Employment Programs Specialist
Salary
$35,702.00 - $61,628.00 Annually
Location
Kanawha County, WV
Job Type
Full-Time Permanent
Job Number
WF260053 PSA
Department
Commerce - Workforce WV
Opening Date
06/17/2026
Closing Date
7/2/2026 11:59 PM Eastern
LOCATION OF VACANCY
KANAWHA
Civil Service Type:
Classified - This Position is Covered Under the DOP Merit System.
Nature of Work
Employment Programs Specialist
At WorkForce West Virginia, this position is in the Unemployment Compensation, Benefits & Technical Support section, Initial Claims unit. This position will conduct thorough wage investigations on missing, incorrect, or unreported wages for unemployment claims, ensuring that all wages are accurately reported and documented. Processes and investigates wage redetermination affidavits from local offices. Determines if employment is covered or non-covered based on policy, and assess whether payment is possible, along with the correct method to facilitate payment for outstanding unemployment claims. Assists senior staff in the administrative oversight and ensures consistent implementation of policies and procedures within the unemployment program. Provides guidance and clarifies laws, policies, and regulations to ensure compliance and consistency across the program. Collaborates with senior staff to develop and revise policies, procedures, forms, and training materials related to the area of assignment. Provides administrative support for various projects, including coordination with Policy and Procedure Specialists, programmers, or other employees within the agency. Continuously acquires and maintains a thorough understanding of all laws, rules, policies, and procedures related to unemployment claims to perform job duties accurately and effectively. Provides technical assistance to field staff on policy and procedural matters, ensuring compliance with state and federal laws and consistent implementation across the agency. Advises staff on specific laws related to claims and guides them in proper claims processing. Coordinates, compiles, and produces check adjustments. Resolves child support issues and investigates and corrects unemployment claims as needed. May assist with processing claims for federal, military, short-term compensation, and alternate base period claims. Maintains proficiency in using Microsoft and Google programs to perform job functions and develop reports. Serves as back-up to other staff within the unit and across the Benefits & Technical Support section, ensuring uninterrupted workflow and meeting performance goals. Could potentially work on a variety of special projects, such as automation projects, State Quality Service Plan, modernization, forms/manual revisions, and any other duties assigned. Serves as a liaison with various entities, such as employers, UI Tax staff, Child Advocate staff, Local Office staff, Department of Labor representative, programmers, etc. May perform other related work as assigned.
Click The APPLY Link To Apply Online.
Minimum Qualifications
Training: Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.
OR
Substitution: Additional experience as described below may substitute for the required training at the rate of one (1) year of experience for every thirty (30) semester hours of training.
AND
Experience: Two (2) years of full-time or equivalent part-time paid experience in providing programmatic assistance to staff, users or participants in a program, or experience in customer service, banking, human resources, telemarketing, sales, or hospitality.
OR
Substitution: Graduate coursework from an accredited college or university may substitute at a rate of fifteen (15) semester hours for every one (1) year of required experience.
State employment offers a variety of benefits. Click HERE to visit the Division of Personnels Benefits Page.
01
The minimum qualifications for this job title are: Training: Bachelors degree from an accredited college or university. OR Substitution: Additional experience as described below may substitute for the required training at the rate of one (1) year of experience for every thirty (30) semester hours of training. AND Experience: Two (2) years of full-time or equivalent part-time paid experience in providing programmatic assistance to staff, users or participants in a program, or experience in customer service, banking, human resources, telemarketing, sales, or hospitality. OR Substitution: Graduate coursework from an accredited college or university may substitute at a rate of fifteen (15) semester hours for every one (1) year of required experience. Job duty descriptions of all experience MUST be included in the Work History section of your online application or be clearly stated on your attached resume in order for them to be considered as qualifying experience toward the minimum qualifications. Please include details of daily job duties on your online application or resume. Before answering the following questions, please familiarize yourself with the official West Virginia Division of Personnel definitions for "clerical" experience to help guide your response in determining whether or not you have the required qualifying experience: "clerical" - Typically involves a variety of office duties involving established procedures, forms and deadlines. Includes processing of routine and non-routine information and documentation, operation of computers, office equipment and various software, greeting customers/visitors or others to exchange information, handling general emails and other correspondence and routing questions received from email and other correspondence, the organization's website and/or social media platform to the appropriate person. May involve handling money and/or negotiables requiring basic math skills. May involve limited routine data entry. May involve confidential contacts/information. The next question asks how