Requisition No: 878084 

Agency: Department of Education

Working Title: SENIOR VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION COUNSEL - 48004350

 Pay Plan: Career Service

Position Number: 48004350 

Salary:  47,840.00 

Posting Closing Date: 07/16/2026 

Total Compensation Estimator Tool

Florida Department of Education

Division of Vocational Rehabilitation

Bureau of Field Services

Location: Orange City

Position Title: Senior Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor (CS)

Salary: $47,840.00 / Annually

CANDIDATES ARE TYPICALLY HIRED AT THE MINIMUM SALARY

This advertisement may be used to fill multiple vacancies up to six months.

APPLICATION INFORMATION & HIRING REQUIREMENTS

Application Information:

• Your Candidate Profile (application) must be complete in its entirety.
• Work History (in easy to review chronological order) Consists of:

• • Any position held by a State of Florida Agency
  • Any position held by a Florida University
  • All periods of employment from high school graduation
  • All periods of current or prior unemployment
  • Gaps 3 months or more must be accounted for*
  • Any Education
  • Any Volunteer Experience
  • Your resume and application must match
• *Gaps 3 months or more must be addressed – you will need to account for and explain any gaps in employment including unemployment. You can either list these in your application under Period of Employment or attach a word document listing your gaps.
• It is unacceptable to use the statement “See Resume” in place of entering work history. Your candidate profile will be converted to your official application.
• Include supervisor names and phone numbers for reference checks or the contact information for your Human Resources office to verify current or former employment.
• Experience, education, training, knowledge, skills and/or abilities as well as responses to pre-qualifying questions must be verifiable to meet the minimum qualifications.  

Hiring Information and Requirements:

• The Bureau of Personnel Management reviews every application for prior State of Florida and Florida University work history in the People First system.

• If claiming Veteran’s Preference, the candidate MUST attach supporting documentation such as the DD214 and your VA Letter that reflects level of disability if applicable. Applicable to career service positions only.
• If claiming Right to First Interview, the candidate MUST attach a copy of your official layoff letter when applying. This only applies to employees laid off from Career Service positions. Applicable to career service positions only.

If you are missing any of the items above, your packet may be held up at the final review step.

NOTE: Responses to qualifying questions must be clearly supported by the state application and any omission, falsification, or misrepresentation in the answering of the qualifying questions will be cause for immediate elimination from the selection process.

OFFICE CONTACT:

Mary Heiligtag – 386-456-5320 or mary.heiligtag@vr.fldoe.org

JOB DESCRIPTION:

This position performs advanced-level work under the limited supervision of the Vocational Rehabilitation Supervisor in Area 2 Unit 11B Orange City, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation.  Position is responsible for providing independent professional vocational rehabilitation counseling to identified individuals with disabilities, which may include those identified as potentially eligible Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) youth customers ages 14-21, to support the overall goal of employment. This includes providing and coordinating complex services and providing technical assistance on vocational rehabilitation internal and external stakeholders and requires accessing client information, maintaining case records, tracking open authorizations and other case-specific activities and reviewing caseload data regularly. Provides technical assistance to internal and external stakeholders.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

(Note: The omission of specific job duties does not preclude management from assigning specific duties not listed herein if such duties are a logical assignment to the position.)

The Florida Department of Education (FDOE) has an open position that is responsible for executing the following functions:

• Assesses medical, psychological, and vocational information to determine eligibility for services.
• Develops, with full participation of the customer with a disability, an Individualized Plan For Employment to determine employment outcomes.              
• Conducts in-depth interviews of individuals with disabilities requiring rehabilitation strategies to determine eligibility for vocational rehabilitation services and the feasibility for achieving an employment outcome.
• Provides professional vocational rehabilitation counseling to individuals with a diversity of disabilities in order that they may attain appropriate employment outcomes. 
• Provides information to assist individuals with disabilities in making informed choices regarding services, service providers, and employment outcomes. 
• Authorizes, coordinates and/or negotiates services leading to successful employment outcomes. 
• Negotiates with individuals with disabilities regarding plan development.                                                
• Develops and utilizes job placement opportunities to assist eligible individuals with disabilities to obtain appropriate employment. 
• Develops employer contacts and serves as liaison with employers. 
• Provides selective job development and placement.
• Collaborates with team members in placement activities. 
• Utilizes the resources of community rehabilitation providers in securing appropriate job placement for eligible individuals with disabilities.
• Manages resources to ensure financial accountability according to state and federal regulations.
• Collaborates with community partners to assure appropriate use of available resources.
• Participates in training experiences designed to enhance professional competency in vocational rehabilitation.
• Performs other duties as required.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS 

Required Licensure/Registration/Certification/Experience or Education:

Four years of professional experience in Vocational Rehabilitation, Psychology, Business Administration, Special Education, Human Resources, or other related field.

