State of Connecticut Hiring for Chief Equity and Opportunity Officer at Hartford, CT Full Time

Does the opportunity to serve the people of Connecticut in an Executive level role responsible for the creation of a fair, equitable and inclusive environment throughout state government addressing historical and ongoing disparities and promoting social justice excite you? If so, please read on!

The Office of the Governor of Connecticut is currently seeking applicants for a Chief Equity and Opportunity Officer (Executive Office Administrative Aide 2), to lead the newly formed Office of Equity and Opportunity. This is an executive level role reporting to the Governor’s Office Chief of Staff. If you are a dedicated advocate for equity and social justice, this is your chance to shape the future of Connecticut. We are looking for a Chief Equity and Opportunity Officer who can inspire change, drive progress, and truly represents the people it serves.

Governor Lamont Issues Executive Order Establishing Office To Promote Equity and Inclusion Within Connecticut State Government

The Role

The Chief Equity and Opportunity Officer will be responsible for coordinating a number of activities prescribed in Executive Order 24-2 to ensure that state government offices are representative of the people they serve and that people from different racial, ethnic, gender, geographic, and socioeconomic backgrounds have a voice in the decision-making processes concerning the policies and practices of state government.

The Chief Equity and Opportunity Officer will be a leader with experience handling sensitive and uncomfortable issues and will possess the ability to handle resistance, while continuously advocating for equity and equity initiatives. They will be an excellent communicator with the ability to collaborate and work with all levels of government and the diverse populations and communities’ government serves.

Additionally, The Chief Equity And Opportunity Officer Shall

• Serve as the coordinator of the state’s diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy
• Support equity-oriented efforts throughout the state to ensure services and resources are available and accessible to all in Connecticut
• Conduct comprehensive assessments of current and proposed policies and practices of state agencies to identify areas where disparities exist, and where underserved communities may face barriers to accessing services
• Develop a formal process for the development and implementation of agency equity plans
• Coordinate the publication of agency equity plans on a centralized and easily accessible website
• Develop equity-oriented systems, policies, and procedures that operationalize diversity, equity, inclusion and support sustainable practices within state agencies
• Identify diversity, equity, and inclusion trainings opportunities for all state employees
• Develop statewide diversity, equity, and inclusion benchmarks and measures of progress
• Oversee and provide guidance to state agencies on how to engage and incorporate the perspectives of underserved communities
• Partner with state agencies to ensure communications with residents are culturally and linguistically appropriate and accessible
• Provide strategies to promote equitable contracting and purchasing practices

Position Details

• Full-time, 40 hours/week
• Monday-Friday
• Located at 210 Capitol Ave, Hartford
• Hybrid work schedule

Note: This position will be appointed by the Governor in accordance with the provisions of Sections 3-1 and 5-198 (10) and (18) of the Connecticut General Statutes.

What We Can Offer You

• Visit our newState Employee Benefits Overview page!
• A healthy work-life balance to all employees
• Professional growth and development opportunities
• The opportunity to work for a Forbes top company – ‘Forbes’: State of Connecticut Ranked One of the Best Employers of 2023 – State of CT Receives National Recognition for Offering Job Growth, Competitive Benefits, and Flexible Schedule

Selection Plan

To Apply

• In order to be considered for this job opening you must meet the Minimum Qualifications as listed on the job opening. You must specify your qualifications on your application.
• The minimum experience and training requirements must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified.
• In order to receive educational credits toward qualification for this job posting, the institution must be accredited. If the institution of higher learning is located outside of the U.S., you are responsible for providing documentation from a recognized USA accrediting service which specializes in determining foreign education equivalencies to the individual listed on this job posting.
• Ensure that your application is complete and detailed before submitting it. In order to comply with Public Act 21-69, the State of Connecticut is no longer asking for resumes during the initial application process. You will not be able to make revisions once your application is submitted into the JobAps system.
• Please select all location(s) and shift(s) you are willing to work on your application. Failure to do so may result in not being considered for vacancies in that specific location or shift.
• All application materials must be received by the recruiting agency by the time specified on the job opening for the position for which you are applying. Late applications may not be submitted and will not be considered. Exceptions are rare and limited to documented events that incapacitate a candidate during the entire duration of the job posting time period. It is the candidate’s obligation and responsibility to request an exception and provide a legally recognized justification to accommodate such exception. Requests should be made to [email protected].
• For current state employees, salary calculations are not necessarily comparable from three branches of state government (i.e., Executive, Legislative, Judicial) to the other.

For Assistance In Applying

• Please read or watch our Applicant Tips on How to Apply!

Important Information After You Apply

• This posting may require completion of additional referral questions (RQs). You can access these RQs via an email that will be sent to you after the posting’s closing date or by visiting your JobAps Personal Status Board (Certification Questionnaires section). Your responses to these RQs must be submitted by the questionnaire’s expiration date. Please regularly check your email and JobAps Personal Status Board for notifications. Please check your SPAM and/or Junk folders on a daily basis in the event an email provider places auto-notification emails in a user’s spam.
• Read through this helpful link to prepare for your interview.
• Although applicants will receive correspondence via email, as a backup they are also encouraged to sign on to their Personal Status Board on a daily basis to monitor their status, view all emailed notices and complete tasks required in the recruitment process.
• Note: At any point during the recruitment process, applicants may be required to submit additional documentation which support their qualification(s) for this position. These documents may include: a cover letter, resume, performance reviews, attendance records, supervisory references, licensure, etc., at the discretion of the hiring agency.
• Interviews will be limited to candidates whose experience and training most closely meet the requirements of the position.
• The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class in the next twelve (12) months.
• Candidates who are offered and accept a position with the State of Connecticut are bound by the State Code of Ethics for Public Officials and State Employees which is available at www.ct.gov/ethics.

Connect With Us

Due to the large volume of applications received, we are unable to provide confirmation of receipt or status during the recruitment process. Updates will be available through your JobAps portal account. Should you have any questions pertaining to this recruitment, please contact Sharon McIntosh, at [email protected].

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PURPOSE OF JOB CLASS (NATURE OF WORK)

In the Office of the Governor this class serves in an executive capacity. In the Office of the Lieutenant Governor this class serves as a Special Advisor on Health Reform and Innovation and Policy and Legal Counsel.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in an Executive level leadership position within a highly matrixed enterprise
• Experience developing strategies and standards for diversity and inclusion for cultural awareness by engagement in institution, local, statewide, and national activities as well as the development of community collaborations
• Experience conducting comprehensive assessments of current and proposed business policies and practices of organizations or state agencies to identify and mitigate areas where disparities exist, and where underserved communities may face barriers to accessing services
• Experience in strategic communications planning, equity in health promotion, social marketing, and or behavior change communication
• Experience developing and managing operational budgets
• A bachelor’s degree, Masters preferred in law, public administration, social work, diversity and inclusion leadership, psychology or business

Conclusion

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

As defined by Sec. 5-196 of the Connecticut General Statutes, a job class is a position or group of positions that share general characteristics and are categorized under a single title for administrative purposes. As such, a job class is not meant to be all inclusive of every task and/or responsibility.