Employment Counseling Team Lead

The Wake County Economic Services Division, Work First Program provides employment services to families in the program, that assists in them in removing barriers, and prepares individuals/families to achieve economic self-sufficiency. We are seeking an Employment Counseling Team Lead to assist an Employment Supervisor, with leading a team of case workers who must meet certain Federal Participation Rates monthly by developing individualized employment plans for participants and monitoring compliance. This position assists in developing a team, providing leadership and assisting the Supervisor with supervisory functions. Work involves providing oversight of Work First and Medicaid reviews, and Employment Services for eligible families, as well as managing a caseload of Employment Services. This position currently leads the work of a team of eight (8) Employment Counselors and Review workers, and is part of the Social Services Economic Self Sufficiency Team. Work also involves performing administrative and case management functions.   Primary job functions include:

• Training staff on new policy and updates to existing policy; approving emergency leave requests and schedule changes; troubleshooting problem cases with staff and answering questions related to policy and procedures;
• Assisting Supervisors with collecting cases for audits and quality assurance; collecting data for reports and acclimating new staff to the team and to the department, by reviewing policy and procedure;
• Facilitating training as needed; providing feedback to the Supervisor regarding progress and performance of new and seasoned staff; managing and distributing the work in vacant caseloads; creating the monthly duty calendar;
• Serving as Hearing Officer for Work First hearings, as needed; coordinating quarterly staff meetings; attending meetings in the supervisor’s absence;
• On- going intensive employment case management; serving clients by obtaining information and making the appropriate referrals to in-house and community resources; keying participation information into computer daily; and
•  Preparing monthly reports to summarize the data; preparing end of month summary of clients who became employed and identifying the number of referrals to training resources;
• Conducting monthly duty to attend to needs of walk-in participants and attend to phone calls from the public about the Work First Family Assistance Program;
• Conducting client home visits as required and as necessary, to promote self-sufficiency and attainment of work goals.

NOTE: Upon acceptance of employment you acknowledge that (i) you will rescind your application for any other positions within Wake County Health and Human Services, (ii) after accepting your position with Wake County Health and Human Services you must remain in your role for one (1) year before you are eligible to apply for another position within Wake County Health and Human Services, (iii) if you work in the Health Clinics and Public Health Division, influenza immunization is a condition of initial and continued employment, subject to compliance with federal law.

About Our Team

Wake County Health and Human Services (WCHHS) is the consolidation of programs and services that include social services, public health, job search assistance, child support, and transportation. Our mission, in partnership with the community, is to facilitate full access to high quality and effective health and human services for Wake County residents. In addition to our numerous standard programs, Wake County Health and Human Services (WCHHS) is engaged in a number of special initiatives that are impacting services and programs throughout our entire agency. Whether legislated down from the changing regulations on the Federal or State level or bubbling up from the entrepreneurial spirit of our staff, you can always look forward to Wake County Health and Human Services implementing new and exciting enhancements to our services and programs.

The Basics (Required Education and Experience)

• Bachelor's degree
• Three years of job-related experience
• Equivalent education and experience are accepted

Beyond the Basics (Preferred Education and Experience)

• Experience with counseling clients and assisting those in crisis situations
• Expertise in leading a team in a Human Services environment
• Strong experience with Employment Services
• Demonstrated professional experience representing an agency and interacting with the community

How Will We Know You're 'The One'?

• The ability to provide leadership to a team by assigning work, establishing work rules, and ensuring acceptable levels of quality and quantity of work
• Strong customer service skills
• Knowledge of Work First Intake or Employment Services Programs and Policies
• The ability to develop and use collaborative relationships to facilitate the accomplishment of work goals
• Expertise in identifying opportunities and taking action to build strategic relationships between work unit, division or department and other groups (both internal and external), including other government agencies, stakeholders, and private organizations
• The ability to convey information orally and in writing to ensure understanding