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About the OCA
The Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) is an independent executive branch agency with oversight and ombudsperson responsibilities, established by the Massachusetts Legislature in 2008. The OCA's mission is to ensure that children receive appropriate, timely and quality state services, with a particular focus on ensuring that the Commonwealth's most vulnerable and at-risk children can thrive. Through collaboration with public and private stakeholders, the OCA identifies gaps in state services and recommends improvements in policy, practice, regulation and/or law. The OCA also serves as a resource for families who are receiving, or are eligible to receive, services from the Commonwealth.
Office of the Child Advocate | Mass.gov
Commitment to Diversity
The OCA actively seeks to increase the diversity of its workforce and is interested in candidates whose experiences, skills, and qualifications support an ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Applicants are invited to include a statement within their cover letter describing how diversity, equity, and inclusion factor into the candidate's work and/or life experiences.
The OCA values diverse perspectives, including candidates with lived experience in the child protective and/or juvenile justice systems.
The Policy and Implementation Team at the OCA works to identify and make recommendations to address systems-level gaps and challenges in the delivery of state services for children and improve outcomes. The team accomplishes this work by conducting comprehensive, mixed methods policy analysis, managing the work of various OCA-chaired task forces and working groups, and developing policy reports and briefs. Additionally, the team collaborates with various partners to pilot innovative programs and services designed to improve the quality of state services for children and youth by supporting pilot program design, implementation, and evaluation. The Policy and Implementation Team also manages legislative relations, communications, and external affairs for the OCA.
The Policy and Research Analyst (P&RA) will have the opportunity to gain valuable experience working on a variety of policy areas related to children and youth including, but not limited to, child welfare, juvenile justice, behavioral health, education, and issues facing emerging adults. The P&RA will also have the opportunity to support implementation, monitoring, and/or evaluation of select pilot projects in partnership with other state agencies.
The right candidate for this position has interest and at least some experience in using mixed-methods research to inform recommendations for changes in statute, budget, and/or practice. You understand how to use a variety of sources of information – from qualitative interviews to academic literature to statistical analysis to the voices of individuals with lived experience – to develop a deeper and more nuanced understanding of public policy problems and analyze potential solutions. You are a critical thinker, a strong writer, and you are open to listening and learning from a range of perspectives. You are detail oriented, and able to work independently, while also working collaboratively on projects with peers, managers, and OCA leadership to advance projects. You are flexible and can work quickly and efficiently on multiple projects. You have a demonstrated commitment to fostering inclusion and addressing disparities in state services and systems. Most of all, you have a passion for improving the lives of the children and youth of the Commonwealth and want to be part of an innovative, growing team of public servants who share that passion.
Duties and Responsibilities (these are a general summary and not all inclusive):
Other relevant duties as needed.
Preferred Qualifications
Minimum Entry Requirements
Applicants must have (A) Master’s Degree in public policy/administration, public health, a social science, or a related field; (B) at least three years of full-time, or equivalent part-time, relevant technical or professional experience, or (C) any equivalent combination of the required experience and the substitutions listed below.
Substitutions:
I. A doctoral degree from a recognized degree-granting college or university may be substituted for the required (B) experience.*
Full Time
$80k-101k (estimate)
05/04/2024
07/03/2024
advocate.state.nj.us
Trenton, NJ
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