Job Description
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.
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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.
Application Instructions
Applications are to be submitted on the Mass Careers website: https://www.mass.gov/guides/masscareers-create-a-profile-guide
A cover letter and resume are required parts of the application. Review of applicants will start immediately and continue while the position is posted, with first consideration given to those received within the first 14 days.
Duties and Responsibilities (these are a general summary and not all-inclusive):
Purpose of the Job
Working under the supervision of the OCA's General Counsel, the Senior Legal Counsel (SLC) provides structured thinking on legal and policy issues arising from the execution of the OCA's mission. The SLC provides consultation to OCA staff on matters related to the OCA's oversight responsibilities as well as consultation on issues brought to the agency's attention. The SLC will support the General Counsel in the management of interagency initiatives and projects.
Essential Functions and Responsibilities
• Legal Strategy: Participate in strategic planning activities and provide thought partnership to the General Counsel, including finalizing goals and activities and effectively implementing them and translating to assigned staff.
• Legal Consultation & Resolution: Advise OCA staff on Complaint Line calls and other individual case reviews that raise legal issues. Provides legal consultation as well as a structured-thinking approach to OCA project work completed by other OCA divisions.
• Policy & Contract Analysis and Writing: Draft memorandums of understanding and internal policies.
• Policy Review and Evaluation: Supports the General Counsel in evaluation of policy and practices of agencies external to the OCA.
• Project Management: As guided by the General Counsel, manage interagency initiatives and projects through convening and facilitating various groups. Lead and/or execute OCA project work with internal or external-facing deliverables.
• Individual Case Investigations: Active member of the OCA investigation team, reviewing case-specific confidential information and drafting summaries or reports as necessary.
• Research: Conducts legal research to support the OCA's mission and project-based work. Maintains knowledge of relevant legal, policy, and practice changes in the fields relevant to the OCA's mission.
• External Representation: As needed, represents OCA at external meetings (e.g. advisory boards, conferences, briefings).
Qualifications
Required Qualifications:
• A working knowledge of state agencies under the Massachusetts executive branch.
• Familiarity with child protection, juvenile justice, education, and other child-related fields. Experience with education law preferred.
• Ability to conduct comprehensive legal research, ability to analyze legal precedent and apply it to factual circumstances.
• Ability to present clear, concise, and cogent legal arguments and analysis.
• Ability to exercise the utmost discretion in handling confidential information.
• Ability to independently determine specific tasks needed to accomplish an assignment, to prioritize work, complete assignments in a timely and satisfactory manner, and coordinate competing interests to carry out multiple assignments simultaneously while working under time constraints.
• Excellent interpersonal skills including professionalism, collegiality, ability to take direction, and ability to compromise.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, Outlook, Word, PowerPoint and other computer software applications.
Minimum Entrance Requirements:
• Juris Doctorate from an accredited school of law
• Member in good standing with the Massachusetts Bar Association
• At least five (5) years of full time, or equivalent part-time, relevant work experience preferably in an area related to state government, government oversight, child protection, or education.