PROMISE JOBS Workforce Advisor
State of Iowa
RecentPosted Mar 25
✓ Fresh Listing
Posted: April 1, 2026 (1 day ago)
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PROMISE JOBS Workforce Advisor
State of Iowa
309 Iowa Workforce Development
SES Pay Grade
Base salary range: $147,649 - $221,900
Typical requirements: Executive-level leadership experience. Senior executive qualifications required.
Note: Actual salary includes locality pay (15-40%+ depending on location).
Job Description
Summary
This job involves helping people on public assistance find work and build skills to become independent, by creating personalized plans, offering coaching, and connecting them to resources like job training and community support.
A good fit would be someone patient and empathetic who enjoys guiding others toward goals, with strong people skills and experience in social services or counseling.
The role is based in a job center in Burlington, Iowa, and focuses on reducing reliance on welfare through practical employment activities.
Key Requirements
- Excellent customer service and communication skills, both written and verbal
- Ability to build supportive, trusting relationships with diverse individuals from various backgrounds
- Experience in coaching, motivational interviewing, and goal-oriented person-centered approaches
- Proficiency in case management, including documenting records, monitoring participation, and coordinating with partners
- Knowledge of welfare programs, such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and self-sufficiency initiatives
- Skills in assessing needs and developing individualized plans like Family Investment Agreements (FIA)
- Professionalism in maintaining positive relationships with team members, customers, employers, and community organizations
Full Job Description
Position will be office based in the Burlington IowaWORKS American Job Center.
Do you want to make a difference in your career as a Workforce Advisor by PROMoting Independence and Self-Sufficiency through Employment, Job Opportunities, and Basic Skills (PROMISE JOBS)?
PROMISE JOBS is Iowa’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Employment & Training program designed to assist cash assistance recipients with becoming self-sufficient through participation in work ready activities.
Iowa Workforce Development is seeking applicants for a PROMISE JOBS Workforce Advisor.
Position Details
- Location: 550 S Gear Ave., Suite 35, West Burlington, IA
- Schedule: Full-time | Monday – Friday | 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Position Description:
As a valued member of our IowaWORKS team, you will help customers develop an individualized plan outlining activities to reach their goals and reduce their dependence on welfare support systems.
You will provide directed, supported pre-employment, and employment activities, including:
- Building supportive and trusting and supportive relationships with customers.
- Coaching and modeling with customers.
- Motivational interviewing.
- Connections to IowaWORKS partners and community resources.
- Accountability towards goal attainment.
The successful candidate in this role will collaborate with PROMISE JOBS customers to develop Family Investment Agreements (FIA) highlighting strengths and addressing challenges.
You will use assessment tools to help determine suitable educational, training, and employment plans. FIA activities may include:
- Job readiness workshops.
- Group and individual job search.
- Work experience.
- Unpaid Community Services.
- HiSet study or high school completion.
- Education assessment/post-secondary education.
- Family Development and Self-Sufficiency programs.
- Monitored employment.
PROMISE JOBS Advisors
Case Management:
Maintain and manage PROMISE JOBS case records by documenting case actions, referrals, services and participation hours.
Remain in regular contact with PROMISE JOBS customers to answer questions and support goal attainment.
Ensure FIAs are carried out by scheduling customers for activities and monitoring attendance and participation.
Coordinating and communicating with the Department of Health and Human Services referring agency and any other involved partners.
Authorize transportation and childcare allowances and initiate overpayment recovery when appropriate.
Assist work ready customers with completing Family Self-Sufficiency Grant (FSSG) applications for additional funds to alleviate obstacles to obtaining and maintaining employment.
Review cases for sanction when customers do not follow through with their chosen steps toward self-sufficiency. Represent the department in all appeals related to caseloads.
What you bring to us:
- Excellent customer service skills, including demonstrated communication skills, written and verbal.
- Demonstrate professionalism, develop and maintain positive working relationships with team members, customers, employers, and community organizations.
- Interact effectively with a wide variety of individuals from different ethnic, economic, cultural, or educational backgrounds.
- Ability to build relationships with customers using a coaching, goal-oriented, and person-centered approach.
- Organize, plan, and prioritize workflow to meet deadlines for multiple tasks and reports.
- Strong presentation skills to customer groups, to provide information on IowaWORKS programs and services.
- Remain flexible to changing customer, team and agency needs and policies.
About Us:
Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) is a state agency committed to providing employment services for individual job seekers and to connecting employers to available workers through our IowaWORKS partnership.
IWD continually strives to improve processes and align the organization to provide effective, demand-driven products and services.
IWD consists of administrative services, disability determination services, information technology, labor market information, unemployment insurance services, vocational rehabilitation services, and workforce services.
The agency also maintains a statewide delivery system of IowaWORKS Centers and satellite offices where both employers and job seeking Iowans can receive workforce assistance.
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 the 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 to purchase additional coverage.
- Employee Assistance Programs and Discount Programs for support.
Click here to learn more about all of the amazing benefits the State of Iowa offers.
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!
We encourage all applicants to include a cover letter and resume with their application.
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. Select positions will be subject to a criminal background check.
Qualifications
Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university;OR
an equivalent combination of education and experience substituting one year of full-time 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 for one year of the required education with a maximum substitution of four years; OR
employees with current continuous experience in the state executive branch that includes experience equal to twelve months of full-time work as a Workforce Associate. For additional information, please click on this link to view the job description.
Additional Information
Travel may be required for positions in this class. Employees must arrange transportation to and from assigned work areas.Check your resume before applying to catch common mistakes