Customized Employment Specialist

Customized Employment Specialist

Surrey, BC | WorkBC Centre Cloverdale (MOSAIC)

Open Door Group (ODG), a non-profit organization serving communities across British Columbia and Alberta, is looking for a Customized Employment Specialist to join our team!

This is an opportunity to support people who may face significant barriers to employment by helping them discover their strengths, explore meaningful work opportunities and build connections with employers in their community.

If you enjoy working directly with people, building relationships with employers and finding creative ways to make employment more accessible, we'd love to hear from you.

Wage: $33.49 to $35.31 per hour (Grid 34, Health Sciences Association Community Bargaining Agreement)

Status: Full-Time, Permanent

Schedule: 36 hours per week

Location: Based at our partner MOSAIC's WorkBC Centre Cloverdale in Surrey, BC. Community-based work with clients, employers and community partners is also an important part of the role.

Your Role

As a Customized Employment Specialist with Open Door Group, you'll provide Customized Employment services to clients through our partnership with MOSAIC, based at their WorkBC Centre Cloverdale location.

The Customized Employment Specialist supports individuals who may not be well served by traditional employment approaches to discover, access and maintain meaningful employment that fits their strengths, interests, abilities and individual circumstances.

This isn't a traditional, desk-based employment counselling role. Much of your work will happen in the community. You'll spend time getting to know job seekers through conversation, activities and observation; exploring employment possibilities alongside them; building relationships with employers; visiting workplaces; and providing hands-on support before and after someone starts a job.

Customized Employment is an individualized and flexible approach that personalizes the relationship between job seekers and employers to benefit both parties. Through the Discovery process, you'll work with clients to understand their strengths, interests, abilities, employment needs and ideal conditions for success. This can include interviewing and observing clients and gathering information from families, care providers and other members of their support network.

Using what you learn through Discovery, you'll explore possibilities in the community and build relationships with employers. Rather than simply matching someone to an existing job posting, you'll learn about workplaces, understand employers' needs and identify opportunities to carve or create positions that work for both the job seeker and employer. Depending on the individual's needs, you may also explore supported employment or self-employment opportunities.

Your day may include meeting a client in the community as part of the Discovery process, visiting a workplace to learn more about an employer's needs, connecting with community partners, reaching out to a new employer, negotiating a customized employment opportunity, providing job coaching at a worksite, helping someone develop skills for greater independence and employment success, or documenting client progress and managing your caseload.

This role is a great fit for someone who is curious, creative and relationship-oriented, enjoys being out in the community, and can see possibilities where others might not. You'll need to be equally comfortable building trusting relationships with clients and approaching employers and community partners to develop opportunities and supports.

You'll work with individuals who may experience complex personal or systemic barriers to employment, including disabilities, mental health challenges, substance use, health concerns or unstable housing. Success in this role requires empathy, flexibility, strong professional boundaries and a respectful, non-judgmental approach.

Please see the full job description for a detailed description of the responsibilities included in this position. Full posting and job description are available here: Careers at Open Door Group.

Why Open Door Group?

Champion of Great Workplaces

ODG proudly holds the title of one of Canada's Certified Great Places to Work, fostering a culture of compassion and authenticity. Join a team that values your unique contribution and believes in the potential of every individual.

Competitive Compensation and Benefits

As a Certified Living Wage Employer, ODG is committed to offering more than just a job.

Enjoy a comprehensive 100% employer-paid benefits package and enrollment in the Municipal Pension Plan. Your well-being matters, and we provide an Employee and Family Assistance Program to support you. Invest in your future with our professional development fund. Pursue courses, workshops, or certifications to enhance your skills and advance your career.

Community Impact

Be part of an organization that goes beyond conventional approaches to employment. You'll work alongside people to discover their strengths and create meaningful employment opportunities that might otherwise be overlooked. Your work will contribute directly to greater inclusion, belonging and economic participation in the community.

What You Bring

If you meet most of the qualifications and are passionate about supporting people in their employment journey, we encourage you to apply. Your experience may come from customized or supported employment, community support, outreach, job coaching, disability services, employment services or another related field. We recognize that career paths are not always linear and welcome equivalent combinations of education and experience.

• Diploma in Social Sciences, Community Support, Human Services or another relevant discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Two (2) years of recent, related experience in customized or supported employment, community support, outreach, job coaching, disability services or another related field. Experience with Discovery assessments and customized employment is an asset.

• Experience supporting individuals with complex needs, which may include developmental disabilities, autism, FASD, mental health challenges, substance use, health concerns, unstable housing or other personal or systemic barriers.

• Experience building trusting relationships with clients and providing individualized, strengths-based support.

• Experience maintaining accurate client documentation, case notes or service records and using digital systems to organize and manage work.

• Comfort working independently in community settings and travelling between client meeting locations, employer worksites and the WorkBC Centre.

• A valid BC driver's licence and reliable access to a personal vehicle or car-share service for work-related travel.

• Must pass a criminal background check.

What Will Help You Succeed

• You're curious about people and take the time to understand their strengths, interests, abilities, experiences and ideal conditions for employment.

• You can think creatively about employment possibilities and identify opportunities beyond traditional job-search approaches.

• You're comfortable building relationships with employers, learning about their workplaces and identifying needs that could lead to customized or supported employment opportunities.

• You can provide individualized employment coaching and workplace support that helps people develop skills, independence and sustainable employment.

• You understand employment barriers, workplace accommodations, community resources and wrap-around supports.

• You communicate effectively and can build respectful relationships with clients, employers, community service providers and other stakeholders.

• You listen carefully, ask thoughtful questions and recognize strengths and possibilities that may not be immediately obvious.

• You can maintain professional boundaries, navigate challenging situations and remain composed under pressure.

• You're organized and able to balance direct client support, employer engagement, community-based work, documentation and other administrative responsibilities.

• You're comfortable using digital case-management systems and workplace technology and can maintain comprehensive, accurate and timely records.

• You can work independently while also contributing effectively as part of a team.

• You take initiative, adapt to change and creatively solve problems as circumstances evolve.

Nice to Have

These qualifications are considered assets, but don't let their absence stop you from applying:

• Non-Violent Crisis Intervention Training. This can also be acquired after hire.

• Mental Health First Aid Training. This can also be acquired after hire.

• Motivational Interviewing Training and Certification.

• Trauma-Informed Practice Training and Certification.

• CCDP Certification.

Open Door Group values diversity and is committed to providing an inclusive work environment. We are looking for qualified individuals who represent, at all job levels, the diversity of the people we serve and encourage applications from Indigenous peoples, individuals of all genders and sexual orientations, origins and ethnic affiliations, disabilities, ages and religions.

We strive to ensure an accessible experience for candidates. If you require an alternative method to submit your application, please contact us toll-free at 1-866-377-3670 and ask to speak with an HR representative, or email us at [email protected].

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Thank you for your interest in joining the Open Door Group team!