Part- Time Compassionate Care Response Specialist

Karis Disability Services•Waterloo, ON

3d•CA$30 - CA$34•Hybrid

About The Position

At Karis Disability Services, we are seeking a Part-Time Compassionate Care Response Specialist to support our mission of serving individuals with developmental disabilities and their families. This role is crucial in building a culture of care that addresses grief, loss, trauma, and critical incidents with equipped, coordinated response and meaningful support. The Specialist will provide direct compassionate care and contribute to organizational systems development, ensuring responses are thoughtful and aligned with our values. This position embraces the Christian Faith Foundation of the organization and ensures its ethos, values, vision, and mission permeate job responsibilities. The Specialist will commit personally to the expectations outlined in the Statement of Faith. This role supports all Canadian locations and may be based out of the Waterloo office or another community office.

Requirements

Minimum 3 years of experience in grief support, pastoral care, counselling, crisis response, or a related field.
Diploma or degree in Theology, Counselling, Social Work, Thanatology, Chaplaincy, or a related field.
Grief support and bereavement care experience.
Experience with providing Pastoral care across diverse faith backgrounds.
Knowledge of trauma-informed and anticipatory grief approaches.
Knowledge of crisis response and critical incident facilitation.
Intermittent travel expected.

Nice To Haves

Experience in faith-based or disability-serving organizations is an asset.
Specialized training in grief and loss, pastoral care, or bereavement support preferred.

Responsibilities

Serve as a central and trusted point of coordination during critical incidents and times of loss.
Provide emotional, pastoral, and relational support for individuals navigating grief, trauma, or crisis.
Facilitate or support post-incident debriefs and ensure appropriate follow-up care.
Assist with memorials, celebrations of life, and commemorative practices.
Coordinate Employee & Family Assistance Program (EFAP) supports in collaboration with HR.
Connect individuals with mental health, community, and faith-based resources.
Facilitate virtual and in-person grief support sessions.
Support diverse forms of grief, including anticipatory grief and non-death loss.
Assess current grief and loss supports and identify gaps or opportunities.
Help develop and refine compassionate care response protocols and processes.
Create and maintain training materials and resources for staff and leaders.
Deliver workshops, training sessions, and learning initiatives.
Contribute to resilience-building and post-incident evaluation efforts.
Stay current with best practices in grief support, trauma-informed care, and end-of-life care.
Partner closely with Human Resources to align staff support efforts.
Collaborate with internal teams on critical incidents and complex situations.
Support integration of training with Learning and Development initiatives.
Maintain relationships with external mental health and community support resources.
Work alongside the Advocacy and Spiritual Practice Specialist to embed compassionate care into organizational culture.