DRC Handbook Chapter 6: Recruitment and Retention

6.1 Employment of Persons with Disabilities – Departmental Selective Placement Program

During Spring 2006, DOT became the first Federal agency to employ a full-time Selective Placement Program Manager with responsibilities at the national level.  The program was added to the Disability Resource Center to centralize this function and to help the Department coordinate efforts toward improving the recruitment, hiring, advancement and retention of persons with disabilities across DOT.

The Selective Placement Program Manager does not manage or oversee daily staffing operations of Selective Placement Program Coordinators located within individual Operating Administrations.  Rather, this DRC role is consultative in providing technical assistance, information, guidance, resources, and referrals to individual OA Selective Placement Coordinators. 

As the Departmental point of contact representing the Human Resource perspective on improving the recruitment, employment, advancement, and retention of persons with disabilities at DOT, the Departmental Selective Placement Program includes the following functions:

• Serves as the Department’s centralized resource to provide internal and external technical assistance on implementing the Schedule A Hiring Authority. 
• Systemically monitors and evaluates the recruitment, hiring, advancement, and retention activities for people with disabilities to determine their effectiveness, and recommend changes as needed.
• Develops Departmental education, outreach, and resource materials to help encourage the use of Schedule A for hiring new employees with severe/targeted disabilities, and to promote the advancement while improving retention of current DOT employees with disabilities.
• Collaborates with individual OA Human Resource Offices to pilot initiatives, implement strategies, and identify best practices that can be applied throughout the Department to improve the employment of persons with disabilities.
• Collaborates with other Departmental Office of Human Resource Management Programs to ensure initiatives, policies, and procedures incorporate the interests and needs related to the employment of persons with disabilities.
  • Departmental Corporate Recruitment Program Manager
  • Departmental Staffing and Classification Program Manager
• Develops and maintains the external DOT Disability Employment Network of public and private organizations involved in the placement of applicants with disabilities.  The Network is updated with information about the DOT Selective Placement Program, the Schedule A Hiring Authority, and job opportunities available primarily through the non-competitive hiring flexibilities.
• Collaborates with the Departmental Office of Civil Rights (DOCR) to support the implementation and reporting of MD-715, Part J throughout the year.  DOCR maintains this document and reports annually to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on DOT’s progress in identifying employment barriers and implementing strategies to eliminate those barriers. 
• Leads interagency initiatives such as the Federal Disability Workforce Consortium (FDWC) to encourage information sharing of resources, success stories, employment strategies, and best practices throughout Federal service while helping to establish DOT as an employer of choice for individuals with disabilities.
• Departmental point of contact for the Federal Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP).  WRP students with disabilities hired into DOT should be reported to the Departmental Selective Placement Program Manager.  As temporary Federal employees, DOT WRP students’ reasonable accommodation requests should be referred to the DRC as early as possible. 
• Serves as a voting member on the Secretary’s Disability Advisory Council as the Departmental Office of Human Resource Management’s Representative.

6.2 OA Selective Placement Coordinators

Department of Transportation OA Selective Placement Coordinator positions are located within Human Resources as Human Resource Specialists and serve as a Selective Placement Coordinator as a collateral duty. 

The following is a general list of responsibilities that may be managed by DOT OA Selective Placement Coordinators.

• Advise managers on the use of Schedule A as a non-competitive hiring option for filling job vacancies with qualified applicants with severe/targeted disabilities.
• Maintain current information about qualified candidates with disabilities, available for placement in jobs under the Schedule A Hiring Authority.
• Maintain an understanding of DOT’s Reasonable Accommodation Policy and provide managers with reasonable accommodation guidance as it relates to applicants with disabilities who need access to the hiring process. 
• Provide applicants and current employees with disabilities with information about Schedule A, current job opportunities, types of jobs in the Department or OAs, and how these jobs are filled.
• Help maintain communication and working relationships with public and private organizations involved in the placement of applicants with disabilities to provide information about their Departmental/OA’s program and job opportunities and to facilitate the placement of applicants with disabilities in their OA.
• Monitor and evaluate selective placement program efforts and activities for people with disabilities within the Departmental/OA to determine their effectiveness, and making changes as needed to improve program effectiveness.  Report progress and findings to the Departmental Selective Placement Program Manager.
• Participate as a recruiter at job fairs and other recruitment events.
• Provide technical assistance, information, and referrals to regional and field office Selective Placement Program Coordinators when appropriate.
• Serve as the Departmental/OA’s point of contact when a Department-wide Request for Reassignment as a Reasonable Accommodation is issued. 
• Notify the Departmental Selective Placement Program Manager when a new coordinator is selected.