Employment Specialist

Description

Location: Trumbull, CT, with regular statewide travel based on program, employer, and participant needs.

Pay: $21.00 to $25.50 per hour

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt, hourly

Job Type: Full-time and part-time opportunities

Work Setting: Community-based settings, employer locations, schools, organizational offices, program sites, and other locations based on participant and program needs.

Shift and

Schedule:

Variable by program assignment. Day, early-morning, evening, weekend, or holiday availability may occasionally be required to support interviews, onboarding, job coaching, workplace training, and retention services.

The Kennedy Collective is a Connecticut-based nonprofit organization serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, veterans, and individuals facing barriers to employment. Our work spans Administration, Program Services, Social Enterprises, Workforce Development, and Mobility & Travel Training Services, creating pathways for people to flourish and thrive.

As an Employment Specialist
, you will help individuals prepare for, obtain, and maintain competitive, integrated employment. You will provide career-development support, job coaching, placement assistance, workplace accommodations, and retention services while building productive relationships with employers throughout the community. This position combines direct support with active employer engagement and job development. You will help individuals identify employment goals, develop workplace skills, address barriers, learn job responsibilities, and build greater independence.

Depending on your program assignment, you may support T2E, Project SEARCH, DMHAS, BRS, Placement, Ticket to Work, or other Workforce programs.

• Manage individualized employment services for an assigned caseload while coordinating appointments, employer contacts, job-coaching assignments, follow-up services, documentation, and program requirements.
• Develop employment opportunities by learning about employer workforce needs, identifying available positions, matching opportunities with individual goals and abilities, and presenting qualified candidates for consideration.
• Build and maintain employer relationships that create pathways to competitive employment, internships, work-based learning, job shadows, volunteer experiences, interviews, and other career-development opportunities.
• Support career exploration and employment preparation through résumé development, applications, interview preparation, job-search strategies, workplace communication, benefits navigation, and individualized work-readiness instruction.
• Provide individualized job coaching by teaching job duties, demonstrating tasks, reinforcing workplace habits, supporting appropriate accommodations, and helping individuals meet employer expectations.
• Promote independence at work by gradually reducing direct support as individuals develop skills, confidence, and natural workplace supports.
• Provide placement and retention support by assisting with onboarding, orientation, workplace adjustment, communication with employers, performance concerns, reasonable accommodations, and other needs that may affect continued employment.
• Identify and reduce employment barriers by connecting individuals with transportation, benefits information, community resources, accommodations, technology, training, and other appropriate supports.
• Coordinate employment services with individuals, employers, families, schools, treatment teams, referral sources, funders, government agencies, and other authorized partners.
• Maintain accurate and timely documentation of services, employer contacts, job-development activity, coaching, individual…