• Establish and maintain education and experience requirements related to the understanding of the needs of individuals with disabilities.

• Proficient in using Microsoft Office software, such as Access, Excel, PowerPoint, Word

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Knowledge of the theories and practice in vocational rehabilitation guidance and counseling
• Knowledge of employment resources and vocational rehabilitation resources
• Knowledge of the program requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, and state and federal laws, regulations, policies, and procedures
• Ability to use automated systems
• Ability to use and analyze information from the management information system
• Ability to understand and use State and Federal vocational rehabilitation regulations and policies

• Ability to gather, analyze and organize information into logical format for presentation in reports, documents, and other written materials

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Preferences will be given to:

• Applicants who have direct experience working with individuals with disabilities
• Applicants who have both professional and educational experience

• Applicants who complete application information and hire requirements listed in the advertisement to completion.

EDUCATIONAL SUBSITITUIONS:

F.S. 112.219 - Substitution of work experience for postsecondary educational requirements.

• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or University can substitute for 4 years of direct experience.

Related work experience may not substitute for any licensure, certification, or registration required by an agency and indicated in the advertised job description.

DEPARTMENT OF VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION MISSION STATEMENT

Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) is a federal-state program that helps people who have physical or mental disabilities get or keep a job. VR is committed to helping people with disabilities find meaningful careers. 

Our Mission is “to help people with disabilities find and maintain employment and enhance their independence.” Our Vision is “to become the first-place people with disabilities turn when seeking employment and a top resource for employers in need of qualified employees.”

 http://www.rehabworks.org/

WORKING FOR THE STATE OF FLORIDA HAS BENEFITS!

For a more complete list of benefits, visit www.mybenefits.myflorida.com.

LEAVE INFORMATION: (CS)

• Annual Leave - All full-time Career Service employees filling established positions earn annual leave in varying increments dependent upon years of creditable service. Employees with up to 5 years of creditable service earn 8.667 hours per month, with 5 to 10 years earn 10.833 hours per month and those with over 10 years of service earn 13 hours per month. Employees in Senior Management Service and Selected Exempt Service positions are credited with 176 hours of annual leave upon appointment. In subsequent years, the annual allotment is credited on the anniversary date of the initial appointment.
• Sick Leave -. Career Service employees earn 8.667 hours of sick leave credits per month

BACKGROUND SCREENING REQUIREMENT

It is the policy of the Florida Department of Education that applicants for employment/volunteer undergo Level 2 background screening in accordance with the requirements of Chapter 435, Florida Statutes, as a condition of employment or being permitted to serve as a volunteer. You will be required to provide your Social Security Number to conduct required verifications. No applicant for a designated position will be employed, contracted or permitted to volunteer until the level 2 screening results are received, reviewed, and approved by the Department. Level 2 background screening shall include, but not be limited to, finger printing for all purposes and checks under this requirement, statewide criminal and juvenile records checks through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, federal criminal records check through the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and local criminal records checks through local law enforcement.

SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM (SSS) AND REQUIREMENT

Male applicants born on or after October 1, 1962, will not be eligible for hire or promotion in the Other Personal Services (OPS) or Career Service, or appointment in the Selected Exempt Service (SES) or Senior Management Service (SMS) unless they are registered with the Selective Service System (SSS) before their 26th birthday, or have a Letter of Registration Exemption from the SSS. Verification of Selective Service registration will be conducted prior to hire. 

For more information, please visit the Selective Service website.

SPECIAL NOTE

Please note that this position requires an on-site schedule of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Telework is not available for this role.

If you experience problems applying online, please call the People First Service Center at (877) 562-7287

Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority and/or People First Service Center (1-866-663-4735). Notification to the hiring authority must be made in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.

The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with Section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act.

VETERANS’ PREFERENCE.  Pursuant to Chapter 295, Florida Statutes, candidates eligible for Veterans’ Preference will receive preference in employment for Career Service vacancies and are encouraged to apply.  Certain service members may be eligible to receive waivers for postsecondary educational requirements.  Candidates claiming Veterans’ Preference must attach supporting documentation with each submission that includes character of service (for example, DD Form 214 Member Copy #4) along with any other documentation as required by Rule 55A-7, Florida Administrative Code.  Veterans’ Preference documentation requirements are available by clicking here.  All documentation is due by the close of the vacancy announcement.