State of Washington Employment Security Department

Compensation

Full Description

Description The ideal candidate will have professional experience providing customer service to employers, they will have advanced knowledge of ESD and Leave & Care rules, laws, regulations. They will also have a proven track record for providing superior service and interacting with people who are from a wide variety of backgrounds, ethnicities, and beliefs. Your primary responsibility as an ES Benefit Specialist 2 – Employer Support Specialist is to ensure employers, employer agents, and elective coverage customers receive the support needed to adequately adhere to Washington State’s Paid Leave and WA Cares program requirements and support the agency’s mission, vision, and values. As such you are a vital member of the of the Employer Services Unit in the Insurance Services Division and report to the Employer Support Supervisor. The position’s main objective is in meeting ESD’s objectives of being good stewards of public resources by ensuring the Paid Family and Medical Leave and WA Cares Services and Support programs’ trust funds have the appropriate compliance and enforcement activities surrounding them so that the programs have the necessary funding to provide benefits to Washingtonians. This is a full-time, permanent position that is telework with flexible schedule options. This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions. Duties As a Benefit Specialist for the Employer Support unit, you will be relied upon to provide advanced customer service to employers, employer agents, and elective coverage customers who file reports and pay premiums for the Paid Leave and WA Cares programs. Providing account management, premium calculation analysis, and make key decisions related to reporting and premiums for the Paid Leave and WA Cares programs while providing a superior customer service experience. Some of what you’ll be doing: • Assist and advise employer agents, and other third-party agents in their reporting obligations, premium payments, and any other issues concerning the representing of employers as outlined in state law and ESD policies. • Provide excellent customer service on a large volume of inbound and outbound customer communications via phone, secure messaging, and email in a timely and accurate manner. • Identify customers’ needs, clarify information, research issues, and provide solutions in a professional, courteous, and timely manner. • Provide technical assistance and troubleshooting for employer customers navigating SAW and/or our Paid Leave Portal including questions regarding Multi-factor Authentication and account set up. • Ensure customers are reasonably accommodated to the best of our ability and within our guidelines. • Ensure that limited English proficient customers receive translated correspondence and due process in their preferred language via phone, email, secure message and/or letter by state certified dual language specialists or contracted translators and interpreters. • Detect and resolve complex account management issues regarding the Paid Family and Medical Leave and WA Cares programs including (but not limited to) quarterly report troubleshooting, registration, premium calculations, voluntary plan administration, payment instructions, and new law implementation. • Adjudicate small business assistance grant applications by reviewing application materials, including documentation against grant requirements and understanding the Paid Leave benefit system to determine monetary amount to be paid to the employer under an approved grant. • Assist employers in understanding the small business assistance grants program under RCW 50a, including eligibility requirements and premium liability. • Adjudicate, and document decisions related to conditional waivers, small business opt in, UBI additions, address change requests, and power of attorney requests. • Attend required trainings, team meetings, huddles, and all-staff meetings. For a full description of duties - please click here to request from recruiter: PDF Request Qualifications Required: The qualified candidate will have one (1) or more of the following experiences and/or education: Option 1: Five (5) years of equivalent education/experience. Option 2: One (1) year as an ES Benefits Specialist 1. Option 3: One (1) year of experience equivalent to the ES Benefits Specialist 1 with another state that administers insurance benefits programs and/or collects wage reports. Option 4: Associate’s degree in business administration, accounting, public administration, law, or related field AND three (3) years of the required experience below. Option 5: Bachelor’s degree in business administration, accounting, public administration, law, or related field. AND one (1) year of the required experience below. The required experience includes: • Program Knowledge & Communication: Ability to explain program requirements and services. • Legal Compliance & Decision Making: Ability to make decisions based on laws and policies. • Fact-Finding & Advising: Ability to gather facts and advise on rights and responsibilities. • Hour & Wage Reporting: Proficiency in reviewing hour and wage reports. • Documentation & Verification: Ability to document and verify employer requests. • Data Collection & Review: Ability to collect and review necessary data. • Adaptability & Versatility: Ability to perform various tasks as needed. Preferred: Knowledge of Paid Leave and WA Cares rules, laws, regulations, and policies. Three (3) years of demonstrated experience in one or more of the following areas: • Account management • Advanced customer service • Analyzing policies, laws, rules, or regulations • Conducting business analysis and developing requirements 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 | Bachelor Degree = 4 years | Masters or Higher = 5 years Additional Requirement 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. 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. Any documents uploaded through this platform will be securely transmitted electronically to support application review. NOTE: ONLY COMPLETED APPLICATIONS WILL BE CONSIDERED. Supplemental Information 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 Cheyenne Pernites-cheyenne.pernites@esd.wa.gov; or the Talent Acquisition Team, or Washington Relay Service 711. 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. • *This organization participates in E-Verify**