Employer Services and Retention Specialist

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:

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, arranging employment placements, providing job retention support and much more. Our Employment Centres also offer a range of services to employers, including recruitment support, candidate screening, job matching, hiring fairs, workplace orientation, retention advice, and other services.

As an Employer Services and Retention Specialist, you would be an essential member of our team, establishing and maintaining relationships with employers across multiple sectors. You would assess their workforce development needs, provide job coaching to our job seeker clients, and match them to employment opportunities that you develop through direct connections and the effective relationships you build with employers. You would also support employers in implementing training and onboarding plans, arrange workplace accommodations when required, and offer on-the-job coaching to the job seekers you place in those roles, helping ensure they retain their employment. You will have placement targets to meet, contributing to the team’s overall goals of achieving successful outcomes for our clients

Position Type, Base Location, and Travel Requirements:

Scarborough (Kingston Rd. & Midland Ave.)

• Full-time (37.5 hours per week) one-year contract with excellent potential to lead to permanent employment.
• This opportunity is based at The Career Foundation’s Scarborough Employment Centre, located at Kingston Rd. & Midland Ave. The position also requires frequent local travel to other offices, partner locations, employer 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 involve frequent local travel, including to locations not accessible by transit.
• This position also currently operates under a hybrid schedule, allowing for one work-from-home day per week. The hybrid schedule is based on performance and operational needs and 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 a Vulnerable Sector Check (VSC).

Reporting to:

• Area Manager, Employment and Placement Services

Responsibilities include:

Employer Outreach, Relationship Building, and Workforce Development

• Contacts employers to promote The Career Foundation’s relevant employer service offerings and develops new relationships with employers each week in a variety of industries.
• Consistently monitors and tracks own success rates to achieve individual targets that contribute to the team’s achievement of its overall objectives.
• Supports employers in identifying their workforce development needs and provides them with solutions to address those needs.
• Works with employers to fill their job vacancies by facilitating recruitment initiatives, including preparing and disseminating job postings, screening, coaching, and preparing candidates to be presented to employers.
• Plans, organizes, and hosts hiring events to facilitate connections between candidates and employers.
• Arranges employer guest speakers to educate job-seeker clients on employment opportunities, workplace expectations, and other information to support them in achieving successful outcomes.
• Provides advice and training to employers on hiring and retaining candidates from various inclusion groups, ensuring their long-term integration into the workforce.
• Maintains accurate and up-to-date documentation on all job development activities performed, including client interviews arranged, recruitment status of employer vacancies, and other job development activities
• Works in collaboration with fellow team members to plan, execute, and continuously monitor effective outreach plans to recruit new clients and maintain up-to-date records of outreach efforts conducted.
• Plans and participates in community events, job fairs, and related activities to promote The Career Foundation’s services and achieve effective networking opportunities.
• Maintains all appropriate service standards for serving job seekers and employers.
• Performs other relevant duties as assigned.

Job Seeker Support

• Maintains up-to-date knowledge of clients’ job search goals, continuously developing job opportunities that meet clients’ skills, interests, and needs on the caseload.
• Meets with clients to understand their abilities and accommodations required to ensure client-centred job matching and job carving.
• Provides coaching and support to help job seeker clients overcome barriers to employment.
• Supports job retention goals by monitoring clients’ employment progress and providing post-employment advice and support as needed.
• Follows up with each placed client regularly for up to 12 months, ensuring documented evidence such as paystubs is on file demonstrating their continued employment.
• Delivers workshops or group orientation on employer or industry needs and prepares clients for hiring events with employers.
• Arranges networking and industry guest speaking sessions where clients can learn more about different industries.
• Guides job development activities for job seekers and employers to promote long-term job retention.
• Utilizes systems and technologies provided by The Career Foundation to further support clients with achieving successful outcomes.
• Performs other relevant duties as assigned.

Job Development, Placement, and Retention

• Places job seeker clients into employment by matching them into advertised and non-advertised job opportunities, including employment opportunities developed through establishing effective relationships with employer partners.
• Conducts on-site visits at new employer partner facilities to ensure that employers provide suitable and safe workplace environments.
• Negotiates and administers placement, incentive, and other agreements with employers, including wage subsidies.
• Ensures quality of placements by appropriately matching candidates’ skills with job requirements.
• Supports employers with developing training plans based on candidates’ learning and accommodation needs.
• Conducts job carving with employers and job seekers that presents the various benefits to employers while adjusting tasks to meet candidates’ accommodation needs.
• Provides on-the-job coaching and training when necessary to help clients understand their roles and support onboarding support in the workplace.
• Arranges new employment placements for clients who were not able to retain their initial employment.
• Serves as a resource to employed clients and employer partners to mediate issues if they arise and provides other supports that lead to job retention.
• Provides job seekers with information about expectations in the workplace and other topics that help strengthen their potential to find and retain employment.
• Performs other relevant duties as assigned.

Qualifications/ Skills Required:

• Post-secondary degree or diploma in human services, marketing, business, or a related field 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 of direct experience in job development, job carving, on-the-job coaching, recruitment, business development, or other experience directly transferrable to the responsibilities of the position is required.
• Previous experience with community outreach, developing relationships with employers, familiarity with Employment Ontario programming, and working with clients from various social, cultural, and economic backgrounds are considered strong assets.
• Demonstrated track record in a results-driven environment with solid experience meeting targets.
• Valid Ontario G driver’s licence and reliable vehicle to conduct essential and frequent work-related travel within the communities served.
• Candidates who possess an existing network of employers that could be relied upon to provide employment opportunities for job seeker clients will be prioritized.
• High emotional intelligence, demonstrating patience, empathy, and connectivity when working with clients of various experiences, needs, and abilities.
• Knowledge of current labour market trends, job search techniques, and employment research methods is considered an asset.
• Excellent verbal and written English communication skills. Bilingualism in a second language considered an asset.
• 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 the ability to uphold the organization’s service standards, policies, and core values.
• Ability to maintain sensitive information and exhibit tact, diplomacy, and good judgment, with high standards of ethics and confidentiality.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) and Outlook 365 applications, including Teams and SharePoint.
• Must possess the aptitude and willingness to learn and work with new online systems and technologies
• Flexibility to occasionally work outside regular business hours when required to ensure the team meets all objectives.
• Positive attitude with a dedicated work ethic and client-centered approach to work.

How to Apply:

Please visit the ‘Join Our Team’ page on our website at https://careerfoundation.com/join-our-team and select the position for which you would like to submit your application. You may complete the application form directly through our website. Qualified candidates will be contacted for an interview. No phone calls, please. Thank you for your interest in The Career Foundation.

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.