Employer Relations Specialist / Job Developer

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 available to our employees include:

• Competitive compensation
• Employee wellness initiatives
• Paid days off for religious observance purposes
• Paid days off for personal wellness 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 our Empowering Abilities Program – York office. In this position, you will be an essential member of the team responsible for establishing relationships with employers to find appropriate job placement opportunities for program participants who have self-disclosed disabilities, coaching participants and employers to ensure job retention is achieved, and performing other important duties. You will be responsible for achieving individual targets assigned to you that contribute to the team’s collective ability to meet all contractual obligations with the program’s government funder.

Position Type:

Full-time (37.5 hours per week), contract until March 27, 2026, with excellent potential to lead to permanent.

Base Location and Travel Requirements:

This opportunity is based at The Career Foundation’s York office, located near Weston Rd. and Lawrence Ave. W., and requires frequent local travel to employer locations, partner sites, and other stakeholder locations to fulfill the core requirements of the role. The successful candidate should possess a valid Ontario G driver’s licence and a reliable vehicle to perform essential duties that require frequent local travel, including to locations not accessible by transit. This position
also permits periodic work-from-home days on a rotational basis, contingent on program needs, operational requirements, and performance. The hybrid schedule
requires a private work-from-home space with reliable, high-speed internet. A company laptop, cell phone, and other equipment will be provided.

Vulnerable Sector Check:

An offer of employment for this opportunity will be contingent on the incumbent providing an acceptable Vulnerable Sector Check (VSC)

Start date:

As soon as possible

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 program participants
• Regularly monitors personal performance against program targets to ensure the achievement of expected results.
• Delivers enhanced employer services to a minimum of two 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 employers 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 in 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.
• Performs other relevant duties as assigned.

Participant Outreach and Recruitment

• Attends networking events and hiring fairs to connect with new employers and 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 time requirements.
• Performs other relevant duties as assigned.

Qualifications/ Skills Required:

• Post-secondary degree or diploma in marketing, business, human/social services, or another field relevant to the scope of the position is highly preferred, or an equivalent combination of education and experience is required.
• 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.
• Valid Ontario G driver’s licence and reliable vehicle to conduct essential work-related travel within the GTHA to meet the core deliverables of the position.
• Prior experience serving persons with disabilities, utilizing the Disability Severity Assessment tool, and/or experience with government-funded employment programs are 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 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.
• Exceptional relationship-building skills with a proven ability to develop rapport with people from all stakeholder groups.
• Proven track record in a results-driven environment with experience meeting assigned targets.
• Professional and courteous approach to client service, with a high level of respect for the diversity of the people served.
• High emotional intelligence, demonstrating patience, empathy, and connectivity when working with participants of various experiences, needs, and abilities.
• 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.
• High ethics and confidentiality standards, with proven experience maintaining sensitive information and exhibiting tact, diplomacy, and good judgment.
• Excellent time management and organizational skills, with the ability to multi-task to meet deadlines and achieve targets and objectives.
• 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.
• Dedicated work ethic with demonstrated ability to remain flexible and resilient, adapting quickly to changing priorities while maintaining trust and positive working relationships.

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.