many total combined years of education and/or full-time or equivalent part-time paid experience you have in providing programmatic assistance to staff, users or participants in a program, or experience in customer service, banking, human resources, telemarketing, sales, or hospitality. To help you answer this question, please use the following equivalency chart to convert any college or university education you have completed into the appropriate amount of qualifying experience: Every thirty (30) undergraduate semester hours = One (1) year of experience Every forty-five (45) undergraduate quarter hours = One (1) year of experience Associate Degree = Two (2) years of experience Bachelor's Degree = Four (4) years of experience Every fifteen (15) graduate semester hours = One (1) year of experience Master's Degree = Two (2) years of experience Juris Doctor = Three (3) years of experience Doctorate/PhD = Four (4) years of experience For example: if you have an Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university AND four (4) years of full-time paid customer service experience, you would count the Bachelor's degree as equivalent to four (4) years of experience and add it to your four (4) years of paid work experience to equal a total of eight (8) years of qualifying education and qualifying experience combined for this job title. Therefore, you would select: "I have six (6) years to less than nine (9) years of qualifying education and/or full-time or equivalent part-time experience in providing programmatic assistance to staff, users or participants in a program, or experience in customer services, banking, human resources, telemarketing, sales, or hospitality combined…" from the choices below. Here is another example: if you have sixty (60) semester hours and twelve (12) years of full-time paid experience in the hospitality field, you would count the sixty (60) semester hours as the equivalent of two (2) years from the chart above to add to your twelve (12) years of qualifying experience to give you a total of fourteen (14) years of qualifying education and qualifying experience combined for this job title. Therefore, you would select: "I have twelve (12) or more years of qualifying education and/or full-time or equivalent part-time experience in providing programmatic assistance to staff, users or participants in a program, or experience in customer services, banking, human resources, telemarketing, sales, or hospitality combined…" from the choices below. An example with graduate semester hours would be: you have a Bachelor's degree and have completed fifteen (15) graduate hours from an accredited university and have worked for three (3) years full-time in human resources. You may count your Bachelor's degree a four (4) years from the conversion chart above, and your fifteen (15) graduate hours count as one (1) year to add to your three (3) years of qualifying work experience to give you a combined total of eight (8) years of qualifying education and work experience for this job title. Therefore, you would select: "I have six (6) years to less than nine (9) years of qualifying education and/or full-time or equivalent part-time experience in providing programmatic assistance to staff, users or participants in a program, or experience in customer services, banking, human resources, telemarketing, sales, or hospitality combined…" from the choices below. One final example: if you have a high school diploma and have worked full-time for ten (10) years and six (6) months as a bank teller, simply select: "I have nine (9) years to less than twelve (12) years of qualifying education and/or full-time or equivalent part-time experience in providing programmatic assistance to staff, users or participants in a program, or experience in customer services, banking, human resources, telemarketing, sales, or hospitality combined…" from the choices below. How many total years of combined qualifying education and/or full-time or equivalent part-time paid experience in providing programmatic assistance to staff, users or participants in a program, or experience in customer service, banking, human resources, telemarketing, sales, or hospitality do you have? Please remember that job duty descriptions of all experience MUST be included in the Work History section of your online application or be clearly stated on your attached resume in order for them to be considered as qualifying experience toward the minimum qualifications. Please include details of daily job duties on your online application or resume.
02
Do you have any prior paid work experience with the West Virginia Bureau for Employment Programs and/or any Workforce West Virginia office? This can include full-time or part-time permanent employment, or having worked as a temporary or contract employee.
03
AFFIRMATION: I certify under penalty of law and disqualification that all statements are true and complete. I authorize the State of West Virginia and any agent acting on its behalf to conduct an inquiry into any job-related information contained in this application. I release the State of West Virginia and any agent acting on its behalf from any and all liability by reason of the request for such information. I further authorize and request each former employer, educational institution, or organization (including law enforcement agencies) to provide all information that may be sought in connection with this application. WE DO NOT ACCEPT THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENTATION: Unofficial transcripts High school diplomas or transcripts Birth certificates Social Security Cards Driver's Licenses Passports These documents will be removed from your profile if submitted.
Required Question
Employer West Virginia
Address 1900 Kanawha Blvd. East
Building 3 Suite 500
Charleston, West Virginia, 25305
Phone (304) 558-3950
Website http://personnel.wv.gov