SENIOR VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION COUNSEL - 48004676

State of Florida • Fort Myers, FL

13d • Onsite

About The Position

The Division of Vocational Rehabilitation is seeking a Senior Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor in Boca Raton. The mission of the agency is to help people with disabilities find and maintain employment and enhance their independence. The vision is to become the first-place people with disabilities turn to when seeking employment and a top resource for employers in need of qualified employees. This position is responsible for providing independent professional vocational rehabilitation counseling to individuals with a diversity of disabilities in order that they may attain employment; providing and coordinating complex services; and providing technical assistance on vocational rehabilitation issues to internal and external customers. The incumbent will access client information, maintain case records, produce correspondence, and perform other automated functions. They will assess medical, psychological, and vocational information to determine eligibility for services, develop and implement Individual Plans for Employment, and provide information to assist individuals with disabilities in making informed choices. The role involves authorizing, coordinating, and negotiating services, devising job placement opportunities, developing employer contacts, and utilizing community rehabilitation provider resources. The counselor will conduct in-depth interviews, manage resources for financial accountability, and collaborate with community partners. Additionally, the position requires participation in training to enhance professional competency and performing other duties as required. The employee must be productive under tight timeframes, balance multiple and competing priorities, and maintain goal-directed behavior, sometimes under stressful conditions. Performance and behavior must demonstrate consideration for others' workload and not negatively affect unit productivity and morale. Attendance is an essential function of this position.

Requirements

• Attainment of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in a field of study reasonably related to vocational rehabilitation, such as business administration, human resources, special education, supported employment, customized employment, economics, psychology, or another field that reasonably prepares individuals with transferable skills and training to work with consumers and employers.
• Bachelor’s degree plus not less than 2 years of paid or unpaid experience consisting of direct experience as an employer, employment/placement counselor or job developer, small business owner or operator, self-employment, human resources, recruitment, supervising employees, training, or other activities that provide experience in competitive integrated employment environments.
• Direct work with individuals with disabilities in a setting such as an independent living center.
• Direct service for advocacy activities that provide individuals with experience and skills in working with individuals with disabilities.
• Knowledge of the theories and practices in vocational rehabilitation guidance and counseling to obtain employment.
• Knowledge of interviewing techniques.
• Knowledge of medical and psychological aspects of disability groups.
• Knowledge of the principles and techniques of effective communication.
• Knowledge of employment resources and vocational rehabilitation resources.
• Knowledge of methods of compiling, organizing and analyzing data.
• Ability to compile, organize and analyze medical, vocational and psychological data.
• Ability to administer tests and analyze results.
• Ability to provide counseling and guidance in the area of career planning.
• Ability to develop individual vocational rehabilitation programs and place clients in appropriate vocations.
• Ability to communicate effectively.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with others.
• All employment history must be in chronological order by date with the most recent employer first.
• All fields must be complete (supervisor name, phone numbers, addresses, etc.).
• Gaps in employment that exceed three (3) months must be explained during that time period (unemployed, caretaker, etc.).

Nice To Haves

• Attainment of a Master’s or Doctoral degree from an accredited college or university in a field of study such as business administration, human resources, special education, management, public administration, law, psychology, or another field that reasonably provides confidence in the employment sector or in both business-related and rehabilitation-related fields.
• Advanced degree plus not less than 1 year of paid or unpaid experience consisting of direct experience as an employer, small business owner or operator, self-employment, human resources, recruitment, supervising employees, training, or other activities that provide experience in competitive integrated employment environments.
• Direct work with individuals with disabilities in a setting such as an independent living center.
• Direct service for advocacy activities that provide individuals with experience and skills in working with individuals with disabilities.

Responsibilities

• Providing independent professional vocational rehabilitation counseling to individuals with a diversity of disabilities to attain employment.
• Providing and coordinating complex services.
• Providing technical assistance on vocational rehabilitation issues to internal and external customers.
• Accessing client information, maintaining case records, producing correspondence, and performing other automated functions.
• Assessing medical, psychological, and vocational information to determine eligibility for services.
• Developing and implementing, with full participation of the customer with a disability, an Individual Plan for Employment to determine employment outcomes.
• Providing information to assist individuals with disabilities in making informed choices regarding services, service providers, and employment outcomes.
• Authorizing, coordinating, and/or negotiating services leading to successful employment outcomes.
• Negotiating with individuals with disabilities regarding plan development.
• Devising job placement opportunities through job placement activities, including job analysis, job development, and labor market information.
• Developing employer contacts and serving as a liaison with employers.
• Utilizing the resources of community rehabilitation providers in securing appropriate job placement for eligible individuals with disabilities.
• Coordinating or collaborating with others in other placement activities.
• Conducting in-depth interviews of individuals with disabilities requiring complex rehabilitation strategies to determine eligibility for vocational rehabilitation services and the feasibility for achieving a vocational goal.
• Managing resources to ensure financial accountability according to state and federal regulations and policies.
• Collaborating with community partners to assure appropriate use of available resources.
• Providing technical assistance and specialized training to internal customers.
• Participating in training experiences designed to enhance professional competency in vocational rehabilitation.
• Performing other duties as required.

Benefits

• State of Florida Retirement - 3% Employee Contribution Required
• 10 Paid Holidays annually
• Paid time off (accrual rate varies by years of service)
• Sick leave credits
• Health Insurance for Individual or Family Coverage – State pays 80% of premium
• Life Insurance – State pays premium for $25,000 basic term life insurance for full time employee
• Additional supplemental insurances are available such as dental, vision, etc.
• Tax Deferred Medical and Child Care Reimbursement Accounts available
• Tax Deferred Savings Program available through payroll deduction

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior