Workforce Associate

State of Iowa - Executive Branch; Des Moines (IA); On-site; USD 34,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, vision insurance

Generous paid time off

IPERS retirement

Deferred compensation options

Flexible Spending Accounts

Life and long-term disability

Employee assistance programs

Discount programs

Job summary

The State of Iowa - Executive Branch is hiring Unemployment Benefits Associates to answer customer calls and guide claimants and employers through unemployment processes. You will handle high-volume inquiries, resolve issues, and document conversations while delivering professional and empathetic service.

New hires start at $18.32 per hour ($38,105.60 annually) with a comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, vision insurance, generous PTO, IPERS retirement, and additional

Qualifications

• Associate's Degree or 3 years of public contact experience or a combination of education/experience as described.
• Ability to understand complex subject matter including codes, laws, rules, and agency policies.
• Strong communication, time management, and math skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage high-volume calls in a call-center environment.
• Identify customer needs, research issues, and provide solutions.
• Document conversations accurately and professionally.

Skills

Excellent communications

Understand Code of Iowa and laws

Time management

Prioritize under pressure

Problem solving

Professionalism under frustration

Basic math for payments

Education

Associate's Degree

Public contact experience (3 years)

Combined education/experience option

State government experience

Job description

Job Description

We are hiring! Join our team of Unemployment Benefits Associates who are responsible for answering customer calls and listening to questions, comments, and concerns. Our Associates will manage calls in queue from claimants and employers, taking care of requests and concerns regarding resolutions on their unemployment claims. Will guide claimants through the initial and weekly filing process for unemployment insurance and help employers access their account. Will also resolve problems and errors for customers; provide supportive tasks and perform related work as required.

New hires will start at the base salary of $18.32 hourly, $1,465.60 bi-weekly, $38,105.60 annually.

Key Responsibilities In This Position

• Manages high-volume of inbound and outbound calls in a timely manner, in a call-center environment.
• Identify customers’ needs, clarify information, research every issue, and provide solutions and/or alternatives for the customer.
• Engage customers with professionalism and empathy when a response is warranted.
• Keep accurate records of conversations in a standardized format when conducting screenings, taking notes of the conversations during the screening with active listening skills.
• Communicate with internal and external customers and answers questions from claimants and employers.
• Exercises good judgment and handles customer problems.

Essential Knowledge & Skills

All new hires will participate in an intensive 3-week training class as part of the onboarding program. This training consists of classroom education, on-the-job, practice phone calls and an evaluation process at the completion to ensure position readiness for the Unemployment Benefits Associate role.

Essential Skills

• Excellent communications skills, both verbal and written; communicate in courteous manner with customers and coworkers.
• Understand complex subject matter, such as the Code of Iowa, federal and state laws, rules and regulations, agency policy, and procedural manuals.
• Excellent time management, attention to detail
• Able to prioritize, manage deadlines and work well under pressure
• Problem solving abilities, and able to understand complex subject matter of information
• Maintain a sense of professionalism and calmness when claimant, or customer is irritated, angry, or exhibiting frustrations by potential delays, or negative outcome
• Perform basic math to determine amounts of payments, overpayments, underpayments, and re-qualifications.

Benefits

Joining the IWD team and becoming a State of Iowa employee comes with a range of valuable benefits, including:

• Excellent health, dental, and vision insurance.
• Generous paid time off, including nine paid holidays, vacation, and sick leave with no cap on sick leave accrual.
• Prepare for the future with the IPERS retirement package, as well as an additional optional deferred compensation retirement plan.
• Flexible Spending Accounts for medical and dependent care.
• Free Life and Long-term Disability Insurance with the option of purchasing additional coverage.
• Employee Assistance Programs and Discount Programs for support.

Click here to learn more about all the amazing benefits the State of Iowa offers.

Hours of Work

Monday – Friday 8:00am-4:30pm.

If you’re looking for a career with a well-respected organization that values its employees and customers, you’ve come to the right place!

The State of Iowa participates in E-Verify; a federal program that helps employers confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. Within the required timeframe, new hires will be verified through the E-Verify system to ensure authorization to work in the United States. The State of Iowa also complies with the federal Right to Work laws, which protect employees’ rights to work without being required to join a labor organization. For more information, please visit www.e-verify.gov .

No applicant for employment with the Iowa Department of Workforce Development can have a current, ongoing overpayment balance with Iowa Workforce Development without a payment plan in place. Selected positions will be subject to a criminal background check.

Minimum Qualification Requirements

Graduation from an accredited area college with an Associate's Degree;

OR

Three years of full-time work experience in public contact work obtaining, analyzing, and evaluating data such as job/claims interviewing, testing, referral, and/or placement, sales representative, credit investigation, or related public contact work dealing with job applicants and employers in a variety of supportive clerical and outreach functions;

OR

A total of three years of education and/or full-time experience (as described in number two), where thirty semester hours of accredited college or university coursework in any field equals one year of full-time experience;

OR

Current, continuous experience in the state executive branch that includes eighteen months of full-time clerical work or direct customer service work in an Iowa Workforce Development office.

For additional information, please click on this link to view the job description.

Additional Qualification Requirements

Travel may be required for positions in this class. Employees must arrange transportation to and from assigned work areas.