Description

This position is responsible for ensuring uniform processes and quality assurance standards, providing support to DCYF staff, and conducting training to ensure that families receive appropriate and equitable language services. We have a strategic goal of becoming an anti-racist and pro-equity organization that prioritizes equity, diversity, inclusion, and justice as essential components of DCYF’s mission to protect children and strengthen families, so they flourish. Language access is an essential component of this initiative. Language Access Services program supports language access as required by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VI, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, and national origin, and prohibits inequitable treatment of LEP populations.

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The Opportunity:
This position supports DCYF’s Language Access Services program and helps to ensure that DCYF provides effective communication that creates equitable services and meets legal requirements throughout all DCYF divisions and programs. This position is responsible for day-to-day activities involving language access and supporting the language needs of programs and clients. These services result in accurate, timely, and accessible communication with Limited English Proficient (LEP) individuals, and individuals with culturally and ethnically diverse backgrounds throughout the state. This position works closely with the Language Access Compliance Manager, the entire Language Access Services team, and the ADA Coordinator. DCYF has a strategic goal of becoming an anti-racist and pro-equity organization that prioritizes equity, di

• Compliance, Quality Assurance and Technical Assistance
  • Understand and ensure compliance with federal and state laws:
  • Develop, update and deliver training, presentations, and informational materials to DCYF staff on language access processes and legal compliance.
  • Analyze and make recommendations on web access and IT solutions for language access.
  • Identify vital documents and work with document owners, contractors and DCYF staff to ensure documents are translated.
  • Identify policy and practice needs, and ensure current practice complies with state and federal laws, rules and regulations.
  • Monitor interpreter services and applicable contracts to ensure that legal requirements and agency needs are being met.
  • Assist in creation and implementation of the Language Access Plan (Plan) and its related policies and procedures:
  • Provide expertise and input on Plan components.
  • Meet timelines and benchmarks for Plan implementation.
  • Engage in quality control to ensure that implemented Plan components are meeting legal requirements, and agency goals and objectives.
• Implement and monitor compliance with federal and state language access requirements by gathering, reviewing and analyzing data. The analysis of this data includes, but is not limited to, language use, requests for interpretation and translation, LEP populations, LEP families and clients, and internal and external stakeholder feedback.
• Develop reports for management that identifies language trends, compliance, and recommended legislative or policy changes.
• Evaluate and analyze processes for language access and make recommendations to management.
• Conduct outreach with internal and external partners and stakeholders to assess language access needs, determine successes and gaps with current practices, and discuss strategies. Develop outreach strategies.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, public administration, law, public health, health administration, or a related field

AND

• Four (4) years of experience conducting research and analyzing policies, laws, rules, or regulations or comparable combination of graduate education and experience.

Note: Equivalent experience in language access, developing and conducting training, outreach, and/or analyzing or enforcing policies, laws, rules, and regulations may substitute year-for-year for required education.

In addition to those required qualifications, our ideal applicant will also have some or all of the following:

• Interpret, understand, and apply agency policies, WAC, RCW and federal laws related to language access requirements.
• Effectively, clearly, and concisely communicate with management, peers, clients, external partners, and the public as required to carry out the assigned duties of the position.
• Partner with internal and external clients to identify and resolve issues, identify gaps, and find solutions.
• Develop positive, productive, respectful working relationships with clients, coworkers, and external partners.
• Use good judgment when evaluating and making decisions.
• Reading and interpreting and/or enforcing federal and state laws, rules, administrative orders, directives, and policies.
• Conducting stakeholder outreach and creating positive working relationships with internal and external partners.
• Collecting, compiling, and analyzing data.
• Identifying IT solutions to language access issues involving documents, forms, and websites.

How do I apply?
Complete your applicant profile and attach the following documents:

• Letter of interest describing how you meet the specific qualifications for this position
• Current resume detailing experience and education

Supplemental Information:

The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is committed to Washington’s children and youth growing up safe, healthy, and thriving. We invite all candidates to join us in our mission to create a diverse and equitable workplace that reflects the communities we serve. If you are excited about this role but you believe that your education and/or experience might not align perfectly with every qualification in the job posting, we encourage you to apply anyway.

The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, race, creed, color, national origin, honorably discharged veteran or military status, or the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability or the use of a trained service animal by a person with a disability.

If you have any questions pertaining to this recruitment or if you would like to request an accommodation throughout the application/interview process, contact Steven Loduha (Talent Acquisition Manager) at [email protected]. If you're experiencing technical difficulties creating, accessing or completing your application, call NEOGOV toll-free at (855) 524-5627 or email [email protected].

Persons needing accommodation in the application process or this announcement in an alternative format may call (360) 902-2276 or the Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) at (800) 833-6388.