Equal Opportunity Specialist 2

Equal Opportunity Specialist 2

The Executive Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at OPWDD was formed with the charge to infuse DEI objectives and methodologies throughout different key business functions and executive ranks within OPWDD. The DEI Office oversees a portfolio of over 100 active projects, a vision-to-action plan for cultural competence, linguistic competence, and equity, and key statewide functions. These functions include language access; community engagement; policy audits; DEIA training and professional development; annual employee experience surveys; data collection and reporting; referral processes; statewide DEI committees; and much more. With this, we are looking for a strong leader who is a lifelong learner committed to systems-change and outcomes-driven work in state government.

The Equal Opportunity Specialist 2 (EOS 2) will report to and work closely with the Equal Opportunity Specialist 3 to oversee, support and implement workforce development projects within the DEI Office, which is responsible for increasing employee knowledge, awareness, and capacity to advance cultural and linguistic competence, diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and related DEI terms and practices. The EOS 2 will be expected to form and sustain internal and external partnerships, design and deliver trainings, lunch and learns, webinars, and other programs and activities for staff, and implement creative and long-lasting solutions to increase equity and accessibility within the OPWDD workforce. As an active member of the DEI Office, the EOS 2 will be expected to maintain knowledge and expertise around diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, cultural and linguistic competence, and lived experience of people with developmental disabilities.

The primary duties and responsibilities of the EOS 2 include, but are not limited to:

• Support the implementation of ongoing DEIA strategic objectives, including:
• Developing and maintaining accessible resources and communications for OPWDD employees in plain language, including:
• Monthly agency messaging on observances, celebrations, updates, resources, and more to be sent from the Diversity and Inclusion mailbox and posted on the employee SharePoint.
• Website and SharePoint maintenance, sharing and updating internal and external DEI inform
• Designing and disseminating an annual Diversity Calendar.
• Designing and facilitating meaningful employee engagement with DEIA initiatives, such as virtual lunch and learns, webinars, and celebrations across the state with OPWDD employees that highlight DEIA best practices.
• Lead, design, implement, deliver, and evaluate DEIA, cultural and linguistic competence, and other related training initiatives, orientations, and professional development programs for the OPWDD workforce.
• Support internal workgroups and other DEI-related committees (i.e. plain language workgroup, staff leadership academy, etc.
• Design and implement pre-and post-training assessments and training evaluation surveys for DEIA, cultural and linguistic competence and related trainings on various topics, including but not limited to implicit bias, language access, plain language, disability justice, and more.
• Design and implement evaluation and feedback surveys for DEIA engagements, such as virtual lunch and learns, webinars, strategic planning forums, community engagement initiatives, and other programs and activities for OPWDD employees.
• Analyze qualitative and quantitative data collected and prepare quarterly reports on registration, attendance, and feedback provided to share with and present to OPWDD leadership.
• Support annual reporting to the NYS Department of Civil Service Office of Diversity & Inclusion Management.
• Work closely with the EOS 3 to support ongoing internal and external collaborations on DEI workforce development projects, including but not limited to:
• Internal DEI strategic partnerships, including ongoing collaboration with human resources, training and development, state operations, regional offices, communications, and DEI committees
• External DEI Office partnerships with the NYS Workforce Diversity and Inclusion Council, the Department of Civil Service's Office of Diversity and Inclusion Management, and the Governor's Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
• All other duties as assigned by DEI management and agency commissioner.

This position may be filled at one the following locations:

• Albany- 44 Holland Avenue, Albany
• New York- 25 Beaver St, New York

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

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 View phone number on click.appcast.io or email View email address on click.appcast.io 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

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

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