onboarding process for new pilot sites, ensuring each team—which includes representatives from DVR, local education agencies, and Centers for Independent Living—has the tools, resources, and guidance needed to operate as a cohesive unit.

The Specialist attends regular interdisciplinary team meetings to promote communication, shared planning, and alignment across partners. They also collaborate with contractors responsible for providing technical assistance on coordinated student planning, ensuring that pilot sites receive consistent support, training, and follow-up. This role plays a critical part in sustaining effective interdisciplinary partnerships that are centered on student outcomes and local implementation fidelity and will require some statewide travel.

The DIF Grant Engagement and Outreach Specialist collaborates with the Marketing and Communications Specialist to ensure all DIF-related communications and outreach strategies are inclusive, accessible, and aligned with the project’s goals. This position collaborates on the development and refinement of messaging that resonates with youth, families, and community stakeholders, and provides input to ensure all materials reflect the voices and lived experiences of the populations served.

A key responsibility of this role is supporting the communication and content development process for the Map My Path web platform and app. The Specialist collaborates closely with the external contractor developing the platform and serves as a liaison with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE)’s Office of Government Policy and Public Relations (GPPR) to obtain necessary approvals for all written and visual content, ensuring that youth and family voices are meaningfully integrated throughout the content development process. This includes ensuring messaging is consistent with state branding, accessibility, and cultural responsiveness standards. Through this work, the Specialist helps ensure that all marketing and communications efforts, whether public-facing or internal, support the broader success of the DIF grant and integrate youth voice.

Scalability and Strategy Documentation: The DIF Grant Engagement and Outreach Specialist contributes to the documentation of strategies, tools, and practices developed throughout the Pathways to Partnership Innovation Model Demonstration Project to support future replication and scalability based on youth and family voice. Drawing from their direct involvement in youth engagement, interdisciplinary team coordination, and outreach implementation, the position provides input and supporting materials that reflect real-time experiences and practical applications across pilot sites based on youth and family voices.

This position collaborates with the DIF team and external partners to identify promising practices, surface barriers, and share site-level insights that inform written guides, templates, and resources for broader dissemination based on youth and family voices. By contributing to the capture of lessons learned and implementation approaches, the position helps ensure that the model can be successfully replicated in future sites and sustained beyond the grant period.

For more information on the Map My Path (DIF Grant) project please visit the project site: Map My Path website link.

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:

H1B3XX – Administrator III

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Experience Only:

Seven (7) years of relevant experience in an occupation related to the work assigned to this position such as special education, human services, vocational rehabilitation, youth and family engagement, workforce development, independent living services, program coordination, program management, community engagement, community outreach, or public policy.

Education and Experience:

A combination of related education and/or relevant experience in an occupation related to the work assigned equal to seven (7) years such as special education, human services, vocational rehabilitation, youth and family engagement, workforce development, independent living services, program coordination, program management, community engagement, community outreach, or public policy.

Required Competencies:

Knowledge of vocational rehabilitation and disability services: Understanding of programs and supports available to individuals with disabilities, including Pre-Employment Transition Services, Centers for Independent Living, and education systems.
Knowledge of youth and family engagement strategies: Familiarity with approaches for elevating youth and family voice, creating leadership opportunities, and integrating feedback into program design and service delivery.
Knowledge of interdisciplinary team collaboration: Understanding of how to coordinate and sustain effective partnerships among DVR, schools, Centers for Independent Living, and community organizations.
Knowledge of outreach and communications practices: Awareness of inclusive, accessible, and culturally responsive strategies for messaging, marketing, and disseminating information across platforms and audiences.
Knowledge of grant program requirements and documentation: Familiarity with federal and state grant guidelines, compliance standards, and methods for capturing lessons learned to support scalability and replication.
Communication skills: Ability to clearly convey information through accessible and culturally responsive messaging across written, verbal, and digital platforms to reach youth, families, and community partners.
Facilitation skills: Ability to plan, lead, and moderate meetings, listening sessions, and interdisciplinary team discussions to promote collaboration and shared decision-making.
Project coordination skills: Ability to organize tasks, timelines, and resources to support onboarding of pilot sites, manage multiple priorities, and ensure alignment with grant requirements.
Outreach and engagement skills: Ability to design and implement outreach strategies that effectively engage diverse youth and families, ensuring authentic input and participation.
Analytical Skills: Ability to assess feedback, evaluate program outcomes, and recommend adjustments to strategies, training content, and communication approaches.
Ability to build relationships: Establish and maintain strong, collaborative relationships with youth, families, interdisciplinary partners, and community organizations to support shared goals.
Ability to adapt to diverse needs: Adjust strategies and approaches to meet the cultural, linguistic, and accessibility needs of youth and families across Colorado.
Ability to work as part of a team and coordinate across teams: Work effectively with multiple pilot sites, contractors, and state-level partners as a team to ensure consistent implementation of the grant model
Ability to manage multiple priorities: Balance competing demands of youth engagement, team coordination, outreach, and documentation while meeting deadlines.
Ability to travel statewide: Participate in meetings, site visits, and events across Colorado to support pilot site implementation and engagement activities.
Commitment to equity and inclusion: Demonstrates a strong commitment to advancing equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility in all aspects of youth, family, and community engagement.
Professionalism and integrity: Models ethical behavior, accountability, and respect when representing the agency and building trust with diverse stakeholders.
Cultural responsiveness: Values and incorporates diverse perspectives, ensuring outreach and engagement efforts reflect the lived experiences of Colorado’s youth and families.
Flexibility and adaptability: Adjusts to evolving priorities, challenges, and contexts across multiple pilot sites and stakeholder groups.
Commitment to collaboration: Demonstrates a cooperative spirit, actively contributing to interdisciplinary teams and supporting collective problem-solving.

