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Job Details

Job ID: 5209147

Job Description

REPORTS TO: Director of Training and School Support

The Boston Public Schools Office of Civil Rights

Founded in 1647, Boston Public Schools (BPS) is the oldest public school district in the country. With approximately 46,000 students from over 100 countries, and over 8,000 employees, the BPS is the largest school district in Massachusetts.

The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) aims to ensure that the Boston Public Schools is an educational and working environment unimpeded by bias or discrimination, where individuals of all backgrounds and experiences are welcomed, included, encouraged, and can succeed and flourish. The OCR is charged with helping to ensure a workplace free of bias and discrimination, and establish greater coherence in safeguarding the rights of our students with disabilities and our multilingual learners. The Office has primary responsibility for investigating reports of possible violations of internal policies, state and federal law, regarding bias-based conduct and sexual misconduct; and engaging in proactive efforts to prevent such conduct through training, education, and other forms of engagement and intervention. In addition, the Office responds to disability and religious accommodation requests (primarily from employees). OCR will report to the Superintendent’s Office and operate in close collaboration with other Central Office departments and with our schools to uphold the district’s educational and legal responsibilities. Importantly, this Office will also expand the equity training continuum for district staff and improve our response to workplace microaggressions and bias-based conduct at Central and in schools.

The Role of the Assistant Director of Intake

The Assistant Director of Intake (ADI) will oversee the team who comprise the first point of contact for concerns raised regarding possible violations of civil rights impacting Boston Public Schools (BPS) students, families, and staff, requests for accommodations, The ADI will take the lead role in managing the Office’s high volume of concerns and intakes by:

+ Overseeing responses to, tracking of, and triage related to all reports of possible violations of Equity circulars (internal policies) reported online, by phone, or by email;

+ Supervising co-op students, interns, and other intake workers engaged with that work;

+ Conducting intake interviews with individuals who contact the Office of Civil Rights with allegations that they were or their child was the target of bias-based conduct and sexual misconduct;

+ Determining if an investigative review is needed, and if so, conduct that review;

+ Determining if an investigation is needed, and if so, refer the case to the Director of Compliance and Title IX Coordinator or the Assistant Director of Compliance;

+ Determining if formal communication is needed to families, staff, and/or students, and if so, refer the request to the Assistant Superintendent of Equity;

+ Documenting the work of the Office in the digital case tracking system;

+ Overseeing the production of periodic reports on the work of the Office; and

+ Conducting other special projects as assigned.

+ We are seeking a highly skilled, energetic, committed, collaborative individual to join our team.

Responsibilities:

+ Ensure that the intake team responds promptly, respectfully, and thoroughly to individuals who request assistance by calling, emailing, or visiting the Office of Civil Rights.

+ Ensure that all formal requests for assistance are adequately and consistently documented, and tracked for follow up as appropriate.

+ Supervise and train co op students

+ Assist with investigations, including conducting interviews, note taking, and collecting documents.

+ Oversee processes for data collection and analysis to document the work of the Office, and inform key programs and initiatives implemented by the Office.

+ Summarize findings and outcomes in clear and concise presentations and reports.

+ Participate in cross-functional teams on high priority issues for BPS.

+ Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications - Required:

+ Bachelor’s degree (earned or anticipated by the close of the current school year).

+ Strong organizational, analytical thinking and problem solving skills.

+ Outstanding verbal and written communication skills.

+ Excellent customer service skills.

+ Ability to coordinate multiple projects simultaneously.

+ Ability to independently manage and respond to a high volume of concerns.

+ Ability to work effectively in a team-oriented, fast-paced environment both within the Office and across the district, initiating and maintaining cooperative relationships with individuals at every level of the internal organization as well as students, families, and external stakeholders.

+ Able to work independently, applying impeccable judgment, discretion, and integrity.

+ Ability and willingness to reflect and constantly improve on job performance.

+ Demonstrated commitment to continually developing cultural competence, with a history of working effectively with people who are members of a wide variety of protected categories and other identities.

+ Prior work experience in case intake and/or management. Preferably for matters involving civil rights, equity, internal investigations, or disability accommodation processes.

+ Current authorization to work in the United States by the first day of employment.

Qualifications - Preferred:

+ Prior work experience in the field of urban public education or another public sector entity and/or knowledge of the Boston Public Schools.

+ Excellent project management skills.

+ Outstanding note taking, writing, and proofreading skills.

+ Experience using a digital case management system.

+ Advanced knowledge of Google and Microsoft Office products, including Google Docs, Drive, Calendar, Sheets, and Slides.

+ Experience analyzing quantitative and qualitative data.

+ Bilingual in Spanish, Haitian Creole, or Portuguese.

Desired Qualities:

+ Results-oriented team player who can work collaboratively, but is also able to take initiative and work independently.

+ Ability to maintain neutrality and confidentiality.

+ “Can-do,” “all hands on deck” attitude.

+ Exceptional attention to detail.

+ Ability to manage stress effectively.

+ A passionate commitment to achieving a bias-free workplace and bias-free schools, and a firm belief that there is no more urgent task than ensuring that every child in Boston has equitable access to a high-quality public education.

Essential functions of the job include, but are not limited to:

+ Physical presence in the Office during the times that employees and students may contact the Office or require training, which may sometimes include early morning, evening and weekend hours.

+ Ability to prioritize multiple projects and tasks, and meet prescribed deadlines.

+ Excellent verbal and written communication skills, and interpersonal skills.

+ Ability to travel throughout the District.

+ Ability to work at a computer for several hours daily.

Terms : Managerial, C51.

The Boston Public Schools, in accordance with its nondiscrimination policies, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, criminal record, physical or mental disability, pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions, homelessness, sex/gender, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, genetics, natural or protective hairstyle, military status, immigration status, English language proficiency, or any other factor prohibited by law in its programs and activities. BPS does not tolerate any form of retaliation, or bias-based intimidation, threat or harassment that demeans individuals’ dignity or interferes with their ability to work or learn. If you require an accommodation pursuant to the ADA for the application process, please contact the Accommodations Unit at [email protected].

Position Type: Full-time

Positions Available: 1

Job Categories

Administrator, Director/Coordinator/Manager