Employment Services Specialist I (#MDDB01)
$35,721.00 Yearly Min / $44,651.00 Yearly Mid / $53,581.00 Yearly Max

Employment Services Specialist II (#MDDB02)
$40,446.00 Yearly Min / $50,558.00 Yearly Mid / $60,670.00 Yearly Max

Employment Services Specialist III (#MDDB03)
$43,039.00 Yearly Min / $53,799.00 Yearly Mid / $64,559.00 Yearly Max

Employment Services Supervisor (#MDDB04)
$45,798.00 Yearly Min / $57,248.00 Yearly Mid / $68,698.00 Yearly Max

This class series uses four levels of work in the Health and Human Services occupational group, Human Services occupational series. This class series describes employment placement services for both job seekers and employers. Employment placement services include core services, intensive services, training services and supportive services. Core services include activities such as orientation of job seekers to levels of services available, conducting a job search, placement assistance, career counseling and assessment of job seeker skill levels. Intensive services include comprehensive assessments, individual or group career counseling, job development and referral, formulating employment plans, and assisting eligible job seekers in receiving education and training. Training services include working with job seekers in obtaining occupational skills training, OJT, entrepreneurial training, job readiness training and adult education and literacy. Supportive services include but are not limited to transportation, child care, dependent care, housing, and needs-related payments necessary to enable an individual to participate in employment and training.

Note: This career ladder series incorporates Employment Services Specialist I, II and III; specifically, depending upon agency needs, positions can be classified up to the III level (highest level in the career ladder). The Employment Services Specialist I is to provide entry for hiring new employees into the class series but does not preclude hiring new employees at the higher levels. To implement the career ladder, current employees are assigned to the level for which they meet minimum qualifications and promotional standards for those levels assigned to an agency. Employees may advance through the career ladder in accordance with promotional standards applicable to the employing agency. The promotional standards, part of a selection document under separate cover, set forth the criteria that define and describe the complexity of work required for advancement through the career ladder.

The Employment Services Supervisor, although not part of the career ladder, provides competitive opportunity for movement of employees.

Essential functions are fundamental, core functions common to all positions in the class series and are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all job duties for any one position in the class. Since class specifications are descriptive and not restrictive, incumbents can complete job duties of similar kind not specifically listed here.

• Conducts individual and group intake sessions to orient job seekers and employers to the services available and instructs and coaches job seekers/employers on using resources/equipment available.
• Conducts individual or group assessments to determine level of service needs.
• Identifies job seeker's employment potential using assessment tools and labor market information.
• Assists job seekers to develop realistic and achievable employment goals; identifies obstacles/barriers to employment; jointly formulate employability development plans directed at employment outcomes.
• Refers clients to employers for possible job placement based upon comparison of applicant qualifications to employer job requirements.
• Refers clients to educational and other support service agencies to resolve obstacles to employment.
• Develops job placement opportunities.
• Works with eligible job seekers to obtain training from state approved training institutions or explores other avenues for pursuing training and employment goals.
• Monitors job seeker's progress towards completion of employability development plan and modifies as necessary.   

Employment Services Specialist I 

The Employment Services Specialist I is the first level in this series.

• Conducts orientation for job seekers to levels of services available and conducts workshops on topics such as successful interviewing.
• Provides assessment of job seeker skill levels, placement assistance, and career counseling.  Makes critical assessments for intensive service eligibility or referral to other community based organizations.
• Manages a limited number of less complex cases.
• Attends training programs and receives on the job training.

Employment Services Specialist II

The Employment Services Specialist II is the full performance level providing the full range of employment services.

• Performs the full range of employment services, i.e., core services, intensive services, training services and supportive services.  In addition to providing core employment services, work includes providing intensive, training and supportive services.  Intensive services involve conducting comprehensive assessment of job seeker skills and needs that may include administering tests, developing individual employment plans, conducting individual and group career counseling, and short term pre-vocational services.  Training services involves working with job seekers to obtain occupational skills training, OJT, skills upgrading, job readiness training and other education/training.
• Performs more complex employment services work such as identifying employment barriers and developing appropriate employment goals. 
• Provides case management services to customers eligible for intensive and training services.
• Encumbers funds for provision of services.

Employment Services Specialist III

The Employment Services Specialist III is the advanced level providing the full range of employment services.

• Performs advanced level work.   Conducts comprehensive assessment of job seekers skill levels and service needs for the hard to serve population, i.e., Welfare to Work, Prison to Work, Moving to Work.
• Provides technical assistance to lower level Employment Specialists.
• Performs special program activities developed by the Workforce Investment Board.

Employment Services Supervisor

This is the first line supervisory level.

• Supervision is exercised over at least two or more merit, full time positions (per the Merit Rules), one of which must be in the Employment Services Specialist series.  The elements of supervision including planning, assigning, reviewing, evaluating, coaching, training and recommending hire, fire and discipline.  Supervision must include responsibility, as needed, for providing documentation to support recommended corrective and disciplinary actions, signing performance plans and appraisals and resolving informal grievances.
• Assigns caseloads to staff based upon complexity of cases.
• Monitors program operations against office/division goals and objectives; makes recommendations to correct deficiencies and/or improve service delivery and action plans; ensures compliance with established policies, procedures, rules and regulations.
• Assists the area manager in developing an annual plan of service.

The intent of the listed knowledge, skills and abilities is to give a general indication of the core requirements for all positions in the class series; therefore, the knowledge, skills and abilities listed are not exhaustive or necessarily inclusive of the requirements of every position in the class.

• Knowledge of the laws, rules, regulations and procedures that govern employment and training activities.
• Knowledge of job duties, titles, requirements of various occupations.
• Knowledge of community based organization and social service agencies.
• Knowledge of self-help services available to clients and employers.
• Knowledge of computer hardware/software operations for data entry/retrieval.
• Knowledge of career counseling methods and techniques.
• Knowledge of individual and group counseling methods and techniques.
• Ability to make appropriate referrals for job opportunities.
• Ability to communicate effectively in written and oral form.
• Ability to effectively interact with others from a variety of diverse ethnic, social and/or educational backgrounds.
• Ability to develop and organize workshop materials and present/facilitate workshops.
• Ability to promote the benefits of self-help services (e.g., electronic labor exchange, related Internet applications) and other job search tools.

In addition to the above knowledge, skills and abilities, the Specialist II requires:

• Knowledge of case management methods and techniques.
• Skill in career counseling methods and techniques.

In addition to the above knowledge, skills and abilities, the Specialist III requires:

• Skill in job placement and developing employability plans for the most complex cases, e.g., welfare to work job seekers and prison to work job seekers.

In addition to the above knowledge, skills and abilities, the Supervisor level requires:

• Knowledge of supervisory principles and practices.
• Knowledge of human resources regulations, policies and procedures including affirmative action and equal employment opportunity.
• Ability to plan, assign, review and evaluate the work of subordinate staff.
• Ability to provide training to staff.

JOB REQUIREMENTS for Employment Services Specialist I
Applicants must have education, training and/or experience demonstrating competence in each of the following areas:

1. Knowledge of career counseling which includes assisting hard to serve job seekers to develop realistic and achievable employment goals; interviewing to obtain facts and explore issues; identifying obstacles or barriers to employment and jointly formulating employability development plans directed at employment outcomes. 
2. Knowledge of presenting training courses using a variety of training methods such as lecture, structured exercises, role play or group discussion as well as the use of training materials such as overheads, PowerPoint, handouts or videos.
3. Knowledge of using standard computer software programs for word processing, spreadsheets or databases. 
4. Knowledge of narrative report writing.