Vocational Specialist

Join Skookum and make a difference! Skookum is:

• A national leader in the employment of individuals with disabilities and veterans.
• Comprised of a growing, dynamic team of social entrepreneurs.
• Operating self-sustaining businesses across 13 states and the District of Columbia, with over 1,300 employees.
• Dedicated to providing incredible customer experience to our federal and private-sector customers.
• Committed to providing an incredible employee support and development program tailored to the social mission.

Location: Bremerton, Washington (Hybrid schedule possible, with approximately three days in office and 2 days working remotely)

Type: Non-exempt, hourly

Compensation: $26.25 - $38.07 (Skookum's compensation strategy is to position new employees between the minimum and midpoint of this range, depending on qualifications and experience.)

Work Schedule: Full-time, Monday – Friday, 7:30 am – 4:00 pm (flexible start and end times depending on scheduling needs)

Skookum’s Bremerton, Washington Home Office supports nationwide operations through highly trained and motivated professionals in finance, human resources, vocational and workforce development, information systems, strategy, business development, communications, marketing, quality, safety, learning, and more.

As a Vocational Specialist, you'll… serve as a subject matter lead within a cross-functional team, supporting a caseload of approximately 90 employees with significant disabilities. This position works directly with employees, supervisors, site leadership, and the Regional Vice President to ensure employees with disabilities receive support and accommodations. Requires a combination of employee-focused activities and preparation and updating of necessary disability documentation, requiring professional-level writing and editing. This position will require the Vocational Specialist to interact in person, telephonically, and via email/fax with managers, supervisors, employees, candidates, medical providers, and government rehabilitation agencies.

• Promote the Skookum mission and educate supervisors, managers, and employees on disability awareness and the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for Skookum workplaces.
• Work as a member of a diverse Cross-Functional Team consisting of professionals dedicated to servicing a large and diverse number of Skookum sites.
• Develop collaborative relationships with Skookum site management and supervisors to support all Skookum employees of all abilities. This will require monthly meetings with site management and supervisors to review accommodation information for employees' Federal AbilityOne reports.
• Support the RVP, recruiters, HR Partners, and site managers in maintaining the AbilityOne disability ratio.
• Manage a caseload of approximately 90 Skookum employees with a wide variety of disabilities; ensure that these employees are being provided appropriate accommodations to allow them to perform their work successfully.
• Review and assess disability documentation for applicants and current employees to ensure they qualify under the AbilityOne program. Frequently, this will require phone calls to applicants.
• Oversee, respond, and follow up on accommodation requests and employee relations in a timely manner.
• Maintain required documentation for each employee on caseload to include: Federal AbilityOne reports, case notes, accommodation plans, and summaries.
• Administrative support duties including obtaining new disability documents and preparing for internal and external audit reviews.
• To assist applicants and employees with obtaining qualifying AbilityOne documentation, make phone calls to physicians, mental health providers, state Voc Rehab agencies, and Veterans Affairs offices.
• Edit, and proof colleague’s Federal AbilityOne reports.
• Create and correct AbilityOne reports two weeks before the federal deadline. Writing is 40% of the Vocational Specialist position, and most of it relates to the Federal AbilityOne reports.
• Assist with crisis intervention, suicide prevention, and safety planning to support employees who are struggling or in crises.
• Assist employees with paperwork, including benefits enrollment and accessing their information within the Workday system.
• Assist employees in applying for internal positions within Skookum.
• Job Coach employees who don’t have external job coaches but might need additional assistance learning their job.
• Connect employees with internal resources such as HR, Career Advisor, CES, Benefits, Security, etc.
• Perform check-ins with all employees on caseload during their first 30/60/90 days of employment and a minimum of twice annually thereafter and case note in Workday.
• Provide employees with ADA packets when accommodations require additional documentation from the provider. Upon receipt of the completed packet, assist managers and supervisors with determining if limitations can be accommodated.
• Gather, promote, and coordinate Veteran resources to support Skookum employees.
• Assist in the development and support of innovative job positions. Establish relationships with local nonprofits or government organizations to assist recruiters in finding applicants. Collaborate with Job Coaches from external agencies.
• Support and occasionally attend recruiting functions to assist the cross-functional team members in networking with local employment vendors.
• Act as an advocate and consultant when Human Resources and other related matters arise for employees.
• Maintain and promote collaboration with all employees, departments, and service providers in a team-oriented environment.
• Facilitate quarterly training and presentations to employees and/or leadership on disability-related issues, including accommodations. These trainings could be in a group setting or one-on-one.
• Meet monthly with site leadership to ensure all employee accommodations are being reviewed.
• Maintain knowledge of disability-related topics and trends such as person-centered planning, supported employment, systematic instruction, ADA, suicide prevention, mental health, mandatory reporting, and ability awareness. This would require attending training through SourceAmerica, JAN, WISE, APSE, etc. on each topic.
• Have knowledge of and follow Skookum processes for mandatory reporting, ADA, suicide safety planning, etc.
• All Other Duties as Assigned*

You'd make an excellent Vocational Specialist if you:

• Consider yourself a people person.
• Love working on collaborative teams.
• Are dedicated to internal and external customer service.
• Take pride in your work.
• Are drawn to serving others and want to challenge yourself through mission-driven work.
• Skookum is proud to offer a comprehensive compensation and benefits package to our eligible full-time employees.
• Medical, Dental, Vision, Life & Short-Term Disability Insurance
• Elective 401(k) retirement plan with a 3% employer discretionary contribution after 90-days of employment
• Flexible Spending Accounts for both medical and dependent care
• 11 paid federal holidays, accrual of 12 paid days of vacation at the start of employment, paid sick leave
• Potential shared earning bonus
• Tuition assistance is available after 1 year of employment and potential scholarships for qualified dependents
• Professional development, certifications, and training opportunities
• Verizon wireless discount
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and an engaging wellness program
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligibility for full-time employees

Summary of desired skills and experience for the Skookum Vocational Specialist 

• An Associate’s Degree is required
• Bachelor’s Degree in Social Sciences, Sociology, Psychology, Education or Kinesiology preferred
• At least a year of previous experience in a vocational setting preferred
• Combination of previous education and experience will be considered
• Previous experience working with individuals with disabilities preferred
• Proficient in American Sign Language highly preferred
• A valid state driver’s license is required with the ability to obtain and maintain coverage by Skookum’s insurance.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain applicable security clearances and installation access. A background check and E-Verify will be conducted for this position.

To Apply: Visit our website at www.skookum.org to complete an application. 

Current Employees: need to log into their Workday to apply through the Jobs Hub. Please reach out to your Recruiter if you need assistance.

Skookum is a national non-profit, government contractor that is dedicated to “Creating Opportunities for People with Disabilities” through hiring and supporting individuals with disabilities and veterans with disabilities. We take pride in our mission-focused culture, our Core Values, Diversity, Partnership, Commitment, Integrity, and Quality, and our dedication to providing a safe and respectful work environment to our employees.

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Skookum is here to help you with the recruitment process. 

If you require an accommodation or support, please contact us at

(360) 475-0756 ext. 349, or email recruiting@skookum.org.

Skookum is an Equal Opportunity Employer - Women/Minority/Veteran/Disabled - Skookum participates in E-Verify