Title: Customer Escalation Senior Specialist (Vansant, Agency Employees Only)

State Role Title: Prog Admin Specialist I

Hiring Range: Commensurate to $62,000

Pay Band: 4

Agency: Virginia Employment Commission

Location: VANSANT CCC

Agency Website: https://www.vec.virginia.gov/

Recruitment Type: Agency Employee Only - A

Job Duties

The Virginia Employment Commission (VEC) is seeking a Customer Escalation Senior Specialist who serves as a program-level subject matter expert responsible for guiding frontline operations, supporting complex decision making, and ensuring high-quality service delivery by providing authoritative direction to escalation staff and determining next steps on escalated Unemployment Insurance cases. This role manages a high volume of escalated inquiries, reviews case documentation, conducts interviews, resolves customer issues, delivers compliant decisions, leads daily workflow, acts as supervisor in charge during absences, supports system navigation, recommends operational improvements, and mentors new and developing staff while ensuring timely, accurate, and customer-focused service across all escalation functions.

Join the VEC and be part of a mission-driven agency dedicated to supporting workers, strengthening communities, and promoting economic stability across the Commonwealth. We administer Virginia’s Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits program with a commitment to providing customer-centered, accessible, inclusive, and impactful services to support our shared mission: lifting up Virginia, one unemployed worker at a time. The VEC is also an integral part of a historic milestone as Virginia becomes the first state in the South to offer Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML). Our agency will be responsible for standing up and administering this new program, which will expand the vital support we provide for employees when they need it most.

We offer paid leave; a minimum of 13 paid state holidays per year; medical, dental, vision, and life insurance options; retirement plans (including 401a Cash Match and 457 Deferred Compensation Plan for classified positions); and are a federally recognized Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) employer.

If you’re motivated by public service, continuous improvement, and meaningful work that supports opportunity for all, the VEC is a place where your contributions matter!

Minimum Qualifications

• Knowledge of Unemployment Insurance (UI) programs, eligibility rules, non-separation issue adjudication policies, claim progression, and regulatory requirements.
• Strong understanding of escalation department operations, including case management, timeliness standards, quality standards, and customer experience principles.
• Knowledge of escalation protocols, de-escalation techniques, and conflict resolution strategies.
• Familiarity with CRM systems, VUIS, telephony platforms, knowledge bases, and case management tools.
• Skill in analyzing complex customer issues and determining independent next step decisions.
• Skill in interpreting and explaining policy to frontline staff and customers.
• Skill in coaching, mentoring, and developing staff, including new hires and future supervisors.
• Ability to serve as a subject matter expert across UI, and escalation processes.
• Ability to act as supervisor in charge, manage workflow, and make operational decisions in real time.

Additional Considerations

• Advanced knowledge of UI program requirements, including eligibility determination, claims processing workflows, adjudication pathways, and federal/state regulatory compliance.
• Experience working in a customer escalation role serving as a lead, providing resolution to complex scenarios, and responding to customers and stakeholders.

Special Instructions

You will be provided a confirmation of receipt when your application and/or résumé is submitted successfully. Please refer to “Your Application” in your account to check the status of your application for this position.

This position is located within the Customer Contact Center in Vansant, VA. This is not a remote-work position.

This position is only open to current employees of the VEC (please note contract employees are not VEC employees), or those who possess an active and valid Yellow Card or Blue Card for preferential hiring. Your application and/or résumé must reflect your status as a current Virginia Employment Commission employee. Applicants are responsible for ensuring the scope of their experience and relevant certifications, knowledge, skills, and abilities are clear in the application (and/or résumé) to receive full consideration. Information regarding experience will not be assumed.

Submission of an online application is required for this position. The VEC does not accept applications, résumés, cover letters, etc., in any other format. When applying for jobs, please ensure your online application and/or résumé are complete with duties and skills associated with your work experience.

The Virginia Employment Commission is committed to upholding our values in our employment opportunities across the Commonwealth to people from all backgrounds, including all races, ethnicities, genders, and abilities. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer/Program, and a Virginia Values Veterans (V3) certified employer. AmeriCorps, Peace Corps, and other national service alumni are encouraged to apply.

The selected candidate must successfully pass a comprehensive background check including an FBI fingerprint background investigation and an Unemployment Insurance (UI) fraud background check.

Please carefully review the details of this recruitment including the location of the position and the posted salary before applying. The VEC does not provide relocation assistance, and no salary will be offered outside of the posted salary range / flat rate.

The VEC does not provide sponsorship; therefore, applicants must be a citizen or national of the U.S., a Lawful Permanent Resident, or an alien authorized to work in the US.

Auxiliary Aids and Services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. Applicants needing accommodations should contact the Human Resource office for additional information.

A valid Virginia Driver's License is required to operate a state vehicle or if operating a personal vehicle while conducting business on behalf of the agency.

For the status of your application and this position, please refer to your PageUp / Jobs.Virginia.Gov account. We do not provide application status updates via email or telephone.

NOTICE: VEC will record information from each new employee’s Form I-9 (Employment Eligibility Verification) into the Federal E-Verify system to confirm identity and work authorization.

Contact Information

Name: VEC Human Resources / Recruitment

Phone: For the most up-to-date status of your application, please refer to your Jobs.Virginia.Gov account. We do not provide application status updates via phone.

Email: Careers@vec.virginia.gov for recruitment related questions. Emailed applications, résumés, or cover letters will not be accepted. For the most up-to-date status of your application, please refer to your Jobs.Virginia.Gov account.

In support of the Commonwealth’s commitment to inclusion, we are encouraging individuals with disabilities to apply through the Commonwealth Alternative Hiring Process. To be considered for this opportunity, applicants will need to provide their AHP Letter (formerly COD) provided by the Department for Aging & Rehabilitative Services (DARS), or the Department for the Blind & Vision Impaired (DBVI). Service-Connected Veterans are encouraged to answer Veteran status questions and submit their disability documentation, if applicable, to DARS/DBVI to get their AHP Letter. Requesting an AHP Letter can be found at AHP Letter or by calling DARS at 800-552-5019.

Note: Applicants who received a Certificate of Disability from DARS or DBVI dated between April 1, 2022- February 29, 2024, can still use that COD as applicable documentation for the Alternative Hiring Process.