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NEOGOV · 1 week ago

Disability Innovation Fund Grant Engagement and Outreach Specialist

Statewide, CO

Full-time

Hybrid

Senior Level

$4,906/mo - $6,878.02/mo

7+ years exp

NEOGOV is part of the State of Colorado's Department of Labor and Employment, dedicated to connecting workers with great jobs and assisting those who have been injured on the job. The Disability Innovation Fund Grant Engagement and Outreach Specialist will support stakeholder engagement, communication, and outreach efforts to improve transition outcomes for youth and students with disabilities across Colorado.

GovTechHuman ResourcesInformation TechnologySoftware

No H1B

Responsibilities

The DIF Grant Engagement and Outreach Specialist leads efforts to elevate youth and family voice across all aspects of the Pathways to Partnership Innovation Model Demonstration Project

This position designs, launches, and manages the Youth Ambassador program at each of the five interdisciplinary pilot sites, creating paid, student-led opportunities that promote peer outreach, leadership, and authentic representation in team planning and activities

Beyond the pilot sites, the Specialist ensures that youth and family perspectives shape the entire project by facilitating the planning and advisory team meetings, driving inclusive outreach strategies, coordinating with partners, and integrating feedback loops into program development

While the Family Coalition facilitates training and focus groups, this role actively collaborates with them and other partners to ensure engagement efforts are accessible, culturally responsive, and designed to reach families and students statewide

Through consistent coordination with interdisciplinary teams, school districts, Centers for Independent Living, and DVR staff, the Specialist ensures that the project reflects and responds to the needs of the youth and families it serves

The DIF Grant Engagement and Outreach Specialist collaborates with the DIF team to lead coordination efforts across interdisciplinary teams at each pilot site to ensure consistent, collaborative implementation of the Pathways to Partnership model

This position coordinates the onboarding process for new pilot sites, ensuring each team—which includes representatives from DVR, local education agencies, and Centers for Independent Living—has the tools, resources, and guidance needed to operate as a cohesive unit

The Specialist attends regular interdisciplinary team meetings to promote communication, shared planning, and alignment across partners

They also collaborate with contractors responsible for providing technical assistance on coordinated student planning, ensuring that pilot sites receive consistent support, training, and follow-up

This role plays a critical part in sustaining effective interdisciplinary partnerships that are centered on student outcomes and local implementation fidelity and will require some statewide travel

The DIF Grant Engagement and Outreach Specialist collaborates with the Marketing and Communications Specialist to ensure all DIF-related communications and outreach strategies are inclusive, accessible, and aligned with the project’s goals

This position collaborates on the development and refinement of messaging that resonates with youth, families, and community stakeholders, and provides input to ensure all materials reflect the voices and lived experiences of the populations served

A key responsibility of this role is supporting the communication and content development process for the Map My Path web platform and app

The Specialist collaborates closely with the external contractor developing the platform and serves as a liaison with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE)’s Office of Government Policy and Public Relations (GPPR) to obtain necessary approvals for all written and visual content, ensuring that youth and family voices are meaningfully integrated throughout the content development process

This includes ensuring messaging is consistent with state branding, accessibility, and cultural responsiveness standards

Through this work, the Specialist helps ensure that all marketing and communications efforts, whether public-facing or internal, support the broader success of the DIF grant and integrate youth voice

The DIF Grant Engagement and Outreach Specialist contributes to the documentation of strategies, tools, and practices developed throughout the Pathways to Partnership Innovation Model Demonstration Project to support future replication and scalability based on youth and family voice

Drawing from their direct involvement in youth engagement, interdisciplinary team coordination, and outreach implementation, the position provides input and supporting materials that reflect real-time experiences and practical applications across pilot sites based on youth and family voices

This position collaborates with the DIF team and external partners to identify promising practices, surface barriers, and share site-level insights that inform written guides, templates, and resources for broader dissemination based on youth and family voices

By contributing to the capture of lessons learned and implementation approaches, the position helps ensure that the model can be successfully replicated in future sites and sustained beyond the grant period

