Summary
The Employment Specialist, Employment Services, plays a key role in supporting clients throughout their employment journey. This includes career exploration, individualized coaching, and access to resources for job preparation and training. In addition to helping clients secure employment, the Employment Specialist is responsible for retention efforts, tracking clients’ progress for one year after job placement, ensuring they have the support needed to thrive in their roles, and providing additional assistance if they leave their jobs to help them return to work. This role requires meticulous data collection and management to ensure accurate reporting and tracking of client progress. As an outcome-driven position, the Employment Specialist works within the Employment Services guidelines to meet performance targets while supporting clients on their journey to sustainable employment.
Description
- Job title: Employment Specialist, Employment Services
- Department: Employment Services
- Reports to: Project Director, Employment Services or designate
About LEC
LEC (Labour Education Centre) is committed to helping workers, potential workers, and all members of our community access decent work and to moving communities towards social, economic, and environmental justice.
Our mandate is to deliver training and education programs that transform the lives of workers, potential workers, and members of historically disadvantaged groups by increasing their employability and their ability to participate as engaged citizens in their communities.
Responsibilities and Duties
Client Support and Job Preparation
- Maintain a strong focus on achieving employed outcomes and facilitating job starts for clients.
- Conduct needs assessments and develops individualized service plans to support clients’ employment and training goals.
- Conduct one-to-one client meetings in person to build rapport and improve outcomes, with a standard frequency determined by program guidelines and client needs.
- Provide tailored support to clients across Streams A, B, and C, such as counseling, career exploration, and coaching on skills such as resume writing, interview preparation, and workplace culture.
- Facilitate small group sessions as a time-efficient method to deliver employment counseling, follow ups and skill-building workshops.
- Assist clients with applications for training programs such as Better Jobs Ontario (BJO) and other employment-related supports.
- Inform clients about professional accreditation processes, language assessments, and prior learning assessments.
- Deliver group information sessions to educate diverse clients on employment and training opportunities.
Retention and Follow-Up
- Track and monitor clients’ employment status for one-year post-placement to ensure sustained success.
- Ensure the collection of all necessary documentation, including paystubs, during the monitoring phase at 1 month, 3 months, and other key intervals, to maximize Performance-Based Funding.
- Employ creative strategies to maintain client contact during the monitoring phase to reduce ‘lost contacts’ and support sustained outcomes.
- Provide ongoing support to clients in their roles, addressing social, emotional, or professional challenges they may face.
- Reach out to clients who leave their roles and deliver targeted services to help them re-enter the workforce.
- Maintain regular communication with employers to address any concerns and support retention efforts.
Employment Supports and Resource Allocation
- Identify and determine eligibility for individual employment and training supports, including wage subsidies or other funding opportunities.
- Advocate on behalf of clients with funders and other stakeholders to secure necessary resources.
Case and Data Management
- Manage a caseload of clients, ensuring timely updates to service plans and data systems.
- Maintain accurate and up-to-date records for reporting and program evaluation purposes.
- Utilize the Common Assessment tool to categorize clients into Streams A, B, or C, based on their needs and employment readiness.
Collaboration and Representation
- Act as a representative of the Employment Services program in interactions with partner organizations, unions, and community agencies.
- Collaborate with team members and other stakeholders to deliver holistic services that meet client needs.
- Ensure service delivery aligns with LEC and Service System Manager (SSM) guidelines and standards.
Organizational Responsibilities
- Ensure all service delivery adheres to guidelines and standards set by the Service System Manager (SSM) and WCG.
- Maintain flexibility and availability to support team and colleagues, especially during critical periods.
- Provide inquiry management support as required, including responding promptly to client inquiries via phone, email, website, or in-person; assessing needs; sharing program information; and efficiently referring clients to appropriate departments or services.
Perform other duties as required.
Qualifications
Education
- Equivalent combination of post-secondary education in a relevant field and/or relevant on-the-job experience.
Experience
- Minimum 3 years of employment counseling experience in an Employment Ontario program or similar multi-faceted, outcomes-based program using a continuous performance-based funding model.
- Experience working in the new Integrated Employment Services model a strong asset.
Knowledge/Skills/Abilities
- A proven ability to manage a high client case load and to improve outcomes of individuals with employment barriers through one-on-one interventions (i.e., youth, social assistance recipients, retrained workers, internationally trained professionals, etc.)
- Ability and hands-on experience in the delivery of services to individuals entering or re-entering into the labour market including, conducting individualized assessments; resume writing and interview skills; providing one-to-one support, coaching and teaching; providing referrals to external services based on needs assessments
- Apply Strengths-Based practices, Trauma-Informed Care, Motivational Interviewing, Cognitive Behavioral strategies, and Solution-Focused Brief Responses in employment counseling.
- Excellent communications skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to clearly convey information and ideas
- Proficient with various computer programs including:
- Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, SharePoint, Outlook) and virtual meeting tools (Zoom, Google Meet etc.)
- EOIS-CaMS
- Internet, social media etc.
- Goal orientated, highly organized, flexible, and adaptable with superior time management skills
- Ability to multi-task and manage a high-volume of clients with accuracy
- Knowledge of literacy issues in the context of race, class and gender analysis; awareness of social issues related to workplace, community and the labour market
- Demonstrated ability to behave ethically, ensure that confidentiality is maintained, exercise discretion and good judgement interacting with clients, other colleagues, unions, and other external organizations
- Able to work as part of a team and independently. Able to communicate clearly, listen accurately, demonstrate sensitivity to others and an openness to receiving/giving constructive feedback
- Understanding of LEC’s mission to help workers, potential workers, and all members of our community access decent work and to moving communities towards social, economic and environmental justice
- Commitment to LEC’s diversity and anti-racism goals.
Working Environment and Conditions
- This is a bargaining unit position, annual salary $69,017 and a generous benefits package as per the Collective Agreement with the Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union (COPE) Local 343
- The position is full-time
- The normal work week: 35 hours
- Ability to work evenings and weekends and travel to off-site locations as necessary
- Physical environment: Typical office and typical office equipment.
- Must be able to travel within the GTA, a current driver’s license and access to a vehicle an asset
- Provide itinerant services at partner locations as needed to ensure accessibility and outreach
- Office Location: 895 Don Mills Road, North York
- Employees may apply for Hybrid Working Arrangement (in-office and work-from-home).
Physical and Sensory Demands
- Sitting at a desk
- Standing at public events
- Repetitive and/or precise hand/finger movements
- Attention to detail
- Bending and twisting
- Lifting range of 10 lbs. / 4.5 kg
- Equipment operation: computers, office equipment (e.g., photocopier, telephony, etc.).
Application Information
- All applicants please submit cover letter and resume to: [email protected]
- Deadline for internal applications: by 4 PM March 27, 2026
- Applications requiring accommodation because of a disability or medical need are asked to make their needs known in advance
We thank all applicants for their interest, however only applications invited for an interview will be contacted.