Program Specialist III (Community Homeless Concerns Liaison) - Honolulu District Administration

Hawaiʻi State Department of Education; Honolulu (HI); On-site; USD 56,994 - 69,426; Full time

Job summary

Hawaiʻi State Department of Education seeks a Program Specialist III for the Leeward District-Homeless Concerns Office. The role supports the Complex Area Superintendent in program development, implementation, and evaluation to ensure McKinney-Vento Act compliance, coordinating between schools, families, and community agencies.

The position also involves providing technical assistance, developing budgets, contracts, and training, and advising on program requirements to data processing personnel.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Substitutions allowed: Master’s degree may substitute for one year of specialized experience.
• Ability to write clear, comprehensive reports and interpret complex material.

Responsibilities

• Assist in conducting major studies or special projects.
• Analyze programs and provide recommendations to supervisors.
• Research changes in state and federal laws, regulations and community concerns.
• Explain new or existing program policies, rules and regulations to stakeholders.
• Assist in contract and grant development and budget requests.
• Develop and implement corrective action plans and training programs.
• Prepare agency State plan and participate in legislative proposals.

Skills

Analytical skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Job description

Description

This position is located in the Leeward District-Homeless Concerns Office. The function of this office is to ensure that homeless children and youth receive uninterrupted access to education and related services as authorized under the McKinney-Vento Act (MVA). The role assists the Complex Area Superintendent in development, implementation, and evaluation of program operations, services, and activities to ensure compliance with MVA. It also involves liaison, coordination, and advisory work including facilitation of communication between schools, families, and community agencies; coordination of services with different agencies; and providing technical assistance and training.

Salary

Program Specialist III, SR-20: $5,107.00 - $6,221.00 per month.

Examples of Duties

• Assists a higher level specialist in conducting segments of major studies or special projects;
• Conducts analyses of programs, their operations and activities and makes recommendations of findings to a higher level specialist or program supervisor;
• Conducts research into changes in State and federal laws, rules and regulations, community concerns, etc.;
• Interprets and explains new or existing program policies and procedures, rules and regulations, program standards, etc.;
• Provides information to, and communicates with various committees, other agencies and community groups and organizations concerned with the agency’s program;
• Assists in the development of contracts and grants;
• Monitors and evaluates program operations and activities to insure program objectives meet State and federal requirements;
• Develops and implements corrective action plans to address program deficiencies;
• Develops training programs to implement new or revised program policies, procedures, activities, functions, etc.;
• Assists a higher level specialist in the preparation of the agency’s State plan;
• Participates in developing legislative proposals and testimonies;
• May speak before groups to promote or provide information or coordinate program activities and objectives;
• Assists in the development of budget requests;
• Provides technical assistance, consultation and interpretation of the program rules and procedures to agency staff, other public, private and community agencies;
• Develops, recommends and coordinates implementation plans for specific program areas; and
• Advises and explains program requirements to data processing personnel.

Minimum Qualifications

Basic Education Requirement: Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a Bachelor’s degree.

Excess work experience as described under the Specialized Experience below or any other responsible administrative, professional or analytical work experience which provided knowledge, skills and abilities comparable to those acquired in four years of successful study while completing a college or university curriculum leading to a baccalaureate degree may be substituted on a year-for-year basis. To be acceptable, the experience must have been of such scope, level and quality as to assure the possession of comparable knowledge, skills and abilities.

The education or experience background must also demonstrate the ability to write clear and comprehensive reports and other documents; read and interpret complex written material; and solve complex problems logically and systematically.

Experience Requirements

Except for substitutions provided in this specification, applicants must have had progressively responsible experience of the kind and quality described in the statements below and in the amounts shown in the following table or any equivalent combination of training and experience:

• Program Specialist III: Supervisory Experience – 1-1/2 years; Total Experience – 1-1/2 years.

