Employment Specialist

THE FAMILY RESOURCE NETWORK•East Windsor, NJ

1d•Remote

About The Position

The Employment & Transition department at the Family Resource Network focuses on job development and placement for individuals with disabilities. Programming elements include skills development workshops, paid internships, job placements, and on-the-job support for both youth and adults with disabilities. Staff operate statewide services while performing primarily remote job functions. This full-time position will primarily serve the EmployAbility program with some support for department-wide job development goals. The EmployAbility Program serves as an innovative approach to promote competitive, integrated employment for individuals with disabilities. This program maintains three components: ( 1) capacity building for Support Coordination Agencies on the importance of competitive, integrated employment and how to encourage individuals to engage in employment- related services; ( 2) a small group setting to provide up to ten participants with job skills and exposure through sessions to occur multiple days a week; ( 3) placement in internships for 120 hours as well as dedicated job development to assist participants in obtaining full- time or part- time competitive, integrated employment prior to their program completion. As an Employment Specialist, you will focus on participant skill development, small caseload management, internship site development, job development, and business relations.

Requirements

Associate’s degree in Human Services, Education, Business, or a related field.
Minimum of two (2) years of experience working with transition-aged youth, individuals with disabilities, or in a job development/job coaching role.
Knowledge of workforce development practices and employer engagement strategies.
Strong verbal and written communication skills.
Demonstrated ability to build partnerships with employers and community stakeholders.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Teams) and comfort using online platforms for communication and reporting.
Strong organizational and time management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
Flexibility to travel locally to meet with participants or employers and visit work experience sites.

Responsibilities

Ensure that all work is carried out in a manner that is both respectful and empowering to families and individuals with disabilities.
Maintain a small caseload of participants seeking trainings, internships, and job placements.
Design employment related preparatory training, such as resume development, interview skills, job search options, networking skills and on-the-job relationship protocol.
Research and create workshop materials on a variety of work-readiness topics including PowerPoint presentations and interactive group activities.
Build and maintain strong relationships with local businesses, community organizations, and employers.
Develop and expand internship and job opportunities through outreach and collaboration with employers.
Utilize a variety of job development strategies, including remote outreach, in-person networking, and social media engagement.
Conduct research to find employment and educational (certification) opportunities for participants, as well as for other group initiatives.
Match participants with appropriate internship or job opportunities based on their skills, interests, and career goals.
Coordinate and confirm internship schedules, tasks, and responsibilities with employers and participants.
Aid in job searches, application submissions, interviewing, and assistive technology assessments and procurement.
Identify and share pertinent resources for employment to include reliable transportation options.
When necessary, negotiate with employers to obtain reasonable accommodations for job seekers.
Work to make certain that all job seeker support is in place in order to ensure job retention.
Maintain accurate records of employer contacts and confirmed partnerships in Microsoft Teams and MS Excel trackers.
Regularly communicate with team members using Microsoft Teams to share caseload and job development updates.
Complete accurate reports, database entries, case notes, and documentation, etc. in a timely manner as required by funders.
Perform other duties as assigned.