Contracts Support Specialist

🌟 Join Us as a Contract’s Support Specialist at Assets, Inc.! 🌟 Are you ready to make a real difference? Do you have a heart for helping individuals with developmental disabilities and mental illness succeed in their careers? If so, Assets, Inc. is looking for a dedicated Contract’s Support Specialist (CSS) to join our Employment Services Department!. PT 20-29 hrs/wk; $20.76/hr depending on experience, education, and certifications. Schedule may vary but this position does offer flexiblity! Must be available nights/weekends 

Why You’ll Love This Role:

• Empowerment & Support: Lead efforts in developing and maintaining quality systems to improve support services for individuals employed by the Contracts Department.

• Advocacy & Mentorship: Teach, mentor, and advocate for individuals, providing personalized support and job coaching.

• Team Collaboration: Work closely with a passionate team, contributing to individual treatment plans, facilitating team meetings, and evaluating service effectiveness.

• Dynamic Work Environment: Handle exciting challenges, including de-escalating situations and problem-solving with your team.

Your Impact:

• Quality Oversight: Ensure compliance of client services and budgets, and provide quality control for support services.

• Direct Support: Provide individual support, job coaching, and model work skills (stocking, janitorial, dishwashing) as needed.

• Training & Development: Train, coach, and mentor site personnel in various support tasks, motivating them to provide the best practices in supported employment.

• Professional Growth: Participate in ongoing professional development and company-wide meetings.

What We’re Looking For:

• Education & Experience: High School Diploma or GED required. Associate degree (A.A.) or 2 years college coursework in human services or related field; and 2 years experience providing direct services and case management to people with developmental disabilities and/or mental illnesses, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Skills & Abilities: Excellent communication, problem-solving, and organizational skills. Ability to teach, mentor, and work collaboratively with a team.

• Certifications: Valid Alaska Driver’s License, insured vehicle, and ability to pass a criminal background check. Must obtain a National Certificate in Employment Services within 6 months of employment.

Ready to Make a Difference? If you’re passionate about empowering individuals and creating a supportive work environment, apply today! Together, we can make a meaningful impact on the lives of those we serve. 🌟

Full Job Description

Summary

In accordance with Assets, Inc. core values and mission, the Contract’s Support Specialist (CSS), as a member of the Employment Services Department, leads efforts in developing and maintaining quality systems that result in improved support services provided to individuals experiencing disabilities employed by the Contracts Department. This position provides service coordination and  management, direct/indirect support, ensures compliance of client services and budgets, teaches and mentors site personnel on a variety of employment support services techniques/methods, advocates for served individuals, and provides individually determined support services/job coaching.

This position may require de-escalating verbally or physically aggressive individuals according to identified procedures and individual client protocols.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

1. Adheres to and demonstrates Assets, Inc. core values, mission, policies, and compliance plan in the performance of all aspects of this position.
2. As part of a team, the CSS provides service management and service coordination for persons supported by the team. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Effectively supporting individuals in achieving their treatment plan objectives.
• Participating in problem solving, team development and professional growth.
• Providing input and contributing to the formulation and development of individual treatment plans and their review.
• Coordinating off-site activities necessary for job retention, including ancillary services and transportation.
• Effectively advocating for individuals served.
• Facilitating issue oriented treatment team meetings.
• Evaluating plan implementation and effectiveness of services. Recommends service adjustments through the plan review process.

1. Provides quality control oversight and coordinates support services for individuals employed in the Contracts Department according to company/departmental guidelines and standards. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Assists in establishing/revising and maintaining quality standards of support services.
• Regularly visits contract sites to observe served individuals and measure their performance/progress; as well as to observe the support services delivered by staff.
• Evaluates site efficiency of client worker teaching strategies and recommends adjustments to site support personnel.
• Helps the served individual and the site personnel with issues of job performance.
• Trouble shoots and brainstorms through effective communication to solve team/site and client problems as they arise.

