Child Care Investigations Specialist (Compliance Specialist 2) Bilingual In English/Spanish Required

Initial Posting Date:

01/27/2025

Application Deadline:

02/10/2025

Agency:

Department of Early Learning and Care

Salary Range:

$4,833 - $7,407

Position Type:

Employee

Position Title:

Child Care Investigations Specialist (Compliance Specialist 2) Bilingual in English/Spanish Required

Job Description:

The Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care is excited to announce a permanent opening for a Bilingual Child Care Investigations Specialist (Compliance Specialist 2). This position requires that the successful applicant is fluent in Spanish and English. Please note, for performing bilingual services, you will receive an additional 5% differential in addition to your base salary.

Oregon is home to over 275,000 children, birth to kindergarten entry. Our state has an opportunity to change how it supports these children and their families and, in doing so, put itself on the path to an even brighter future. Overwhelming evidence tells us that investing in young children and their families has a lasting impact across their lifetime. Now is your chance to be part of an agency that will have positive impacts on current and future generations of young children and their families.

This position will work a hybrid schedule (remote, in the field and in the office). This position will report to the office as needed depending on workload demands.

More about us:

This position is part of the Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC) which is an agency that prides itself on enabling Oregon's young children and families to learn and thrive. We are responsible for administering state funded early learning programs, including home visiting and site-based infant, toddler, and preschool services and supports for families, licensing Oregon's child care providers and developing systems that coordinate regional cross sector partnerships through Early Learning Hubs. DELC partners with local Child Care Resource and Referral organizations to provide professional learning, coaching, consultation and other quality improvement opportunities for early learning and care providers.

What you will do:

The primary purpose of the position is to promote the health, safety, and well-being of children in child care facilities. Staff conduct unannounced and announced visits, assess regulatory complaint allegations against licensed facilities, allegations of possible illegal care against unlicensed facilities, conduct tandem investigations with the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) on assessments having to do with abuse occurring in child cares, and in conjunction with the legal and compliance unit, take legal action against facilities. Staff apply complex federal, state, and local statutes, codes, rules, and policies related to child care licensing. In addition to investigating regulatory compliance, Investigative Specialists provide technical assistance to providers and facility staff, to aid in compliance with regulations and provide consultation and resource information on state quality initiatives intended to improve child outcomes. There is considerable contact with collateral agencies such as the ODHS (Child Welfare and Office of Training, Investigations, and Safety), law enforcement, and the public. The position serves one or more counties. This position ensures that child care licensing functions are carried out in conjunction with agency equity policies and practices.

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What we are looking for (minimum qualifications):

Four years of experience doing administrative research that included compiling and evaluating facts to recommend management action, or decide compliance with program guidelines and regulations. Two of the four years must be above the technical support level. Note: college-level course work may substitute for experience on the basis of 45-quarter units per year, up to a maximum of three years.

To meet the Special Qualifications of this position, you must be fluent (read, speak, and write) in English and Spanish.

In addition, we are looking for applicants that have the following Desired Attributes (requested skills):

• Experience and applied knowledge of child development, early childhood education, and health and safety requirements.
• Experience or training in objective observation and documentation; experience collecting information and documenting facts.
• Experience with interpreting, performing, and presenting statutes, laws, rules and policies to partners and community members with varying levels of understanding.
• Strong relationship building, de-escalation skills, and customer service experience, often handling difficult situations and frustrated or emotional customers.
• Ability to prioritize work assignments and respond to emergent situations; analyze and use multiple perspectives and facts to arrive at a well-informed conclusion.
• Ability to perform with a high degree of accuracy, excellent attention to detail and good judgement.
• Experience working independently in a fieldwork setting.
• Proficient in Microsoft office (Word, Excel, Access) and strong written communication skills (spelling, grammar, and editing/proofreading).

The Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care strives to create an inclusive environment that welcomes and values the diversity of the people we serve. We foster fairness, equity, and inclusion to create a workplace environment where everyone is treated with respect and dignity. Candidates of all racial and ethnic backgrounds, as well as bilingual/multicultural individuals, are encouraged to apply.

To Apply:

The screening of candidates will be based on a review of an attached resume (limit to two pages). While a cover letter is not required, it is highly encouraged. If you submit a cover letter, please tailor it to the position and address your experience with the desired attributes listed above. Candidates whose backgrounds most closely match the desired attributes and experience section as outlined in this announcement will be invited to interview. For helpful tips on putting together your application materials and interviewing, visit our Resources for Job Seekers page.