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience driving outreach strategy targeting youth and family
Experience working with youth with disabilities
Experience facilitating meetings, giving presentations, and communicating effectively in a variety of ways.
Ability to manage multiple projects and prioritize tasks to meet deadlines.
Develop and implement strategic plans in coordination with program partners, while building, coordinating, and maintaining stakeholder relationships that support programmatic buy-in and consensus building.
Previous experience with project management software
Previous experience with Google Workspace
Bilingual in English and Spanish
Experience performing duties similar to those assigned to the position as a classified State of Colorado employee.

Conditions of Employment:

You must be a Colorado resident at time of application.
You must pass a thorough background check prior to employment which will include the E-Verify process
This hybrid position is required to report to their designated DVR office (office closest to the incumbent) at the discretion of the supervisor and according to business needs
This position will require statewide travel 20% of the time.
The position is term-limited/grant-funded until June 30th, 2028, the applicant selected for this position will be required to sign a waiver of retention rights.

Appeal Rights:

An applicant who has been removed from an employment list or removed from consideration during the selection process may request a review by the State Personnel Director.

As an applicant directly affected by the results of the selection or comparative analysis process, you may file a written appeal with the State Personnel Director.

Review of the completed, signed and submitted appeal will be timely on the basis of written material submitted by you, using the official appeal form signed by you or your representative. This form must be completed and delivered to the State Personnel Board by email at dpa_state.personnelboard@state.co.us within ten (10) calendar days from your receipt of notice or acknowledgement of the Department’s action.

For further information on the Board Rules, you can 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/board-rules.

Supplemental Information

For questions regarding this recruitment, please contact: david.stevenson@state.co.us

Minimum Qualification Screening

A Human Resources Analyst will only review the work experience/job duties sections of the online job application to determine whether you meet the minimum qualifications for the position for which you are applying. Cover letters and resumes WILL NOT be accepted in lieu of the official State of Colorado online application, CDLE does not accept attachments of any kind during the application process. Part-time work experience will be prorated.

Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications to continue in the selection process for this position. Work experience and qualifications must be specifically documented on your online application. Do not use "see resume" or "see attached" statements on your application. CDLE does not accept attachments of any kind during the application process.

Comparative Analysis Process – Structured Application Review

After minimum qualification screening, the comparative analysis process for this position will involve a review and rating of all the information you submit with your application materials. Therefore, it is extremely important to document in the work experience/job duties portion of your online application the extent to which you possess the education, experience, minimum qualifications, and preferred qualifications as outlined in the job announcement. It is also important to thoroughly answer all supplemental questions (if listed) as your answers to these questions will be evaluated during this phase.

Supplemental Questions

Answer the supplemental questions on the application completely and thoughtfully. Your answers may be rated based on your writing ability (spelling, grammar, and clarity of your writing) as well as the content of your answer.

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT MAY BE USED TO FILL MULTIPLE AND/OR FUTURE VACANCIES

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.

The State of Colorado strives to create a Colorado for All by building and maintaining workplaces that value and respect all Coloradans through a commitment to equal opportunity and hiring based on merit and fitness.

The State is resolute in non-discriminatory practices in everything we do, including hiring, employment, and advancement opportunities.

The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment 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 our ADAAA Coordinator, Sean Montoya, at sean.montoya@state.co.us. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. For all other inquiries about this recruitment effort, please call 303-318-8200.

While a salary range is posted for this position, an eventual salary offer is determined by a comprehensive salary analysis, which considers multiple factors including but not limited to education and experience compared to others in the organization doing substantially similar work.