Talent Acquisition Specialist (HR Spec III)

Department Information

This position is only open to current Residents of Colorado. The incumbent will be required to complete work for CDE within Colorado.

Colorado Department of Education - What We Do

The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) provides leadership, resources, support, and accountability to the state's 178 school districts, 1,888 schools, over 53,000 teachers, and over 3,200 administrators to help them build capacity to meet the needs of the state's approximately 905,000 public school students.

As the administrative arm of the State Board of Education, CDE is responsible for implementing state and federal education laws, disbursing state and federal funds, holding schools and districts accountable for performance, licensing all educators, and providing public transparency of performance and financial data. CDE is a values-based agency that serves students, parents, and the general public by protecting public trust through ensuring adherence to laws, strong stewardship of public funds, and accountability for student performance. CDE upholds five core values in our work, both internally and externally.

Working for CDE requires being prepared to incorporate Integrity, Equity, Accountability, Trust, and commitment to Service in everything you do. The State of Colorado and CDE equally strive to create a Colorado for All by building and maintaining workplaces that value and respect all Coloradans through a commitment to equal opportunity and hiring based on merit and fitness. The State is resolute in non-discriminatory practices in everything we do, including hiring, employment, and advancement opportunities.

Why Work For CDE's Human Resources Unit

The Human Resources Unit is an integral part of the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) commitment to supporting and guiding our workforce. The HR Unit is responsible for facilitating and administering the CDE's internal personnel functions, including talent acquisition, performance management, employee recognition, employee relations, training & development, compensation, benefits administration, and health and safety. Our HR staff understands that the work we perform is critical to supporting CDE's overall mission.

The CDE team provides a supportive, collaborative, diverse, meaningful, and innovative working environment. Our people and service-centered focus, along with the rich benefits package, are just a few of the reasons why working on our team is a great experience. The following is a summary of the benefits we offer:

• Flexible work schedules and flexible workplace options that may include flexible working hours, working from home, working in the office, and/or a hybrid working environment.
• Premier medical, dental, vision, and dependent life insurance options. All with a generous employer contribution, keeping employee costs as low as possible.
• Employer-paid short-term disability and life insurance.
• Up to 160 hours of Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML).
• 11 paid holidays per year.
• Competitive vacation and sick leave accruals.
• Retirement through the Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA) www.copera.org.
• Employer-paid RTD Eco Pass (certain restrictions may apply).
• Paid professional development opportunities.

The salary range posted and any job offer for this position are based on a salary analysis to comply with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act. The salary analysis considers relevant experience, education, certifications, and state seniority as compared to others doing substantially similar work. While most salary offers are made within the posted range, occasionally an offer is made below or above it based on this salary analysis.

Description of Job

Work Hours and Location: This position is full-time (at least 40 hours per week), Monday-Friday. This position is hybrid, allowing a flexible work arrangement of both home and in-office work.

Work Environment: Extended hours during the evening or the weekend may be required by business needs. A home office is required for remote office work. Required to report to the work location as required, which will vary based on business needs.

Essential Functions (ADAAA)

SEDENTARY/Office environment: Required to sit, view a computer screen, and utilize a keyboard and mouse for extended periods of time.

Required lifting, bending, stooping, pushing, walking, etc. A driver's license is not required; however, the employee is required to independently obtain and determine the means to commute to the office.

Position Summary:

This position serves as the Talent Acquisition Specialist and will partner with hiring managers and supervisors on all recruiting processes. This includes providing knowledge of rules, laws, and standards related to staffing for classified and non-classified positions. This position will also be responsible for ensuring a seamless transition from recruitment to employee onboarding. This position must work closely with the HR Generalists to ensure all the relevant information is transitioned to ensure a successful onboarding experience. The position will provide excellent customer service to both internal and external customers. This position will also be responsible for developing procedures and technical guidance, as well as providing training. The position may be required to participate in special projects or process improvement initiatives of HR or CDE. The final salary is anticipated to fall within the posted salary range; however, it could be higher or lower depending on the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other qualifications of the preferred candidate while considering internal equity.

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

Recruitment, Screening and Selection (60%) Applies professional knowledge of laws, policies, rules, and best practices to provide recruitment and selection consultation to CDE hiring managers in both classified and non-classified recruitment. Partners and assist in the development of staffing and recruitment strategies and options with CDE hiring managers and hiring designees.

