Employment Consultant

Brief Description

• Relay Resources is an Equal Opportunity Employer that strives to create a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture and believes each employee makes a significant contribution to our success. That contribution should not be limited by the assigned responsibilities. Therefore, this job description is designed to outline primary duties, qualifications, and job scope, but not limit the incumbent nor the organization to adjust the work identified. It is our expectation that each employee will offer their services wherever and whenever necessary to ensure the success of our endeavors.

Disabled people / people with disabilities and neurodivergent people are strongly encouraged to apply.

Relay Core Competencies

Focus on Strengths

Prioritize Informed Action

Communicate Clearly

Champion Disability Inclusion

Build Supportive Relationships

People are at the heart of everything we do. Our mission is to cultivate meaningful work for people with disabilities. We encourage those with a disability, a Preferred Worker Card, or other barriers to employment to apply.

Employment Consultants manage a caseload of clients with disabilities who are seeking employment or currently employed in local businesses that meet Competitive and Integrated Employment standards. They help these clients find and maintain employment.

Essential Functions
Pre-Employment Contracted Services –25%

• Conduct Career Exploration and work assessments services, according to the guidelines established in the Vocational Rehabilitation contract, to achieve agreed-upon outcomes.
• Use a variety of strategies to clarify clients' skills, strengths, and interests as they relate to employment using a person-centered approach.
• Locate businesses that offer roles that align with clients' goals and negotiate with key decision makers in these businesses to set up shadows, informational interviews, and work assessments.
• Assist clients in gathering the information they need, in a learning format that accommodates their strengths, to make an informed decision about a job goal.
• Assess potential barriers to success and propose accommodation or job customization opportunities that could be utilized to maximize a client's chances of successfully maintaining employment in their desired field.
• Make evidence-based recommendations for additional services or support that will be necessary for the client to succeed in competitive and integrated employment.
• Compile planning, activities, and findings in a comprehensive report and present the report and findings to the Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, the client, and other team members.
• Collaborate with Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors, case managers, transition teachers, behavior supports, and other key people in a client's network to gather support and resources needed to address barriers to achieving pre-employment service goals.

Job Development Services – 25%

• Build relationships with key stakeholders in local businesses and industries to develop customized jobs for job seekers with disabilities.
• Assess business needs from multiple angles to propose and negotiate customized job roles that align with business goals and clients' unique strengths and skills.
• Assist clients with requesting and securing necessary accommodations in their job.
• Support clients with understanding and completing onboarding paperwork.
• Assist clients and their home supports to plan for reporting wages to Social Security when they receive SSI or SSDI payments.
• Collaborate with Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors, case managers, transition teachers, behavior supports, and other key people in a client's network to gather support and resources needed to address barriers to successfully placing the client in a job.

Job Coaching & Retention Services– 25%

• Work with clients at their job sites and/or offsite to assist them as they learn essential duties of their role and the soft skills required to be successful in a competitive and integrated work environment.
• Develop tools and accommodations that help your clients more successfully navigate understanding, recalling, and performing required tasks.
• Collaborate with Vocational Rehabilitation counselors.
• Teach, model, and informally train coworkers and managers of the clients you support what it looks like to be inclusive natural supports.
• Take steps to deescalate emotionally charged responses and support thoughtful problem-solving in situations where clients, employers, or support team members respond negatively to a perceived injustice.
• Proactively address and support issues that may lead to job instability for your clients (i.e. frequent tardiness or call outs, coworker conflict, avoiding less preferred job duties, etc.). This includes working with employers to address their concerns in a professional manner, communicating support plans to applicable parties, and holding yourself and your client accountable for following through with agreed upon steps to address concerns.
• Collaborate with Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors, case managers, transition teachers, behavior supports, and other key people in a client's network to gather support and resources needed to address barriers to performing the job to the employer's standards or retaining employment.

