STATE OF CONNECTICUT EXECUTIVE BRANCH JOBS

Children And Families Assistant Director - Academy for Workforce

Hybrid

Recruitment #220912-0109MP-001

Introduction



The State of Connecticut, Department of Children and Families (DCF), Academy for Workforce Development is recruiting for a Children and Families Assistant Director of Academy for Workforce Development. This is a full-time, 40 hours per week, Monday - Friday position located in Central Office at 505 Hudson Street in Hartford, CT. You will travel between the Academy sites (Hartford and New Haven), as well as throughout the state to other DCF locations. You will also travel out of state as appropriate. This position will report to the Children and Families Director of the Academy for Workforce Development and is responsible for:

  • Pre-service training for social work staff.
  • Leadership training for Supervisors and Managers.
  • Supervision of Program Supervisors
  • Serving as the Director’s designee at leadership and community meetings
  • Coordinating in-service training for staff.
  • Managing all data and reports related to staff training and workforce development.
The Children and Families Assistant Director of the Academy for Workforce Development plays an integral role in the coordination and maintenance of pre-service training for newly hired social work staff, which includes but is not limited to reviewing and sanctioning updates on course content and implementing a structure for pre-service curriculum changes. The position is also responsible for hosting ongoing meetings with the area office supervisors and program supervisors who oversee training for the purposes of assessing retention issues, training sequence, training highlights or concerns. Additionally, this position will be responsible for providing direct managerial over-site and regular supervision to the program supervisors who oversee pre-service and in-service training,

This position is charged with participating as an active member and or co-chair of various statewide workgroup meetings that focuses on the implementation of new policy and practice guidelines relevant to the agency. This may include topics related to permanency, legal, Safety Practice Model, and Family First Prevention Services Act. With ongoing participation in these meetings, the Children and Families Assistant Director of the Academy is then charged with translating the information from the workgroup into a training curriculum that is then delivered to staff. This position plays a vital role in the implementation, development and execution of statewide trainings that involve the agency workforce. This position is also necessary in triaging and assessing the requests for trainings that come from the area offices. This position is instrumental in maintaining continuity, communication and consistency among the training staff, and area office.

Selection Plan

In order to be considered for this job opening you must be a current State of CT employee of the agency listed above for at least six (6) months of full-time service or full-time equivalent service, absent any applicable collective bargaining language, and meet the Minimum Qualifications as listed on the job opening.  You must specify your qualifications on your application. 

To Apply:
  • The minimum experience and training requirements must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified.
  • In order to comply with Public Act 21-69, the State of Connecticut is no longer asking for resumes during the initial application process.
  • These positions will be filled in accordance with contractual language, reemployment, SEBAC, transfer, promotion and merit employment rules.
Important Next Step Information for After You Apply:
  • 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.
  • 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 question'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.
  • 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. Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications as indicated to apply for this position.
  • The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class.
  • Interviews will be limited to candidates whose experience and training most closely meet the requirements of the position.
  • 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 DAS.SHRM@ct.gov.
Connect With Us:
  • If you have any questions pertaining to this recruitment please contact Elizabeth Weston at Elizabeth.Weston@ct.gov and reference the recruitment number.
  • Due to the large volume of applications received, the Department of Administrative Services is unable to provide confirmation of receipt or status during the recruitment process. Updates will be available through your JobAps portal account.
  • Follow the State of Connecticut on LinkedIn.

PURPOSE OF JOB CLASS (NATURE OF WORK)

In the Department of Children and Families, this class is accountable for assisting in the management of staff development and training and related activities.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

Supervises training staff of unit; evaluates effectiveness of trainers and relevance and quality of curricula; monitors execution of training for statewide consistency, quality control and completion of planned activities; collects pertinent data from regional trainers and confers with regional administrators and superintendents; ensures regional training plans consistent with statewide plan and departmental goals; maintains close liaison with regional directors; oversees scheduling and coordination of training offered in academy and regional offices to fulfill stated goals of department annual training plan; acts for director in her/his absence; conduct selected in-service training; performs specific functions assigned by the director; may perform related duties as required.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY

Considerable knowledge of training methods and adult education principles and techniques; ability to evaluate performance of training staff and content of curricula and syllabi; familiarity with national child welfare curricula; familiarity with child welfare and mental health programs; managerial and organizational ability; considerable interpersonal skills; skill in oral and written expression.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - GENERAL EXPERIENCE

Possession of a Master's degree in social work or closely related field and four (4) years of experience in providing services in a human services agency and two (2) years of experience teaching in a school or department of social work, child welfare or human services or as a training instructor in a public or private social welfare agency.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - SPECIAL EXPERIENCE

One (1) year of the General Experience must have been in a supervisory capacity.

NOTE: For state employees this is interpreted at the level of a Social Work Supervisor or Curriculum Manager.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - SUBSTITUTIONS ALLOWED

A Doctoral degree in education, public administration, social work or a closely related field may be substituted for one (1) additional year of the General Experience.

NOTE: Closely related fields are: child welfare, applied sociology, social and/or human services, clinical psychology, child development, counseling, human development and family relations, human service, marriage and family therapy.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

  • Experience training within a child welfare system from a formal curriculum.
  • Experience developing and implementing large scale projects.
  • Experience supervising staff.
  • Experience developing virtual and in person curriculum or presentations with attention to adult learning principles.
  • Experience and participation within the anti-racist work within the agency and community.

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.