ES Benefit Specialist 3: Tax and Wage-AMC Unit/Lead-Internal Only

This position is open to internal Employment Security Department Employees only.

This position is mainly virtual but may be required to come into the office for occasional trainings and meetings as requested.

The ideal candidate for the ES Benefits Specialist 3 – Lead position in our Account Management Center is a seasoned UI Tax professional who brings deep technical expertise, strong analytical ability, and a commitment to equitable service delivery.

They demonstrate mastery in interpreting complex laws, regulations, and policies, and apply that knowledge to ensure employers meet their reporting and tax obligations. With a solid foundation in investigative and data-analysis skills—such as verifying calculations, resolving discrepancies, and ensuring regulatory compliance—they uphold the agency’s mission of supporting economic security for Washingtonians. This role provides senior-level professional Unemployment Insurance (UI) Tax services requiring a high level of technical skill and program knowledge and ensures UI benefits can be paid timely and correctly.

This candidate excels as a trainer, mentor, and technical guide for Benefit Specialists and Benefit Technicians. They are adept at developing in-house training materials, delivering instruction on advanced collections tools, and teaching staff to navigate essential systems such as NGTS, EAMS, UTAB, LINIIS, SAW, and VOIP. They proactively identify training needs, coach staff through complex tax issues, and help maintain high standards of accuracy, quality, and productivity. The incumbent will work in close cooperation with the supervisor to assist with training, orienting, directing, and coordinating the work and will review work for accuracy and completeness while supporting performance measures and workflow management.

Finally, the ideal candidate is a collaborative problem-solver who supports operational excellence through diligence, foresight, and strong communication. They confidently assist with system testing, troubleshoot issues with IT and Tax/Wage partners, and provide clear, empathetic guidance to employers and internal customers—even in challenging situations. They embody the agency’s values by fostering teamwork, integrity, and a supportive work environment, and they are prepared to act as supervisor when needed. With required competencies in equity, adaptability, technical assistance, and workload monitoring, they ensure the Account Management Center consistently meets expectations and contributes to the mission-critical function of generating revenue to fund UI benefits.

Develop and provide training in collections, interpreting laws & regulations and customer service. This includes:

• Work in close cooperation with the supervisor to assist with training, orienting, directing, and coordinating the work of Benefit Specialists and Technicians

• Coach and mentor Benefit Specialists and Benefit Technicians of varying abilities regarding law/policy and procedures for the resolution of complex issues

• Identify training needs of staff members and assist them in meeting their training needs. Develop in house training including training materials, training plans, and maintaining them on SharePoint

Assist supervisor in monitoring quality, performance, and productivity of Benefit Specialists andBenefit Technicians This includes:

• Review work of Benefit Specialists for accuracy and completeness. Monitor and correct the work of staff to ensure compliance with established departmental policies and procedures

• Assist Benefit Specialists in investigating and resolving complex tax issues including audit findings, misrepresentation, fraud, petitions for appeal, tax evasion, employer liability determinations, correct tax rate assignments, or other legal issues

• Assist supervisor in the formulation of tax procedures, processes, and updates

Systems Testing. This includes:

• Perform user acceptance testing for system updates in EAMS and NGTS and other applications as needed to ensure the correct actions are taken without unintended consequences

• Work with Tax and Wage staff and IT liaison to report any system issues and transactions and recommends solutions

To request a detailed position description, click here.

• 6 years of equivalent education/experience of the required experience below

• OR 1 year as an ES Benefits Specialist 2

• OR 1 year of experience equivalent to the ES Benefits Specialist 2 with another state that administers tax programs

• OR An associate’s degree in a health, social science, public administration, business administration, accounting, law, or a related field AND 4 years of the required experience below

• OR Bachelor’s Degree in a health, social science, public administration, business administration, accounting, law, or a related field AND 2 years of the required experience below

• OR A master’s degree in a health, social science, public administration, business administration, accounting, law, or a related field AND 1 year of the required experience below

Required equity competencies:

• The ability to take action to learn and grow

• The ability to take action to meet the needs of others

The required experience includes:

• Analytical & Investigative Skills: Expertise in analyzing employer documentation for accuracy

• Adaptability & Multitasking Skills: Flexibility to manage varied responsibilities

• Data Analysis: to verify calculations, attention to detail to ensure accuracy, regulatory knowledge to comply with laws, problem-solving to resolve discrepancies, and communication skills to report findings

• Quality Assurance & Review Skills: Ability to assess and ensure accuracy in casework

• Regulatory Knowledge & Communication Skills: Proficiency in explaining complex regulations clearly

• Subject Matter Expertise: Proficiency in navigating intricate claim matters

• Technical Assistance Competency: Ability to clarify program rules and rights effectively

• Training & Development Expertise: Ability to design and deliver effective training sessions

• Workload & Quality Monitoring: Ability using available data to monitor workload and ensure quality outcomes

Special Requirements/Conditions of Employment:

• Must be able to pass an Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Paid Family Medical and Leave (PFML) claim and fraud check

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.

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, and 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 All

We 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 Caleb Baldwin or at 253-306-2999 or the Talent Acquisition Team, prior to the position closing. If you are having technical difficulties creating, accessing, or completing your application, please contact [email protected] or (360) 664-1960 or toll free (877) 664-1960, Washington Relay 711.

This recruitment may be used to fill additional agency-wide positions in accordance with Article 4 of the WFSE Collective Bargaining Agreement.

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