Description

About OSPI and our initiatives

OSPI is the primary agency charged with overseeing public K–12 education in Washington state. Working with the state's 295 public school districts and 6 state-tribal education compact schools, OSPI allocates funding and provides tools, resources, and technical assistance so every student in Washington is provided a high-quality public education.

At OSPI, we recognize that our employees are the key to the success of the agency. We are committed to our work but value the balance with our personal lives. We demonstrate our commitment to employees by providing an environment that stimulates professional growth and values them for their expertise. OSPI is a great place to work and has several initiatives to help create a great working environment, including:

• We support a healthy work/life balance by offering flexible/alternative work schedules and mobile and telework options. (Depending on job duties and work location.)
• We have an Infant at Work Program that is based on long-term values of newborns and infant-parent bonding. Eligible employees who are new parents or legal guardians can bring their infant (six weeks to six months) when returning to work. (Depending on job duties and work location.)
• We value and are actively involved in promoting diversity, equity and inclusion within OSPI by way of cross-divisional, collaborative committee. The focus of the committee includes employee engagement and education; reinforcing OSPI values; and maximizing the value of diversity and identifying strategies for inclusion.

Vision, Mission, and Values
Vision: All students prepared for post-secondary pathways, careers, and civic engagement.

Mission: Transform K-12 education to a system that is centered on closing opportunity gaps and is characterized by high expectations for all students and educators. We achieve this by developing equity-based policies and supports that empower educators, families, and communities.

Values: Ensuring Equity, Collaboration and Service, Achieving Excellence through Continuous Improvement, Focus on the Whole Child

Equity
Each student, family, and community possesses strengths and cultural knowledge that benefits their peers, educators, and schools. Ensuring educational equity:

• Goes beyond equality; it requires education leaders to examine the ways current policies and practices result in disparate outcomes for our students of color, students living in poverty, students receiving special education and English Learner services, students who identify as LGBTQ+, and highly mobile student populations.
• Requires education leaders to develop an understanding of historical contexts; engage students, families, and community representatives as partners in decision-making; and actively dismantle systemic barriers, replacing them with policies and practices that ensure all students have access to the instruction and support they need to succeed in our schools.

Position Overview
The Fingerprint Background Check Unit processes fingerprint-based background checks through the Washington State Patrol (WSP) and Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) for staff serving in the K-12 public and private school system and applicants for Washington educational certificates.

Key Responsibilities

• Responding to and resolving customer service inquiries regarding questions, issues and complaints relating to fingerprinting.
• Frequent communications with the Washington State Patrol (WSP) and Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) to obtain information for the resolution to problems, complaints and issues.
• Assist the districts, schools, universities/colleges, and general public with interpreting fingerprint laws, rules and regulations, policies and procedures.
• Review and process criminal history records.
• Review criminal history records, prepare information for dissemination to employers, and redact exempt information as required by law.
• Extremely high degree of accuracy is critical. Generate reports and correspondence in various formats for internal and external stakeholders.
• Coordinate with districts, schools and applicants for fingerprint processing. Process fingerprint cards and coordinate resubmission of fingerprints when required.

Required Qualifications:

• High School Diploma or GED equivalent. Additional education may substitute for customer service experience on a year for year basis.
• Two years of providing assistance to customers regarding inquiries, complaints or problems.
• Experience using Microsoft Office Suite software: Outlook, Word, and Excel.

Desired Qualifications:

• An Associate's degree or other education beyond high school is desired.
• Excellent organization skills and attention to detail; ability to maintain accurate files, logs and reports
• Good verbal and written communications skills
• Ability to handle highly stressful and/or adverse situations, help to calm customers
• Ability to complete tasks independently while working within a team environment
• Ability to perform routine office functions such as typing, copying, faxing, scanning /and preparing mailings
• Ability to professionally respond to inquiries related to the fingerprint/background check process, rules and regulation

Condition of employment:

• Per Governor Inslee’s proclamation (Download PDF reader) all state employees must be fully vaccinated no later than October 18, 2021. Your vaccine status will be verified at New Employee Orientation. Please reach out to the HR Office at HROffice@k12.wa.us for information on medical or religious accommodations.

Additional Requirement:

• The successful candidate will be required to complete a fingerprint-based background check through both the WSP and the FBI at time of hire.

Compensation
The annual compensation for the position is $36,288 - $46,980 per year and depends upon experience, educational background and qualifications. Geographic differentials may be applied based on work location of successful candidate. Washington State offers a generous benefit package including health, dental and life insurance, retirement and an optional deferred compensation program. Please visit Health Care Authority for information regarding health benefits and the Department of Retirement Systems for retirement plan information. Choose an item. This position is not represented by a bargaining unit.

Application Process
Those interested in this position must apply through Careers.wa.gov. Applications must include the following documents in MS Word and PDF format only:

• A letter of interest specifically addressing the qualifications listed in this announcement;
• A current résumé, and;
• A list of three or more professional references.

Please address any questions to:
Sal Salazar, Human Resources
Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
600 Washington Street Southeast
Olympia, Washington 98504-7200
Email: sal.salazar@k12.wa.us

Persons needing accommodation in the application process or this announcement in an alternative format may contact the Human Resources Office at (360) 725-6066, or e-mail hroffice@k12.wa.us

New Jobs Alert Service
OSPI offers a subscription service, which regularly notifies subscribers of new OSPI employment opportunities on careers.wa.gov. Subscribers are notified via text or email alert. If you are interested in this service, then please subscribe at this location.

OSPI is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from job seekers who will contribute to our diversity . OSPI provides equal access to all programs and services without discrimination based on sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, honorably discharged veteran or military status, sexual orientation including gender expression or identity, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability. If you would like, please include your name and gender pronouns in your application, to ensure we address you appropriately throughout the application process. Persons needing accommodation in the application process or this announcement in an alternative format may contact the human resource consultant listed in “Application Process.”