1. Provides training, coaching and mentoring to site personnel in a variety of support related tasks including note writing, tasks analysis and training techniques. Motivates staff to provide best practices in supported employment. Maintains awareness of established supported employment goals.
2. Develops and implements Individual Support Plans (ISP) for individuals receiving on-going, long term support, including:

• Conducting functional assessment. Quantifying assessment information needed for identifying goals or support areas.
• Coordinating treatment planning and the review process as part of the support team.
• Writing plans and developing data collection systems, ensure plans are submitted in accordance with the plan dates (reviews/annually).
• Quantifying raw data and determining appropriate adjustments to support plans and/or data collection systems.
• Evaluating plan implementation and effectiveness of services. Recommends service adjustments through the plan review process.

1. Regularly provides direct individual supports, training and job coaching to supported clients as requested. Performs and models direct work skills (stocking, janitorial, dishwashing) as necessary or as requested by the Employment Services Manager.
2. Maintains effective interactions with Job Developer, Team Coordinators, and Clinicians.
3. Completes and submits required documents/forms in a timely manner and according to company/departmental procedures. This includes, but is not limited to: Treatment Plans and Reviews, Time Sheets, Change of Status forms, Incident Reports, Service Notes, attendance, tracking, DVR reports, and other reports as required.
4. Develops and maintains professional internal and external relationships, including:

• Effective interactions and communications with persons receiving support, their families and their support team members (Project Managers, site personnel, Case Managers, Team Coordinators, etc.).
• Interactions with interagency personnel and co-workers.
• Effectively communicating with all team members and participating in regularly scheduled team meetings and support team meetings.

1. Uses crisis prevention, intervention and de-escalation techniques according to identified procedures and individual client/site protocols.
2. Actively participates in regularly scheduled site meetings and support team meetings. Attends departmental/company wide meetings as requested.
3. Completes required training and participates in on-going professional training.
4. Must be willing to work a flexible shift to include weekends and evenings.
5. Performs other tasks as assigned by supervisory personnel.

Minimum Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.  The requirements listed below are representatives of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and/or Experience:

• High School Diploma or GED required.
• Associate degree (A.A.) or 2 years college course work in human services or related field; and
• Two (2) years experience providing direct services and case management to people with developmental disabilities and/or mental illnesses;
• OR equivalent combination of education and experience required.
• Previous supervisory experience and/or training strongly preferred.

Other Skills and Abilities

Language Skills:  Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals.  Ability to write professional documents and correspondence.  Ability to speak effectively with groups, customers and business peers. 

Mathematical Skills:   Ability to add, subtract, multiply and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.  Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar and pie graphs.

Reasoning Ability:  Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables.  Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations:  Must have an insured vehicle and current Alaska Driver’s License.  Must be able to pass a criminal background check under state regulations. Must provide copy of driving record, proof of insurance and proof of educational credentials (if applicable) at time of hire.

Desired Skills and Abilities

1. Competent use of e-mail, MS Word, MS Excel, MS Access, and e-file management.
2. Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
3. Previous experience providing direct care and/or case management in an employment setting preferred.
4. Able to effectively teach/train and mentor others. Able to give clear directions and guidelines to team members.
5. Able to multi-task in a fast paced environment.
6. Ability to work professionally and collaboratively with a team to provide quality service to individuals experiencing developmental or mental illnesses.
7. Must demonstrate an understanding of boundaries and is able to establish and maintain therapeutic relationship boundaries with the served individual
8. General knowledge of mental illnesses and/or developmental disabilities.
9. Ability to effectively advocate for individuals served by Assets.
10. Ability to resolve conflicts and be open to supervision and feedback from others with resultant behavioral changes.

Physical Demands

 The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand, walk, and sit.  Occasionally required to climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.  The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 25 pounds and occasionally up to 50 pounds.  This position must be able to de-escalate verbally or physically aggressive individuals according to identified procedures and individual client protocols. 

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee could be exposed to moving mechanical parts and occasionally exposed to outside weather conditions.  The employee may be exposed to toxic or caustic chemicals, fumes, and airborne particles.  The noise level at some sites could be moderate to high, contingent upon the specific business.  May be exposed to physical and verbal altercations with individuals served. 

Assets, Inc. is an equal opportunity affirmative action employer and administers all personnel practices without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, protected veteran status, genetics, or any other category protected under applicable law.

Salary : $21