Employment Specialist 

(Full-Time, 35 hours/week)

Position Description    

Mandate:

The Employment Specialist supports the design and implementation of job development strategies to build and sustain partnerships that create meaningful employment opportunities for refugee claimants (program participants). This includes cultivating strong relationships with employers and community partners, as well as conducting proactive outreach and labour market research to identify new job opportunities.

Acting as a liaison between employers and program participants, this role supports effective matching by aligning participant skills and goals with employer needs, ensuring positive outcomes for both parties.

This role also provides individualized employment coaching to support participants in achieving their employment goals. They will deliver workshops, monitor job search activities, track outcomes, and work toward established placement and engagement targets.

Time Commitment

This is a full-time, 35 hours per week position. The position requires schedule flexibility to participate in community activities and interact with stakeholders when they are available. This may include scheduling appointments and attending events on evenings/weekends. 

Relationships 

•       Reports to the Senior Manager: Programs

•       Collaborates with case workers in establishing employment needs and readiness of program participants on an ongoing basis

•       Works with other Journey Home Community staff as required to accomplish program objectives or as directed.

•       Liaise with employers who partner with Journey Home Community.

RESPONSIBILITIES

1.      Employer Engagement & Partnership Development

• Develop and implement a strategic employer engagement and partnership plan to increase job placement opportunities for program participants
• Proactively identify, recruit, and build relationships with new employment partners across diverse industries
• Maintain and strengthen ongoing employer partnerships to ensure continued engagement and repeat hiring opportunities
• Conduct regular review of outreach, networking, and relationship management with employers to align hiring needs with participant skills
• Act as the primary liaison between employers and the program, and the initial point of contact connecting employers with program participants

2.      Job Development, Placement & Coordination

• Identify and pursue job placement opportunities both within established employer partnerships and through independent outreach to the broader labour market
• Conduct job development activities such as cold outreach, labour market research, and direct employer engagement to uncover unadvertised or informal job opportunities
• Promote program participants to employers by effectively matching candidate skills, experience, and career goals with available job opportunities
• Engage in direct marketing to employers to promote specific candidate skill sets, ensuring the right fit between job seekers and job leads
• Liaise with employers to organize targeted hiring events and recruitment initiatives
• Facilitate employment interviews with program participants 

3.      Employment Counselling and Job Readiness Support   

• Work with program participants to develop resumes and cover letters, to assess their individual needs, strengths, and employment goals to effectively position them in the labour market
• Coordinate and actively monitor the job search activities of program participants to ensure progress toward employment goals
• Support participants in securing and retaining employment through ongoing follow-up, coaching, and problem-solving
• Facilitate employment interviews and coach participants on interview preparation and strategies

4.      Career Development Workshops & Training

•       Support the ongoing development and facilitation of employment readiness workshops (e.g., job market/workplace orientation, job search strategies, resume development, interview skills, workplace readiness)

•       Collaborate with external partners and agencies to deliver specialized or complementary training (as needed)

5.      Data Management & Reporting

• Maintain records and CRM (Salesforce), including program participant vocational skills, employer contacts, and detailed documentation of participant job search activity
• Track and report on job placement outcomes and employer engagement targets

6.      Program Promotion & Continuous Improvement

• Act as a champion of the program, promoting services through community outreach, networking, and events
• Collaborate with leadership to refine employer engagement strategies and improve employment outcomes
• Work toward achieving annual targets for job placements and employer outreach

CORE COMPETENCIES

Christian Spirituality: Mature Christian faith and ability to provide leadership and mentorship in Christian Spiritual practices.

Empowering and Developing Others: The ability to convey confidence in staff and volunteers' ability to be successful, allowing them freedom to decide how they will accomplish their goals and resolve issues. The ability to delegate responsibility and to work with colleagues and volunteers and coach them to develop their capabilities.

Fostering Teamwork: As a team member, the ability to work cooperatively with others on a team; as a team leader, the ability to demonstrate interest, skill, and success in leading groups to work together.

Interpersonal Awareness: The ability to notice, interpret, and anticipate others' concerns and feelings, and to communicate this awareness empathetically to others.

Creative and Critical Thinking: The ability to use knowledge, skills and processes and transform them into a particular new understanding, process or application required to solve a problem. 

Analytical Thinking: The ability to tackle a problem by using a logical, systematic, sequential approach.

Forward Thinking: The ability to anticipate the implications and consequences of situations and take appropriate action to be prepared for possible contingencies.

Oral and Written Communication: The ability to ensure that information is passed on to others who should be kept informed in a timely and clear manner. The ability to express oneself clearly in conversations and interactions with others. The ability to express oneself clearly in business writing. The ability to ensure that information is passed on to others who should be kept informed.

Technical Expertise:  The ability to demonstrate proficient knowledge and skill in basic computing, keyboarding, and internet/cloud based computing applications

Building Collaborative Relationships:  The ability to develop, maintain, and strengthen partnerships with others inside or outside of the organization who can provide information, assistance, and support.

Initiative: Identifying what needs to be done and doing it before being asked or before the situation requires it.

Fostering Innovation: The ability to develop, sponsor, or support the introduction of new and improved methods, procedures and practices.

Thoroughness: Ensuring that one's own and others' work and information are complete and accurate; carefully preparing for meetings and presentations; following up with others to ensure that agreements and commitments have been fulfilled.

Stress Management: The ability to keep functioning effectively when under pressure and maintain self-control in the face of hostility or provocation.

Personal Credibility: Demonstrated concern that one be perceived as responsible, reliable, and trustworthy.

Flexibility: Openness to different and new ways of doing things; willingness to modify one's preferred way of doing things.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience developing and implementing partnership or engagement strategies, including identifying target stakeholders, outlining outreach approaches to build new relationships, and sustaining long-term engagement
• Experience in career development, employment services, employer relations, or transferable experience in sales, recruitment, outreach, or client-facing roles
• Experience working with diverse individuals, preferably including those facing barriers to employment, and providing career coaching and job readiness support
• Proven success achieving employment or placement outcomes, including matching individuals to appropriate opportunities based on skills and goals, or transferable results-oriented experience
• Demonstrated cross-cultural competency and the ability to effectively support individuals with limited English proficiency
• Ability to contribute to coordinated service delivery by collaborating with cross-functional team members to support program participant success
• Ability to conduct research (e.g., labour market or sector trends) to identify opportunities and inform job development efforts
• Experience designing and facilitating workshops or group sessions (e.g., resume writing, interview skills, job search strategies)
• Ability to act as a liaison between employers and program participants
• Strong English language communication skills, both written and verbal
• Excellent interpersonal and presentation skills
• Ability to track, report, and manage performance metrics
• Strong prioritization, organizational, time management skills
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite
• Full BC Driver’s license and daily access to a personal vehicle is required for this position
• Equivalent combinations of education, experience, and transferable skills may be considered

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Proficiency in a language commonly spoken by the refugee claimants in our community (Spanish, Kurdish, Farsi/Dari, French, or Arabic)
• Lived-refugee experience and/or experience working with refugees OR cross-cultural experience (either lived or vocational experience).
• Post-secondary degree or diploma
• CDP or CCDP Certification is considered an asset
• Experience with Salesforce and Monday.com
• Demonstrated experience working with marginalized populations

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

All employees of Journey Home Community must:

• Pass a criminal background check for the vulnerable sector
• Agree to and sign the Journey Home Community Staff Code of Conduct
• Ability to abide by all organizational Policies and Procedures