Employment Coordinator jobs in Chicago, IL

Description

At Little Friends, What We Do Matters!
At Little Friends, we empower individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities to thrive in their community. Our programs and staff provide lifelong opportunities for growth, so our people we serve can work, learn, play and experience the joy of life’s everyday moments. We can only achieve this through the hard work and dedication of our staff. We’re committed to creating an environment that enhances employees’ lives by making time spent at work meaningful and fulfilling. Little Friends is an equal opportunity employer committed to service excellence. We offer competitive wages, extensive paid training and an excellent benefits package to qualifying employees – including vacation, paid sick leave, medical/dental/life insurance, retirement savings and more.

Do you want a job that allows you the opportunity to truly make a difference in the life of others? Please, come join our team at Little Friends as our Employment Coordinator. The Employment Coordinator provides job placement services, on-site skills training, and other support services to individuals in the Supported Employment Program. In doing so, you will be helping to make a positive change in the lives of the individuals we support by helping them find meaningful employment, the training to succeed in their new positions, and the guidance to seek out employment opportunities that are complimentary to the individuals strengths and needs.

Work Schedule:

Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. , but flexible early morning and evening, possible weekend hours

Rate: $20.30/hour

Responsibilities:

• Must be capable of speaking English clearly and fluently, to communicate with staff, customers, and individuals we support
• Must be capable of writing English that is clear, concise, grammatically correct, and free of spelling errors.
• Must respond appropriately to behavioral problems.
• This position requires sufficient strength, agility, and sensory acuity to be alert to individual behavioral emergencies and to implement effectively, with adults weighing 150 lbs. or more, confrontation avoidance, escape-evasion, and emergency transport procedures from agency-approved Safety Care as well as Behavioral Management course.
• Must act in a professional manner which reflects positively on themselves and Little Friends/Spectrum. This includes demonstrating high commitment to customer service and customer satisfaction for all internal and external customers of Spectrum and Little Friends
• Is aware of, follows and ensures that staff members follow the policies and procedures of Little Friends, Inc., and Spectrum Vocational Services.
• Is required to complete all training and re-certifications as per Little Friends, Inc, Spectrum Vocational Services as well as the Department of Human Services.
• Provides technical assistance to employers on an ongoing basis. This includes but is not limited to:
  1. Recommendations regarding accommodations/adaptations in the work environment.
  2. On-site skills training if reasonable training efforts of employer cannot accommodate training needs. Due to the nature of SEP staff positions, which often require that staff provide support services in a wide variety of employment sites (such as food preparation areas, laundry rooms, offices, etc.) must have sufficient strength, mobility, endurance, and sensory acuity to perform all tasks typically required by employers of supported employment individuals in these settings. Examples include but are not limited to: being able to stand on feet for 8-hour shift; being able to retrieve items such as dirty dishes from restaurant tables or stock from stockrooms; being able to bend and lift to perform tasks such as making beds, washing dishes, stocking shelves, being able to see and read printed materials in order to file or deliver them.
  3. Disability awareness training/literature.
• Maintains regular contact with individuals and employer within program guidelines. In this capacity, flexibly schedules job site visits, travel training, meetings, etc. to meet individual and employer needs.
• Provides transportation training for supported individuals.
• Keeps program manager informed of all job-related activities including updates on individual progress. Keeps residential program QSP’s informed of all job employee work related activities for individuals living in the residential program.
• Follows through and provides feedback on suggestions made by staff support team (i.e.: behavior specialist, program manager, program director).
• Maintains regular contact with the Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) Counselor for DRS funded individuals. This includes but is not limited to updating counselors on vocational status of individuals and submitting all necessary reports in a timely manner.
• Completes and submits all assigned paperwork within the designated time frame. Requires ability to read and write clear concise reports in English.
• Participates in the development of Individual Support Plans and implements assigned outcomes.
• Coordinates and chairs 8-week progress staffing for DRS funded individuals.
• Provides job placement services for individuals on assigned caseload which includes but is not limited to:

       1.) Trial job site assessments.

       2.) Participate in developing job development service plan.

       3.) Job development services i.e.: generating job leads, assistance in applying and interviewing.

       4.) Educate/train employers about strategies that can be utilized to initially train supported individuals on their jobs.

       5.) Supplementary training as needed.

• Attends all mandatory meetings punctually.
• Serves on other teams and standing committees of Spectrum, as assigned.
• Other duties as assigned by SE Program Manager or Director of Program Services.

Requirements

• High school degree or equivalent required.
• Must carry state-mandated minimums of auto liability insurance to transport Spectrum individuals in own vehicle during job development activities.
• Bachelor’s degree in psychology, education, business, or related field preferred.
• Experience working with adults with autism and intellectual disabilities desired.