Unemployment Insurance Program Specialist

Summary The United States Department of Labor (DOL), Employment and Training Administration, Chicago Regional Office is recruiting for Unemployment Insurance Program Specialist at the GS-13 level. This position is inside the bargaining unit. Learn more about this agency Duties Duties for this position include: Provides authoritative advice and consultation to others on highly complex Unemployment Insurance (UI) issues and concerns. Participates in reviews and evaluations of unemployment insurance benefit and tax functions, systems, and/or activities designed to enhance program integrity, performance, or quality to improve service to claimants and employers. Establishes and maintains systems for the assessment of unemployment insurance program accuracy and quality. Reviews State unemployment insurance legislation for conformity with Federal requirements. Interprets Federal requirements and procedures to grantees to assist them to comply with Federal requirements. Works with grantees to identify potential issues and conducts research on policy guidance and legislation. Reviews policy and guidance for application. Communicates Federal and grant award requirements to grantees to ensure understanding of grant requirements. Ensures that grantees deliver agreed upon products and services, achieve negotiated performance outcomes, and operate in accordance with programmatic, administrative, and budgetary requirements. Leads and conducts on-site compliance monitoring reviews and Enhanced Desk Monitoring Reviews (EDMRs) of grantees to: evaluate the grantee's progress towards meeting the goals specified in the grant agreement with Department of Labor and Employment & Training Administration (ETA). Assess the quality of the program and services; ensure that grant activities are being conducted in compliance with the grant agreement and applicable Federal regulations. Prepares highly complex monitoring reports upon the completion of a monitoring review. Serves in a senior capacity in the development of policy guidance and technical assistance resources for ETA grantees and workforce system stakeholders. Develops and applies new methods and techniques to solve problems where existing guides are largely inapplicable. Communicates Federal and grant award requirements to grantees to ensure understanding of grant requirements. Leads and provides technical assistance to grantees to assist them in accomplishing the goals and objectives of the grant by applying problem solving techniques to address deficiencies. Recommends new approaches and alternatives to address current or anticipated problems. Requirements Conditions of employment Must be a U.S. Citizen. Must be at least 16 years old. Requires a probationary period if the requirement has not been met. Candidate required to obtain the necessary security/investigation level. Qualifications Basic Requirements for Occupational Series 0106 Unemployment Insurance: Education Undergraduate Education: Major study -- economics, industrial relations, law, sociology, political science, public administration, or other related fields. Courses in statistics or mathematics applicable to the social sciences are creditable up to a maximum of 12 semester hours. Graduate Education: Major study -- one or a combination of the social sciences that included social science research methodology and techniques, and provided a knowledge of the history, concepts, methods, and techniques of social insurance and/or the social and economic conditions under which social insurance programs operate. -OR- Experience Specialized Experience: Experience related to social insurance. This includes experience applying statistics or mathematics to the social insurance field. Specialized experience must have demonstrated: - A knowledge of current social and economic conditions under which social insurance programs operate, and the principles of Federal/State/local relationships; - The ability to extend and modify existing techniques and methods or to develop new ones to identify, isolate, and resolve special problems; and - The ability to develop effective collaborative relationships with personnel in other fields and with groups having conflicting objectives. Qualifying specialized experience may have been gained through work in the following or similar types of programs: unemployment insurance; old-age and survivors' insurance; workers' compensation; disability compensation; or other public or private programs covering common social insurance risks. In addition to meeting the Basic Requirements described above, you must have the Specialized Experience described below. For GS-13 Applicants must have 52 weeks of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level of GS-12 in the Federal Service. Specialized Experience is the experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSA's) to perform the duties of the position successfully, and that is typically in or related to the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level. Qualifying specialized experience for GS-13 includes (Applicants must demonstrate only four(4) of the following): - Interpreting legislation, regulations, policies and guidance for Unemployment Insurance (UI) and applying interpretations to manage Federal and/or state UI grant programs. - Conducting oversight monitoring reviews of Unemployment Insurance programs and evaluating and/or developing compliance reports with applicable laws, regulations, policies and program guidance. - Providing policy advice, delivering technical assistance, and training on operational and performance issues related to administering Unemployment Insurance programs. - Applying expert knowledge, with minimal assistance from higher level staff, to provide sound guidance to state agencies in a variety of Unemployment Insurance program areas, including at least three of the following areas: Adjudication, Claims Intake and Processing, Appeals, UI Budget including Resource Justification Model Process, Benefits and Timeliness Quality (BTQ) Programs for Non-monetary Determinations and Appeals, Interstate Benefits and Combined Wage Claims, Tax, Tax Performance Systems, Data Validation, UI Benefit charging systems and experience rating systems, Unemployment Compensation for Ex-Service members, Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees, Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA), Trade Readjustment Allowance (TRA), and Benefit Payment Control. - Reviewing and providing detailed and substantive guidance for revision of at least one of the following: State Quality Service Plan (SQSP), draft Unemployment Insurance guidance, and Unemployment Insurance data programing. - Communicating orally to a variety of audiences; writing and editing formal reports with technical accuracy. IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC, WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Education Any applicant falsely claiming an academic degree from an accredited school will be subject to actions ranging from disqualification from federal employment to removal from federal service. If your education was completed at a foreign college or university, you must show comparability to education received in accredited educational institutions in the United States and comparability to applicable minimum coursework requirements for this position. Click Evaluation of Foreign Education for more information. Additional information Applicants must meet all legal and regulatory requirements. Reference the Required Documents section for additional requirements. The mission of the Department of Labor (DOL) is to protect the welfare of workers and job seekers, improve working conditions, expand high-quality employment opportunities, and assure work-related benefits and rights for all workers. Refer to these links for more information: GENERAL INFORMATION, REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS, ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION, FORMER FEDERAL EMPLOYEES As a condition of employment, all personnel must undergo a background investigation for access to DOL facilities, systems, information and/or classified materials before they can enter on duty: BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION This position is inside the bargaining unit. If the duty location is within the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, the position will be included in the Local 12, AFGE bargaining unit. If the duty location is outside the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, the position will be included in the NCFLL bargaining unit. For more information, click Telework Position Information. This is not a remote work position. The selectee will report to an assigned DOL office location on a regular basis and is eligible for participation in telework as determined by management in accordance with DOL policy. Based on agency needs, additional positions may be filled using this vacancy. The Department of Labor may use certain incentives and hiring flexibilities, currently offered by the Federal government to attract highly qualified candidates. Click for more information on Pay, Leave, and Workforce Flexibilities. The Fair Chance Act (FCA) prohibits Federal agencies from requesting an applicant's criminal history information before the agency makes a conditional offer of employment. If you believe a DOL employee has violated your rights under the FCA, you may file a complaint of the alleged violation following our agency's complaint process Guidelines for Reporting Violations of the Fair Chance Act. Note: The FCA does not apply to some positions specified under the Act, such as law enforcement or national security positions. All Department of Labor employees are subject to the provisions of the Drug-Free Workplace Program under Executive Order 12564 and Public Law 100-71. Expand Hide  additional information Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution. Benefits A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits. Review our benefits Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.