Employment Services and Placement Specialist

About this position

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 seven locations, we now help thousands of people each year successfully accomplish their employment goals. Our team of dedicated professionals have 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 Employee & Family Assistance program
• Employee wellness initiatives
• Paid days off for religious observance purposes

Program & Role Description: Conveniently located in Etobicoke, North York, Downtown Toronto, York, and Scarborough, The Career Foundation’s five (5) full-suite Employment Centres provide job seekers with a full range of services, including exploring career options, improving their résumés, preparing for interviews, and much more. Employers that share our commitment to community hiring can also receive a range of services, including direct access to job seekers of diverse backgrounds and skills, support with coordinating and hosting community hiring events to meet our job seeker clients, advice on how to best coach and work with their new hires to help achieve job retention, and more.

As an Employment Services and Placement Specialist, you would be an essential member of our team responsible for providing solution-based employment counselling to an assigned caseload of clients in the areas of job search, job placement, career decision-making, job retention, and other areas to support clients with achieving successful outcomes. You would also be responsible for developing relationships with employers to find suitable employment opportunities for clients in your caseload, among other essential duties, including maintaining accurate records in online data reporting systems. 

• Position type: Full-time (37.5 hours per week) leave-based contract until September 2025
• Location: Central Toronto (Yonge St. & St. Clair Ave. E.)
• Location requirements: This opportunity is currently structured under a hybrid-remote work schedule comprised of regular on-site work from the office, local travel within the communities served as needed, and work-from-home days on rotation. The successful candidate must be willing to work on-site from our Central Toronto location (Yonge St. & St. Clair Ave. E.) regularly each week. The hybrid-remote schedule that permits some work-from-home days on rotation is based on operational needs and performance and is contingent on possessing a private work-from-home space with reliable, high-speed internet. The option to work full-time from the office is also available if preferred. Company laptop and other equipment provided. 
• Reporting to:  Area Manager, Employment and Placement Services

Responsibilities include:

Employment Counselling, Coaching, and Case Management

• Provides solution-based employment counselling and ongoing support to an assigned caseload of clients in the areas of job search, job placement, career decision making, job retention, and other areas to support clients with achieving employment goals.
• Consistently monitors and tracks caseload success rate to achieve individual targets that contribute to the team’s overall objectives and expectations from the program’s funder.
• Conducts intakes and completes individualized needs assessments for clients to establish their eligibility for services and pre-employment needs.
• Collects, organizes, and analyzes client information through completed needs assessments and other mechanisms to appraise clients’ interests, aptitudes, and abilities to create individualized action plans that lead to successful outcomes.
• Enters and maintains thorough written documentation in online data reporting systems, ensuring that caseload files are up-to-date and ready for file audits.  
• Provides effective job search readiness support services to clients on relevant topics, such as job search strategies, interview preparation, credential assessments, language support, and other areas to help them achieve successful outcomes, such as developing effective résumés.
• Determines client eligibility for financial supports, administers eligible supports, and ensures proper documentation is on file to support expenditures. 
• Guides and supports clients with completing applications for education and/or training opportunities.
• Conducts timely follow-ups job seeker clients throughout their job search efforts, and provides repeat, one-on-one job employment counselling sessions and support, as needed, to review goals, address barriers, and ensure clients are making progress toward goals, including facilitating community-based referrals when needed.
• Assesses and facilitates wraparound and intervention resources required to help clients address and overcome barriers that may prevent them from achieving successful employment outcomes.
• Supports clients to acquire a clear understanding of industry perspectives and other information pertaining to the job opportunities to which they are applying. 
• Facilitates in-person and virtual workshops for clients on a variety of relevant topics.
• Other relevant duties as needed.

Job Development, Placement, and Retention Support

• Conducts outreach to develop relationships with employers in a variety of industries to promote The Career Foundation’s services in the community and create job leads for active clients in caseload.
• Conducts job search activities with clients, including cold calling employers and other strategies to support them with achieving successful outcomes. 
• Utilizes digital systems and technologies provided by The Career Foundation to further support clients with achieving their training and employment goals. 
• Places clients into meaningful employment opportunities by matching them with job opportunities created through effective employer relationships as well as advertised job vacancies suitable for their experience, skills, and interests.
• Negotiates and administers placement, incentive, and other agreements with employers when applicable.
• Administers and monitors on-the-job training plans and conducts appropriate follow-ups and interventions with employers when needed to ensure that all expectations are met. 
• Supports clients and employers to mediate issues as needed.
• Collaborates with fellow team members on topics such as job development and employment retention strategies that help lead clients to successful outcomes. 
• Other relevant duties as needed.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Qualifications/ Skills Required:

• Post-secondary degree in human services or a related field that is relevant to the duties of the position is highly preferred, or an equivalent combination of education and experience is required. 
• A minimum of 2 years’ direct experience in employment counselling, job coaching and/or job development, or other experience that is directly transferrable to the responsibilities of the position is required.
• Must be willing to work on-site from The Career Foundation’s Central Toronto Employment Centre (Yonge St. & St. Clair Ave. E.). 
• Proven track record in a results-driven environment and experience with meeting assigned targets.
• Candidates who possess all the above qualifications and experience in vocational counselling and managing a caseload of clients will be prioritized.
• Experience with Employment Ontario-funded programming, community outreach, developing relationships with employers, and/or facilitating workshops is considered an asset.
• Excellent verbal and written English communications skills. Bilingualism considered an asset.
• Strong detail orientation, time management, and ability to multi-task in order to meet deadlines and achieve targets and objectives.
• A professional and courteous approach to client service with a high level of respect for the diversity of the people served.
• Exceptional customer service skills and ability to uphold the organization's core values.
• Strong organizational and time management skills with flexibility to multitask to handle evolving priorities
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel), as well as Outlook 365 applications, including MS Teams and SharePoint. Must possess aptitude and willingness to learn and work with new online systems and technologies. 
• High ethics and confidentiality standards with proven experience maintaining sensitive information and exhibiting tact, diplomacy, and good judgment. 
• Willingness and flexibility to occasionally work outside regular business hours when required to ensure the team meets all objectives. 
• Strong work ethic with a positive and client-centered approach to work.