Employment specialist team lead (wss5): worksource pullman

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: One year (1) as a WorkSource Specialist 4 within the Employment Security Department, or in an equivalent class with another state’s Employment Security agency.
• Option 2: Three years (3) 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.
• Option 3: A combination of education and/or relevant experience equals three (3) or more years.

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.

Required equity competencies: The ability to take action to learn and grow. The ability to take action to meet the needs of others.

Education to Experience Equivalences: Associate Degree = 2 years | Bachelors Degree = 4 years | Master's Degree or Higher = 5 years.

Special Requirements/Conditions of Employment: Must be able to pass Unemployment Insurance (UI) & Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) claim and fraud check. 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. Additionally, we ask that you not include photographs or external links within your documents. Any documents uploaded through this platform will be securely transmitted electronically to support application review. 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: Why work with us? 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. 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.

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