Director of Special Projects

Title: Director of Special Projects
Location: CT-Hartford

Salary: $48,719 - $154,397/year* (*Salary commensurate with experience.)

Job Description: 

The State of Connecticut Department of Administrative Services (DAS) is seeking a Director of Special Projects (Executive Assistant 1) to support the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) and senior leadership.

 

This pivotal role will provide high-level administrative, programmatic, and project coordination support for initiatives spanning data transparency, interagency collaboration, and internal operations.  The ideal candidate is proactive, detail-oriented, and thrives in a mission-driven public service environment.  They will possess excellent organizational skills, have the ability to multitask, and be an independent problem solver.

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

Professional growth and development opportunities

A healthy work/life balance to all employees

THE ROLE

In this role, you will be responsible for:
 

Overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Governor’s Fellows Program, including tracking and managing program budgets, supporting recruitment and onboarding, managing the contracting process alongside the DAS Business Office, managing meetings and fellowship-related events, and serving as a liaison to funders and placement agencies;

Supporting implementation of agency initiatives, including coordinating planning, reporting, and monitoring activities in collaboration with the communications, legislative, and legal teams;

Leading special projects, including creating a project plan and tracking deadlines, identifying and contracting with vendors, communicating with stakeholders, and collaborating with other state agencies as necessary;

Providing general administrative support to the Commissioner’s Office on special projects, policy documents, and compliance tracking;

Assisting the CAO and Communications Director to improve data transparency, including working with DAS divisions to identify and post data on Connecticut’s Open Data Portal;

Leading coordination of the annual agency data inventory and open data access plan in collaboration with the Office of Policy and Management and internal stakeholders;

Assisting the Communications Team with website content management and updates to support the agency’s digital communication goals, including form and survey development;

Supporting the Freedom of Information Liaison by responding to and processing FOI requests within the GovQA platform;

Performing related duties as required.

BEFORE YOU APPLY: 

Meet Minimum Qualifications: Ensure you meet the Minimum Qualifications listed on the job opening by the job closing date. You must specify your qualifications on your application. The minimum experience and training requirements listed must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified.  

Educational Credits: List your earned credits and degrees from accredited institutions accurately on your application. To receive educational credits towards qualification, the institution must be accredited. If the institution of higher learning is located outside of the U.S., you are responsible for providing documentation from a recognized USA accrediting service which specializes in determining foreign education equivalencies to the contact listed below by the closing date listed on the job posting. 

Resume Policy: Per Public Act 21-69, resumes are not accepted during the initial application process. As the recruitment process progresses, candidates may be required to submit additional documentation to support their qualification(s) for this position. This documentation may include: a cover letter, resume, transcripts, diplomas, performance reviews, attendance records, supervisory references, licensure, etc., at the request and discretion of the hiring agency. 

Preferred Shift/Location: Select all location(s) and shift(s) you are willing to work on your application. Failure to do so may result in not being considered for vacancies in that specific location or shift. 

Timely Submission: All application materials must be received by the job posting deadline. You will be unable to make revisions once you officially submit your application to the State.  Late submissions are rarely accepted, with exceptions only for documented events that incapacitate individuals during the entire duration of the job posting. Request exceptions by emailing DAS.SHRM@ct.gov. 

Salary Calculations: For current state employees, salary calculations are not necessarily comparable from one of the three branches of state government (i.e., Executive, Legislative, Judicial) to the other. 

Note: The only way to apply to this posting is via the ‘Apply’ or ‘Apply Online’ buttons on the official State of Connecticut Online Employment Center job posting.

POSITION HIGHLIGHTS</strong>

Monday - Friday

Full-time

First shift

Location: Hartford, CT

Hybrid position (telework and in office)

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Experience with state government operations and public sector programs

Experience with Core-CT, CT Source, and state contracting

Experience with project management, including tracking project budgets over $1 million

Experience supporting executive-level leaders and managing cross-agency initiatives

Quantitative and qualitative analysis skills, including experience with data platforms such as Connecticut’s Open Data Portal, PowerBI, R, Stata

Experience utilizing Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook)

Experience with web development and web project management, including experience with Sitecore

Experience distilling complex information into materials and presentations for different audiences

Experience writing and editing professional documents

Experience handling competing priorities with minimal supervision

Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Conclusion

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.