Community Opportunities Professional

Community-Link-; Breese (IL); On-site; USD 22,000 - 33,000; Full time

Job summary

Community-Link- in Illinois is seeking a dedicated Community Opportunities Professional to support individuals with developmental disabilities in gaining independence and pursuing integrated employment through person-centered services.

The role involves teaching job readiness, social skills, and community navigation while coordinating with the Employment and Inclusion team to connect interests with meaningful opportunities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in human services or HS diploma with at least one year of related experience.
• Ability to read and interpret participant program plans and procedures.
• Must pass TABE with 80% or higher.

Responsibilities

• Develop curricula and activities to support skill development in community engagement and employment readiness.
• Provide instruction to build social, communication, self-advocacy and workplace readiness skills.
• Teach safe community navigation, including public transportation use and accessing resources.
• Assist participants in identifying and pursuing community-based employment opportunities.
• Provide on-site, follow-along support to promote integration into employment settings.
• Collaborate with the Employment and Inclusion Coordinator to align plans with participant goals.

Skills

Communication

Adaptability

Empathy

Behavior principles

Education

Bachelor's degree in human services

High School Diploma / GED with 1 year related experience

Tools

TABE

Job description

Description

SUMMARY

The Community Opportunities Professional provides support to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in increasing independence, skill building, participating in volunteer opportunities, and pursuing integrated employment goals through discovery. The Community Opportunities Professional works alongside participants in community settings to promote inclusion, self-determination, relationship building, and active participation in community life.

This position plays a critical role in helping individuals explore interests, develop new skills, navigate community resources, and achieve personal goals through individualized and person-centered services.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Other duties may be assigned.

Develop, implement, and continuously enhance curricula, lesson plans, and learning activities that support skill development in community engagement, employment readiness, self-advocacy, independence, and other person-centered outcomes.

Provide instruction to build social, communication, self-advocacy, problem-solving, safety, technology, and workplace readiness skills, with real-world application.

Teach safe community navigation, including public transportation use, route planning, utilization of natural supports, and accessing community resources to promote independence.

Assist participants in identifying, pursuing, and maintaining community-based employment opportunities by supporting job exploration, applications, interviews, onboarding, and ongoing job retention.

Provide individualized, on-site, and follow-along support as needed to promote successful integration into competitive, integrated employment settings aligned with participant interests and goals.

Implement individualized plans, track progress, document services accurately, and communicate regularly with the team while maintaining person-centered, compliant practices.

Collaborate on an ongoing basis with the Employment and Inclusion Coordinator to develop and implement plans that connect participants' interests, preferences, and goals with meaningful opportunities and needs within the community.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

None

Requirements

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

Bachelor's degree (B.A.) in human services field including, but not limited to, psychology, sociology, special education or rehabilitation counseling; or High School Diploma / GED with at least one year of experience/training related to supporting individuals with developmental disabilities.

LANGUAGE SKILLS

Ability to read and interpret documents such as participant program plans and procedure manuals. Ability to write routine reports. Ability to effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations to participants, co-workers, and supervisors.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS

Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to perform these operations using units of money.

REASONING ABILITY

Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret and carry out a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram or schedule form.

OTHER SKILLS and ABILITIES

Effective and efficient communication skills. An ability to adapt favorably to changing program needs. Genuine interest in welfare of participants. Competent knowledge of behavior principles.

Capability with basic computer operations for participant data tracking, incident reporting and other processes deemed necessary by the supervisory staff. Must pass the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) with an 80% or higher score.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; and is regularly required to talk and hear. The employee frequently is required to stand, walk, and sit. The employee occasionally is required to bend stoop, squat, crawl, climb-height, reach above shoulder level, crouch, kneel, balance and push/pull. The employee continuously is required to lift up to 10 lbs. The employee occasionally is required to lift between 11 lbs – 50 lbs. The job requires the employee to use the left and right hand for repetitive actions for simple grasping, firm grasping and fine manipulating.

The employee must be able to provide assistance to individuals as needed such as maneuvering wheelchairs, or assisting clients in ambulating and transferring when necessary. The employee is occasionally required to use a keyboard and mouse to input information and view a computer monitor. Must be able to stay awake during the employee’s work shift.

Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, and peripheral vision.

The employee must be able to drive agency vehicles.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet to moderate.