Employment Specialist 5 (WSS5): Virtual Services-Lead/Telework-Internal Only

State of Washington; Olympia (WA); Remote; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible work schedules

Teleworking opportunities

Job summary

State of Washington's Employment Security Department seeks a WorkSource Specialist 5 for the Virtual Services Team. You will lead and mentor staff, coordinate virtual service delivery, and ensure compliant, high-quality outcomes for job seekers and employers.

The role focuses on equity, data-informed improvements, and strong partnership with staff and community partners. Telework options and flexible schedules are available where feasible.

Qualifications

• Leadership and Team Management: set direction, build trust, motivate staff.
• Service Coordination: manage workforce support efforts.
• Process Optimization: refine workforce service operations.
• Customer-Centered Career Development: deliver personalized workforce services.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop staff to ensure high-quality virtual service delivery and compliance.
• Coordinate daily work, monitor performance, and ensure program alignment with contracts and WorkSource systems.
• Deliver comprehensive virtual employment and training services, conduct needs assessments, and support client outcomes.

Skills

Leadership and Team Management

Service Coordination

Process Optimization

Customer-Centered Career Development

Job description

This position is open to internal Employment Security Department employees only. This is a Project position that is expected to last through June of 2028.

The ideal candidate for the WorkSource Specialist 5 role on our Virtual Services Team is a collaborative leader who thrives in a fast-paced, customer-focused, virtual environment and is passionate about helping individuals achieve employment success.

They bring a strong combination of workforce development expertise, operational leadership, and a commitment to equitable service delivery. This individual naturally builds trust with staff, partners, and customers, and is skilled at guiding teams through change while maintaining a supportive, high-performing culture centered on accountability, inclusion, and continuous improvement. Successful candidates are experienced in coordinating complex service delivery operations, balancing multiple priorities, and ensuring consistent, high-quality outcomes across the virtual environment.

They are confident coaching and mentoring staff, monitoring performance, identifying opportunities for growth, and fostering professional development. With a strong understanding of workforce programs, policies, and compliance requirements, they use data, feedback, and sound judgment to improve processes, solve problems, and support excellent customer experiences. The ideal candidate also remains connected to frontline service and understands the challenges customers face when navigating employment and training systems.

They are adaptable, resourceful, and comfortable engaging with diverse populations, community partners, and employers. They combine analytical thinking with empathy, maintaining accurate records, supporting program performance goals, and helping ensure that services are delivered with consistency, integrity, and a focus on meaningful outcomes for both job seekers and businesses.

Supervision Support, Leadership, & Team Management

As an extension of the supervisor, lead, develop, and support staff to build high-performance teams; ensure effective daily operations and high-quality virtual service delivery; foster consensus-based decision making and continuous quality improvement. This includes:

• Plan, schedule, assign and direct daily work activities
• Provide day-to-day guidance, coaching, mentoring, and technical assistance to staff
• Support communication, implementation, and adherence to policy and procedural changes; contribute to staff readiness; reinforce expectations and established processes. Essential

Service Delivery, Program, and Contract Performance Support

Support the supervisor in maintaining high-quality virtual service delivery and operational compliance by monitoring daily activities, reinforcing established performance expectations, and ensuring staff work aligns with program, contract, and WorkSource system requirements. This includes:

• Coordinate daily workflow, assignments, and coverage to ensure high-quality in-person and virtual service delivery and smooth operations.
• Apply and reinforce federal and state laws, regulations, policies and program requirements in daily service delivery and ensure staff follow established procedure. Maintain a thorough understanding of employment and training directives, expectation and performance standards; reinforce them through coaching, guidance and corrective support.
• Review and monitor staff work product to ensure it meets quality and performance expectations; provide ongoing feedback, appropriate training, tools and resources. Present performance findings, identify best practices and training needs, and recommend improvements to strengthen service quality and outcomes.

Direct Customer Service

Deliver Virtual frontline services to individuals and groups in order to maintain core competencies, fill service delivery gaps, and support expert knowledge of program and contract operations. This includes:

• Deliver comprehensive customer-centered employment and training services; job readiness & job search activities, labor market information, job matching & development, employment & service referrals, orientations and workshops, barrier resolution, coaching, outreach, case management and support services, follow-up activities
• Assess knowledge, skills, abilities, and customer needs to inform development of individualized service and employment plans; conduct interviews, complete needs assessments, identify appropriate services or training, determine eligibility, create service strategies and employment plans
• Conduct interviews to identify needs, barriers, and goals; develop and monitor individualized service plans. Essential

• 1 year as a WorkSource Specialist 4 or equivalent class within the Employment Security Department, or another state's Employment Security agency
• OR 3 years of professional experience in workforce development, social or human resource services, public relations, or professional public contact work AND serving as a lead worker, team lead, or subject matter expert responsible for guiding staff, assigning work, and supporting daily operations
• OR A combination of education and/or relevant experience

Required equity competencies:

• The ability to take action to learn and grow.
• The ability to take action to meet the needs of others.

The required experience includes:

• Leadership and Team Management Expertise: Ability to set direction, build trust, motivate staff, and elevate team performance
• Service Coordination Skills: Proficiency in managing workforce support efforts
• Process Optimization Expertise: Ability to refine workforce service operations
• Customer-Centered Career Development Expertise: Ability to deliver personalized workforce services

Special Requirements/Conditions of Employment:

• Must be able to pass an Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Paid Family Medical and Leave (PFML) claim and fraud check.

Our agency's mission and values drive every decision that we make, determine how we interact with others, and are at the core of who we are. We value Access, Love, Belonging, Equity, and Stewardship. We understand that a work environment that respects your work/life balance is key; that's why many of our positions are eligible for flexible work schedules and teleworking opportunities. Through support, value, and trust, our employees are empowered to grow and develop into their best self.

Opportunity for All

We strive to create a working environment that includes and respects cultural, ethnic, racial, religious, sexual orientation, and gender identity diversity. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, people over 40 years of age, people with religious beliefs, veterans or people with military status, and people of all sexual orientations and gender identities are encouraged to apply.

The Employment Security Department is an equal opportunity employer/program. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities.

This recruitment may be used to fill additional agency-wide positions in accordance with Article 4 of the WFSE Collective Bargaining Agreement.

This Organization Participates in E-Verify