WORKSOURCE SPECIALIST 4/Pierce/Tacoma

Full Job Description

We have a great opportunity for a dynamic, customer-focused Career Coach to join the WorkFirst program at the Pierce County WorkSource office in Tacoma.

The ideal candidate is a client-centered, adaptable professional who excels at building trust, assessing needs, and guiding individuals with employment barriers toward meaningful career goals.

They communicate clearly, use strong computer and instructional skills, manage a diverse caseload, collaborate effectively with partners, and maintain accurate documentation across multiple systems.

They bring empathy, problem-solving ability, and a commitment to equity as they coach clients through job search activities, training options, and long-term employment pathways.

If this opportunity aligns with your strengths, we encourage you to take a moment to review the requirements and details of this posting and consider applying today.

This announcement will be used to fill two vacancies.

Requirements

As a Career Coach, you will support WorkFirst clients who need case management and intensive skill development services.

Your phenomenal computer and communication skills will be relied upon as you explain program participation requirements and complete enrollments.

You will work with our customers to navigate training and career paths to obtain their employment goals; by helping them find the job they want and build on their self-sufficiency.

Because you will interact with people needing varying levels or areas of support, listening to understand, empathizing, and the ability to be adaptable with how you communicate are all crucial skills in building trusting relationships with customers who may be facing difficult or vulnerable situations.

Here’s what you can look forward to doing, including but not limited to the following:

Develop and/or provide comprehensive, customer-centered employment and training services.

• Conduct individual interviews and group orientations to articulate program services and activities, identify components applicable to customer need, and develop recommendations for continuous engagement.
• Manage caseload; provide case management; facilitate appropriate support services and/or make referrals; identify and evaluate barriers and explore solutions to assist in removing barriers; assist in obtaining needed documentation.
• Conduct staff assisted job development, job matches and job follow-up; make job referrals; verify customer job search.
• Provide outreach and follow up services to customers.
• Provide coaching and mentoring to instruct and guide customers that have employment barriers.
• Effectively use a variety of instructional strategies that meet the student’s needs, interests, and learning style.

Assess knowledge, skills, and abilities to assist in determining employment and training activities and benefits.

• Administer a variety of assessments as well as both formal and informal career tools, review and explain the results, and incorporate that information into employment plans in conjunction with relevant labor market information to present to the customer.
• Record and maintain case notes, service plans, program-related expenditures, and exit outcomes; coordinate with other employment and training programs as necessary; enter new and/or updated data in multiple data management systems.
• Collaborate with WorkSource partners regarding enrollments, program guidelines, and training recommendations; negotiate and confirm customer eligibility.

Facilitate orientations and workshops.

• Facilitate job preparation activities to include job club services and workshops; provide labor market information. Answer phone calls and direct to the appropriate program teams and provide timely response to customers through email, phone, and face-to-face interactions.
• Guide and train clients on how to use online tools and provide information on tracking the time they spend seeking employment and participating in training that supports their employment goals.

To request a full job description, click here.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

Option 1:

One year (1) as a WorkSource Specialist 3 or equivalent class within the Employment Security Department, or another state’s Employment Security agency.

Option 2:

A bachelor’s degree and three years (3) of relevant experience in workforce development, social or human resource services, public relations, or public contact work, such as: education, social services, public relations, human resource services, unemployment insurance, benefits programs, insurance claims, law enforcement and banking OR a combination of education and/or relevant experience.

Option 3:

A combination of education and/or relevant experience that totals at least seven (7) or more years.

The required experience includes:

• Client-Centered Service Delivery: Needs assessment to evaluate client situations, goal setting to establish realistic objectives, problem-solving to address barriers, and communication skills to guide and support clients effectively.
• Client Motivation and Career Planning Expertise: Ability to encourage workforce engagement.
• Public Engagement Skills: Proficiency in structuring learning sessions for targeted job seekers.
• Relationship-Building: Ability to effectively engage customers, establish credibility and trust, and foster meaningful connections.
• Specialized Training Expertise: Ability to tailor workshops for diverse workforce needs.

Required equity competencies:

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

Education to Experience Equivalences:

Associate Degree = 2 years | Bachelor Degree = 4 years | Masters or Higher = 5 years

** A Master's degree will substitute for one year of the required experience.

Additional Requirements of Employment:

• Must be able to pass an Unemployment Insurance (UI) Claim & Benefit Information Review.

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 and may not be considered.

Additional 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, 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 AllWe 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 or the Talent Acquisition Team, prior to the recruitment closing.

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.