Employment Specialist Team Lead (WSS5): WorkSource Pullman

Description

The Employment Security Department (ESD) is seeking an experienced, collaborative, and solutions-oriented leader to serve as the Employment Specialist Team Lead for WorkSource Pullman.

The ideal candidate is a supportive, communicative leader—someone who excels at guiding teams, clarifying policy, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. You are analytical, inclusive, and deeply committed to equity. You excel at managing daily workflows, navigating operational challenges with calm, and translating complex program requirements into actionable guidance for staff. You are skilled at balancing compliance, staff development, and customer service needs while building trust and accountability within a hybrid service environment.

About the Workforce Services Division:

Workforce Services Division (WSD) is made up of three Lines of Business: WorkSource, Central Operations System Support, and Washington Service Corps (WSC). WSD administers the Labor Exchange (LEX), Migrant Seasonal Farmworker (MSFW), Veterans Services, Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA), and WorkFirst and RESEA programs for job seekers and employers in Washington and provides job seekers with referrals to partners providing Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act (WIOA) adult, youth, and dislocated worker training and support services.

Duties

As an Employment Specialist Team Lead, you will support the Supervisor in overseeing program operations, guiding staff, and ensuring high-quality, compliant service delivery. This position will support supervisor, staff, and service delivery across the Business Services, BFET, MSFW, RESEA, Wagner-Peyser, WorkFirst, and WIOA programs for the Pullman, Clarkston, and Colville offices. Your work directly advances the agency’s mission by contributing to the effective, consistent, and equity-aligned delivery of workforce services that connect job seekers with meaningful employment and help businesses connect with job-ready talent.

Within this role, you will act as an extension of leadership to foster consensus-based decision-making and ensure a healthy, secure work environment. You will coordinate day-to-day workflow, monitor staff performance findings, and apply continuous quality improvement processes to meet evolving customer and agency needs. Additionally, you will maintain frontline core competencies and fill service delivery gaps by directly providing customer-centered employment, training, and case management services on a daily basis.

This position will be based onsite at the WorkSource Pullman office and may provide onsite support that requires occasional travel to surrounding WorkSource locations, as needed. The position offers one day a week of remote work subject to schedule change.

Additionally, some of your duties include:

• Plan, schedule, assign, and direct daily work activities and workflow coverage to ensure smooth in-person and virtual operations.
• Deliver comprehensive frontline services to individuals and groups, including case management, job readiness activities, workshops, coaching, and outreach.
• Provide day-to-day guidance, coaching, mentoring, and technical assistance to staff to build high-performance teams.
• Support communication, implementation, and adherence to policy, regulations, and procedural changes.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for support, issue resolution, and operational guidance when the supervisor is unavailable.
• Review and monitor staff work product to ensure compliance with employment and training directives, contract requirements, and performance standards.
• Present performance findings and training needs to leadership, recommending adjustments and improvements to strengthen service quality.
• Assess customer skills, knowledge, and barriers to determine eligibility and develop individualized service and employment plans.
• Record and validate accurate data across systems, including services, case notes, enrollments, exit outcomes, and expenditures.
• Monitor and report program performance using local and agency reporting systems to provide insights to supervisors and managers.

To request a full job description, click here

Qualifications

Qualifying candidates will meet one of the following criteria options:

Option 1:

Option 2:

Option 3:

• 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.

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

Special Requirements/Conditions of Employment:

Please submit only the required documents as noted below and ensure all Personal Identifying Information (PII) such as Social Security numbers etc. are edited out of your materials for privacy.

Please submit your Cover Letter* and Resume with your Online Application through the "Add Attachments" field. A resume will not substitute for the "work experience" section of the application or vice versa. Applications with blank fields, or supplemental question responses with comments such as "see attachments" may be considered incomplete.

Supplemental Information

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.

If you are a person needing assistance in the application process, if you need this job announcement in an alternate format, or if you have general questions about this opportunity, please contact Katie Swanson (360-742-8208), the Talent Acquisition Team, or Washington Relay Service 711 prior to the recruitment closing. If you are having technical difficulties creating, accessing, or completing your application, please contact careershelp@des.wa.gov or (360) 664-1960 or toll free (877) 664-1960, Washington Relay 711.

More than Just a Paycheck!
Employee benefits are not just about the kind of services you get, they are also about how much you may have to pay out of pocket. Washington State offers one of the most competitive benefits packages in the nation.

We understand that your life revolves around more than just your career. Like everyone, your first priority is ensuring that you and your family will maintain health and financial security. That's why choice is a key component of our benefits package. We have a selection of health and retirement plans, paid leave, staff training and other compensation benefits that you can mix and match to meet your current and future needs.

