Employment Specialist Jobs in Virginia
Employment Specialist jobs in Virginia are in steady demand, concentrated in workforce development agencies, state and local government programs, disability services, and large federal contractor support operations. The busiest hiring metros are Northern Virginia, Richmond, and Virginia Beach, where anchor employers such as Maximus, ResCare Workforce Services, and the Virginia Department of Aging and Rehabilitative Services maintain consistent hiring across their regional offices. The most sought-after specialties include vocational rehabilitation, workforce reentry programs, and benefits counseling for veterans and adults with disabilities. See the openings below and apply to the ones that match your experience.
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Showing 5 of 13+ Employment Specialist jobs
Employment Services Specialist
Reports to Job Role: VP, Family and Neighborhood Empowerment
FLSA: Exempt
Role: Team Member
Descriptive Summary
The Employment Services Specialist prepares TANF-eligible youth and adults, accessing services at various Cornerstones sites, for successful entry, re-entry, and promotion in the workforce. The Employment Services Specialist is responsible for conducting intakes and skills assessments, working cooperatively with other departments within the agency, networking with other agencies and employers in the community, facilitating group and individual sessions, and documenting cases. The Employment Services Specialist requires a flexible, independent, high-energy individual. The Employment Services Specialist must have strong clinical, interpersonal, and motivational skills and must possess a patient, trauma-informed approach to service delivery using an equity lens. The Employment Services Specialist ensures that employment services are equitable and delivered with integrity in accordance with the Agency Mission, Vision, and Values. A candidate that is bilingual in English/Spanish and has the ability to use one's lived personal experience of housing instability to help assess system barriers is a plus.
Key Performance Indicators
- Provides flexible shift, workforce development coverage as needed (generally 9-5, 12-8 and/or Saturdays) for program participants needing daytime/evening and/or weekend employment services.
- Collects and maintains case file data as it relates to employment-readiness providing written case notes to the assigned case manager each week.
- Promotes and develops employment and on-the-job training opportunities.
- Provides solid job leads.
- Provides instruction in resume writing, job search, interviewing techniques, clinics, and regular workshops as well as one-on-one employment counseling.
- Utilizes Career Scope, and other assessment tools to assess individual interests and skills.
- Assists with developing a strengths-based Employment/Education plan.
- Reviews all written assessment and planning information, to ensure a thorough understanding of the individual’s strengths, support needs, effective support strategies and learning styles.
- Assists with resume development, completes on-line job applications, writes cover letters, and works on other job-related issues.
- Conducts weekly and/or monthly follow-up phone calls documenting changes in employment status and income.
- Identifies and assists in the development of auxiliary services to facilitate applicants into the job-ready status.
- Uses Cornerstones’ vehicle to provide transportation to job fairs.
- Participates in weekly Team Meetings with case management and community-based staff to provide employment services updates.
- Uses automated technology including Apricot 360 and hard copy files to maintain, update, and report on case data, goal attainment, and outcomes in a timely manner.
- Maintains documentation and files in accordance with TANF contract requirements.
- Provides support for agency-wide programs and activities as requested and capacity allows.
- Maintains a valid drivers’ license.
- Performs any other duties deemed necessary to support the agency.
Education:
- Bachelor's degree in an applicable human services field of commensurate experience providng employment services with low-income populations. Master's Degree preferred.
- National Workforce Development Professional (CWDP) certification or willingness to obtain.
Work Experience:
- 2 years of progressive workforce development experience including supervisory experience.
- Experience working with vulnerable individuals including people with mental health and/or substance abuse disabilities is required.
- Ability to provide “strengths based” services, trauma-informed care, and racial equity.
- Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
- Ability to engage and work collaboratively with others.
- Ability to use Apricot 360 to establish and maintain case records and to facilitate data collection.
- Ability to schedule and manage workload sufficiently to meet deadlines.
- Ability to learn, process information, prioritize competing priorities and make sound and reasoned decisions in a fast-paced environment.
- Ability to complete tasks while navigating frequent interruptions.
