Workforce Associate

Workforce Associate – State of Iowa – Executive Branch

We are hiring! Join our team of Unemployment Benefits Associates who are responsible for answering customer calls and listening to questions, comments, and concerns. Our Associates will manage calls in queue from claimants and employers, taking care of requests and concerns regarding resolutions on their unemployment claims. They will guide claimants through the initial and weekly filing process for unemployment insurance and help employers access their account.

They will also resolve problems and errors for customers; provide supportive tasks and perform related work as required.

New hires will start at a base salary of $17.96 hourly, $1,436.80 bi‑weekly, $37,356.80 annually.

• Manage high-volume of inbound and outbound calls in a timely manner, in a call‑center environment.
• Identify customers’ needs, clarify information, research every issue, and provide solutions and/or alternatives for the customer.
• Engage customers with professionalism and empathy when a response is warranted.
• Keep accurate records of conversations in a standardized format when conducting screenings, taking notes of the conversations during the screening with active listening skills.
• Communicate with internal and external customers and answer questions from claimants and employers.
• Exercise good judgment and handle customer problems.

All new hires will participate in an intensive 3-week training class as part of the onboarding program.

• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written; communicate in courteous manner with customers and coworkers.
• Understand complex subject matter, such as the Code of Iowa, federal and state laws, rules and regulations, agency policy, and procedural manuals.
• Excellent time management, attention to detail.
• Able to prioritize, manage deadlines and work well under pressure.
• Problem solving abilities, and able to understand complex subject matter of information.
• Maintain a sense of professionalism and calmness when claimant, or customer is irritated, angry, or exhibiting frustrations by potential delays, or negative outcome.
• Perform basic math to determine amounts of payments, over payments, underpayments, and re‑qualifications.

Complete other duties as assigned.

• 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.

Monday – Friday 8:00am-4:30pm.

The State of Iowa participates in E-Verify, a federal program that helps employers confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. 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.

No applicant seeking employment with the Iowa Department of Workforce Development can have a current, ongoing over payment balance with Iowa Workforce Development without a payment plan in place. Select positions will be subject to a criminal background check.

• Graduation from an accredited area college with an Associate's Degree.
• Experience equal to three years 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.
• An equivalent combination of education and experience substituting thirty semester hours of college or university coursework for one year of the required experience with a maximum substitution of three years.
• Employees with current continuous experience in the state executive branch that includes experience equal to eighteen months of full-time clerical work or direct customer service in a local Workforce Development Center or other Iowa Workforce Development office.

Travel may be required for positions in this class. Employees must arrange transportation to and from assigned work areas.