State of Maryland

A Civil Rights Officer I is the entry level of work investigating alleged discrimination complaints and negotiating agreements to settle discrimination complaints in housing, employment and public accommodations based on race, color, ancestry or national origin, religion/creed, sex, marital status, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information and familial status.  Employees in this classification do not supervise other positions.

Employees in this classification receive close supervision from a Civil Rights Officer Supervisor or other designated administrator.  Employees may be required to work evenings and weekends based on staffing needs.  The work may require travel in Maryland and other states.

Positions in this classification are evaluated by using the classification job evaluation methodology.  The use of this method involves comparing the assigned duties and responsibilities of a position to the job criteria found in the Nature of Work and Examples of Work sections of the class specification.

The Civil Rights Officer I, Civil Rights Officer II and Civil Rights Officer III are differentiated on the basis of degree of supervisory control exercised by the supervisor over these employees.  The Civil Rights Officer I learns to perform duties under close supervision.  The Civil Rights Officer II performs duties under close supervision at times and under general supervision at other times depending on the complexity of the specific duty being performed. The Civil Rights Officer III performs the full range of duties and responsibilities under general supervision.

Learns to investigate alleged discrimination complaints and negotiate agreements to settle discrimination complaints in housing, employment and public accommodations based on race, color, ancestry or national origin, religion/creed, sex, marital status, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information and familial status;

Learns to interpret and explain applicable laws and regulations to advise complainants and respondents of their rights, legal requirements and responsibilities;

Learns to refer complainants to other government agencies, private organizations or groups which have the jurisdiction or the resources to better handle inquiries or complaints;

Learns to review case folders to determine complaint issues; nature, scope and direction of investigations, and the need for additional information;

Learns to interview complainants, respondents and witnesses to obtain, verify and review information, determine needed evidence, resolve issues and negotiate settlements;

Learns to negotiate pre-determination and conciliation agreements between complainants and respondents in an attempt to settle discrimination complaints;

Learns to examine personnel and business records to establish facts concerning alleged discrimination;

Learns to conduct exit meetings with complainants and respondents to discuss findings of the investigation;

Learns to determine probable cause in alleged discrimination complaints and refers unresolved cases for public hearings; Learns to investigate complaints of discrimination in State government agencies;

Learns to maintain and analyze data on racial, religious, ethnic and sexual orientation violence to determine trends;

Learns to prepare and maintain case files, conciliation agreements, pre-determination settlements, statements of findings, investigation background information and subpoena or default information to document evidence and secure support data;

Learns to establish and maintain networks with representatives of federal, State, local and other public or private agencies and organizations to conduct conciliation efforts, foster better human relations and resolve problems involving alleged discriminatory practices;

Learns to plan and conduct seminars and speaking engagements for employers, union representatives and public and private organizations to educate and promote better human relations;

Learns to testify in court and at public hearings concerning alleged discrimination practices;

Learns to provide technical assistance to representatives of federal, State, local and other public or private agencies and organizations that are formulating new human relations programs;

Prepares correspondence, reports, documents and electronic mail;

Performs other related duties.

Knowledge of the history of discrimination on the basis of race, color, ancestry or national origin, religion/creed, sex, marital status, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information and familial status;

Knowledge of investigating and interviewing techniques;

Ability to learn the provisions of federal, and State, and local laws defining discrimination, such as Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1991 and Human Relations Title 20 of the Annotated Code of Maryland;

Ability to learn the goals, regulations and policies of the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights;

Ability to learn which government agencies, private agencies or groups have the jurisdiction or the resources to handle a variety of inquiries or complaints;

Ability to prepare for and conduct investigations, obtain testimony, record facts and evaluate conflicting information;

Ability to maintain records and prepare concise and accurate reports;

Ability to negotiate settlement agreements that are amicable to all parties;

Ability to recognize subtle and blatant acts of discrimination;

Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with elected officials, Administrative Law Judges, attorneys, business owners, employers, employees, landlords and the general public;

Ability to testify in court and at public hearings;

Ability to maintain confidentiality of case files;

Ability to communicate effectively;

Ability to counsel parties, interpret and explain applicable laws and regulations, and serve as a resource to refer people to other appropriate regulatory government agencies, private organizations or other groups;

Ability to maintain objectivity in adversarial situations;

Ability to use word processing, spreadsheet and electronic communication software programs.

Experience: Four years of administrative staff work experience.

Notes:

1. Candidates may substitute the possession of a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university for the required experience.

2. Candidates may substitute U.S. Armed Forces military service experience as a commissioned officer in General Legal and Administrative classifications or General Legal and Administrative specialty codes in the Legal field of work on a year-for-year basis for the required experience.

Class specifications are broad descriptions covering groups of positions used by various State departments and agencies.  Position descriptions maintained by the using department or agency specifically address the essential job functions of each position.

This is a Skilled Service classification in the State Personnel Management System.  All positions in this classification are Skilled Service positions.  Some positions in Skilled Service classifications may be designated Special Appointment in accordance with the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 6-405, Annotated Code of Maryland.

This classification is not assigned to a bargaining unit as indicated by the designation of S (supervisor), M (manager), T (agency head), U (Board or Commission member), W (student), X (excluded by agency), or Z (confidential).  As provided by State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 3-102, special appointment, temporary, contractual, supervisory, managerial and confidential employees are excluded from collective bargaining.  Additionally, certain executive branch agencies are exempt from collective bargaining and therefore, all positions in those agencies are excluded form collective bargaining.

Employees in this classification are eligible to receive overtime compensation.  An employee who works more than the normal workweek is entitled to be compensated for that overtime as provided by State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 8-305.

This classification is one level in a Non-Competitive Promotion (NCP) series.  NCP promotions are promotions by which employees may advance in grade and class level from trainee to full performance levels in a classification series.  In order to be non-competitively promoted to the next level in a NCP series an employee must: 1) perform the main purpose of the class as defined in the Nature of Work section of the class specification; 2) receive the type of supervision defined in the class specification, and 3) meet the minimum qualifications of the classification.