Qualification

Vocational rehabilitation knowledgeYouthFamily engagementOutreachInterdisciplinary team collaborationCommunicationsGrant program documentationProject coordinationAnalytical skillsBuild relationshipsCultural responsivenessManage prioritiesCommitment to equityInclusionCommunication skillsFacilitation skillsFlexibilityAdaptabilityCommitment to collaboration

Required

Seven (7) years of relevant experience in an occupation related to the work assigned to this position such as special education, human services, vocational rehabilitation, youth and family engagement, workforce development, independent living services, program coordination, program management, community engagement, community outreach, or public policy

A combination of related education and/or relevant experience in an occupation related to the work assigned equal to seven (7) years such as special education, human services, vocational rehabilitation, youth and family engagement, workforce development, independent living services, program coordination, program management, community engagement, community outreach, or public policy

Knowledge of vocational rehabilitation and disability services: Understanding of programs and supports available to individuals with disabilities, including Pre-Employment Transition Services, Centers for Independent Living, and education systems

Knowledge of youth and family engagement strategies: Familiarity with approaches for elevating youth and family voice, creating leadership opportunities, and integrating feedback into program design and service delivery

Knowledge of interdisciplinary team collaboration: Understanding of how to coordinate and sustain effective partnerships among DVR, schools, Centers for Independent Living, and community organizations

Knowledge of outreach and communications practices: Awareness of inclusive, accessible, and culturally responsive strategies for messaging, marketing, and disseminating information across platforms and audiences

Knowledge of grant program requirements and documentation: Familiarity with federal and state grant guidelines, compliance standards, and methods for capturing lessons learned to support scalability and replication

Communication skills: Ability to clearly convey information through accessible and culturally responsive messaging across written, verbal, and digital platforms to reach youth, families, and community partners

Facilitation skills: Ability to plan, lead, and moderate meetings, listening sessions, and interdisciplinary team discussions to promote collaboration and shared decision-making

Project coordination skills: Ability to organize tasks, timelines, and resources to support onboarding of pilot sites, manage multiple priorities, and ensure alignment with grant requirements

Outreach and engagement skills: Ability to design and implement outreach strategies that effectively engage diverse youth and families, ensuring authentic input and participation

Analytical Skills: Ability to assess feedback, evaluate program outcomes, and recommend adjustments to strategies, training content, and communication approaches

Ability to build relationships: Establish and maintain strong, collaborative relationships with youth, families, interdisciplinary partners, and community organizations to support shared goals

Ability to adapt to diverse needs: Adjust strategies and approaches to meet the cultural, linguistic, and accessibility needs of youth and families across Colorado

Ability to work as part of a team and coordinate across teams: Work effectively with multiple pilot sites, contractors, and state-level partners as a team to ensure consistent implementation of the grant model

Ability to manage multiple priorities: Balance competing demands of youth engagement, team coordination, outreach, and documentation while meeting deadlines

Ability to travel statewide: Participate in meetings, site visits, and events across Colorado to support pilot site implementation and engagement activities

Commitment to equity and inclusion: Demonstrates a strong commitment to advancing equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility in all aspects of youth, family, and community engagement

Professionalism and integrity: Models ethical behavior, accountability, and respect when representing the agency and building trust with diverse stakeholders

Cultural responsiveness: Values and incorporates diverse perspectives, ensuring outreach and engagement efforts reflect the lived experiences of Colorado's youth and families

Flexibility and adaptability: Adjusts to evolving priorities, challenges, and contexts across multiple pilot sites and stakeholder groups

Commitment to collaboration: Demonstrates a cooperative spirit, actively contributing to interdisciplinary teams and supporting collective problem-solving

Preferred

Experience driving outreach strategy targeting youth and family

Experience working with youth with disabilities

Experience facilitating meetings, giving presentations, and communicating effectively in a variety of ways

Ability to manage multiple projects and prioritize tasks to meet deadlines

Develop and implement strategic plans in coordination with program partners, while building, coordinating, and maintaining stakeholder relationships that support programmatic buy-in and consensus building

Previous experience with project management software

Previous experience with Google Workspace

Bilingual in English and Spanish

Experience performing duties similar to those assigned to the position as a classified State of Colorado employee