Documentation – 10%

• Thoroughly document and invoice for each client service provided daily in Setworks to maintain compliance with Oregon Administrative Regulations and licensing requirements.
• Obtain client signatures on contracts on or before the assigned due date.
• Collect timecards and paystubs from each client who is employed monthly.
• Maintain strict confidentiality of all client records which contain information protected by HIPPA.

Other duties as assigned – 5 %

• Communicate with team members daily via emails, Teams messages, and phone.
• Participate and contribute to client ISP meetings by providing person-centered information and documentation required for their service planning.
• Meet with manager weekly to review client progress and collaborate to resolve issues.
• Actively participate in staff meetings and internal training sessions.
• Attend local events and conferences to market Relay's services to contractors, clients, and support team members.
• Obtain at least 12 department-approved continuing education credits annually.
• Report all instances of suspected abuse in a timely manner to the state reporting hotline.
• Follow all policies and procedures associated with Oregon Administrative Rule compliance with fidelity.

Requirements

• MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Meet at least one of the criteria below:

• Have at least one year of experience working with individuals with disabilities (this can be personal or professional experience) OR

• Have at least one year of human-services related experience, such as economical disadvantages, employment, abuse and neglect, substance abuse, aging, disabilities, prevention, health, cultural competencies, or housing OR
• Have six months of prior experience working as a Job Coach or Developer OR
• A bachelor's degree in Rehabilitation Counseling or Special Education OR
• Possess a Certified Employment Supported Professional (CESP) certificate OR
• Document that you have completed of the Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE) collaborative training OR
• Possess an Association of Community Rehabilitation Educators (ACRE) training certificate
• Possess a bachelor's degree in human services, psychology, sociology, teaching, counseling, or a related field or be able to demonstrate that you possess equivalent knowledge through experience.
• Possess a valid and unrestricted Oregon Driver's License and own a reliable vehicle that can be used regularly for work.
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills.
• Demonstrated problem solving and resolution skills.
• Highly organized and skilled managing a dynamic schedule with multiple competing demands on time.
• Adaptable to changing client and business needs.
• Capable of establishing strong working relationships with clients who have a wide range of support needs and values that may differ significantly from your own.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with key stakeholders including Vocational Rehabilitation counselors, case managers, clients' family members, group home staff, transition teachers, and employers. Ability to pass drug screening, criminal history background checks, and fingerprinting as appropriate at any time during employment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Possess knowledge of developmental disabilities services provided by Vocational Rehabilitation and Oregon Department of Developmental Disabilities
• Bilingual
• Experience with disability advocacy
• Previous experience as a job coach, job developer, or employment specialist
• Case management (broadly defined) experience
• ACRE or CESP certified

Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

• Ability to follow spoken and written directions and maintain required documentation.
• Ability to support individuals with a wide range of support needs to maintain successful employment in diverse work settings
• Demonstrate a high degree of emotional intelligence
• Exercise grit and resilience to overcome obstacles to desired employment outcomes
• Knowledge of basic disability etiquette
• Willing and able to work some evenings and weekends to meet client support needs

SCOPE & ACCOUNTABILITY

• Perform duties independently. Accountable to Director of Disability Inclusion.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY

• Ability to work with moderate supervision and some independent decision making.

WORK ENVIRONMENT & PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Work is performed in a variety of community settings including public meeting spaces (i.e. coffee shops or libraries), client homes, local businesses, at the office, and occasionally from home if desired.
• Most work settings will be moderately loud (i.e. supporting a client in a grocery store). Some work settings will be very loud (i.e. supporting a client in a manufacturing environment).
• Lighting will vary by location.
• May be exposed to strong scents in some work environments (i.e. seafood in a packaging plant, pet excrement, customers wearing cologne in retail settings).
• Regularly required to stand, walk at a moderate pace, and sit.
• Occasional lifting (5-20lbs) and bending may be required.
• Frequently required to use a laptop and phone.
• Must be physically able to perform basic first aid and CPR in an emergency.