Statewide Workers' Compensation Program Manager(Hybrid)

Introduction

The State of Connecticut, Department of Administrative Services (DAS), is seeking an experienced and strategic leader to serve as our Statewide Workers’ Compensation Program Manager. This high-impact role, part of the Statewide Human Resources Division, carries broad oversight responsibilities in program administration, fiscal management, and injury prevention strategies.

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU:

• Visit our newState Employee Benefits Overview page!
• Professional growth and development opportunities
• A healthy work/life balanceto all employees
• Work at a Forbes-recognized company! Connecticut is proud to be featured on both America's Best Employers by State and Best Employers for New Grads in 2024. With our dynamic job market and commitment to fostering a thriving workforce, Connecticut stands out as a top destination for both seasoned professionals and fresh graduates seeking to launch their careers.

POSITION DETAILS:

• Full-time, 40 hours/week
• Monday - Friday
• Hybrid work environment (On-site/remote)
• Located at 450 Columbus Blvd

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES:

As the Statewide Workers’ Compensation Program Manager, you will play a key leadership role in overseeing Connecticut’s workers’ compensation program for state employees. This includes managing the partnership with the state’s third-party administrator (TPA), providing fiscal oversight through budget planning and analysis, and leading strategic initiatives to reduce occupational injuries and illnesses across state agencies.

You will supervise professional staff and collaborate with high-level stakeholders, including agency leadership, the Office of the Attorney General, and the Office of the Chief State’s Attorney—to ensure effective claims management, compliance, and continuous improvement of the program.

Additional responsibilities may include:

• Representing DAS in cross-agency initiatives or workgroups related to workers’ compensation, employee health, or workplace safety
• Supporting legislative or regulatory analysis related to workers’ compensation policy and operations
• Participating in high-value settlement negotiations and claim resolution strategies
• Developing and implementing operational strategies to improve program efficiency and outcomes
• Monitoring and interpreting claims and financial data to identify trends and support data-driven policy or process improvements
• Partnering with IT and data teams to develop and enhance dashboards and reporting tools that support program oversight and transparency

If you are a collaborative leader with deep knowledge of workers’ compensation—and a passion for improving outcomes through effective program management and strategic partnerships—we encourage you to apply!

Selection Plan

FOR ASSISTANCE IN APPLYING:

Check out our Applicant Tips on How to Apply! Need more resources? Visit our Applicant Reference Library for additional support throughout the recruitment process.

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.

AFTER YOU APPLY:

• Referral Questions: This posting may require completion of additional Referral Questions (RQs), which must be completed by the questionnaire’s expiration date. If requested, RQs can be accessed via an email sent to you after the job close date or by visiting your JobAps Personal Status Board (Certification Questionnaires section).
• Prepare For An Interview: Interviews are limited to those whose experience and training are most aligned with the role. To prepare, review this helpful Interview Preparation Guide to make the best impression!
• Stay connected! Log in daily to your JobAps Personal Status Board to track your status and check email (including spam/junk folders) for updates and tasks.
• The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class.
• Note: This position will be filled in accordance with contractual language, reemployment, SEBAC, transfer, promotion and merit employment rules. Candidates who are offered and accept a position with the State of Connecticut are bound by the State Code of Ethics for Public Officials and State employees, available at www.ct.gov/ethics.

QUESTIONS? WE’RE HERE TO HELP:

Due to high volume, we are unable to confirm receipt or provide status updates directly. For recruitment updates, please check your Personal Status Board and review our Frequently Asked Questions. If you have additional questions about the recruitment process, reach out to Hayley Newhouse at hayley.newhouse@ct.gov.

Join the State of Connecticut and take your next career step with confidence!

PURPOSE OF JOB CLASS (NATURE OF WORK)

In the Department of Administrative Services this class is accountable for managing human resources programs having statewide impact.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