Specialized Experience

• Progressively responsible professional experience which demonstrated the ability to conduct studies and analyses of programs or projects through active participation in the planning, coordination, development and/or evaluation of programs and/or program activities. The experience must have involved performing professional work concerned with program interrelationships, effectiveness or intra-program integration. It must further have demonstrated a high degree of analytical skill involving the ability to identify information needs, collect and analyze data, and identify problems and alternative solutions and their advantages and disadvantages and develop logical recommendations for a course of action and the ability to read, comprehend and interpret complex material such as State statutes and/or federal regulations and draft comprehensive reports of findings and conclusions.
• Progressively responsible professional work experience which involved providing assistance and support to individuals and families in need of social services or other related community resources. The professional experience must demonstrate knowledge of the McKinney-Vento Act (MVA) and a high degree of cultural awareness and sensitivity to issues facing homeless children and families.

Selective Certification Experience Requirement

Applicants must possess a minimum of one (1) year of experience as described in Specialized Experience Type 2.

Driver's License Requirement

Applicant must possess a current, valid driver's license.

Substitutions Allowed

Possession of a Master’s Degree from an accredited four-year college or university in business administration, public administration, or a field pertinent to the agency's programs may be substituted for one (1) year of the Specialized Experience (Type 1), but not for the Specialized Experience (Type 2).

Quality of Experience

Possession of the required number of years of experience will not in itself be accepted as proof of qualification for a position. The applicant's overall experience must have been of such scope and level of responsibility as to conclusively demonstrate that applicant has the ability to perform the duties of the position for which applicant is being considered.

Benefits

12‑month civil service and SSP employees enjoy a range of competitive benefits:

• Holidays: Eligible for 13 paid holidays each year; 14 holidays during an election year.
• Vacation: Employees of Bargaining Units 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10 and 13 earn 21 days per year.
• Sick Leave: Employees of Bargaining Units 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10 and 13 earn 21 days per year.
• Health Insurance: If eligible, the State pays a part of the premiums for each employee’s enrollment in a State‑sponsored Medical, Drug, Vision, and Adult Dental Plan.
• Group Life Insurance: The State provides a free life insurance policy for employees and retirees.
• Premium Conversion Plan: Participating employees may increase their take‑home pay by having the State deduct the cost of health care premiums before payroll taxes are withheld.
• Flexible Spending Accounts: Eligible employees can reduce their federal and state income taxes and social security taxes through a tax‑savings benefit program called Island Flex. This program allows employees to set aside money from their paychecks to pay for out‑of‑pocket health care expenses and eligible dependent care expenses on a BEFORE‑TAX basis.
• Retirement Plan: The State contributes to a retirement plan for eligible employees. Generally, employees with at least 10 years of credited service and who have reached 62 years of age or have 30 years of credited service and are 55 years old may retire and receive benefits.
• Tax Shelter Annuity (TSA): If eligible, Department employees are able to participate in a tax shelter annuity program. The TSA plan allows eligible employees to contribute pre‑tax dollars to an employee‑selected investment service provider authorized to provide TSA products.
• Deferred Compensation: The State offers employees a tax‑deferred (sheltered) retirement investment program. This program is an opportunity to build a retirement nest egg through voluntary payroll deductions. Several investment options are available.
• Temporary Disability Insurance: Qualified employees may be eligible to receive benefits for a disability caused by a non‑work related injury or illness under this program.
• Social Security: As an employer, the State also contributes to an employee’s social security account.
• Workers’ Compensation: If an employee is injured while on the job, benefits covering medical expenses and partial wage support may be available through workers’ compensation.
• Union & Collective Bargaining: Employees have the right to join the union for collective bargaining with the State and employee representation. Employees may also decide not to join a union; however, employees are required to pay union service fees unless the employee’s job is excluded from collective bargaining.

Equal Opportunity

The Hawaii State Department of Education does not discriminate in its educational policies, programs, and activities on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, national origin, age, and disability in accordance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and Americans with Disabilities Act of 1991. The Department does not discriminate in its employment policies, programs, and activities on the basis of sexual orientation, arrest and court record, and National Guard participation, as well as on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, national origin, age, and disability, in accordance with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1991, Equal Pay Act of 1963, and Chapter 378, Part I, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

Payday

New employees can expect their first paycheck within the first 3 pay periods of their start date. Payday is on the 5th and 20th (or previous business day) of every month.