Equal Rights Specialist – Entry Level

Help protect the rights of workers by investigating discrimination complaints, enforcing workforce protections, and ensuring fair compliance! As an Entry-Level Equal Rights Specialist, you will employ your analytical and communication skills to gather and analyze case facts in order to make fair and impartial decisions. We currently have two vacancies to be filled: one in Madison (201 E. Washington Ave) and one in Milwaukee (819 N. 6th St).

The Department of Workforce Development (DWD) offers interesting and meaningful work with an employee-friendly and inclusive work environment, work-life balance, a casual office environment, flexibility, and many opportunities to grow your skills. The State of Wisconsin offers an exemplary benefits package with:

• generous paid time off, including at least 3.5 weeks of vacation/personal time, 9 paid holidays, and ample sick time that rolls over each year with no cap
• excellent and affordable health insurance options (starting at $34/month for single and $83/month for family coverage)
• other great insurance options (dental, vision, life, and more)
• top-notch retirement program and optional tax advantaged 457 retirement savings plan
• Well Wisconsin program offering wellness tools and rewards to employees and spouses
• free and confidential employee assistance program that offers employees and their household members tools, resources, and professional consultation services

Candidates hired into these positions may work primarily in their designated headquarters office (Madison or Milwaukee) for initial orientation and training, then may request to work remotely up to 80% of their work time. High speed internet access is required to meet the needs of remote work.

Public service is rewarding! This position may be eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness. Apply now to find out why we love to Work for Wisconsin.

This recruitment may be used to fill future similar permanent, project, and/or LTE vacancies.

DWD values employee safety and continues to follow state and federal guidelines regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

These positions investigate legal complaints related to equal rights and labor standards. Primary responsibilities will include the research and investigation of complaints in cases alleging violations of the Fair Employment Law, Family and Medical Leave Law, Open Housing and Public Accommodations Laws, Healthcare Worker Protection Law, Elder Abuse Reporting Law, Discrimination in Post-Secondary Education, Public Employee Right to Know Law, Retaliation for Exercising Rights under Family and Medical Leave Law, the State Employee Whistleblower Protection Law, Wage Payment and Collection Law, Overtime and Minimum Wage Laws, Open Personnel Records Law, Business Closing and Mass Layoff Law, Child Labor Laws and other laws administered by the Equal Rights Division.

These positions serve as neutral fact-finders and do not advocate for any party. Actions, communications, and determinations reflect that neutrality.

Newly hired Equal Rights Specialists will receive training and have the ability to interact with and collaborate with more experienced staff to develop their knowledge base and skill set.

To learn more, view the full position description.

Starting pay for this position is $23.82/hr. ($49,545 annually). Additional compensation (up to $2.25/hr) may be available to candidates with specific qualifications related to the job, plus excellent benefits. For more benefits information, view our benefits overview, or more in-depth benefits e-learning.

A 12-month probationary period will be required. The classification title for this position is DWD Equal Rights Officer - Entry (schedule 12, range 64). This position is not represented in a collective bargaining unit.

Pay will be set in accordance with the State Compensation Plan in effect at the time of appointment. Starting pay may vary for current state employees.

All state employees must report their COVID vaccination status, whether vaccinated or not and provide supporting documentation if vaccinated. Newly hired employees will be required to submit this information within their first two weeks of employment.

The State of Wisconsin continues to follow necessary health and safety protocols for COVID. Please visit Division of Personnel Management Coronavirus - COVID-19 (wi.gov) for the most up-to-date information. Guidance may be subject to change.

We consider all qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. Finalists for this position may be required to allow DWD to conduct a background check or other checks to determine whether the circumstances of any conviction may be related to the job being filled.

Applicants must be legally entitled to work in the United States (i.e. a US citizen or national or a lawful permanent resident) at the time of appointment. DWD does not sponsor visas and is not an eligible OPT employer for those with F1 visas. This is not a contract position. Any appointment made will be contingent on the applicant being able to prove valid status to work in the United States.

Qualified veterans with a 30% or more service-connected disability are eligible for non-competitive appointment to permanent positions in classified civil service under s 230.275 WI Stats. Ask the HR contact listed in this announcement for information on how to apply under this provision.

Qualifications marked with an asterisk (*) below will be evaluated in the first step of the selection process. Additional qualifications may be evaluated in subsequent steps.

It is very important that you specify your experience for the qualifications that are marked with asterisks (*) in your letter and resume as these qualifications will be evaluated in the first step of the selection process. Additional qualifications may be evaluated in subsequent steps.

You will need to have training and/or experience in:

• Academic training or professional work experience researching, writing, and fact-finding.
• Experience providing customer service over the phone or in person (e.g. explaining policies and procedures, researching and answering questions, resolving complex issues, etc.).
• Experience organizing and prioritizing tasks and activities in order to meet goals (e.g. planning out tasks, creating timelines to meet deadlines, tracking and communicating progress, etc.).
• Experience using Microsoft Office software or comparable for business purposes.
• Experience communicating with others to achieve business goals and objectives

It would be nice to have training and/or experience in any of the following:

• Experience conducting in-depth analysis of issues using multiple sources and fact-finding techniques.
• Experience communicating with angry or upset individuals in sensitive or high impact situations (e.g. individualized educational planning, benefits determination, employee discipline, loan approval, community services provision or advocacy, direct patient care, corrections, or similar).
• Experience with caseload management and/or project management.
• Experience interpreting and/or applying civil rights or labor standards laws.

Note: If you are viewing this posting on an external site, please visit Wisc.Jobs (search 9158) to complete your application.

Click "Apply for Job" to start the application process. That will prompt you to access your existing account or create a new account. You will be asked to attach a resume and a letter of qualifications as part of the application process. It is important that these materials clearly illustrate how your qualifications relate to the qualifications of this job. Additional guidance on developing your resume and letter of qualifications (including a template) is available at this link.

Please note that once you submit your application, you will not be able to update your materials.

What happens next? A panel will review your application materials to determine your eligibility for further consideration in the selection process. The most qualified applicants will be invited to participate in the next step of the selection process, which is typically a virtual interview.

If you have questions, please email KAWjobs@dwd.wisconsin.gov.

DWD is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity employer seeking a diverse and talented workforce. Veterans, women, people of color, LGBTQIA , and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply. We provide reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants and employees with disabilities.

Application materials must be submitted by 11:59 PM (central standard time) on February 20, 2023.