Job Description:

Job Title: Employment Specialist

Location: Kansas City, Missouri

Department: Supported Living & Employment Services

Employment Type: Full-time

Shift: Monday-Friday (8:00am – 5:00pm CST)

Job Summary:

Are you looking to make a positive impact in the lives of others? Do you want to work in a supportive and dynamic environment where you can grow your skills and advance your career? Join our team as an Employment Specialist in the Kansas City, Missouri area!

Ignite your career aspirations and realize your full potential with our Employment Specialists — a dedicated team of experienced professionals committed to opening doors, expanding horizons, and accelerating your climb upwards on the ladder of success. Armed with insider knowledge, expansive networks, and an arsenal of proven techniques, our Employment Specialists serve as your trusted advisors, champions, and confidants throughout each stage of your professional journey.

Kansas City offers a high quality of life, affordable housing, excellent schools, and endless opportunities for entertainment, culture, and outdoor activities. Join us in making a difference in the lives of children and advancing your career!

Position Perks & Benefits:

• Employee benefits package - health, dental, vision, retirement, life, & more**

• Paid time off - 29 days per year including vacation & holiday pay

• Mileage reimbursement - company paid for work functions requiring travel

• NHSC approved - eligible site for tax-free student loan assistance

• Top-notch training - initial, ongoing, comprehensive, and supportive

• Career mobility - advancement opportunities/promoting from within

• Welcoming, warm, supportive - a work culture & environment that promotes your well-being, values you as human being, and encourages your health and happiness

Key Responsibilities:

• Needs Assessment : Conduct thorough assessments to gauge clients' vocational abilities, limitations, interests, and aspirations, subsequently mapping out tailored career paths aligning with their strengths, weaknesses, and objectives.

• Labor Market Research : Scour job boards, classified ads, company websites, trade publications, industry reports, and economic forecasts to uncover promising leads, emerging trends, and shifting demands within the workforce.

• Job Development : Proactively generate employment opportunities by cold-calling businesses, attending networking events, distributing flyers, posting advertisements, and soliciting referrals from satisfied customers.

• Application Assistance : Support clients in completing paperwork, composing CVs, drafting cover letters, filling out forms, preparing résumés, updating LinkedIn profiles, and recording reference lists.

• Interview Coaching : Stage mock trials simulating real-world scenarios, refining answers to frequently asked questions, analyzing body language, practicing small talk, and eliminating nervous habits obstructing optimal performance.

• Follow-Up Protocols : Escort clients to interviews, debrief afterwards, supply thank-you cards, send follow-up emails, request feedback, and maintain open channels of communication until final decisions materialize.

• Placement Services : Mediate introductions, negotiate salary negotiations, coordinate orientation sessions, outline expectations, define job descriptions, allocate resources, assign mentors, and establish probation periods easing transitions.

• Accommodation Advocacy : Petition employers for reasonable accommodations absolving clients from performing tasks exceeding their functional limitations, thus averting undue burden, discrimination, and litigation risks.

• Longitudinal Support : Monitor clients' progression, troubleshoot difficulties, reinforce soft skills, celebrate milestones, and maintain constant vigilance over deteriorating circumstances warranting swift intervention.

Education and/or Experience Qualifications:

• A high school diploma or equivalent certificate is required;

• An associates or bachelor's degree in an applicable field from an accredited institution is preferred.

• At least one year of experience providing employment services.

Additional Qualifications:

• A valid driver's license and a reliable vehicle.

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.

• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

• Flexibility and adaptability in a fast-paced environment.

• Compassion, empathy, and a genuine desire to help others.

Brightli is on a Mission:

A mission to improve client care, reduce the financial burden of community mental health centers by sharing resources, a mission to have a larger voice in advocacy to increase access to mental health and substance use care in our communities, and a mission to evolve the behavioral health industry to better meet the needs of our clients.

As a behavioral and community mental health provider, we value diversity, equity, and inclusion in our workforce and encourage applications from individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences. If you are passionate about empowering your local communities and promoting health equity, we invite you to join our mission-driven organization that is committed to building a diverse, equitable, inclusive and authentic workplace.

We are an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer, and encourage applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, marital status, disability or veteran status, or to other non-work related factors.

Supported Living and Employment Services is a Smoke and Tobacco Free Workplace.

About Brightli

Brightli is on a mission: A mission to improve client care, reduce the financial burden of community mental health centers by sharing resources, a mission to have a larger voice in advocacy to increase access to mental health and substance use care in our communities, and a mission to evolve the behavioral health industry to better meet the needs of our clients. We are doing this by forming a new behavioral health organization under new model. Under one parent company, multiple organizations are able to collaborate, share resources and system supports, increase recruiting and retention efforts, increase access to specialized care, and meet the growing demand for behavioral and addiction recovery care.

Brightli’s top-line subsidiaries include Burrell Behavioral Health (Burrell), Preferred Family Healthcare (PFH), and Southeast Missouri Behavioral Health (SEMO). While these organizations operate independently and are governed by separate board of directors, their operations and services benefit from this model. Alone, organizations may be able to navigate the current tumultuous healthcare environment, but we believe that together we can do so much more than survive. Our communities need us now more than ever, and by working together we are ready to answer their call for years to come.

Brightli Snapshot

• 200 locations

• 4 states

• 19 subsidiaries and/or affiliates

• 5k+ employees