Metro's Employee Services team has an exciting opportunity for a  Disability Services Specialist (Human ResourcesAnalyst- Senior).

Applying equity and social justice principles is a daily responsibility and foundational expectation for all King County employees. In this role, you will apply equity and social justice principles that exemplify shared values, behaviors, and practices to all aspects of this work. As the Disability Services Specialist, you will:

• Provide advice and consultation to management and leadership on the administration of leaves in accordance with the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, King County Family and Medical Leave ordinance, and other federal, state, and local leave laws and statutes
• Advise management on options for employees who are unable to meet contractual requirements to work on a regular basis and/or who may be misusing sick leave
• Perform case management duties in a high volume, fast-paced environment for employees who need assistance and have been diagnosed with a medical condition that impacts their ability to work
• Work with employees, supervisors, managers, and Department and Division leadership to facilitate the reasonable accommodation and interactive process, including researching, identifying, and recommending reasonable accommodations
• Provide technical expertise and consulting services in analyzing, comparing, and contrasting the various Federal, State, and local disability and leave statutes, regulations, and case law to determine appropriate actions/solutions
• Coordinate job modification evaluations and appropriate actions prompted by requests for reasonable accommodations, transitional return-to-work and stay-at-work needs of Metro employees; facilitate medical separations and medical resignations; and forward referrals for Career Center, Reassignment Program, and Transitional Duty placement services
• Track disability services, accommodations, and leaves of absence within Metro Transit to ensure consistency and compliance with regulatory requirements, workers' compensation guidelines, county personnel rules, and collective bargaining agreements
• Provide education and training, and communicate legal updates on reasonable accommodation, disability, and leave laws and policies to Metro supervisors, managers, and leadership
• Provide direct support to identify and facilitate resources for employees who may be facing a medical crisis; provide information about benefits, FMLA/KCFML, Washington state leave laws, and other assistance as appropriate
• Review and analyze confidential medical information, essential job functions, and employee records, and prepare written correspondence and communicate with health care providers to identify and clarify medical and work restrictions
• Maintain comprehensive and complete case notes for assigned cases, preserving the confidentiality of case information, and ensure accommodations provided to employees are documented
• Other duties as assigned in support of Metro’s Leave and Disability Services team

Minimum Qualifications
A Bachelor's degree in Human Resource Management, Business Administration, Counseling or related field, or the equivalent combination of education and experience, and at least two years of increasingly responsible experience in coordinating and providing medical leave, reasonable accommodations and/or disability services, or equivalent work with persons with disabilities OR Any equivalent combination of experience and education which provides the applicant with the desired skills, knowledge and abilities required to perform the work.

Additional required qualifications are:

• Experience interpreting and applying the WLAD, ADA, FLSA, FMLA, Title VII, and applicable WAC, RCW's, and court rulings related to disability and industrial insurance
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills are required, including effective interpersonal skills, conflict resolution, problem-solving, and promoting collaboration
• Ability to communicate policies and legal/medical terminology to clients and staff
• Ability to adapt communication style to suit situations that will include meetings with senior managers, correspondence with medical personnel, and facilitating medical separation meetings with upset clients
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with centralized disability services staff in order to effectively implement King County's Reasonable Accommodation in Employment for Individuals with Disabilities policy
• Knowledge of and ability to read and understand medical terminology, interpret technical reports and understand disabilities
• Skill in effective time-management, planning, prioritizing and coordinating multiple projects with critical timelines
• Ability to interpret and evaluate events/issues and use analytical skills to successfully anticipate, recognize and resolve problems
• Ability to operate without well-defined policy and recognize precedent-setting situations proficiency in the following: MSWord, Teams, OneDrive, Excel, Outlook, and the Internet
• Experience in the design and implementation of disability and leave training to various levels of employees within an organization

• The most competitive candidates may have a national certification such as a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC), Professional Human Resource designation (SPHR,PHR, SHRM- SCP, SHRM-CP, or IPMA-HR), Certified Disability Management Specialist (CDMS), or Registered Washington State Department of Labor and Industries Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (VRC). 
• Knowledge of benefits programs related to persons with disabilities is highly desirable. 
• Experience working in the public sector and unionized environment
• Experience in designing and/or providing ongoing training for management and staff regarding their roles, responsibilities, and legal obligations on issues such as federal, state, and King County leave benefits, medical absence and accommodation issues, and disability discrimination or harassment
• Demonstrated ability to conduct or provide support on internal investigations regarding disability discrimination

Application & Selection Process
An online employment application, letter of interest, and answers to the supplemental questions are required.

Applicants will be screened for competitiveness, completeness, and written communication skills. The most competitive candidates may be invited to participate in one or more interviews.

Work Schedule
The work week is 40 hours, Monday through Friday. This position is not subject to the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and therefore is not eligible for overtime pay if scheduled.

Union Representation/Job Code/Grade
This position is not represented/231301/63

Work Location
The primary location of this position is in the King Street Center (201 S. Jackson St., Seattle, WA)

Teleworking Requirement
The work associated with this position will be performed predominantly in a hybrid work environment working in the office and at home. Employees will have access to shared workspaces at various King County facilities. Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.

Employees will be provided with a County issued laptop and must maintain a workspace with an internet connection (access may be supplemented in some situations) where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours. Please note that when an employee conducts work that is likely to bring them in contact with another individual , safety precautions are required, including the wearing of masks in some situations. King County is doing its part to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and remains committed to reducing our carbon footprint.

King County has a robust collection of tools and resources to support working remotely. The individual selected for this opportunity will be joining an innovative and progressive team that is redefining how we work as we transition to the department's hybrid environment.
(New) Covid-19 Vaccination Requirement

King County employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. If hired, you will be required to submit proof of vaccination. People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose in a two-dose series or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine. Employees may make requests for a reasonable accommodation based on a medical disability or for sincerely held religious beliefs. Philosophical, political, scientific, or sociological objections to vaccination will not be considered for an exemption or accommodation. This directive applies to employees in the Executive branch*, the Assessor's Office, Elections, the King County Sheriff’s Office, and the Executive Office.

To Apply
If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact: Aimee Higbee at ahigbee@kingcounty.gov

Forbes recently named King County as one of Washington State's best employers.
Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work, and play.

Guided by our "True North", we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion, and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles--we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native Americans and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+, people living with disabilities, and veterans.
King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer. No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex(including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.