Employment and Community Engagement Specialist

Envision•Farmers Branch, TX

6d•Onsite

About The Position

The Employment and Community Engagement Specialist is responsible for efficiently managing and executing Envision Dallas' employment and community program offerings. Collaborating closely with the Senior Manager of Programs Services and Outreach and internal departments, this role focuses on enhancing engagement among visually impaired (BVI) participants. Additionally, the specialist gathers user feedback to improve program experiences, defines requirements, and implements policies ensuring alignment with Envision’s mission and core values.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in business, Marketing, Social Work, Psychology, or a relevant field.
Excellent communication skills.
Excellent time management and organizational skills.
Problem solving skills.
Proficient in writing and documentation.
Flexible when it comes to working hours
The ideal candidate for this position is one who is outgoing, driven, and enjoys helping individuals with disabilities.
This position requires talking to potential employers about their hiring needs and being able to secure interviews and placements for the individuals on their caseload.
A successful Employment and Community Engagement Specialist is great at building relationships with employers and community stakeholders to include volunteers.
Minimum of 3 years’ related experience.
Experience with working individuals who have disabilities is required
Desire to learn and understand the needs of individuals of all ages who are blind or visually impaired.
Demonstrated ability to train and/or teach skills and concepts to participants/team members.
Demonstrated ability to support and motivate individuals in areas of advocacy and independence.
Effective working knowledge of business production software, including MS Office, MS Teams, Mail Chimp, etc.
Effective oral & written communication skills.
Self starter with demonstrated success in multi tasking and collaborative environment.
Experience in managing multiple projects and deadlines, with a definitive goal.
Ability to critically evaluate situations and produce them for review and input by other team members.
Sound knowledge of different jobs and career paths.
Strong problem solving and analytical skills.
Excellent research, organizational, and time management skill
Must be able to obtain UNTWISE certification(s) within 90 days of employment.
Must maintain a current First Aid/CPR certification

Nice To Haves

Experience with a non profit preferred.
Experience cultivating online communities using social media technologies and practices is a plus.
Strong knowledge (as a user, not a developer) of accessibility solutions and systems for accessing specialized and mainstream/internet based products and services preferred.
Experience working with TWC is a plus.
UNTWISE certification(s) to provide TWC VR employment services highly preferred.

Responsibilities

Organize & implement general operations of VR employment services and community programs as assigned by Senior Manager.
Organize & Implement policies and procedures for program aspects of VR employment services and communicate established goals and guidelines to fellow staff and volunteers.
Increase engagement of participants within all facets of VR Employment Services.
Stay current with the knowledge of TWC VR Employment, Work Readiness and Work Experience Services.
Assist Senior Manager with obtaining and maintaining TWC contract for VR Employment, Work Readiness and Work Experience Services.
Assist Senior Manager in creating, initiating, and curating programming content and/or training resources needed for Employment, Work Readiness and Work Experience Services at Envision Dallas.
Identifying clients' strengths and advising them on how to use those strengths to secure employment or excel in their chosen career path.
Providing information on suitable career paths based on clients' skills, qualifications, interests, and experience.
Develop and implement effective job skills training strategies to help clients overcome employment related challenges.
Conducting tests to assess clients' job skills and abilities and providing feedback on test results.
Reviewing clients' resumes and suggesting improvements as needed.
Liaising with employers to identify possible job opportunities for clients with disabilities.
Provide resources and referrals, and/or assist with teaching clients how to use job related tools, instruments, and equipment correctly.
Maintaining accurate records of clients' progress as mandated by TWC VR Standard for Providers.
Serve as point of contact for local Texas students and residents to participate and attend nationally sponsored Envision events such as Level Up, Heather’s Camp, or CSP events.
Maintain tools for outcome measures and evaluation processes to capture data for employment services improvement, realigning where necessary.
Assist in developing and maintaining professional relationships with vision professionals, community groups and vision resources in the community and state.
Collaborate with Director of Envision Arts and Senior Director of Marketing and Communications to increase engagement for community programs, share community events and elevate the monthly scheduled programs.
Conduct direct contact or digital mailing to recruit participants in community programs.
Assist with development of material for newsletters, websites and other communications that promote community programs and services for the visually impaired.
Drive community engagement through the usage of effective registration software, systems, and websites.
Help facilitate community programs as needed when volunteers are not available.
Accommodate the schedule of community program events, activities, and tasks, to include evenings and weekends as needed.
Maintain tools for outcome measures and evaluation processes to capture data for community programs improvement, realigning where necessary.
Collaborate with Senior Manager, and internal team leaders to ensure that branding, programming, and strategies align with the overall mission and core values of Envision.
Represent Envision at outreach events by communicating Envision’s mission and the services that we offer to community groups, long term care facilities, school groups, community activities and other public events Envision may participate in or sponsor.
Assist in fostering collaborative relationships with stakeholders, including school districts, teachers, vocational rehab agencies, community organizations, universities, disability service offices, Delta Gamma, healthcare professionals, and volunteers in general to seek opportunities that will expand reach, enhance VR employment services and community programming and help develop revenue pipelines through service contracts and grant opportunities and sponsorships.
Maintain tools for outcome measures and evaluation processes to capture data for outreach improvement, realigning where necessary.
Engage, organize, sign up and provide orientation to volunteers to better support our BVI participants and families in community programs.
Maintain tools for outcome measures and evaluation processes to capture data for volunteer engagement, realigning where necessary.
Provide coverage to EVRC’s front desk as needed when required by Senior Manager.