State of Maryland

SKILLED SERVICE    BARGAINING UNIT: B    OVERTIME ELIGIBLE     NCP

A UI Professional I is the trainee level of work in the Division of Unemployment Insurance of the Maryland Department of Labor. Employees in this classification learn to perform work as a UI Benefits Professional, UI Tax Professional, or UI Administration Professional. Employees in this classification will primarily be focused on providing high-quality customer service to individuals applying for unemployment insurance benefits in the UI Benefits and UI Contributions divisions. Employees in this classification do not supervise other positions.

Employees in this classification receive close supervision from a UI Professional VI -X or other designated administrator.

Position placement in this classification is determined by the Classification Job Evaluation Methodology. The use of this method involves comparing the assigned duties and responsibilities of a position to the job criteria found in the Nature of Work and Examples of Work sections of a classification specification.

The UI Professional I, UI Professional II, UI Professional III, and the UI Professional IV are differentiated on the basis of supervisory control exercised by the supervisor over these employees. The UI Professional I learns to perform duties under close supervision, the UI Professional II performs duties under close supervision, the UI Professional III performs the duties under close supervision at times and under general supervision at other times depending on the complexity of the specific duty being performed, and the UI Professional IV performs the full range of duties under general supervision.

UI Benefits Professional

Learns to respond to telephone and/or email inquiries from both internal and external customers;

Learns to gather and analyze information from claimants to determine the appropriate type of Unemployment Insurance claim;

Learns to maintain and update claimant account information;

Learns to research and answer claimant questions regarding unemployment insurance benefits;

Learns to obtain and record earnings and employment information;

Learns to examine claim history to ensure prompt and accurate payment of benefits;

Learns to conduct bulk processing claims;

Learns to analyze reports to determine and resolve issues regarding unemployment insurance claims;

Learns to present unemployment insurance information offsite during Rapid Response and Bulk Claim sessions;

Learns to conduct minor, separation, and non-separation fact finding interviews and document information gathered;

Learns to approve or disqualify claims by applying Unemployment Insurance laws, regulations, and/or directives;

Learns to evaluate unemployment insurance claims to detect improper payments and fraud;

Learns to perform other related duties.

UI Tax Professional

Learns to respond to telephone and/or email inquiries from both internal and external customers;

Learns to gather tax and wage information from employers to establish liability under Maryland Unemployment Insurance law;

Learns to maintain and update employer account information;

Learns to research and resolve employer protests and delinquency notices;

Learns to handle lockbox functions and to process deposits and returned check items;

Learns to validate financial data to ensure accurate reflection of payment and wage data;

Learns to process wage adjustments and employer refund requests;

Learns to assist with management and maintenance of the Collateral Program for reimbursable employers;

Learns to determine employer liability of payment of unemployment insurance taxes;

Learns to determine appropriate rate classification for employers;

Learns to write review determinations in response to employer protests;

Learns to testify at appeal hearings regarding review determinations issues by the agency;

Learns to assist with reconciling monthly ledgers and balancing daily accounts receivable items and resolution of discrepancies;

Learns to explain State unemployment laws, rules, and regulations to employers and their representatives;

Learns to assist with the Vendor Liability Offset Program and the federal Tax Offset Program;

Learns to review, prepare, and process financial tax accounting transactions;

Learns to perform other related duties.

UI Administration Professional

Learns to plan, develop, conduct or supervise the conduct of studies and analyses of agency programs, organizations, procedures or systems;

Learns to formulate final reports and effective recommendations based on analyses conducted;

Learns to prepare or supervise the preparation and development of management tools such as procedural manuals, statistical reports, work-flow charts, performance measurement criteria or organization charts;

Learns to participate in the formulation, establishment or modification of program goals and objectives through analysis of alternatives, trends, available resources and projected program needs;

Learns to participate in the program planning process by developing forecasts, proposals or procedures for orderly growth and expansion;

Learns to confer with other administrative officials, program heads, staff specialists or others in order to exchange information pertaining to the program, or interpret policies or offer recommendations;

Learns to advise departmental officials regarding administrative practices, procedures or policies;

Learns to Coordinate inter-agency transactions and provides liaison with officials in other agencies in the State, legislature, the federal government, private industry or local government agencies;

Learns to provide assistance to a higher-level administrator in the formulation and preparation of an agency's budget or portions of the budget;

Learns to performs other related duties.

Knowledge of English, spelling, punctuation, grammar, and basic arithmetic;

Skill in performing basic arithmetic computations;

Skill in the use of standard office equipment such as photocopiers, calculators, personal computers, and printers;

Ability to learn federal and state unemployment insurance laws, rules, and regulations;

Ability to communicate effectively with internal and external customers;

Ability to exercise tact, integrity, and discretion in dealing with a wide variety of people from various economic and social backgrounds;

Ability to analyze information and proceed with making decisions;

Ability to establish and maintain effective and harmonious working relationships with the general public, employers, and co-workers;

Ability to organize daily work plans;

Ability to learn and apply new computer applications and computer systems;

Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

Experience: Four years of experience in a public/or private agency rendering and/or determining eligibility for a Human Service Program or other programs.

Notes:

1. Employees previously hired through contracts by the agency as Intermittent IU Associates, Intermittent IU Specialists, Contributions Associates or Contributions Specialists and are currently performing the full range of UI Professional I duties and responsibilities may meet the minimum qualifications for appointment to merit system positions in this classification.

2. Candidates may substitute the possession of a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university for the required experience.

Class specifications are broad descriptions covering groups of positions used by various State departments and agencies. Position descriptions maintained by the using department or agency specifically address the essential job functions of each position.

This is a Skilled Service classification in the State Personnel Management System.  All positions in this classification are Skilled Service positions.  Some positions in Skilled Service classifications may be designated Special Appointment in accordance with the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 6-405, Annotated Code of Maryland.

This classification is assigned to Bargaining Unit B, Administrative, Technical and Clerical classes.  As provided by the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 3-102, special appointment, temporary, contractual, supervisory, managerial and confidential employees are excluded from collective bargaining.  Additionally, certain executive branch agencies are exempt from collective bargaining and all positions in those agencies are excluded from collective bargaining.

Employees in this classification are eligible to receive overtime compensation.  An   employee who works more than the normal workweek is entitled to be compensated for that overtime as provided by the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 8-305, Annotated Code of Maryland.

This classification is one level in a Non-Competitive Promotion (NCP) series.  NCP promotions are promotions by which employees may advance in grade and class level from trainee to full performance level in a classification series.  In order to be non-competitively promoted to the next level in a NCP series, an employee must: 1) perform the main purpose of the class, as defined by the Nature of Work section of the class specification; 2) receive the type of supervision defined in the class specification and 3) meet the minimum qualifications of the classification.