Job Openings

Perkins School for the Blind

02/17/2022

Career Launch:

Career Launch is an innovative training and career services program helping blind and visually impaired young adults land career-track jobs. The curriculum provides the hands-on training and experience necessary to build a sustainable career in professional fields focused on customer success – as well as more than a year of support from our Career Services team to help young adults navigate to the opportunity that’s just right for them.

Essential Duties, Responsibilities and Expectations include the following:

Help build job readiness

• Contribute to the development and delivery of our training program, focusing particularly on job coaching, assessment, job readiness and job search skills

• Build skills around workplace readiness, by modeling supervisor/employee relationship, provide written and verbal feedback as necessary

Source internships and permanent job opportunities as appropriate 

• Stay current on employment trends, continuously scanning the market for customer success and other suitable roles that match participants’ skill sets and interests. 

• Create and nurture relationships with local and national employers who have relevant jobs for our participants.

• Promote our program so that our graduates are sought after by employers who care about  contributing to the success of program participants

• Recruit employers to hire our interns and participants, carefully matching opportunities based on participants’ interests and strengths against requirements

Assist in job search and placement

• Help participants develop resumes, cover letters, thank you notes, requests for accommodations, and a LinkedIn profile; lead the mock interview process; teach them how and why to network; teach them how to research job opportunities themselves

• Make introductions and connect participants and graduates with job opportunities

• Help participants recognize good fit opportunities; 

• Ensure jobs are aligned with knowledge, skills, abilities, and interests, make recommendations when they aren’t

• Coordinate with the participants’ VR Counselors or other service providers to ensure alignment

Help our participants succeed in their jobs!

• Advocate for participants before, during and after job transition

• Develop or bring an understanding of reasonable accommodations in the workplace

• Teach participants how to be proficient in self advocating

• Help employers prepare for a blind/visually impaired team member 

• Make sure the role and expectations for performance are clearly described and understood

• Conduct bi-weekly check-ins with participants, provide coaching and encouragement

• Check-in with internship and hiring company supervisors and partnership contacts to get feedback and advocate for the participant

• Visit internship and job sites to provide support, when possible, to express our commitment to a successful experience for both the company and the participant

Collaborate with the team on the overall program development

• Collaborate with the team on continuously identifying ways to improve the program design and delivery

• Track KPI’s for measuring program outcomes and recommend adjustments as necessary 

• Assess program applicants for employability; participate in admissions deliberations

• Contribute to report writing and story sharing for grants and to keep funders informed 

• Collaborate with Marketing to increase employer awareness and engagement across all channels, this includes writing blogs, materials for our website, and etc.

• Speak at national and regional conferences, state agencies meetings, and other venues, to build the program’s brand and prepare companies to employ people who are BVI

Competencies   

• Possess a broad understanding and expertise in HR practices and labor law

• Experience working with people and groups of diverse backgrounds and providing culturally competent material and services 

• A background in workforce development and an understanding of how systems work together

• Demonstrated knowledge of staffing, job matching, job placement,  job coaching, career counseling, or job training, particularly with people transitioning from education to work for the first time

• Experience working with young people and/or first time career seekers in a business context, and a passion for helping them reach their full professional potential

• Outstanding relationship building and networking skills; comfortable working with people at all levels in an organization

• Impeccable professional customer service skills with strong attention to detail and follow through

• Excellent interpersonal, oral and written communication skills

• Ability to take initiative and manage multiple tasks and projects at one time, delivering within deadlines

• Intellectual curiosity and the ability to learn quickly and collaborate easily with others and work across cross functional teams

• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, Excel, and GSuite

• Experience delivering programs in-person and online    

Education and/or Experience

Bachelor’s degree or higher, with coursework in education, business, or related fields. Experience with special needs populations preferred. At least 3 years experience working in an office or project management environment.

E_mail: karen.dagostino@perkins.org

Phone: 6172839892

Cert: Any Certification