L&I Vocational Services Specialist 3, Everett

Description

Our Mission: Keep Washington Safe and Working!
 Our Values: Customer Focus, One L&I, Respect, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Learning and Growth, Reliability

Job Highlights

Bring your skills and talents to L&I, the employer of choice. Join our team and work in a positive, goal-oriented atmosphere. Your reward at the end of each day is satisfaction of a job well done and knowing you have provided an invaluable service to our fellow citizens of Washington.
 
Our Vocational Services Specialist 3, is a journey level position, which supports the agency goal of helping workers heal and return-to-work by assisting injured workers and all job seekers of Washington State to return to gainful employment. You will help support vocational recovery and prevent work disability and facilitate return to work when an on-the-job injury or exposure occurs.
 
The individual in this position will partner with WorkSource, private sector vocational professionals and employers with return-to-work opportunities. The individual will be located within the WorkSource centers in Everett. You will ensure that L&I workers and the general public have access to all the work readiness and job resources available.
 
This role supports vocational recovery under direction of the Regional ERTW Supervisor and with the support and guidance of the Regional Program Manager and the ERTW Program Manager.

The Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) is a diverse state agency dedicated to the safety, health, and security of Washington's workers. We help employers meet safety and health standards and inspect workplaces when alerted to hazards. As administrators of the state's workers' compensation system, we are similar to a large insurance company, providing medical and limited wage-replacement coverage to workers who suffer job-related injuries and illness. Our rules and enforcement programs also help ensure workers are paid what they are owed, that children's and teens' work hours are limited, and that consumers are protected from unsound business practices.

Insurance Services is the largest division within the agency and administers one of the premier workers’ compensation organizations in the nation serving over 3.8 million employees working for 260,000 employers.

The Employer Services program within the Insurance Services Division is responsible for establishing and maintaining industrial insurance accounts for over 180,000+ employers and 2.5 million employees doing business throughout the state of Washington.   The program provides a wide array of services to employers in the State Fund from helping new businesses get workers’ compensation coverage to specialized underwriting.

In addition to the base salary above
If hired as bilingual, our top applicant will be required to pass an assessment of your ability to write and speak Spanish fluently. We do not use translating software. Qualified employees with bilingual responsibilities receive a 5% increase in salary.

Duties

Some of what you’ll do:

• Participate in local WorkSource team meetings or workgroups.
• Coordinate and provide work-readiness and return-to-work assistance to job seekers and employers of Washington State through the partnership of L&I and WorkSource.
• Assist job seekers, WorkSource partners, attorneys, employers, medical providers, and/or private sector vocational rehabilitation counselors (VRCs) to facilitate successful return to work or develop a plan to return to work.
• Apply advanced knowledge of Washington workers’ compensation law and WorkSource tools and resources to assist job seekers’ return to work efforts.
• Recognize the unique needs of job seekers, particularly injured workers, and develop return to work plan(s) with job seekers using a worker centric approach.
• Provide Career Services to all appropriate job seekers which may include:
  1. Resume Assistance
  2. Interview Skills
  3. Networking
  4. Workshop Referrals
  5. On the Job Training
• Provide guidance for job seeking strategies and make referrals to connect job seekers with appropriate WorkSource and community resources.
• Identify and make appropriate referrals for co-enrollment services within the WorkSource partnership.
• Refer to and/or administer skills assessment modules that are available at the WorkSource Center Location.
• Build awareness of L&I incentive programs.
• Provide return to work and related support for private sector VRCs to aid in their providing vocational services to assigned injured workers.
• Use the available resources and databases/software to identify appropriate jobs for customers and/or identify and match potential job seekers with employers.
• Participate in process improvement projects between L&I and local WorkSource area, subject to L&I supervisor approval.
• Participate in partnership activities as appropriate to support the Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act (WIOA) and the local Workforce Development Council (WDC).
• Attend available WorkSource meetings to share program information and problem solve to address barriers to returning job seekers to work.
• Develop professional relationships with other WorkSource partners.
• Maintain a solid understanding of services provided by other WorkSource partners to make appropriate co-enrollment referrals.
• In partnership with WorkSource, develop and facilitate workshops, job fairs, or hiring events for job seekers and employers as appropriate.
• Communicate WorkSource events with the local private vocational community.
• Adhere to local Memorandum of Understanding for the WorkSource center which encompasses how the Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA) partners will work together to develop an integrated service delivery model to support the employers and job seekers of Washington State.
• Follow both L&I and local WorkSource center policies, expectations, values, and core competencies.
• When needed, travel to various WorkSource Center locations within assigned region to serve customers.
• Assist in the training or onboarding of new WorkSource VSS3.
• Provide orientation to WorkSource services to new job seekers or employers.
• Assist in staffing the WorkSource resource room to help job seekers looking for work.
• And much more!

