SOPA Employment Specialist

Job Title: Employment Specialist, Settlement Online Pre-Arrival (SOPA – arriveprepared.ca)

Department: Employment Services

Reports to: Manager of Employment Services

Terms of Employment: Full-time/term (October 9, 2023 – March 31, 2024)

Closing Date: September 18, 2023 – 4:00 pm

Mission Statement

The Regina Open Door Society (RODS) is a non-profit organization that provides settlement and integration services to refugees and immigrants in Regina. RODS is committed to meeting the needs of newcomers by offering programs and services to enable them to achieve their goals and participate fully in the larger community.

Position Summary

Settlement Online Pre-Arrival (SOPA) is a national partnership of settlement agencies delivering free pre-arrival services for immigrants who have been approved to come to Canada. SOPA was created to improve linkages between pre-arrival and post-arrival services and to provide immigrants with access to professional online tools before their departure to Canada to facilitate and accelerate their economic integration.

The position’s primary responsibility is to provide career and employment counseling and to facilitate employment-related workshops aimed at assisting pre-arrival clients in their search for appropriate employment in Canada. The Employment Specialist provides assistance and information to thb seekers on all aspects of employment search, career planning, personal marketing tools, essential employment skills and Saskatchewan labour market landscape.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in, Adult Education, Social Services, Human Resources or other related fields
• Experience in employment counseling and job coaching
• Well-developed interpersonal and relationship-building skills; ability to establish rapport and excellent communication with staff, clients and employers
• Demonstrated experience and sensitivity in working with newcomers to Canada, including those with limited English language skills
• Strong technological skills (Microsoft Suite, Google Workspace, Google Classroom, SMART Boards, Databases), experience with online service delivery
• Strong time management and organizational skills; ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Proven accountability, resourcefulness, initiative, and professionalism
• Displaying in-depth knowledge of local market trends, available training, educational and employment opportunities, job competencies, employer requirements and community resources
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with competing priorities, and tight deadlines
• Certified Career Development Practitioner (CCDP) designation would be an asset.

Competencies

Quality/Compliance: achieving a standard of excellence with work processes and outcomes while honoring RODS policies and funder/regulatory requirements

Client Focus: striving for high client satisfaction, going out of your way to be helpful and pleasant, making it as easy as possible for the client

Communication: balancing listening and talking, speaking and writing clearly and accurately, influencing others, keeping others informed

Collegiality: being helpful, respectful, and approachable and team oriented, building strong working relationships and a positive work environment

Initiative: taking ownership of your work, doing what is needed without being asked, following through

Efficiency: planning ahead, managing time well, being on time, being cost conscious, thinking of better ways to do things

Coach ability: being receptive to feedback, willing to learn, embracing continuous improvement

Respect for Diversity: ability to work within a cross-cultural environment and display acceptance and respect for different cultures and backgrounds.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide individual career and employment counselling to pre-arrival clients in an online format, and facilitate group workshops tailored to clients’ needs
• Identify barriers to employment and assist clients with the career action plan development
• Assist clients with job readiness skills, job search strategies, writing résumés and preparing for job interviews, etc.
• Assess clients’ post-arrival needs and provide appropriate referrals to settlement and employment services across Saskatchewan
• Remain current on labour market trends and effective job search techniques
• Collect labour market information for clients regarding job openings, skill requirements and other occupational information
• Connect clients’ with existing employment opportunities
• Engage with local employers to create job opportunities and organize information session for arriving clients.
• Enter client data into the SOPA database, record, update and maintain clients’ progress notes and submit monthly reports to the Employment Services Manager.
• Participate in monthly national SOPA meetings
• Follow-up with clients for employment maintenance and evaluation
• Perform other position-related duties as needed.
• Salary Level/Classification

The classification for this position is Professional Category 1 at Step 1. The annual salary for this position starts at $51,822.11 ($29.53/hour). Pay periods are the end of the day on the 15th of the month and the end of each month.

Working Conditions and Application Instruction

The standard hours of work are Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM, with an hour of unpaid lunch break and EDO every second Friday. All positions at RODS require a clean criminal record check. There is a cost-shared benefits package and a 3% pension contribution available to the employee upon successful completion of a six-month probationary period.

Due to the fact that all the participants reside outside of Canada, most of the work for this position is done in an online format. Some flexibility is required to accommodate clients’ time zones. Details will be discussed during on-boarding.

We thank all candidates for their interest; however, only those selected for interviews will be contacted. Please be able to provide three work-related references at the time of your interview.