Civil Rights Program Specialist VI

TX-HHSC-DSHS-DFPS•Austin, TX

2d•$5,090 - $6,702•Hybrid

About The Position

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) is seeking a Civil Rights Program Specialist VI to join their Civil Rights Office (CRO). This role involves highly advanced training, policy, and quality management activities to ensure compliance with federal and state civil rights laws. The specialist will develop and manage training systems, conduct specialized training, monitor and report on CRO activities, and analyze policy issues. Responsibilities include developing new or revised programs and policies, serving as a mediator, preparing resolution agreements, and setting standards for complaint investigations and reasonable accommodation requests. The position also involves consultative capacity in planning, developing, and administering training and quality management, handling employment and service-related complaints, and reasonable accommodation requests. Additionally, the specialist will provide consultation and technical assistance, act as a liaison, review and analyze CRO activities, investigate discrimination complaints, process reasonable accommodation requests, and mentor civil rights staff. This role requires working under limited direction with extensive latitude for judgment and initiative.

Requirements

Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university. Civil rights experience in a program specialist or manager role may be substituted on a year for year basis for the education requirement.
Experience in conducting civil rights complaint investigations.
Experience in processing reasonable accommodation requests.
Experience in mediation and conflict resolution.
Experience in conducting training.
Experience working with federal and state laws relating to employment and service. Including equal opportunity agencies and civil rights laws such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Texas Commission on Human Rights Act, Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Federal and state civil rights laws, including Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Texas Commission on Human Rights Act, and related executive orders and regulations.
HHS policies and programs, state and federal laws and regulations relating to HHS programs.
Quality assurance and continuous improvement processes in a public sector environment.
Knowledge of training principles and techniques.
Knowledge of program planning and implementation.
Evaluating complex programs, rules, regulations, policies, and procedures.
Technical writing, including the ability to draft clear, concise and accurate reports, policies, procedures and correspondence.
Performing complex research.
Analyzing and evaluating complex program and policy issues.
Investigating complaints and investigative tools and methods, including researching, gathering, organizing, and analyzing information to reach a determination and finding.
Skill in problem solving, mediation, and conflict resolution.
Gather, assemble, correlate, and analyze facts to devise solutions to complex problems, and to prepare concise reports.
Develop and evaluate administrative policies and procedures, and to devise solutions to administrative problems.
Manage multiple and competing projects and program activities with tight deadlines.
Plan, assign, and coordinate the work of others.
Establish goals and objectives, and to develop schedules, priorities, standards, and evaluation activities.
Communicate effectively verbally and in writing to all levels of staff.
Use sound judgment and discretion in decision-making and problem solving.

Responsibilities

Performs highly advanced training, policy and quality management activities for the HHSC Civil Rights Office (CRO) and its divisions in compliance with HHS policy and applicable federal and state civil rights laws.
Develops, coordinates and manages training systems and quality management for the CRO.
Conducts specialized training on civil rights related topics for CRO staff, and external customers including managers.
Monitors, reviews and produces reports of findings and provides technical consultation on CRO activities including, investigations, training, civil rights casework and CRO activities.
Develops, researches, and analyzes complex program and management policy issues and initiatives; identifies need for new and/or revised programs, policies, and procedures, and makes recommendations for improvement.
Completes management reports and recommends appropriate changes; establishes goals and objectives; takes a leadership role in special projects and assignments; serves as a mediator and helps prepare resolution agreements.
Develops schedules, priorities, and standards for achieving quality in discrimination complaint investigations, reasonable accommodation requests and all CRO activities.
Serves in a specialized consultative capacity in planning, developing, and administering training and quality management; in employment related and service-related complaints; reasonable accommodation requests and other high-level activities such as, Management Initiated Investigations, Mediation and Facilitation.
Provides consultation and technical assistance relating to employment of HHS employees, managers and customers, serving as a liaison between CRO divisions, staff, and external partners including managers on complaint processing and other CRO activities.
Develops, coordinates and conducts civil rights training.
Reviewing and analyzing CRO activities, examining trends and developing action plans to correct and/or improve CRO functions.
Investigates discrimination complaints including specialized complaints and preparing detailed comprehensive reports on findings and recommendations for resolutions.
Processes reasonable accommodation requests.
Coordinates, consults, oversees, and mentors civil rights staff in employment and service-related issues.
Provides leadership and direction to civil rights staff on employment and service-related complaints and inquiries.
Provides highly advanced review, research, analysis, and evaluation on complex program and policy issues and initiatives related to civil rights employment and service-related cases and all aspects of CRO activities.
Collects, organizes, analyzes, and prepares material in response to employment and service-related issues and other civil rights activities including data, HEART system, file systems, etc.
Oversees and reviews work prepared by staff to determine compliance with civil rights policy and legislation.
Develops and interprets civil rights policies and procedures.
Identifies need for new policies and procedures and recommends improvements to existing policies and procedures in all areas of the CRO as needed.
Provides programmatic direction for developing, implementing, and monitoring civil rights policies and procedures.
Establishes goals, objectives, priorities, and standards for projects and initiatives.
Oversees workgroups and meetings related to program oversight, research, analysis, and evaluation functions.
Determines civil rights employment and service trends, processing and timeliness trends and other trends as needed and makes recommendations to resolve issues.
Prepares and approves written project updates, executive summaries, administrative reports, policies, procedures, correspondence and other documents.
Develops, implements, and manages projects related to program initiatives for civil rights to ensure effective techniques are being implemented in the employment and service-related areas and other areas of the CRO as needed.
Provides leadership, consultation, direction, guidance, and quality review to civil rights staff on assignments and/or projects related to program initiatives and activities.
Collaborates with agency and division staff, HHS system staff, contractors, contract administrators, clients, community groups, and other stakeholders.
Conducts or oversees investigations into employment complaints and service-related complaints; processes reasonable accommodation requests and performs other CRO tasks as needed.
Investigates and processes complex and specialized investigations, charges and reasonable accommodation requests.
Provides recommendations to resolve issues or violations of policy.
Monitors and analyzes federal and state legislation, regulations, court decisions, and initiatives relating to employment civil rights and HHS policies and programs and recommends appropriate response.