- Ability to lift items weighing 10-20 pounds and stand for long periods of time.
- Must possess a valid driver’s license, reliable transportation, and good driving record.
- Must be able to drive 15-passenger van.
- Bilingual in English/Spanish a plus.
Cornerstones Vision, Purpose, and Values:
Cornerstones envisions an equitable, connected community where all individuals and families thrive. Cornerstones’ employees build and sustain our culture through a commitment to these values:
- Serve and Lead with Passion for Mission Excellence
- Act with Integrity
- Champion Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
- Collaborate and Innovate for Impact
- Equip and Empower for Success
Work Environment:
This position is performed within the shelter and in the field at assigned work sites.
Employment Services Specialist
Reports to Job Role: VP, Family and Neighborhood Empowerment
FLSA: Exempt
Role: Team Member
Descriptive Summary
The Employment Services Specialist prepares TANF-eligible youth and adults, accessing services at various Cornerstones sites, for successful entry, re-entry, and promotion in the workforce. The Employment Services Specialist is responsible for conducting intakes and skills assessments, working cooperatively with other departments within the agency, networking with other agencies and employers in the community, facilitating group and individual sessions, and documenting cases. The Employment Services Specialist requires a flexible, independent, high-energy individual. The Employment Services Specialist must have strong clinical, interpersonal, and motivational skills and must possess a patient, trauma-informed approach to service delivery using an equity lens. The Employment Services Specialist ensures that employment services are equitable and delivered with integrity in accordance with the Agency Mission, Vision, and Values. A candidate that is bilingual in English/Spanish and has the ability to use one's lived personal experience of housing instability to help assess system barriers is a plus.
Key Performance Indicators
- Provides flexible shift, workforce development coverage as needed (generally 9-5, 12-8 and/or Saturdays) for program participants needing daytime/evening and/or weekend employment services.
- Collects and maintains case file data as it relates to employment-readiness providing written case notes to the assigned case manager each week.
- Promotes and develops employment and on-the-job training opportunities.
- Provides solid job leads.
- Provides instruction in resume writing, job search, interviewing techniques, clinics, and regular workshops as well as one-on-one employment counseling.
- Utilizes Career Scope, and other assessment tools to assess individual interests and skills.
- Assists with developing a strengths-based Employment/Education plan.
- Reviews all written assessment and planning information, to ensure a thorough understanding of the individual’s strengths, support needs, effective support strategies and learning styles.
- Assists with resume development, completes on-line job applications, writes cover letters, and works on other job-related issues.
- Conducts weekly and/or monthly follow-up phone calls documenting changes in employment status and income.
- Identifies and assists in the development of auxiliary services to facilitate applicants into the job-ready status.
- Uses Cornerstones’ vehicle to provide transportation to job fairs.
- Participates in weekly Team Meetings with case management and community-based staff to provide employment services updates.
- Uses automated technology including Apricot 360 and hard copy files to maintain, update, and report on case data, goal attainment, and outcomes in a timely manner.
- Maintains documentation and files in accordance with TANF contract requirements.
- Provides support for agency-wide programs and activities as requested and capacity allows.
- Maintains a valid drivers’ license.
- Performs any other duties deemed necessary to support the agency.
Education:
- Bachelor's degree in an applicable human services field of commensurate experience providng employment services with low-income populations. Master's Degree preferred.
- National Workforce Development Professional (CWDP) certification or willingness to obtain.
Work Experience:
- 2 years of progressive workforce development experience including supervisory experience.
- Experience working with vulnerable individuals including people with mental health and/or substance abuse disabilities is required.
- Ability to provide “strengths based” services, trauma-informed care, and racial equity.
- Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
- Ability to engage and work collaboratively with others.
- Ability to use Apricot 360 to establish and maintain case records and to facilitate data collection.
- Ability to schedule and manage workload sufficiently to meet deadlines.
- Ability to learn, process information, prioritize competing priorities and make sound and reasoned decisions in a fast-paced environment.
