Program Specialist

FT / PT Status: Full-Time
Salary: $23.86 - $42.22 Hourly Wage
Remote Work / In-Office: Hybrid

About The Role

Location: 140 E 300 S Salt Lake City, Utah, 84111 United States
Background Check Required: You must successfully pass a criminal history check.

The Department of Workforce Services (DWS) is seeking qualified applicants to fill two (2) Program Specialist positions. These positions play a critical role in overseeing, monitoring, and supporting statewide anti-poverty, food assistance, and utility assistance programs.

• Position 1: Administers the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Program, the Emergency Food Assistance Program (EFA), and provides support to the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG).
• Position 2: Administers the Home Energy Assistance Target (HEAT) Program.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and administer the Earned Income Tax Credit and Emergency Food Assistance Programs, including the Request for Grant (RFGA) process, creation and ownership of contracts including contract monitoring, collection and review of reporting, and claims approvals.
• Provide contract and technical support to the emergency food network and community tax coalitions, tracking program metrics and statewide participation.
• Provide cross-functional administrative and technical support for the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) during peak grant cycles, application reviews, annual report preparation, and site visits.
• Maintain and interpret official policy manuals and coordinate program training for local agency staff statewide.
• Conduct formal quality assurance evaluations, case file audits, and administrative reviews across local provider agencies to verify eligibility determinations and benefit accuracy.
• Own and monitor all utility Vendor Memorandums of Understanding (MOU), manage billing credits, and resolve complex client appeals or vendor disputes.
• Become a subject matter expert in state case and grant management systems (such as WebGrants or eRep) and provide on-going training to agencies as needed.
• Ensure compliance with applicable federal and/or state laws, regulations, and/or agency rules, standards, and guidelines.

Qualifications

Minimum or "day-one" qualifications:

• One (1) to four (4) years of full-time professional experience administering government or social service programs, managing grant contracts, or conducting quality assurance and compliance monitoring, or an equivalent combination of directly related education and experience.
• Valid Utah Driver’s License (required for periodic statewide travel to conduct site visits and agency reviews).

Preferred or trainable/on-the-job qualifications:

• Demonstrated skill in evaluating sub-recipient budgets, auditing compliance documentation, reviewing contract deliverables, and conducting risk assessments.
• Ability to analyze federal and state statutes, write policy guidance, audit case files for accuracy, and mediate administrative appeals or vendor disputes.
• Experience navigating web-based grant and case management databases, advanced spreadsheets (Excel, Google Sheets), and tracking reporting metrics.
• Experience with Results Oriented Management and Accountability (ROMA) performance management methodology.
• Excellent written communication skills for drafting contracts, policy manuals, and monitoring reports, combined with strong public presentation and training abilities.

Benefits

In Utah, we believe hard work is important, but balance is essential. Finding work/life balance is a vital element to our culture.

• Job Stability: Enjoy the security and reliability of employment within a well-established organization.
• Career Growth: Develop valuable skills and gain opportunities for leadership within a large organization.
• Meaningful Work: Contribute to an important service that benefits the community and supports organizational goals.
• Supportive Work Environment: Be part of a team that values cooperation, strong work ethics, and mutual support.

About the Agency

The mission of Workforce Services is to strengthen Utah's communities by supporting the economic stability and quality of our workforce. Today, more than 2,200 Workforce Services employees assist individuals in preparing for and finding jobs, meeting workforce needs of Utah businesses, administering temporary assistance, and providing economic data and analysis. Through a collaborative approach, the department has served millions of Utahns and has become a leader on several statewide initiatives. These include intergenerational poverty, homelessness, affordable housing, supporting refugees, helping rural communities, serving veterans and individuals with disabilities, and getting Utahns trained and back to work.