Employment Specialist

Vista Autism Services; Hershey (PA); On-site; USD 38,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Vista Autism Services is seeking an Employment Specialist to build relationships with individuals on the autism spectrum and assist them in obtaining and maintaining competitive employment. The role collaborates with community partners to assess skills and market the hire to managers, while supporting acclimation to employment and nurturing relationships with supervisors and coworkers.

The position emphasizes direct job-site support, accommodations, data monitoring, and ABA-informed strategies

Qualifications

• Minimum High School diploma required (from job posting)
• 1-3 years of experience working with the autism population
• ACRE certificate within 9 months of hire
• Clean driving record and PA driver’s license and vehicle requirements
• Vista’s crisis intervention training required
• Community Participation Support Training within 60 days of hire
• Passing pre-employment regulatory and safety-sensitive requirements (PPD, physical, drug tests)
• Bachelor’s degree desired; ACRE/CESP/Certified Employment Specialist Provider certifications are highly desirable

Responsibilities

• Serve as primary staff to support customers in job settings using teaching strategies to navigate workplaces
• Identify need for accommodations and implement them
• Develop job support plans and fade to natural supports
• Facilitate interactions between customers and supervisors/coworkers
• Notify team of events or policy changes
• Coordinate transportation with guardians as needed
• Monitor customer performance and report data
• Use ABA principles to reduce undesired behavior and document incidents
• Document billing and complete required paperwork
• Debrief challenging situations with businesses
• Pursue professional development through literature/webinars and training
• Other duties as assigned

Skills

Organizational skills

Multitasking

Education

Bachelor’s degree in related service field

ACRE certification

CESP certification

Certified Employment Specialist Provider

Job description

The Employment Specialist builds strong relationships with individuals on the autism spectrum or with a comparable disability to assist in securing and sustaining competitively integrated employment. The Employment Specialist collaborates closely with community partners to assess the employable skill sets and preferences of individuals and markets their hire to hiring managers. The Employment Specialist assists with acclimating to employment opportunities and supports the building and strengthening of relationships with supervisors and coworkers.

The Employment Specialist builds strong relationships with individuals on the autism spectrum or with a comparable disability to assist in securing and sustaining competitively integrated employment. The Employment Specialist collaborates closely with community partners to assess the employable skill sets and preferences of individuals and markets their hire to hiring managers. The Employment Specialist assists with acclimating to employment opportunities and supports the building and strengthening of relationships with supervisors and coworkers.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Serves as the primary staff assigned to support customers in job settings, by utilizing the customer’s most effective teaching strategies to navigate their workplace, produce quality work, and engage in appropriate social interactions
• Identifies the need for accommodations, then develop and implement them
• Formulates job support plan with goal to fade to natural supports within business
• Facilitates interactions between customers and his or her supervisor(s) and coworker(s)
• Ensures all relevant team members are notified of company events or policy/procedure changes
• Supports customer/legal guardians with coordination of transportation to and from work and communicating schedule changes per company policy
• Monitors and communicates customers’ performances on worksite, report on service logs, analyze data, collaborate with team concerning changes needed
• Uses principles of ABA to reduce occurrences of undesirable behavior and report/document incidences if they occur
• Documents billing at time of delivery of service and completes other required paperwork as assigned
• Effectively debriefs difficult or uncomfortable situations with businesses
• Initiates professional development by reading/watching all assigned literature/webinars and actively participating in training exercises
• Other duties as assigned

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY

This position has no supervisory responsibility.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. The following positions or frequent movements are typical of the job: sitting, walking, standing, reaching, pushing, pulling, lifting, stooping, and crawling, often for extended periods of the workday.

The position requires that an individual be able to learn new tasks quickly and effectively. Job requirements may change frequently. The ability to understand and carry out detailed, involved, instructions is mandatory. The candidate must be able to travel to multiple locations throughout Dauphin, Cumberland, Lancaster, and Lebanon counties when needed to conduct organizational business. Subject to inside environmental conditions.

EXPECTED SCHEDULE

This is a full time 40 hour per week position, unless otherwise approved. Days and hours of the workweek are agreed upon by management, the assigned customer’s schedules, and the Adult Services calendar.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum High School diploma required
• 1-3 years of experience working with the autism population required
• Earning of the Association of Community Rehabilitation Educators (ACRE) certificate within 9 months of hire required
• Clean driving record (no more than 2 moving violations in a 3-year span), valid PA driver’s license, current vehicle inspection, up-to-date vehicle registration, and proof of adequate insurance coverage required
• Successful completion of Vista’s crisis intervention training required

• Successful completion of Community Participation Support Training required within 60 days of hire required

• Required passing of all pre-employment regulatory and safety-sensitive employee requirements including, but not limited to, PPD testing, physical exam, and drug tests

SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS:

• Bachelor’s degree in related service field highly desired
• Association of Community Rehabilitation (ACRE) certification or Certified Employment Support Professional (CESP) certification highly desired
• Certified Employment Specialist Provider highly desired
• Connections to local businesses preferred
• Demonstrates organizational skills
• Effectively manages multiple priorities, projects, and deadlines