Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor

Are you passionate about communicating with people face-to-face and collaborating with other professional teams to help each person achieve their career goals and potential? Apply for this Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor position with the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) and help people in Pennsylvania who live with disabilities gain the skills and opportunities they need to live and work independently in their communities.

The ideal candidate will have an understanding of vocational rehabilitation services and applying that knowledge to help individuals with disabilities in obtaining gainful employment. If you are interested in experiencing the satisfaction of public service while enjoying professional career growth, the Department of Labor and Industry wants you to apply!

In this position, you will determine and coordinate the delivery of vocational rehabilitation services to clients, as well as develop and maintain referral sources that ensure potential vocational rehabilitation customers are identified. You will independently gather client information in face-to-face interviews, determine eligibility for services, and work with each person to develop an individualized plan for employment. This includes providing counseling and guidance services to your clients in their move toward job placement, assisting in their job placement process, liaising with agency resources to coordinate planned services, and evaluating and documenting each person's progress.

You will also be responsible for arranging and approving expenditures needed to support clients in accessing opportunities to achieve their goals.

If you want to make a lasting, positive impact in the lives of other people through specialized professional work providing vocational rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities, this is the role for you!

Interested in learning more? Additional details regarding this position can be found in the position description.

Work Schedule and Additional Information:

• Full-time employment
• Work hours are 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday - Friday, with a 30-minute lunch.
• Telework: You may have the opportunity to work from home (telework) part-time, upon successful completion of the training period. In order to telework, you must have a securely configured high-speed internet connection and work from an approved location inside Pennsylvania. If you are unable to telework, you will have the option to report to the headquarters office in Norristown. The ability to telework is subject to change at any time.
  
  Additional details may be provided during the interview.
• Salary:Most employees will start at the beginning level of the advertised salary. Selected candidates who are new to employment with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will begin employment at the starting annual salary of $64,783 (before taxes).
• You will receive further communication regarding this position via email. Check your email, including spam/junk folders, for these notices.
• Note:
  The worksite address is the Norristown District Office; however, employees may be covering Chester County for their caseload. They may have the potential to work in the Chester County Career Link.

QUALIFICATIONS

Minimum Experience and Training Requirements:

• Successful completion of the Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor Intern program or the Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor Trainee program (Commonwealth job title or equivalent Federal Government job title, as determined by the Office of Administration); or
• Possession of an active Certified Rehabilitation Counselor certificate issued by the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification; or
• Proof of approval to sit for the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC) Certified Rehabilitation Counselor certification examination, provided by the CRCC, and completion of a master's degree; or
• A master's degree in vocational rehabilitation, mental health, special education, social work, human services, psychology, or a closely related field.
• Applicants will be considered to have met the educational requirements once they are within three months of graduating with a qualifying degree.

Other Requirements:

• PA residency requirement is currently waived for this title.
• You must be able to perform essential job functions.

Legal Requirements:

• This position falls under the provisions of the Child Protective Services Law.
  • Under the Law, a conditional offer of employment will require submission and approval of satisfactory criminal history reports including, but not limited to, PA State Police clearance, PA Child Abuse history clearance, and FBI Fingerprint clearance.

How to Apply:

• Resumes, cover letters, and similar documents will not be reviewed, and the information contained therein will not be considered for the purposes of determining your eligibility for the position. Information to support your eligibility for the position must be provided on the…