Direct Support Staff - Independent Living Skills Instructor

ZULAS HELPING HANDS LLC; Oakland (CA); On-site; USD 42,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

Zula’s Helping Hands LLC is seeking a Direct Support Staff / Independent Living Skills Instructor to support adults in their homes and community settings. The role centers on delivering 1:1 instruction aligned with IPP/ISP objectives and teaching practical living skills with compassionate, person-centered support.

Responsibilities include modeling, documentation, and adherence to plans, with travel between participant homes and community locations.

Qualifications

• Patience, reliability, and a caring, respectful approach to supporting adults in homes and communities.
• Ability to follow written plans and communicate clearly with individuals and teams.
• Experience teaching practical daily living skills in real-world settings.
• Commitment to accurate documentation and timely progress notes.
• Respect for privacy and confidentiality in all interactions.
• Ability to respond appropriately to emergencies and safety concerns.

Responsibilities

• Provide 1:1 instruction tied to IPP and ISP objectives, in a welcoming learning environment.
• Teach independent living skills in natural settings (cooking, cleaning, budgeting, transportation).
• Use modeling, explanations, role play, visual supports, and practice to build skills.
• Listen, offer meaningful choices, and respect the person’s preferences and routines.
• Protect dignity, privacy, rights, and informed choice; manage risks and avoid coercion.
• Record measurable progress, prompt levels, barriers, and next steps in service notes.
• Follow ISP, health/safety plans, and transportation/authorization schedules.
• Report suspected abuse, emergencies, or incidents immediately per policy.
• Notify supervisor of missed services, absences, or changes affecting delivery.
• Participate in orientation, training, supervision, and performance reviews.
• Maintain professional boundaries and safeguard participant money and property.

Skills

Clear communication

Following written plans

Teaching practical skills

Accurate documentation

Confidentiality

Emergency response

Job description

Job Description: Direct Support Staff / ILS Instructor

Position Title: Direct Support Staff / Independent Living Skills Instructor

Organizational Role: The ILS Instructor at Zula’s Helping Hands provides compassionate, individualized instruction in the home and community. Through patience, encouragement, and respectful guidance, the instructor supports each person in building confidence and practical skills while working toward assigned IPP and ISP objectives.

Work Hours: Full-time, part-time, or variable according to authorized service schedules. Hours may include weekdays, evenings, or weekends and travel between participants’ homes and community locations. During direct-service hours, staff will not be assigned unrelated duties that interfere with instruction or support.

Minimum Qualifications: Education and experience required by the approved position description and demonstrated ability to perform the functions in the program design. The employee brings patience, reliability, and a caring, respectful approach to supporting adults in their homes and communities. Essential skills include clear communication, following written plans, teaching practical skills, accurate documentation, maintaining confidentiality, and responding appropriately to emergencies.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide individualized 1:1 instruction tied to assigned IPP and ISP objectives, creating a welcoming learning environment that recognizes each person’s strengths and pace.
• Teach independent living skills in natural settings, including cooking, cleaning, shopping, menu planning, meal preparation, money management, transportation, personal health and hygiene, self-advocacy, recreation, medical and dental access, community resources, and home and community safety.
• Teach through modeling, clear explanations, role play, visual supports, assistive technology, and repeated practice. Offer patient, respectful prompts and gradually reduce assistance as the person builds confidence and skills.
• Listen thoughtfully, offer meaningful choices, and honor the person’s preferences regarding activities, locations, routines, communication, relationships, staff, and personal resources.
• Protect dignity, privacy, confidentiality, rights, informed choice, reasonable risk, and freedom from coercion and restraint.
• Observe and record measurable progress, prompt levels, barriers, choices, safety concerns, and next teaching steps in accurate and timely service notes and data records.
• Follow the person’s ISP, health and safety information, communication plan, emergency procedures, transportation plan, and authorized schedule.
• Report suspected abuse or neglect, injuries, missing-person events, medical emergencies, law-enforcement involvement, and other reportable incidents immediately according to policy.
• Notify the supervisor promptly of missed services, unplanned absences, changes in condition, grievances, requests for different support, documentation concerns, or circumstances that may affect service delivery.
• Participate in orientation, annual training, competency checks, supervision, team meetings, assessments, ISP reviews, and performance improvement activities.
• Maintain professional boundaries and never borrow, lend, receive, control, or misuse a participant’s money, property, account information, medication, or personal resources except as specifically authorized for instruction and documented safeguards.

Required Competencies

Person-centered instruction, attentive listening, compassionate and respectful communication, patience, task analysis, data collection, accurate documentation, community safety, emergency response, cultural humility, confidentiality, reliability, and sound judgment.

Other Requirements

Successful completion of required background clearances, orientation within the first two weeks, competency requirements, and ongoing annual training; reliable transportation or ability to travel between service locations; and a valid driver’s license and legally required insurance when driving is an assigned duty.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Zula’s Helping Hands is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit, and organizational needs. Zula’s Helping Hands does not discriminate in recruitment, hiring, training, promotion, compensation, scheduling, discipline, termination, or any other term or condition of employment on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, marital status, disability, medical condition, genetic information, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Zula’s Helping Hands also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants and employees with disabilities and for sincerely held religious beliefs and practices, as required by law.