Employment Specialist 2

There are multiple Permanent and Limited Duration positions available. The limited duration assignment(s) are currently funded through June 30th, 2025. Limited duration appointments are benefits eligible. These positions may be extended beyond this date and/or have continued funding approved in the future.

Veteran candidates are encouraged to apply, however being a Veteran is not a requirement for this position

*This recruitment is Spanish/English Bilingual preferred. You must be bilingual in Spanish and English to meet the special qualifications of this position. Eligible candidates who meet the special qualification will be given preference points. This position will receive a 5% differential pay based on passing the required language assessment.***

Please note, bilingual language skills are not required for this position, just a preference.

Are you passionate about serving diverse populations? Are you looking to be a part of meaningful and impactful work? Are you committed to exceeding customer expectations? If so, please consider joining our WorkSource Oregon team

At the Oregon Employment Department, we actively support a workforce that is representative of the people we serve including people from various races, genders, abilities, cultures, language skills, geographic locations, and justice system involvement. We value your life experiences and encourage everyone to apply with your transferable skills and qualifications from your work, school, and volunteer experiences.

As a Business & Employment Specialist, you will provide high-quality services to individual Oregonians and employers seeking assistance from WorkSource Oregon (WSO). Services provided may include Exploratory, Career, Training and/or Business Services. In this role you will: 

• Provide a customized one-on-one conversation to customers; review, assist with, or conduct basic registration; gather necessary information to determine customer needs. 

• Provide referrals to community resources and supportive service agencies for needed services and/or technical assistance as appropriate.

• Interview a high volume of job seekers; determine job seeker's transferable skills, interests, and employment goals. Identify barriers to successful job search and explore possible solutions to remove the barriers.

• Assist with application processes, documentation, and effective interviewing techniques. Gain and maintain familiarity with local employment needs in order to provide relevant job search support and assistance to jobseekers.

• Make work-based opportunities available to customers in accordance with local area plans and investment strategies. Pursue On-The-Job Training (OJT) opportunities with employers and make appropriate OJT-related referrals for work-ready jobseekers.

• Conduct staff-assisted talent development workshops to teach essential skills for work readiness. Refer customers to attend talent development workshops and activities so they have the materials and skills to be successful during job interviews. Offer comprehensive business services through WSO centers that are aligned with local sector strategies and investment priorities. 

For a full Position Description, please click

REQUIRED: Attach a cover letter document and resume document. Please address the Desired Attributes that you have in your cover letter and resume attachments.

• Responsibility: Demonstrated responsibility for your own actions and a commitment to performing assigned tasks. Ability to comply with requirements regarding sensitive and confidential data.  

• Multi-tasking: Ability to attend to multiple tasks simultaneously and enthusiastically, deliver high quality work on time, and remain productive and calm in pressured environments.  

• Willingness to Learn: Demonstrated ability of being open to new experiences, seeking both positive and negative feedback, looking back on past experiences and considering alternate courses of action, and finding patterns and order in complex information. 

• Customer Focus: Ability to professionally interact with a high volume of diverse customers providing service that exceeds the customers’ expectations. 

• Adaptability and Resilience: Ability to be comfortable with changing or uncertain environments. Ability to remain professional, calm and adapt communication style with diverse customer needs or customers that are frustrated, upset or critical. 

• Working with Information: Ability to efficiently and effectively use data, critical thinking, and analytical reasoning to gather information and apply laws, rules and polices to solve problems and make decisions. 

• Commitment to valuing diversity and promoting inclusion. 

*The successful candidate for a Spanish bilingual position will demonstrate language competency in Spanish/ English language by demonstrating (only required if applying for Spanish Bilingual Differential Pay):

• The ability to communicate at informal and some formal level.

• Converse with more detail about familiar topics.

• Comment on unfamiliar topics with some difficulty but still be able to express the main idea.

• Form long sentences with sufficient vocabulary but tending to maintain native language syntax.

• Demonstrate intelligible pronunciation, which does not interfere with understanding.

• Sustain a fluent conversation.

Two years providing customer service, which included requesting and reviewing information, documentation, and deciding an action based on the information.

Examples of qualifying experience are eligibility interviewer, application examiner, unemployment insurance, examination proctor, information clerk, insurance aide, public counter intake person, employment and claims aide, employment services, job placement, recruiter, vocational guidance, or retail industry if it involved the above stated experience.

Two years of education or experience. Listed above are examples of acceptable experience. 45-quarter (30-semester) college-level credits in Human Resources, Vocational or Career Counseling, Social Services, Psychology, Education, Business or Public Administration, Communication or related field substitute for one year of experience.

• A workplace that balances productivity with enjoyment and encourages learning and mentoring.

• Rewarding work in a fast-paced, creative environment with colleagues who are passionate about public service.

• A workplace that fosters fairness, equity, and inclusion to maintain a workplace environment where everyone is treated with respect and dignity regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, age, veteran status, disability, or status as a victim of domestic violence, harassment, sexual assault, or stalking. This policy applies to every aspect of our employment practices, including recruitment, hiring, retention, promotion, and training.

• Work/life balance, 11 paid holidays a year, and a

• If you have federal student loan debt or are thinking of going back to school, then you may benefit from the (PSLF). PSLF allows you to make 120 qualifying payments on your student loan while working full-time for a qualifying employer. PSLF student loan debt may be forgiven. OED positions may qualify for PSLF, please visit the website for more information and/or verification.