Certification Support Specialist

Job ID: 5653

Reports To: Coordinator: Educator Certification Program

Salary: This is a full-time, twelve (12) month position at 232 days with a salary range of $43,947 to $48,020. This is a grant-funded position and continued employment is contingent upon grant renewal.

Job Summary (Primary Purpose):

The Certification Support Specialist ensures that educators, administrators, and stakeholders receive accurate, timely, and high-quality assistance related to educator certification. This role reports to the Coordinator of Educator Certification at ESC Region 13 while providing support to the Educator Certification Division at the Texas Education Agency. This role provides front-line customer service and technical support that directly contributes to efficient processing, positive user experience, and the integrity of educator records. The Certification Support Specialist handles high-volume phone inquiries and help desk tickets, delivering responsive guidance on certification requirements, testing requirements, and the use on online educator systems. The role also supports data integrity and compliance by reviewing and processing demographic updates to educator records in accordance with established protocols.

Required Qualifications (Experience, Education, Certificates):

• High School diploma or GED
• At least two (2) years experience in customer service, including providing technical assistance and interpreting rules and regulations

Preferred Qualifications (Experience, Education, Certificates):

• Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university
• Experience delivering high-volume customer service in a call center or help desk environment supporting complex or regulated processes
• General familiarity with educator certification, licensing, testing, or credentialing processes in Texas or similar regulatory environments
• Experience using electronic case management, ticketing, or customer relationship management (CRM) systems
• Experience identifying recurring inquiry types and issues and providing input to reference materials, job aids, or process documentation

Knowledge and Skills:

• Demonstrated ability to communicate technical or policy-based information clearly and professionally in written formats such as tickets or email correspondence
• Ability to review and apply policies, procedures, and system guidance to resolve customer inquiries accurately and consistently
• Demonstrated attention to detail when reviewing documentation and updating records involving sensitive or confidential information
• Ability to manage workload, meet productivity expectations, and maintain service quality in a fast-paced, metrics-driven environment
• Ability to learn quickly and maintain flexibility when supporting various requests

Major Job Responsibilities/Essential Functions:

• Serve as a representative of ESC Region 13, displaying courtesy, tact, consideration, and discretion in all interactions with other members of the educational community and with the public
• Phone Support: Handle substantial volume of inbound telephone calls, providing timely and accurate assistance to educators, administrators, and other stakeholders regarding educator certification, testing requirements, and educator preparation resources. Utilize established protocols to guide callers in accessing and managing online educator accounts, troubleshooting account issues, and resolving inquiries. Consistently provide high-quality support by efficiently managing call queues, minimizing wait times, and ensuring high levels of customer satisfaction. Maintain comprehensive documentation of interactions and follow up on outstanding issues.
• Help Desk Ticket Support: Provide comprehensive support through the help desk ticketing system, ensuring that all inquiries and requests from educators, administrators, and other stakeholders are addressed promptly, accurately, and with a high standard of customer service. Demonstrate exceptional attention to detail when reviewing, documenting, and resolving tickets, maintaining clear and professional written communication throughout every interaction. Consistently provide high-quality support by prioritizing and managing workload efficiently, escalating complex or unresolved issues according to established procedures, and ensuring timely follow-up to guarantee customer satisfaction. Utilize proper grammar and communication standards in all written correspondence, contributing to the overall quality and professionalism.
• Educator Records Processing: Process demographic changes to educator records (e.g., name, date or birth, etc.) by efficiently managing a high volume of requests submitted by educators through the online system. Review and verify all supporting documentation in accordance with established security protocols and procedures to ensure accuracy and confidentiality of sensitive information. Consistently provide high-quality support by processing updates within required timeframes, maintaining clear and accurate records of all actions taken. Collaborate with other staff and teams as needed to resolve discrepancies or escalate complex cases, and ensure all changes are properly documented within the system to support data integrity and compliance.
• Service Quality Support: Support service consistency, transparency, and continuous improvement by identifying and reporting frequent inquiry types, recurring customer needs, and system of technical issues observed through phone and help desk interactions. Regularly communicate trends, risks, and resources needs to the supervisor to support informed decision-making and ensure information flows effectively. Contribute to the development and maintenance of internal reference materials, scripts, and knowledge base content to promote consistent, accurate customer service. Participate in standardization, documentation, and quality-assurance activities to help ensure alignment with service level expectations and compliance requirements.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the supervisor to support the overall goals and operations of the project.

Working Conditions (Physical/Mental Demands & Environmental Factors):

• Follow policies and procedures
• Work in a fast-paced environment with competing priorities
• Sitting or standing for long periods
• Prolonged technology use (computer and/or phone)
• Maintain emotional control and professional demeanor

Equipment Used:

• Computer, peripherals, and general office equipment