Employment Specialist - Vocational Services

Employment Specialist – Vocational Services

Old Bethpage, NY, USA

Posted Tuesday, November 11, 2025 at 5:00 AM

Enjoy making a difference? Join the team at FREE, enriching the lives of others, one individual at a time.

Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, Inc. (FREE) benefits and proudly supports more than 4,000 individuals with intellectual / developmental disabilities, mental illness and traumatic brain injury. It is the mission of FREE to support people of all abilities reach their full potential and thrive in their communities. FREE provides a diverse array of supports and services including: housing; recovery services; transition to work;

employment; day, community and family services; respite; crisis services; education and after school support; specialty health services; and advocacy.

Under the supervision of the Sr. Director of Employment Services, the Employment Specialist will provide direct care and personal adjustment services for individuals participating in the ACCES-VR Intensive caseload and for individuals hired under TRI's New York State Industries for the Disabled (NYSID). This includes job development, job coaching, skills training, assessment, counseling, intervention, advocacy and creating employer contacts in the community.

Case management, documentation and employer contacts are also required along with other services needed to maintain the employment of our participants.

• Identifies suitable jobs or businesses consistent with the applicants’ desires and limitations.
• Determines which potential workers are best suited for placement into an existing job opening.
• Develops employment proposals for job candidates; negotiates schedules, pay rates, benefits, etc.
• Provides vocational counseling and guidance to individuals.
• Instructs vocational candidate in resume writing, job search and interview techniques.
• Assists individual with job applications, job interviews and orientation programs.
• Provides services with monthly follow-ups until individual reaches stabilization at a new job.
• Interviews and evaluates applicants to determine eligibility for services.
• Assesses individuals for job readiness through observation and testing.
• Develops and implements instructional plans to train the worker to perform all required job duties accurately and efficiently; re‑assesses and alters the strategies/plans, as needed.
• Ensures the provision of any/all services which makes employment more obtainable/maintainable for consumer.
• Promotes and develops employment and on-the-job training opportunities.
• Orients individual to new environments; provides job orientation and assessment.
• Ensures individual can accurately manipulate equipment at work.
• Supervises maintenance of production levels as expected by the employer.
• Ensures individual is safely transported to/from work site; provides/arranges transportation, including in own vehicle when needed, and travel training.
• Provides ongoing training in community awareness.
• Converses with clients to reinforce positive behaviors and promote social interaction.
• Acts as a role model to supervisors and co-workers on appropriate ways to interact with consumers.
• Ensures that the individual's rights are respected, needs are met and intercedes on their behalf as necessary.
• Advocates with coworkers and employer to promote acceptance of workers in natural process of the work site.
• Assists employees/employers in revising standards that exclude applicants from the job.
• Collaborates with employer for purposes of communication regarding client’s needs and progress and to address and resolve any arising problems.
• Performs job duty analysis and creates personalized accommodations to benefit and improve learning process of people supported.
• Acts as a liaison from the community to the program for the individual.
• Reports ongoing problems and suggest solutions to improve working environment/conditions.
• Establishes positive working relationships with co-workers, management, clinicians, and collateral providers.
• Reports all violations and/or accidents in Agency or personal vehicle in accordance with NYS regulations and…