What's in it for you?

When you join the Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care, you are joining a fast-paced, creative environment with colleagues who are passionate about public service and building early childhood equity statewide.

• Excellent medical, vision, and dental benefits package for the employee and qualified family members with a very low monthly out-of-pocket cost. In addition to standard medical benefits and employee leave, the state also provides additional optional benefits, such as basic life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, deferred compensation savings program, and flexible spending accounts for health care and child care expenses;
• 11 paid holidays per year;
• 3 paid "Personal Business Days" per year that you may use at any time;
• 1 additional paid "Special Day" per year that you may use at any time;
• 8 hours of sick leave accumulated every month;
• Progressive vacation leave accrual, with increases every 5 years;
• Student Loan Forgiveness Program: if you have federal student loan debt or are thinking of going back to school, then you will want to look into this program. If you make 120 qualifying payments on your student loan while working full time for a qualifying employer, your student loan debt may be forgiven.

Commitment to Equity:

Considering a career with us means that you value dedication, integrity, and collective wisdom and that you are eager to employ values rooted in equity to benefit Oregon's children and families. We value diversity and support a positive and welcoming environment where all of our employees can thrive. Our teams promote a collaborative, proactive culture of continuous improvement with a focus on quality implementation and impactful outcomes for children and families.

As our state, counties, and cities become more diverse, it is imperative now more than ever that we focus on evolving practices to achieve increased equity, diversity, and inclusion in all of our work. Our goal is to lead with courage externally and internally. This means challenging ourselves to do things differently and refining current practices that ensure we continue to make strides towards equity.

We understand that everyone has varying levels of understanding when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion and we are here to meet you where you are! At DELC, we are committed to creating a place where everyone has a chance to achieve their dreams, no matter where they come from or what they look like by:

• Designing and/or asking sets of questions to identify and eliminate disparate results-outputs, outcomes, impacts- of policies, programs, and practices for underserved/under-represented community members (e.g., people of color; people with disabilities; LGBTQ+, etc.; and new immigrant populations).
• Demonstrating cultural consciousness, commitment, and behavior, to improving an inclusive workplace climate for everyone.
• Producing results, i.e., outputs, outcomes, or impacts from programs and decisions toward closing disparities for under-represented community members and improving results for everyone.

Additional Information:

This recruitment announcement will be used to establish a list of qualified candidates to fill the current vacancy and may be used to fill future vacancies as they occur.

This position is subject to both a Child Protective Services and Criminal Justice Information Systems (CJIS) check, including FBI fingerprinting, and will be required to enroll in the Central Background Registry. Both of these checks must be completed and approved prior to starting with the agency. The results can take 1-3 weeks to get back. Adverse background data will be grounds for immediate disqualification. This position will require travel to field offices and for meetings, therefore, a valid driver license and acceptable driving record is required, unless the successful applicant can provide a satisfactory alternate mode of transportation.

Eligible veterans who meet the qualifications will be given veterans' preference. For further information, please see the following website: Veterans Resources.

The Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care does not offer visa sponsorship. Within three days of hire, all applicants will be required to complete the US Department of Homeland Security's Form I-9, confirming authorization to work in the United States. The Department is an E-Verify employer.

The job posting closes at 11:59 PM (PST) on the close date. After you submit your application, be sure to respond to the two questionnaires relating to public records requests and veterans' preference immediately following your submittal. These questions are necessary to complete the application process.

External Applicants (non-state of Oregon employees): If you would like to retain a copy of this job posting, please print a copy before submitting your application. Once the job posting has closed, you will not be able to access the posting.

The employee in this position will be represented by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and will be subject to all terms and conditions of the collective bargaining agreement. Pay and benefits on all job listings may change without notice.

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Applicants with a disability may request a reasonable accommodation to participate in the hiring process. For assistance regarding reasonable accommodation requests, please contact the agency recruitment team at DELC.Jobs@delc.oregon.gov

The Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer committed to a diverse workforce. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job. We would encourage you to apply, even if you don't meet every one of our desired attributes listed. If you are unsure whether you meet the qualifications of this position, please feel free to contact us to discuss your application.