• Including recruitment initiation and consultation meetings with hiring managers to review needs, assess options, and determine strategy for recruitment.
• Conducts a preliminary job evaluation, along with a brief narrative to support the initial finding, and provides it to the HR Supervisor for a final assessment. This initial assessment should also include a determination of whether a new position number should be assigned.
• Demonstrates a solid understanding and applies knowledge of CDE's and the State's classified and non-compensation systems.
• In consultation with the HR Supervisor, it provides guidance on posting ranges.
• This also includes knowledge of compensation and hiring incentives, such as signing bonuses.
• Creates job announcements based on the information provided by the hiring manager and other relevant partners.
• All announcements should also include content aligned with recruitment best practices to help market the position to the appropriate audience.
• Uses NeoGov to perform all activities related to both classified and non-classified recruitment.
• This includes, but is not limited to, posting jobs, reviewing minimum qualifications, redacting PII, inputting applicants' scores, creating and updating exam plans, submitting applications to the appropriate hiring managers or their designees, and closing out all positions that have been filled.
• Ensures all job announcements are accurate, timely, and compliant with all agency policies and state and federal laws and rules.
• Effectively utilize CDE's HRIS to facilitate activities related to talent acquisition, compensation, and HR metrics and reporting.
• Provides consultation in the development of Job Descriptions for non-classified and classified positions.
• Demonstrates working knowledge of general HR processes and rules related to personnel, including but not limited to HR policies and procedures for personnel changes, workflows, the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act (EPEWA), employment types/benefits eligibility, and can provide customers with assistance in all these areas.
• Provides routine updates to the HR Director on high-profile recruitment, including challenging and/or patterns of unsuccessful recruitments.
• Collaborate with the HR Director to develop and refine standards associated with recruitment rules, best practices, and CDE policies to ensure consistency across CDE.
• This includes ensuring that any changes to the process are reviewed and approved by the HR Director before implementation.
• Develops procedural and user guidance documents for processes related to recruitment, screening, and onboarding.
• This includes, but is not limited to, taking a leadership role in the design and implementation of the Initiate Hire and Onboarding module of CDE's HRIS, which will also involve developing training and user guidance.
• Provide consultation and assistance in the development of Job Descriptions for both classified and non-classified staff.
• Ensures CDE's job description and position description (classified) forms are up to date and include all the required elements according to state and federal laws, including state rules and statutes.
• Provides timely communication and follow-up to hiring managers and hiring designees, which includes scheduling meetings to proactively review status and discuss current and any anticipated future needs.
• Build and maintain strong professional relationships with CDE employees throughout CDE.
• Serves as a subject matter expert and reliable source of information, confidentiality, and trust.
• Uses experience and instincts to identify potential issues and risks. Reports these issues to the HR Director.
• Identifies and implements strategies to manage the volume of recruitment requests and collaborates with the HR Supervisor and HR Coordinator for assistance.
• On a timely and consistent basis, updates the Recruitment Tracker, NeoGov, and all other systems (HRIS, etc.) to ensure all updates and notes are accurately reflected.
• Demonstrates a strong working knowledge and understanding and applies knowledge of CDE's and the State's compensation mechanisms, including the use of signing bonuses.
• In consultation with the HR Supervisor, provides guidance on posting ranges and offers of employment that align with CDE's compensation guidance and philosophy.
• Routinely updates MyCDE and/or the HRIS for all areas related to recruitment and selection, including ensuring information is updated based on policy and/or law or rule changes that impact the recruitment and hiring process and new hire and promotion announcements as required by the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act (EPEWA).
• Demonstrates and applies professional knowledge of the State's job evaluation system and CDE classification guidelines to properly classify positions in both the classified and non-classified systems.
• Assists staff in understanding the statutory and CDE-specific criteria involved in making these determinations.

Onboarding and Employee Experience (20%)

Effectively engage with the HR Coordinator staff to ensure a smooth and seamless transition from candidate to new employee for onboarding all new hires. This includes ensuring that the necessary information is obtained and communicated related to special situations, such as employee rehires and employees transferring to CDE from other State agencies and/or Institutions of higher education (IHEs). Develop and submit timely and accurate offer letters (contingent and final) for submission to the new hire.

Serve as a presenter in Employee Orientation meetings. Maintains knowledge of applicable laws, policies, and rules related to recruitment, screening, and general employment to ensure compliance. Proactively engage in dialogue with relevant CDE leaders to assess current and future staffing needs and provide guidance.

Demonstrates a strong working knowledge of rules, policies, and processes for the recruitment, screening, and hiring of classified positions. This includes interpreting State Personnel Rules to address questions from applicants and hiring managers. Seeks assistance from the HR Director on complex issues.

Demonstrates knowledge of the provisions of Classified and Non-Classified rules and policies and can apply decision-making that applies to the appropriate rules and policies. Refers employees to proper offices and/or other HR Staff on where to find answers to questions and concerns. Escalate concerns to the HR Director for assistance with resolution.

Identify and offer ideas to increase employee engagement, participation, or satisfaction. Serves as back-up to respond to basic employee inquiries and transfers more complex questions to the applicable process owner on the HR team.

HR Projects and Professional Development (20%)

Serves as a point of contact for all staff interested in professional development and growth opportunities within CDE. Facilitates and manages CDE's Professional Learning Fund, including but not limited to receiving and approving requests, submitting approvals to Accounting for reimbursement, and ensuring the program policy and procedures are kept current.

Maintains CDE's Professional Development Policy and Request forms, which include, but are not limited to, ensuring the HR Director is aware of policy changes and CDE's policy is up to date and compliant with all state rules and universal policy mandates.

Attends appropriate training to stay current on State Personnel Rules, Federal Laws, State Laws, Employment Laws, or compensation legislation in order to answer questions and advise managers and employees on rule issues.

Attends and actively participates in DPA forums related to recruitment, selection, and any other relevant subject that pertains to duties within the position description. Shares information obtained with the remainder of the HR team.

Completes requirements to obtain DPA certifications in Personal Services, Selection, and Job Evaluation. Creates and conducts training and presentations for CDE employees within the areas of recruitment, selection, screening, etc.

Provide professional, respectful, and timely communications to CDE partners, stakeholders, and internal and external customers. Supports the HR team in executing various projects and programs, including creating forms and reports, supporting communication, education, and implementation activities.

Serves as an active project team member and supports HR projects to ensure timely completion and execution of deliverables. Assist with CDE-wide programs and activities, including CDE all-staff engagement events.

Minimum Qualifications, Substitutions, Conditions of Employment & Appeal Rights

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Experience Only: Six (6) years of experience in Human Resources.