PRINCIPAL EMPLOYMENT COUNSELOR
30495
Competitive
The Principal Employment Counselor coordinates, evaluates and serves as the direct supervisor of the Employment Counselor II, Employment Counselor I and Employment Aide. The Principal Employment Counselor is responsible for oversight of one or more teams within the Temporary Assistance Employment Program. This title is also responsible for assisting the Director and Associate Director in strategically developing and managing the Employment Program for Temporary Assistance and SNAP clients. Performs duties to support the overall operation of the Temporary Assistance Employment Program. Responsible for communication, implementation and monitoring of program directives. Does related work as required.
TYPICAL WORK ACTIVITIES
Assists staff and teams in developing and implementing comprehensive goals, outcomes, operational strategies, and measurement mechanisms in response to agency-wide goals and directives.
Routinely assesses individual and team progress toward achieving goals and objectives (qualitative and quantitative).
Works with staff and teams to monitor and adjust systems not limited to assessment, employment activity referral and assignment, attendance monitoring, case management, customer service and support services.
Oversees support services and 3209 payments.
Researches, develops and utilizes resources to support staff and client success.
Actively develops the skillset of staff through effective communication, positive guidance and strength recognition.
Implements local, State and Federal regulations, policies and procedures relating to employment program requirements for TA and SNAP clients and staff.
Performs case reviews, ensuring ADA and LEP accommodations and policies are adhered to.
Reviews and determines approval of leave requests, maintaining adherence to time and leave policies; communicates issues to DSS-ES and the Onondaga County Personnel Department.
Assists with audits and information requests from the Director, Associate Director, Commissioner and OTDA.
Creates, prepare and analyzes reports on caseload demographics, employability status, income, coding and other data from systems, including COGNOS, VenTek and NYS.
May perform duties normally assigned to subordinate staff such as, but not limited to, assessment, employability determination, non-compliance, job development and training.
Explains changes in policies and procedures to staff and implements said changes.
Sets and communicates expectations in a clear and effective manner.
Facilitates 1:1, team and other meetings as needed.
Collaborates and interacts with other DSS-ES, County, OTDA and outside agency partners.
Consults with the Director, Associate Director and the Onondaga County Personnel Department as appropriate.
Addresses matters related to staff coaching.
Initiates and actively participates in all aspects of the disciplinary process, up to and including termination.
Participates in the development and oversight of training for current staff and new hires.
Completes employee reviews and performance evaluations.
Develops and maintains positive interactions with all staff.
FULL PERFORMANCE KNOWLEDGES, SKILLS, ABILITIES AND PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS
Thorough knowledge of community partners and human service agencies.
Ability to deal effectively with complex, inter-relational government systems.
Ability to deal effectively with personnel matters, including poor performance, insubordination and other matters that could
lead to staff discipline, by maintaining objective observations and documentation.
Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
Ability to anticipate the needs of clients, staff, programs and the Department.
Ability to reference, translate, administer and evaluate adherence to regulations.
Ability to make objective observations and evaluations, and to document same.
Ability to utilize independent judgement, critical thinking and strategic planning to identify complex problems, evaluate options and implement solutions.
Ability to coach, mentor and teach adults.
Ability to manage a diverse staff and prioritize work requirements while working on several projects.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Promotional
One (1) year of permanent status as an Employment Counselor II or two (2) years of permanent status as an Employment Counselor I.
Open Competitive
A. Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered college or university with a Bachelor’s degree in sociology, psychology, social work, human resources, business or labor/industry relations, or a closely related field. and four (4) years of professional-level work experience, or its part time equivalent, providing direct services to educationally and/or economically disadvantaged individuals, one (1) year of which must have been in a supervisory capacity; or,
B. Eight (8) years of full-time paraprofessional or professional level work experience, four (4) years of which must have been professional-level work experience as defined in (A), including one (1) year must have been in a supervisory capacity.
10/26 Revised