Employer Relations Specialist/Job Developer – Hamilton, ON (*New)
Job Description
About The Career Foundation:
The Career Foundation is a dynamic non-profit organization that offers a wide range of employment, training, and HR services to job seekers and employers. Since its inception in 1988, The Career Foundation has steadily expanded its services. Operating out of multiple locations, we now help thousands of people each year successfully accomplish their employment goals. Our team of dedicated professionals has described The Career Foundation as caring, compassionate, innovative, and team-oriented. For more information about us and our services, please visit our website at CareerFoundation.com.
Some of the benefits and features available to our employees include:
- Competitive compensation
- A comprehensive Health Benefits plan that includes massage therapy, naturopath services, travel coverage, and much more
- A comprehensive Dental Insurance plan
- An RRSP Matching benefit
- An Employee & Family Assistance program
- Employee wellness initiatives
- Paid days off for religious observance purposes
Program and Role Description:
The Career Foundation’s Empowering Abilities Program (EAP) assists individuals with disabilities in overcoming barriers to employment by enhancing their employability to make a successful transition to employment or return to school to further their career goals. The program consists of up to ten weeks of pre-employment workshops, followed by twelve weeks of a wage subsidy job placement for participants.
This Employer Relations Specialist/Job Developer position is available with The Career Foundation’s Empowering Abilities Program – Hamilton office. As an essential team member, the Employer Relations Specialist/Job Developer is responsible for establishing new relationships with employers to find appropriate job placement opportunities for program participants, coaching participants on the job to ensure job retention is achieved, and performing other important duties. You would be responsible for achieving individual targets assigned to you.
Position Type:
- Full-time (37.5 hours per week) one-year contract with excellent potential to lead to permanent
Base Location:
- The Career Foundation’s Hamilton office (James St. South).
Schedule and Requirements:
- This position requires regular on-site work from our Hamilton office, as well as frequent local travel to employer partner sites and other stakeholder locations to fulfill the essential requirements of the role. The successful candidate must be willing to work from our Hamilton office on a full-time basis and possess a valid Ontario G driver’s licence and a reliable vehicle to perform essential duties that require frequent local travel. This position also permits periodic work-from-home days on rotation, contingent on performance, program operational needs, and possessing a private work-from-home space with reliable, high-speed internet. A company laptop, cell phone, and other equipment will be provided.
Reporting to:
- Program Coordinator
Responsibilities include:
Job Development and Participant Coaching
- Develops relationships with 2-3 new employer contacts each week and 8-12 new employer contacts each month in a variety of industries, to generate job placement opportunities for participants of The Career Foundation’s Empowering Abilities Program (EAP).
- Delivers enhanced employer services to a minimum of 2 companies per month.
- Places program participants into job placements through successful employer outreach and job development initiatives, ensuring that milestone targets are achieved.
- Develops accommodation plans with employers and utilizes appropriate support funds from the program’s budget to best serve participants.
- Administers placement agreements with and without wage subsidies, including collecting required pay stubs and processing payment claims.
- Conducts job retention functions with program participants and employers, including coaching participants on how to overcome barriers during their work placements and mediating issues that arise as needed.
- Maintains relationships with employer contacts to continuously develop job placement opportunities for program participants.
- Completes personalized needs assessments with program participants, including evaluating and interpreting collected information to support them in targeting the most suitable employment opportunities based on their experience, education, and disability, as well as existing labour market factors.
- Utilizes digital systems and technologies provided by The Career Foundation to further support program participants with achieving successful outcomes.
- Collaborates with other team members to complete participant assessments using established assessment tools and interprets results pertaining to core job functions.
- Ensures quality of work placements for program participants by appropriately matching each person’s skills with the job requirements and adhering to other program requirements for job placements.
- Plans and delivers job search workshops, conducts cold calls to employers, and facilitates mock interviews to prepare program participants for position-specific interviews.
- Works collaboratively with fellow team members to schedule approved, short-term training to ensure that program participants are best prepared for the local labour market.
- Participates in group intake functions and participant selection.
- Maintains documentation of assigned participant files in online reporting systems, including records of service and participant progress reports.
- Regularly monitors personal performance against program targets to ensure the achievement of the expected results.
- Performs other relevant duties as assigned.
Participant Outreach and Recruitment
- Attends networking events and hiring fairs to connect with new employers to promote the program.
- Performs outreach to recruit eligible participants into the program from equity-deserving groups, including 2SLGBTQI+, racialized minorities, and others, through community events, job fairs, social media channels, and other outreach functions.
- Presents the program to community partners and potential participants, ensuring that they understand the program objectives and the time requirements.
- Performs other relevant duties as assigned.
Qualifications/ Skills Required:
- Post-secondary degree or diploma in human/social services, marketing, business, or a related field relevant to the position’s duties is highly preferred, or an equivalent combination of education and experience is required.
- A minimum of 2 years’ direct experience in job development, community outreach, job coaching, business development, or experience that is directly transferable to the responsibilities of the position, is required.
- Prior experience in vocational counselling, serving persons with disabilities, utilizing the Disability Severity Assessment tool and/or experience with government-funded employment programs considered strong assets.
- Candidates who possess the above qualifications as well as existing relationships with employers that can be relied upon to provide employment opportunities for participants of The Career Foundation’s Empowering Abilities program will be prioritized.
- Ability to effectively apply principles of the sales process to generate job leads and secure positions for participants of the program.
- Must be willing to work from base office location in Hamilton and possess a valid Ontario driver’s license and reliable vehicle to perform essential job functions that require local travel within the GTHA.
- Exceptional relationship-building skills with a proven ability to develop rapport with people.
- Proven track record in a results-driven environment with experience meeting assigned targets.
- A professional and courteous approach to client service with a high level of respect for the diversity of the people served.
- Excellent verbal and written English communication skills. Bilingualism is considered an asset.
- Exceptional customer service skills and the ability to uphold the organization’s service standards, policies, and core values.
- Proven ability to maintain sensitive information, exhibit tact, diplomacy, and good judgment, with high standards of ethics and confidentiality.
- Excellent time management and organizational skills.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel), and Office 365 applications, including Teams and SharePoint. Must possess the aptitude and willingness to learn and work with new online systems and technologies.
- Willingness to occasionally work outside of normal business hours when needed to meet the needs of clients and the program.
- Positive attitude with a dedicated work ethic and willingness to take initiative to lend assistance where needed to ensure that the team is successful in meeting all objectives.
The Career Foundation’s Commitment:
The Career Foundation is committed to diversity and inclusion and aims to create a healthy and rewarding environment for all. We welcome applications from qualified individuals who represent the diversity of the people we proudly serve, including, but not limited to, visible minorities, women, persons with disabilities, Indigenous peoples, and individuals of all genders and sexual orientation. The Career Foundation, in accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), is also committed to accommodating applicants with disabilities throughout the recruitment process. We will work with candidates requesting accommodation at any stage of the hiring process.
To apply for this position, please complete the application form below. We suggest using the latest version of Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge to complete the form, in order to ensure that your application is submitted correctly.
*Should you experience any technical difficulties while submitting your application, please submit your résumé to jobs@careerfoundation.org, along with a Word document that addresses all of the questions in the application form.