Qualifications

Required:

• A Master's Degree AND a CRC, CDMS or ABVE certification and at least TWO years of full-time industrial insurance, disability management, or related field experience.

OR

• A Bachelor's Degree AND a CRC or CDMS certification and at least THREE years of fulltime industrial insurance, disability management, or related experience.

OR

• One year of experience as a Vocational Services Specialist 2.

AND

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

Desired: 

• Registered as a vocational provider with the Department of Labor and Industries. Working knowledge of laws, rules and policies regarding vocational rehabilitation services.
• Current experience as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor or Vocational Services Specialist (VSS) in industrial insurance with the Department of Labor and Industries, and/or experience providing return-to-work or vocational services under other jurisdictions.
• Bilingual skills in Spanish/English - The ability to read, write, translate and converse with fluency in both Spanish and English.  You must be able to pass a verbal and written assessment.

Supplemental Information

Things You Need To Know  

To help you maintain a proper work-life balance, teleworking is one of the work schedule options for this position. L&I also offers flexible custom work schedules.

State employees who meet the qualifications will become eligible for a generous retirement package at the end of the employee’s career. Click on the “Benefits” tab to learn more.

At L&I, your voice matters. In addition, L&I is a diverse state agency dedicated to the safety and health and security of Washington's 3.8 million workers. Take a look at this brief video and learn more about why L&I is an employer of choice.

Telework is dependent upon business needs and supervisor approval. For positions where in-office work is necessary, the frequency of telework will be discussed with the supervisor of the position at the time of offer.

The assigned duty station for this position is Everett, Washington.

To receive more information on opportunities at L&I sign up for GovDelivery and select L&I job alerts.

Application process

We will contact the top candidates directly to interview for this position. Because we base the selection on information provided by you, it is in your best interest to identify the knowledge, skills, and abilities that address the required and desirable qualifications described in the announcement.

Please include the following documents with your application:

1. A cover letter describing specific qualifications.
2. A current resume detailing applicable experience and education.
3. A list of at least three professional references with current telephone numbers.

Please do not attach or place any medical information (vaccination status included) within the application, resume, or cover letter. If you do, we will have to reject your application to safeguard others from receiving your confidential information. You will have to remove the confidential information before you can apply again.

To learn more about our hiring process timeline at L&I please visit our L&I recruiting page at Hiring Process at L&I.   If you would like to read our website in a language other than English, scroll up to the top of the page to select your language of choice from the banner.

Background Check Notice:

Prior to a placement in this position, a background check, including criminal history record will be conducted. Information from your background check will not necessarily preclude employment but will be considered in determining your eligibility to perform the requirements of the position.  

Other information

• For positions requiring travel, you must have a valid unrestricted driver's license and have insurance if driving a privately owned vehicle on state business.
• This position is represented by the Washington Federation of State Employees (WFSE).
• Candidates who are offered a job with L&I must possess work authorization that does not require sponsorship by the employer for a visa now or in the future.
• The Department of Labor & Industries complies with the employment eligibility verification requirements of the federal employment eligibility verification form, I-9. The selected candidate must be able to provide proof of identity and eligibility to work in the United States consistent with the requirements of that form on the first day of employment.
• Please note: L&I may use this announcement to fill multiple permanent and/or non-permanent positions.

Did You Know?

Washington is America's Top State to live, play, and work, according to U.S. News (2021). Join the L&I team and enjoy all the Evergreen State has to offer.

In addition to offering a positive balance between life and work, L&I provides one of the most competitive benefits packages in the nation. We also believe your voice matters. We value our employees and their work-life balance by encouraging flexible schedules. L&I is a diverse state agency dedicated to the safety and health and security of Washington's 3.8 million workers.

Veterans Preference

Applicants wishing to claim Veterans Preference should attach to their application a copy of their DD-214 (Member 4 copy), NGB 22, or signed verification of service letter from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Please blackout any personally identifiable data such as Social Security numbers. For further information, contact L&I’s Jobs@lni.wa.gov.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Employer

L&I employees come from all walks of life. We strive to hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

We believe in the importance of recognizing the value each of us contribute to the success of the agency mission. Having a diverse workforce is this agency’s greatest resource of strength and knowledge. It is through the combination of talents and abilities that we can pursue finding effective measures to provide the best customer service. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace for everyone and we strongly mean everyone.

The State of Washington is an equal opportunity employer. Persons with a disability who need accommodation in the application process or testing process, or those needing this announcement in an alternative format, may call 360-902-5700. TTY users should first call 711 to access the Washington Relay Service.

You are welcome to include the name and pronoun you would like to be referred to in your materials and we will honor this as you interact with our award-winning diverse and inclusive organization.

For more Information

If you have any questions regarding this job posting, program, or the agency, please contact the HRBTU@lni.wa.gov.