Senior Employee Assistance Professional

University of Southern California; Glendale (CA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 113,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Southern California is seeking a Senior Employee Assistance Professional to lead comprehensive EAP services for faculty and staff. The role includes brief counseling, referrals, leader consultations, and crisis response, aligning with USC's culture and Unifying Values.

The position emphasizes strategy, design, and delivery of wellness programs, with a focus on employee engagement and program evaluation.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in social work, counseling, marriage and family therapy, or related field.
• California licensed mental health professional (e.g., LCSW, LPC, MFT, or Psychologist).
• Five+ years post-master's clinical experience; three+ years in EAP.

Responsibilities

• Provide confidential problem identification, assessment, brief counseling, and referral.
• Offer consultations for leaders, supervisors, and HR partners; handle referrals.
• Design, deploy trainings and talks on employee assistance topics.
• Develop and manage a referral network for wellbeing resources.
• Lead critical incident response counseling and urgent calls as needed.
• Contribute to program evaluation and quality assurance activities.
• Perform other related duties and maintain USC Code of Ethics.

Skills

Five+ years clinical experience

Three+ years in employee assistance

Crisis intervention experience

High emotional intelligence

Strong organizational skills

Proficiency with Microsoft Office

Telehealth delivery experience

CEAP certification or willing

English and Spanish bilingual

Leadership and HR consultation

Education

Master's degree in social work, counseling, or related field

Job description

The University of Southern California (USC) is one of the world's leading private research universities. An anchor institution in Los Angeles, a global center for arts, technology, international business, medical education and healthcare, USC is also one of the largest private employers in the City of Los Angeles. We are searching for exceptional individuals to help us fulfill our mission: Developing individuals and society as a whole through the cultivation and enrichment of the human mind and spirit.

Job Summary

The USC WorkWell Center is the long-standing health and well-being resource for faculty and staff. We have an opportunity to join an embedded team of passionate professionals delivering mental health and well-being programs through an integrated employee assistance, work-life, and wellness center.

The Senior Employee Assistance Professional (Senior EAP) will lead the delivery of comprehensive employee assistance services including mental health assessment, brief counseling (5-session model) and referral, case monitoring, consultations for leaders and Human Resources partners, information and referral services, critical incident response, mandatory employee referrals, program promotional talks and psycho-educational trainings, and program evaluation/quality assurance activities. Responds to urgent/crisis employee calls as needed.

This role takes a lead in developing strategy, design, and delivery of programs that empower employees to achieve success both professionally and personally. This role will execute USC's vision while championing USC's culture and values.

Minimum Qualifications

• Master's degree in social work, counseling, marriage and family therapy, or other related fields from accredited program.
• State of California licensed mental health care professional (e.g., LCSW, LPC, Licensed MFT, or Psychologist).
• Five or more years of experience post master's in clinical setting.
• Three or more years of experience in employee assistance program.
• Demonstrated knowledge of psychology principles applied to employee mental health wellness, employee engagement and program development and delivery to support mental health wellness.
• Advanced knowledge of industrial-social work, organizational psychology, or counseling theories and techniques.
• Experience with crisis intervention, case monitoring, and mandatory reporting.
• High level of emotional intelligence with ability to develop positive working relationships and a strong rapport with team members and university stakeholders.
• Exceptional organizational skills, including the ability to prioritize between immediate needs and long-term objectives, ability to exercise sound judgment in making decisions with minimal supervision.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint).
• Experience delivering mental health counseling via telehealth platforms (e.g., Zoom).
• Certified Employee Assistance Professional (CEAP) or willing to be certified within 18 months of employment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree in Social Work, Counseling, Marriage and Family Therapy, Psychology, or other related field.
• Seven or more years of experience in clinical counseling.
• Five or more years of experience in an employee assistance program.
• Experience in academic setting, higher education, academic medical center.
• Experience building and shaping employee assistance programs in a complex organization.
• Developed counseling skills founded in empathy and a culturally sensitive approach.
• Experience with leadership and HR consultation and problem identification and resolution.
• The ability to interpret policies and trends, conclude sound analyses and propose solutions.
• HR knowledge based on a combination of theory, learning, research and hands-on experiences.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate with senior leadership.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish.
• Certified Employee Assistance Professional.
• Certified executive professional coach.

Job Responsibilities

• Providing confidential and timely problem identification, assessment, short-term counseling, and referral for individual employees with personal concerns that may affect job performance. Executes follow up and/or case monitoring. May counsel couples or families if brief intervention model is appropriate.
• Providing consultations for leaders, supervisors, managers, and human resources partners. Executes management referrals and mandatory employee referrals as required.
• Conceptualizing, designing, and deploying trainings and talks regarding employee assistance matters for university stakeholders (e.g., resilience, behavior change, workplace concerns, navigating change, etc.). Builds and delivers presentations for new employee orientations to promote programs across the university.
• Leading the development of a referral network of health and wellbeing resources internal and external to the organization. Provides information and referral services to support employee access to and availability of services to support all domains of employee well-being.
• Leading, coordinating, and providing critical incident response counseling and support sessions following high-impact incidents. Responds to urgent/crisis employee calls as needed.
• Contributing to program evaluation/quality assurance activities (e.g., evaluation of services, monitoring and reporting for program success, quality of care, client safety and satisfaction, etc.). Promotes an environment that fosters inclusive relationships and creates unbiased opportunities for contributions through ideas, words, and actions that uphold principles of the USC Code of Ethics.
• Performs other related duties as assigned or requested. The university reserves the right to add or change duties at any time.

In addition, the successful candidate must also demonstrate, through ideas, words and actions, a strong commitment to USC's Unifying Values.

The salary range for this position is $100,000 - $113,000. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate's work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

Minimum Education: Master's degree

Minimum Experience: 5 years

Minimum Field of Expertise: Master's degree in psychology, social work, counseling or other related fields. Marriage and family therapy (MFT), LPCC and/or LCSW certifications from an accredited program. Post-master's certification in a clinical setting. State of California licensed mental health care professional. Certified Employee Assistance Professional (CEAP) certification. Five years' experience in human resources, with some in Employee Assistance Programs. Proven knowledge of psychology principles applied to human resources administration, employee engagement and program development. Experience with employee crisis intervention, management and incident response and reporting. Advanced knowledge of industrial-social work, organizational psychology or counseling theories and techniques. Experience with assessment, evaluation, and clinical documentation. Proven interpersonal skills, able to establish strong, positive working relationships and rapport with diverse groups of team members. Exceptional organizational skills, able to prioritize between immediate needs and long-term objectives. Sound decision-making skills, demonstrating integrity with minimal supervision and discretion with confidential information. Excellent written and verbal communications skills. Proficiency with Microsoft Office. Excellent analytical skills, able to think strategically and creatively.