TEMP Employment Specialist

LA FAMILIA•Hayward, CA

6d•$24 - $24

About The Position

The Temporary Employment Specialist in the Working Wellness Program will carry out Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Employment services by assisting clients with mental health challenges to obtain and maintain employment that is consistent with their individualized vocational goals. This work is done in a collaborative, multi-disciplinary setting including involvement of mental health and/or substance use disorder counselor(s), case manager(s), as well as client family members or personal support individuals. This is a temporary role up to 6 months.

Requirements

Education and experience equivalent to undergraduate degree in mental/behavioral health, social services, or business.
Experience working with diverse populations and people with mental health and/or substance abuse challenges.
Demonstrates and models excellent “customer service” orientation and ability to work with diverse populations.
Exercises extreme discretion with the ability to hold, balance, and transmit public and confidential information needed by various parties.
Proficient in MS Office and Google Workspace products.
Valid CA Driver’s license required.
Auto insurance: If your vehicle is used for business-related purposes, it is recommended that you inform your auto insurance carrier.
Accurately record work hours each day by clocking in/out at scheduled start, break, lunch, and end times.
Take all required meal and rest breaks in compliance with state, federal, and agency policies.
Review and submit timesheets by established deadlines to ensure timely payroll processing.
Notify supervisor promptly of any scheduling conflicts, absences, tardiness, or timekeeping issues.
Maintain consistent and reliable attendance to support team and program operations.
Follow organizational policies and procedures related to overtime, schedule changes, and paid/unpaid leave.
Correct and/or report any timekeeping discrepancies immediately to the supervisor for resolution.
Viewed by others as an effective team member who is flexible, cooperative, and willing to assist others, and acts as a resource to team members and clients, where appropriate.
Handles difficult or conflict situations constructively and seeks appropriate assistance.
Accepts accountability and constructive feedback.
Attends all mandatory meetings and staff meetings as required, and actively participates in other departmental professional development, including providing training and consultation.
Develops and maintains cooperative and courteous relationships with fellow employees, supervisors, managers in other departments, senior management, executive staff, and community stakeholders.
Handles requests, suggestions, and complaints from other departments and individuals in a tactful and effective manner to maintain goodwill within the agency.
Ability to occasionally or frequently stand, walk, sit, and reach with hands and arms above the shoulders
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is routinely required to sit, walk, talk, and hear, use hands to keyboard, fingers, handle, and feel, stoop, kneel, crouch, twist, crawl, reach, and stretch.
The employee is occasionally required to move around the office
Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus
May require travel, dependent on agency needs
Can work under deadlines
Performing general physical activities such as picking up, moving, and using objects, tools, or controls
The noise level in the work environment is usually low to moderate.
Ability to safely operate a motor vehicle
Ability to push, pull, and lift up to 50 pounds frequently.
Ability to stand and move from one location to another daily.
Ability to sit for prolonged periods of time
Ability to visually focus on near and far items, and to be able to switch between them.
Ability to reliably report to work on time and perform the position's required tasks as scheduled
Ability to grasp and carry items
Ability to hear and effectively communicate with co-workers, clients, and the public
Ability to identify potential issues within the workplace, determine an appropriate means of avoiding and/or resolving the issues, work with others to address the issues, and carry out organized strategies for resolving and preventing similar issues in the future
Ability to process information and data for use within the organization

Nice To Haves

Bilingual Spanish-speaking preferred.
Experience providing employment services and knowledge of workforce development are strongly preferred.
Experience in non-profit and community-based organizations preferred.

Responsibilities

Responsible for the program’s proper implementation of IPS principles and the successful adherence to the IPS Fidelity scale
Participate and complete initial and on-going IPS training as assigned by Supervisor to facilitate adherence to IPS model and principles.
Work collaboratively with the Working Wellness team, which includes the Staff Therapist and Peer Support Specialist, to address barriers to employment of clients by implementing the Individualized Placement and Support (IPS) model.
Responsible for maintaining a caseload of approximately 20 clients.
Engages clients and establishes trusting, collaborative relationships directed toward the goal of securing and sustaining competitive employment.
Assists clients in obtaining information about their benefits (e.g., SSI, Medicaid, etc.) and how they will be affected by employment in order for clients to make good decisions about employment opportunities.
Assesses clients' vocational functioning on an ongoing basis utilizing background information and work experiences.
Discusses client's preference for disclosure of mental health challenges to employers.
Conducts job development and job search activities directed toward positions that are individualized to the interests of clients, following the principles and procedures of IPS supported employment.
Conducts at least in person six employer contacts per week. Employer contacts are designed to learn about the needs of the business, describe supports offered by the program and describe client strengths that are relevant to the position.
Provides individualized follow-along supports to assist clients in maintaining employment.
Writes job support plans in collaboration with clients and incorporates input from the other providers on the team. Adjusts plan according to clients’ evolving needs and preferences.
Provides education and support to employers as agreed upon by clients, which may include negotiating job accommodations and follow-along contact with the employer.
Provides community outreach services as necessary to support clients when they appear to disengage from services.
Provides timely interventions: returns phone calls within 24 hours and responds to situations in a timely manner and in adherence to agency protocols. Contacts employers about job loss or job problems within 24 hours. Follow up on job leads within 48 hours.
Meets with clients within one week prior to the job start date and again within three days after the first day of employment.
Participates in weekly Family Service Team meetings with the mental health treatment team and communicates with team members between meetings in order to coordinate and integrate vocational services into mental health treatment.
Participates in face-to-face meetings with counselors at least once a month to coordinate services for clients.
Develops an individual employment plan with clients. Incorporates input from mental health team and family members, with permission.
Spends 65% or more of scheduled work hours in the community. For example: meets clients at community locations such as home, workplace, coffee shop, meeting with potential employers, library, One-Stop, family home, etc. or takes clients to apply for jobs, investigate local GED programs or colleges, etc.
Provides supported education, using principles similar to supported employment, for clients who express interest in education to advance their employment goals.
Attend trainings and participate in events relevant to key responsibilities
Track and regularly report on key metrics for responsible function areas
Leads and collaborate on special projects related to agency objectives as appropriate