• Directs staff and operations of a human resources program having statewide impact;
• Ensures standards and related policies and procedures are communicated to state agencies and consistently followed;
• Advises and counsels agency officials in areas of assigned responsibility;
• Plans, coordinates and manages program strategies and policies;
• Develops program goals, objectives, procedures and work plans;
• Develops or assists in the development of statewide policies and procedures;
• Interprets and administers pertinent laws;
• Selects, trains, manages and evaluates staff;
• Assists in preparation of program budget;
• Sets priorities and schedules projects to ensure that objectives are met;
• Analyzes applications of policies and their statewide impact;
• Analyzes technical human resource problems and recommends effective solutions in areas of assigned responsibility;
• Provides consultation and training to State agencies on recruitment, selection, classification and business rules;
• Maintains contacts with individuals both within and outside of program who might impact program activities;
• Ensures consistency of policies and procedures and uniform interpretation of policies and procedures;
• Serves as state's representative and advocate at grievance and arbitration hearings in assigned area of responsibility;
• Manages the processing of workers' compensation claims;
• Manages or participates in design or delivery of statewide Human Resources certificate programs to ensure agency Human Resources staff are knowledgeable of rules and regulations;
• Manages areas such as (e.g., family, medical, military), and tuition reimbursement;
• Ensures all records, files and folders are maintained, updated and digitized, where applicable;
• Leads the recruitment and hiring of staff, including outreach, interview and selection;
• May supervise as assigned the analysis and development of job classification and personnel assessment instruments to ensure compliance with professional standards and State and Federal requirements;
• May participate in development of policies and implementation strategies for Human Resources information systems;
• May perform or supervise statewide audits of human resources information systems;
• May provide expert testimony;
• Performs related duties as required.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY

• Considerable knowledge of
  • relevant state and federal laws, statutes, regulations, policies and procedures;
  • public personnel administration;
  • principles of job analysis, classification and job evaluation;
  • personnel assessment, recruitment and selection principles and procedures;
  • classification grievance and arbitration practices and procedures;
  • workers' compensation;
  • employee leaves;
• Knowledge of
  • and ability to apply management principles and practices;
  • and ability to use statewide human resource information systems;
  • labor relations;
  • statistics;
  • employee and labor relations;
• Considerable
  • interpersonal skills;
  • oral and written communication skills;
• Negotiation and conflict resolution skills;
• Considerable ability to
  • conduct large scale classification, organizational and validation studies;
  • develop and implement statewide human resources policies and procedures;
  • interpret and apply statutes, contracts and regulations;
• Ability to provide consultation and training to state agency human resources staff;
• Supervisory ability.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - GENERAL EXPERIENCE

Ten (10) years of professional experience in human resources or equal employment opportunity/affirmative actionor labor relations management.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - SPECIAL EXPERIENCE

Two (2) years of the General Experience must have been at the full advanced working level, in the specific human resources management functional area pertinent to the position (e.g. Talent Solutions, Human Resources Policy and Information Systems, Benefits and Leaves, Workers’ Compensation).

NOTE: For state employees this experience is interpreted at the level of a Principal Human Resources Specialist, Human Resources Generalist 3, Equal Employment Opportunity Manager, Agency Labor Relations Specialist, or a Workers Compensation Program Coordinator.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - SUBSTITUTIONS ALLOWED

• 
  College training may be substituted for the General Experience on the basis of fifteen (15) semester hours equalling one-half (1/2) year of experience to a maximum of four (4) years for a Bachelor's degree.
  
• 
  A Master's degree in human resources management, labor relations, business administration, public administration or a closely related field may be substituted for one (1) additional year of the General Experience.
  
• 
  A law degree may be substituted for two (2) additional years of the General Experience.
  
• 
  For state employees two (2) years as a Principal Human Resources Specialist, Human Resources Generalist 3, Equal Employment Opportunity Manager, Agency Labor Relations Specialist or a Workers Compensation Program Coordinator may be substituted for the General and Special Experience.
  
• 
  For state employees one (1) year as a Human Resources Business Partner 1 or Assistant Human Resources Business Partner may be substituted for the General and Special Experience.
  

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s Degree or higher.
• Experience supervising staff performing administrative or programmatic work.
• Experience administering an organization or enterprise-wide workers’ compensation program within, or in partnership with, a third-party administrator (TPA).
• Experience managing the financial aspects of a workers’ compensation program, including budget planning and forecasting.
• Experience communicating with key stakeholders regarding workers’ compensation claims and compliance matters.
• Experience leading or managing workplace safety initiatives or programs to reduce occupational injuries and illnesses.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

• Incumbents in this class may be required to possess and retain a valid Motor Vehicle Operator's license.
• Incumbents in this class may be required to travel.

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.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

As defined by Sec. 5-196 of the Connecticut General Statutes, a job class is a position or group of positions that share general characteristics and are categorized under a single title for administrative purposes. As such, a job class is not meant to be all-inclusive of every task and/or responsibility.