Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Vocational Placement Consultant

🎯 Role Definition

The Vocational Placement Consultant is a specialist focused on helping job seekers — including people with disabilities, young people transitioning from education, and unemployed adults — move into sustainable employment. The role combines vocational assessment, individualized employment planning, employer engagement, job matching, on-the-job coaching and follow-up to ensure long-term job retention. Success depends on strong case management, labor market knowledge, stakeholder relationship-building and outcomes-driven placement activity.

Key SEO keywords: vocational placement consultant, job placement, vocational assessment, supported employment, employer engagement, job development, career transition, job coaching, disability employment services, labor market analysis.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Employment Support Worker / Employment Coordinator
Job Developer or Case Manager in community services
Vocational Rehabilitation Assistant

Advancement To:

Senior Vocational Consultant / Team Lead
Employment Services Manager / Program Manager
Disability Employment Services Director / Contract Manager

Lateral Moves:

Career Development Specialist
Employer Engagement / Business Development Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Conduct comprehensive vocational assessments for clients, including strengths profiling, transferable skills analysis, functional capacity evaluations and barrier identification to create individualized employment plans (IEPs) tailored to client goals and employer needs.
Develop measurable employment goals and step-by-step action plans with clients, setting realistic timeframes, milestones and supports to achieve job search, placement and retention outcomes.
Identify, cultivate and maintain productive relationships with local employers across industries to generate quality job opportunities and create pathways for clients into competitive employment.
Perform targeted job development and job brokering by marketing clients’ skills to employers, arranging interviews, negotiating job responsibilities and facilitating reasonable workplace adjustments and accommodations.
Provide pre-employment training and work-readiness coaching covering resume and cover letter development, interview preparation, workplace etiquette, punctuality and soft skills to prepare clients for successful job entry.
Deliver on-the-job support and job coaching (short- and medium-term) to clients and employers, including initial induction assistance, task breakdowns, skill transfer strategies and troubleshooting to maximize retention.
Complete employment documentation and case notes in compliance with funder, organizational and legislative reporting requirements; maintain accurate placement tracking, outcome reporting and confidentiality of client records.
Liaise with multidisciplinary teams (therapists, social workers, educators, probation officers) to coordinate supports, share progress and ensure integrated service delivery for clients with complex needs.
Conduct workplace assessments and vocational profiling at employer sites to assess job demands, identify reasonable adjustments and recommend assistive technology or job redesign where required.
Use labor market information and local industry intelligence to identify in-demand occupations, training gaps and apprenticeship or traineeship opportunities for clients.
Source and coordinate short-term training, vocational courses, certificates and on-site upskilling opportunities with training providers to improve client employability and meet employer skill requirements.
Negotiate and design employer incentive agreements, wage subsidies, work trials, supported internships and placement contracts in line with program guidelines and funding rules.
Monitor client progress post-placement through scheduled follow-ups, retention checks and performance reviews; provide re-engagement strategies when issues arise to maintain long-term employment stability.
Prepare and submit high-quality reports, funding claims and outcome documentation for internal stakeholders and external funders according to contract KPIs and compliance cycles.
Facilitate group workshops and employer information sessions on hiring practices, disability confidence, workplace inclusion and cultural competency to increase employer readiness to hire diverse talent.
Manage caseloads effectively using CRM and case management software, prioritizing high-impact activities, tracking time-to-placement metrics and optimizing caseload outcomes.
Advocate on behalf of clients to remove systemic barriers to employment, including advocating for reasonable adjustments, negotiating flexible work arrangements and supporting access to transport and childcare solutions.
Develop and maintain an employer vacancy bank and candidate pool, proactively matching clients to live vacancies and creating speculative opportunities through cold-calling and networking.
Conduct outcomes analysis and continuous improvement activities by reviewing placement success rates, retention data and client feedback to refine programs and increase placement quality.
Ensure compliance with safeguarding, privacy and workplace health and safety obligations when arranging placements, monitoring workplaces and supporting vulnerable clients.
Train and mentor junior staff and volunteers in job development techniques, case note standards, interview coaching, and employer engagement best practices to scale program capacity.
Collaborate in grant writing, program design and business development efforts to expand placement services, articulate evidence of impact and secure new employer or funder partnerships.

Secondary Functions

Maintain and update digital records and CRM data to support reporting, forecasting and program evaluation.
Contribute to the development of program materials, templates, intake forms and placement toolkits to standardize best practices across the team.
Assist with ad-hoc research projects, pilot programs and service design initiatives to test new models of employment support.
Deliver community outreach and referral management activities, attending community events, school transition fairs and partner meetings to build referral pathways.
Support the measurement and reporting of social impact metrics and quality assurance processes for accreditation and compliance reviews.
Participate in team meetings, case reviews and professional development sessions to share learnings and ensure consistent service delivery.
Escalate and resolve employer or placement disputes in collaboration with legal or HR advisors where necessary, ensuring client and employer interests are balanced.
Represent the organization at stakeholder forums, sector networks and employer roundtables to promote inclusive hiring and best practice vocational services.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Vocational assessment and work-capacity evaluation
Job development, employer engagement and recruitment marketing
Case management and individual employment planning (IEP) techniques
Knowledge of workplace accommodations, assistive technology and disability employment law
Experience with CRM and case management systems (e.g., Salesforce, Effector, AMS, JobReady)
Resume and interview coaching, including sector-specific interview preparation
Data entry, KPI tracking and outcome reporting for funded employment programs
Labor market analysis and occupational profiling
Designing and managing wage subsidy agreements, work trials and placement contracts
Basic workshop facilitation and training design for employability programming
Familiarity with vocational training pathways, apprenticeships and vocational qualifications
Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, Outlook) and virtual meeting platforms (Zoom, Teams)

Soft Skills

Strong verbal and written communication tailored to clients, employers and funders
Empathy and trauma-informed practice when working with vulnerable job seekers
Negotiation and persuasion skills to influence employer hiring decisions
Problem solving and creativity in designing bespoke employment solutions
Time management and caseload prioritization with attention to detail
Cultural competence and ability to work with diverse populations
Resilience, adaptability and ability to manage challenging placements
Coaching and motivational interviewing to build client readiness and self-efficacy
Stakeholder management and collaboration across multidisciplinary teams
Confidentiality, professional judgment and ethical decision-making

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree OR diploma with substantial experience in vocational services, social work, psychology, human services or related field.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor's degree in Vocational Rehabilitation, Social Work, Psychology, Human Services, Career Development or equivalent.
Relevant certifications such as Certified Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (CVRC), Certified Employment Support Professional (CESP), or Certificate IV in Employment Services (region-dependent).

Relevant Fields of Study:

Vocational Rehabilitation
Social Work / Human Services
Career Development / Employment Services
Psychology
Education / Youth Work

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2–5 years in employment services, vocational rehabilitation, supported employment, job development or related roles.

Preferred: 3–5+ years experience with demonstrated success in placement outcomes, employer relationship management, and working with clients who have complex barriers to employment (e.g., disability, mental health, criminal justice involvement, long-term unemployment).