Early Childhood Workforce Compensation Specialist - Term-Limited

Full Job Description

STATE OF COLORADO RESIDENCY REQUIRED

NOTE: This announcement may be used to fill multiple openings.

** Term-Limited position with funding through June 30, 2028 **

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.

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.

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.ed.gov/sa/repay-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.

The Division of Early Childhood Workforce: This division is dedicated to providing infrastructure and leadership for recruiting, retaining, and growing a diverse and highly competent early care and education workforce.

The division is responsible for supporting both ongoing and temporary initiatives to support the continuous growth and development of the early childhood workforce including the Professional Development Information System (PDIS), Early Childhood Professional Credential (ECPC), Regional Coaching Network, Recruitment and Retention Initiatives, Training and Instructional Design, Family, Friend, and Neighbor (FFN) initiatives, the Expanding Quality in Infant Toddler Care (EQ) initiative and the comprehensive efforts to improve compensation and benefits across the diverse mixed-delivery workforce.

The division develops, delivers, and empowers relationship-based learning opportunities directly and through multiple partners across the state.

The Division of Early Childhood Workforce includes the following three units: Professional Learning and Design Unit, Registry and Career Pathways Unit, and Strategy and System Leadership Unit.

The Strategy and System Leadership – The Compensation project team is focused on supporting implementation of an Early Educator Investment Collaborative (EEIC) grant-funded project on Compensation Innovation, which is an interagency effort to implement solutions that will increase wages and benefits across the continuum of early childhood professional roles, early learning settings, and the age range of children served.

The project includes building on pilot projects and reforms to create a unifying foundation and financing mechanisms that lead to increased compensation for early childhood providers.

The project components consist of seven strategies organized into four elements of the financing systems change framework: provider-oriented financing mechanisms; family-oriented financing mechanisms; workforce–oriented financing mechanisms; and system-oriented financing mechanisms.

Requirements

What you’ll be doing:

This is a new, term-limited position funded through a philanthropic grant from the Early Educator Investment Collaborative (EEIC).

The grant supports states to innovatively build systemic and structural capacity to support a sustainable and equitable increase in early childhood education (ECE) workforce compensation (wages and benefits).

This position will provide staff authority to lead the project management of early childhood workforce compensation and benefits grant work.

Following the expiration of the grant funding in June 2028, this EEIC-funded contract position will expire unless additional funds are allocated for the position.

This position manages the Department’s responsibilities as the staff authority for the implementation of the state Care Worker Tax Credit.

The position implements and evaluates the Family Child Care Health Benefit Pilot.

This position translates financial and budget modeling, research, and data analysis findings into implementation recommendations to support compensation and benefits projects that meet strategic early childhood education workforce goals.

This position provides high-level strategic coordination for two Early Childhood Leadership Commission Working Groups – the Compensation and Benefits Working Group and the Recruitment, Retention, and Pathways Working Group.

This position provides technical guidance to the state’s Workforce Evidence Building Hub vendor under this Compensation Innovation grant and reports to the Early Childhood Workforce Compensation Administrator and works closely with staff in other units within the Division and across CDEC.

Additional position duties include, but are not limited to:

• Leads implementation of the state Care Worker Tax Credit for the Department, including coordinating with the Colorado Department of Revenue and the Professional Development Information System (PDIS) team to ensure appropriate and sufficient collection of information to meet statutory requirements
• Leverages Care Worker Tax Credit to achieve early childhood compensation goals by increasing the number of eligible early educators and child care workers receiving the credit, including coordinating with the communications team to raise awareness of the credit
• Manages and evaluates the Family Child Care Home Benefit Pilot, including providing technical assistance to participants.
• Provides vendor and contract monitoring by reviewing deliverables and data quality, and escalating issues as appropriate.
• Supports interagency and community partner engagement by preparing materials, data summaries, and coordinating communications.
• Analyzes federal, state, and local policies affecting early childhood workforce compensation.
• Reviews and synthesizes existing research and policy reports on early childhood educator compensation trends and challenges
• Participates in the Compensation Community of Practice and engages with fellow participants from other states to learn more about key policies and research projects.
• Stays current on emerging research and best practices in early childhood compensation.
• Develops internal policy recommendations based on research findings.
• Share results of research with internal and external stakeholders
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

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)

H1B4XX

Administrator IV

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Experience Only: Seven (7) years of relevant experience in an occupation related to Public Policy, Economics, Business Administration, Statistics, Social Work, Early Childhood, or similar.

OR,

Education and Experience: A combination of related education and/or relevant experience in an occupation related to Public Policy, Economics, Business Administration, Statistics, Social Work, Early Childhood, or similar that equals seven (7) years.

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.

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.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s in Public Policy, Economics, Business Administration, Statistics, Social Work, Early Childhood, or similar

Highly Desired

• Experience in data analysis
• Experience in financial projections and cost modeling
• Experience with early childhood, K-12 education, social services, or health care

Conditions of Employment:

• Applicants must pass a thorough background check prior to employment.
• Employees who have been disciplined, terminated, resigned in lieu of disciplinary termination, or negotiated their termination from the State of Colorado must disclose this information on the application.
• This is a term-limited position with funding through June 30, 2028, and must sign a Waiver of Retention Rights at the time of hire.

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.

Additional 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:

1. A complete CDEC Application for Announced Vacancy (please submit online using the green 'APPLY' button at the top of this announcement)
2. 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.)

A cover letter that describes your interest in this position, how your experience aligns with the minimum and preferred qualifications of this position.

Cover letters must be uploaded as an attachment to your online application. Cover letters will not be accepted after the closing date and time of the announcement.

3. 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.

The Department does not offer sponsored visas for employment purposes.