Employment Specialist

Qualifications And Requirements

• Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Human Services or related field.
• Experience: One-year experience providing vocational rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities required. Prefer experience working with individuals with intellectual/developmental, traumatic brain injury, and mental health disabilities.
• Computer proficiency: Basic computer literacy including Word, Access, and Excel.
• Clearances: Must be able to obtain acceptable results for required background checks, including Act 151 Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance, Pennsylvania Criminal History Check and Department of Human Services- FBI Fingerprints.
• Exclusion Report: Employee will be screened on an ongoing monthly basis to determine if he/she has been excluded from participation in federal healthcare programs.
• Other: An employment specialist must have a valid driver’s license, with a clean driving record and dependable transportation, which can be used in the course of his/her job.

Skills, Abilities, And Duties

• Knowledge of current best practices in the delivery of vocational rehabilitation services and acceptance of Goodwill’s Philosophy Concerning People Served.
• Sound professional judgment, adequate to formulating realistic program plans, and counseling participants regarding work-related issues.
• Ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, using English.
• Ability to relate effectively to others, including co-workers, agency participants, supervisors and community contacts.
• Ability to work in the community and make contacts with business professionals.
• Thorough knowledge and acceptance of principles of customer service.
• Ability to obtain the Certified Employment Support Professional Credential within one year of hire.
• Valid Pennsylvania driver’s license, with a clean driving record.
• Access to dependable transportation, which can be used in the course of his/her job.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule, including evening hours and weekends.
• Extremely dependable in attendance and punctuality.
• Proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite of applications and general office and organizational skills.
• Attend all required trainings.
• Report to supervisor immediately if excluded from participating in any federal healthcare program.
• Promote and adhere to the elements of the compliance program, operating within the laws, rules, and regulations required.
• (Report any non-compliance issues to your supervisor or Corporate Compliance Officer).
• Establish a plan of services with each participant, which will assist the participant in achieving his/her employment goals – completed within 60 days of participant orientation.
• Career Development: Coordinate services with other staff, funding sources, and others who have a significant role in the individual’s life.
• Develop and implement activities in accordance with needs and service plan.
• Conduct orientation/intake activities.
• Provide outreach services as necessary to participants when they miss appointments utilizing a variety of methods to discover what is interfering with the participant’s employment plan.
• Provide an established (by supervisor) minimum hours of hours per week of face-to-face job development, searching, placement, and retention activities.
• Conduct the required number and required duration of face to face contacts with active participants as per individual plan or as assigned.
• Place an assigned number of participants in integrated work-settings, unsubsidized, part-time or full-time competitive employment.
• Placement performance goals are established and evaluated annually.
• Avoid discrimination against any individual or group based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by law.
• Ensure employer contacts (for job seekers) are made within one (1) month of participant orientation and are based on consumer job choices, preferences, and strengths.
• Absent from the workplace during an active investigation or proceeding related to a violation of law, rule, regulation, or standard of conduct.
• Assist in instructing participants in acceptable work behaviors, along with providing proper training for participants in work experience positions, holding them accountable and responsible for acceptable behavior as an employee.
• Provide required documentation to appropriate staff, agency, and funding sources for all services and activities.
• Ensure area of responsibility complies with regulations and requirements.
• Compile and maintain participant files, in accordance to compliance regulations.
• Transport participants when needed in a company pool vehicle.
• Apply Core Values and Principles of Supported Employment to service provision.
• Aid participants in job matching, identifying and analyzing jobs.
• Conduct situational work assessments, job shadowing experiences and business tours.
• Support participants in work experience and employment positions, providing initial support, job coaching and long-term follow-up as necessary.
• Maintain updated information on businesses’ types of jobs available and locations of jobs within the community.
• Contact and communicate with employers to assist with job development activities.
• Maintain contact with newly employed participants and the employer, assuring successful adjustment to the new employment.
• Maintain records of all employment contacts.
• Present available incentives to prospective employers.
• Assist the employer in identifying and making any reasonable accommodations for the workplace.
• Supervise and hands-on training for participants at their work site – preparing a site and task analysis for the job and providing systematic task/behavior instructions, while job coaching.
• Promote the use of universal design principles.
• Participate in supervision meetings as scheduled.
• Responsible for other duties as assigned or identified, for the benefit of participants or the agency in general. Some of these other duties may be considered non-essential to the position.