Read about our benefits:
The following information describes typical benefits available for full-time employees who are expected to work more than six months. Actual benefits may vary by appointment type or be prorated for other than full-time work (e.g. part-time); view the job posting for benefits details for job types other than full-time.

Note: If the position offers benefits which differ from the following, the job posting should include the specific benefits.

Insurance Benefits
Employees and their families are covered by medical (including vision), dental and basic life insurance. There are multiple medical plans with affordable monthly premiums that offer coverage throughout the state.

Staff are eligible to enroll each year in a medical flexible spending account which enables them to use tax-deferred dollars toward their health care expenses. Employees are also covered by basic life and long-term disability insurance, with the option to purchase additional coverage amounts.

To view premium rates, coverage choice in your area and how to enroll, please visit the Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB) website. The Washington Wellness program from the Health Care Authority works with PEBB to support our workplace wellness programs.

Dependent care assistance allows the employee to save pre-tax dollars for a child or elder care expenses.

Other insurance coverage for auto, boat, home, and renter insurance is available through payroll deduction.

The Washington State Employee Assistance Program promotes the health and well-being of employees.

Retirement and Deferred Compensation
State Employees are members of the Washington Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS). New employees have the option of two employer contributed retirement programs. For additional information, check out the Department of Retirement Systems' web site.

Employees also have the ability to participate in the Deferred Compensation Program (DCP). This is a supplemental retirement savings program (similar to an IRA) that allows you control over the amount of pre-tax salary dollars you defer as well as the flexibility to choose between multiple investment options.

Social Security
All state employees are covered by the federal Social Security and Medicare systems. The state and the employee pay an equal amount into the system.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness
If you are employed by a government or not-for-profit organization, and meet the qualifying criteria, you may be eligible to receive student loan forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.

Holidays
Full-time and part-time employees are entitled to paid holidays and one paid personal holiday per calendar year.

Note: Employees who are members of certain Unions may be entitled to additional personal leave day(s), please refer to position specific Collective Bargaining Agreements for more information.

Full-time employees who work full monthly schedules qualify for holiday compensation if they are employed before the holiday and are in pay status for at least 80 nonovertime hours during the month of the holiday; or for the entire work shift preceding the holiday.

Part-time employees who are in pay status during the month of the holiday qualify for the holiday on a pro-rata basis. Compensation for holidays (including personal holiday) will be proportionate to the number of hours in pay status in the month to that required for full-time employment, excluding all holiday hours. Pay status includes hours worked and time on paid leave.

Sick Leave
Full-time employees earn eight hours of sick leave per month. Overtime eligible employees who are in pay status for less than 80 hours per month, earn a monthly proportionate to the number of hours in pay status, in the month to that required for full-time employment. Overtime exempt employees who are in pay status for less than 80 hours per month do not earn a monthly accrual of sick leave.

Sick leave accruals for part-time employees will be proportionate to the number of hours in pay status, in the month to that required for full-time employment. Pay status includes hours worked, time on paid leave and paid holiday.

Vacation (Annual Leave)
Full-time employees accrue vacation leave at the rates specified in WAC 357-31-165(1) or the applicable collective bargaining agreement (CBA). Full-time employees who are in pay status for less than 80 nonovertime hours in a month do not earn a monthly accrual of vacation leave.

Part-time employees accrue vacation leave hours in accordance with WAC 357-31-165(1) or the applicable collective bargaining agreement (CBA) on a pro rata basis. Vacation leave accrual will be proportionate to the number of hours in pay status, in the month to that required for full-time employment.

Pay status includes hours worked, time on paid leave and paid holiday.

As provided in WAC 357-58-175, an employer may authorize a lump-sum accrual of vacation leave or accelerate the vacation leave accrual rate to support the recruitment and/or retention of a candidate or employee for a Washington Management Service position. Vacation leave accrual rates may only be accelerated using the rates established WAC 357-31-165.

Note: Most agencies follow the civil service rules covering leave and holidays for exempt employees even though there is no requirement for them to do so. However, agencies are required to adhere to the applicable RCWs pertaining holidays and leave.

Military Leave
Washington State supports members of the armed forces with 21 days paid military leave per year.

Bereavement Leave
Most employees whose family member or household member dies, or for loss of pregnancy, are entitled to five (5) days of paid bereavement leave. In addition, the employer may approve other available leave types for the purpose of bereavement leave.

Additional Leave
Leave Sharing
Parental Leave
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
Leave Without Pay

Please visit the State HR Website for more detailed information regarding benefits.

Updated 01-07-2026