- Ability to complete tasks while navigating frequent interruptions.
- Ability to lift items weighing 10-20 pounds and stand for long periods of time.
- Must possess a valid driver’s license, reliable transportation, and good driving record.
- Must be able to drive 15-passenger van.
- Bilingual in English/Spanish a plus.
Cornerstones Vision, Purpose, and Values:
Cornerstones envisions an equitable, connected community where all individuals and families thrive. Cornerstones’ employees build and sustain our culture through a commitment to these values:
- Serve and Lead with Passion for Mission Excellence
- Act with Integrity
- Champion Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
- Collaborate and Innovate for Impact
- Equip and Empower for Success
Work Environment:
This position is performed within the shelter and in the field at assigned work sites.
See All 13 Employment Specialist Jobs in Virginia
Find roles in Virginia that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Employment Specialist JobsEmployment Specialist Jobs by City in Virginia
Where Virginia roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Employment Specialist Job Market in Virginia
A snapshot from current Virginia openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
What Virginia Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in employment specialist jobs across Virginia.
- Active certification as a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor or equivalent credential recognized in Virginia
- Bachelor's degree in rehabilitation counseling, social work, human services, or a related field
- Experience conducting vocational assessments and developing individualized employment plans
- Familiarity with Virginia workforce development programs and the American Job Center network
- Proficiency with case management software and accurate documentation of client progress
- Valid Virginia driver's license and reliable transportation for community-based client visits
Employment Specialist Jobs in Virginia: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a employment specialist in Virginia?
Most Virginia employers expect at minimum a bachelor's degree in rehabilitation counseling, social work, psychology, or a related human services field. While Virginia does not require a single state-issued license for all employment specialists, roles in vocational rehabilitation funded through the Virginia Department of Aging and Rehabilitative Services commonly require or prefer the Certified Rehabilitation Counselor credential, awarded through the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification. Gaining experience through internships with Virginia's American Job Centers or disability services nonprofits strengthens your candidacy considerably.
Which companies hire employment specialists in Virginia?
Companies currently hiring employment specialists in Virginia include Didlake, ServiceSource, and RISE Services, per current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. Virginia's strong concentration of federal agencies, defense contractors, and state-funded vocational rehabilitation programs means large institutional employers drive a significant share of openings year-round.
Which Virginia cities have the most employment specialist jobs?
The Virginia cities with the most employment specialist openings are Norfolk, Oakton, and Newport News. Northern Virginia's density of federal agencies and large government contractors anchors demand there, Richmond's role as the state capital concentrates state agency and nonprofit hiring, and Virginia Beach serves a large veteran and military-connected population that generates steady demand for reentry and vocational rehabilitation specialists.
Are there remote employment specialist jobs in Virginia?
Yes, but they're less common than in purely desk-based fields, since employment specialists frequently conduct in-person assessments, job coaching, and site visits with clients. About 40% of employment specialist openings tied to Virginia are remote or hybrid as of August 2026, reflecting a modest but real shift toward telehealth-style vocational counseling. Case management documentation, benefits advisement, and some intake counseling are the tasks most often handled fully remotely.
How can I get hired as a employment specialist in Virginia with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is applying for an employment services associate or job developer role at a Virginia American Job Center, where new staff receive structured onboarding and work alongside credentialed specialists. Employers such as Maximus and local Community Services Boards across Virginia regularly hire candidates without direct experience into support roles. Completing a Certified Employment Support Professional training through the Association of People Supporting Employment First, or completing a practicum through a Virginia university's rehabilitation counseling program, gives candidates a meaningful credential edge before their first full-time hire.
Where can I find and apply to employment specialist jobs in Virginia?
You can find and apply to employment specialist jobs in Virginia on Migrate Mate, which lists current Virginia openings updated regularly. Search the available roles, identify the ones that match your background and credentials, and apply directly to the ones that fit. No signup is required to see the openings.
See All 13 Employment Specialist Jobs in Virginia
Find roles in Virginia that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Employment Specialist Jobs