Review Vacancy
AgencyPeople With Developmental Disabilities, Office for
TitleEqual Opportunity Specialist 2
Occupational CategoryOther Professional Careers
Bargaining UnitM/C - Managerial/Confidential (Unrepresented)
Salary RangeFrom $86773 to $108413 Annually
Duties Description Under the direction of the Equal Opportunity Specialist 3 within the Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Bureau, the Equal Opportunity Specialist 2 will be responsible for analyzing and evaluating requests for reasonable accommodations to qualified employees and job applicants with disabilities and religious observances or practices pursuant to federal and State laws. The Equal Opportunity Specialist 2 may supervise other Bureau staff.
The Equal Opportunity Specialist 2 may supervise other Bureau staff.
A successful Equal Opportunity Specialist 2 will identify issues and find solutions that work for everyone. This includes finding ways to reasonably accommodate OPWDD employees and job applicants while still maintaining the integrity of the agency and its policies. Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Review, evaluate, and analyze requests for reasonable accommodations to make sound recommendations on complex disability and accommodation issues.
- Actively engage in an interactive process with the OPWDD workforce and its job applicants seeking reasonable accommodations.
- Tactfully communicate with various departments and stakeholders for accommodation requests involving ergonomic/adaptive equipment as well as changes in worksite conditions and locations to ensure compliance with all applicable building codes, regulations, Agency policies, and applicable federal and State laws.
- Consult with OPWDD Counsel to ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and that all other legal requirements are met; obtain additional guidance where appropriate.
- Prepare and issue professional, well-written correspondences to employees and job applicants regarding reasonable accommodation determinations in accordance with established policies and procedures.
- Provide consultation on all applicable laws and mandates such as the ADA, Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), and the NYS Office of Employee Relations' (OER) policies and procedures for implementing reasonable accommodations.
- Assist with monitoring and researching all sources (local, state, federal) for changes/additions/clarifications to the ADA, EEO, OER policies, and applicable laws to ensure the RA Bureau and appropriate stakeholders are informed.
- Advise staff regarding performance standards and expectations, evaluate staff performance, identify training needs and/or corrective action, and provide staff with ongoing feedback to develop and support their professional growth.
- Assist with developing internal policies and procedures, forms, and other reference documents.
*Note: This position is a newly classified position and is pending placement into the non-competitive jurisdictional class. Until such approval, all appointments will be made temporary, pending jurisdictional class (JC). Once placed in the non-competitive class, the appointment type will be converted to permanent.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nys-office-for-people-with-developmental-disabilities/posts/?feedView=all
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Minimum Qualifications Non-competitive: seven years of experience* in equal opportunity, diversity and inclusion, or human rights 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 18.
*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 of the nonsupervisory experience; bachelor’s degree for four years; and Juris Doctor or master’s degree for five years.
Additional Comments • Preference will be given to OPWDD employees impacted by closures. If you are being impacted by closure, please indicate this on your resume.
• All OPWDD employees must be eligible and maintain eligibility for full and unconditional participation in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Continued employment will depend on maintaining eligibility.
• If you are employed by state government you may be able to receive loan forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF). The PSLF Program forgives the remaining balance on Direct Loans after 120 qualifying monthly payments have been made under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time for a qualifying employer. For more information on PSLF, please visit www.studentAid.gov/publicservice.
• Employees on long term leave can bid on positions but must be able to report to work within fourteen (14) days and be able to perform the essential functions of their positions with or without reasonable accommodation (RA).
• If an employee or job applicant believes that they need a reasonable accommodation, they should contact the Reasonable Accommodation Unit at (518) 486-7222 or email accommodationrequests@opwdd.ny.gov to obtain information and RA forms.
• Savings programs such as the U.S. Savings Bond and the College Savings Plan.
• Voluntary pre-tax savings programs such as Health Care Spending Account and the Dependent Care Advantage Account offer employees options to pay for uncovered health care expenses or dependent care expenses.
• Access to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) an assessment and referral service that connects employees with local service providers and support services to address their personal needs.
• Life insurance and Disability insurance.
• The New York State Deferred Compensation Plan is a voluntary retirement plan that offers employees the option to invest a part of their salaries for retirement on a tax-deferred basis.
• Paid Holidays and Leave:
° Thirteen (13) paid holidays each year.
° Thirteen (13) days of paid vacation leave initially.
° Five (5) days paid personal leave each year.
° Paid sick leave each year, which may carry over from year to year.
• Health Care Coverage:
Employees and their eligible dependents can choose from a variety of affordable health insurance programs. Employees are provided family dental and vision plans at no extra cost.
• Paid Parental Leave:
Paid Parental Leave allows eligible employees to take up to 12 weeks of paid leave at full pay for each qualifying event. A qualifying event is defined as the birth of a child or placement of a child for adoption or foster care.
• Retirement Program:
Participate in The NYS Employees’ Retirement System (ERS), which is recognized as one of the best-managed and best-funded public retirement systems in the nation.
• Professional Development and Education and Training:
NYS offers training programs and tuition assistance to eligible employees to maintain and increase their professional skills and prepare them for promotional opportunities. For more information, please visit https://oer.ny.gov/training-and-professional-development.
• Additionally, the Public Service Workshops Program (PSWP) offers certain professional training opportunities for PEF represented and M/C designated employees that may grant continuing education credits towards maintaining professional licensure. For more information, please visit https://oer.ny.gov/public-service-workshops-program-pswp.
• OPWDD is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer dedicated to creating and sustaining a culture of inclusion. We believe that we are most effective in managing and improving our service system with a diverse team of employees. With such a large workforce, we rely on the collective individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, self-expression, ideas and talent that our employees bring to their work. This speaks to our culture and is a key part of our successes. As we continuously recruit people for our team, we welcome the unique contributions that applicants bring in terms of their education, culture, ethnicity, race, sex, gender identity and expression, nation of origin, age, languages spoken, veteran’s status, color, religion, disability, sexual orientation and beliefs.
***All people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.***
Some positions may require additional credentials or a background check to verify your identity.