Information About Us:AbilityFirst provides a variety of programs designed to help people with disabilities achieve their personal best throughout their lives.
We do this by: creating targeted programming to help an individual successfully transition from childhood to adult life.Our Mission:Looking beyond disabilities.
Focusing on capabilities.
Expanding possibilities.Description of Role:The Community Navigator coordinates with individuals, his or her parents, care providers, service coordinators and other professionals to determine most appropriate program and resolve related problems.
Works with individuals with developmental and/or physical disabilities to identify Person-Centered goals and objectives.
The Community Navigator is also responsible for developing and implementing an effective community-based program designed to experience activities that are important to the individual.Primary Duties:Participates in the development of the client’s individual employment plan; identifies client needs and abilities for employment in community employment.Matches clients qualifications to employer needs.Provides job seeking support and coaching.Spends 90-95% of time in field working with clients.Promotes AbilityFirst to the business community in order to develop jobs for clients:Participates networking opportunities to promote the needs of clients for jobs.Develops relationships with community businesses to establish their needs for employees to determine where AbilityFirst clients might be employed.Conducts surveys of the community labor market to identify market trends and prospective job openings.Develops and maintains all necessary documents for client intake files; ensures accuracy and compliance with AbilityFirst policies and procedures, state licensing and other requirements; enters information in case records, gathers data and prepares a variety of reports on employment activity for management use and decision-making.Maintains effective communication with clients and employers to ensure smooth transition for the client into a job; follows up with the employer periodically to ensure clients are working out as planned, resolve problems and promote further opportunities for clients.Provides transportation and/or provides mobility training to clients.Facilitates communication between employer and American Sign Language using clients.Develops and maintains skills in the job development field through seminars, workshops or other forms of training/education.Required Skills:To perform effectively in this position, the Job Developer is required to have:A working knowledge of developing jobs and vocational habilitation methods for adults with developmental and/or physical disabilitiesSkills and experience in developing individual employment plans for developmentally and physically disabled adultsDemonstrated marketing/sales skillsDemonstrated leadership skillsDemonstrated conflict resolution/problem-solving skillsPersonal computer skills including database/record-keeping and word processingVery effective oral and written communications skillsAbility to work independently and make mature business decisionsCurrent California drivers’ license and a driving record acceptable to the Agency’s insurance carrierWork schedule:Full-TimeBenefits:Medical through KaiserDentalVisionPaid Time Off10 Paid HolidaysEmployee Discount ProgramReimbursement for mileage/cellphone (eligible positions)