Adult Support and Well-Being Programme Officer

The Organisation:

AsIAm is Ireland’s Autism Charity based in Blackrock, Co.Dublin. AsIAm is a fast paced, growing organisation with a vision to create a society where every autistic person is accepted “as they are” – equal, valued, and respected. The organisation’s purpose is to advocate for an inclusive society for autistic people that is accessible, accepted and affirming. AsIAm works to support the Autistic community and our families to fully engage in Irish life and build the capacity of society to facilitate true inclusion.

The Role:

We are currently looking to recruit an innovative and empathetic individual with strong administrative and relationship management skills to join our organisation in the role of Adult Support and Well-Being Officer. The Adult Support and Well-Being Officer will play a key role in identifying the barriers to participation and mental wellbeing for autistic adults across Irish society, and coordinating group supports and events to reduce and remove these barriers. Working alongside a fellow Adult Support and Wellbeing Officer, the candidate will share coordination of administering the smooth running of the support timetable and associated group facilitators, with particular attention to supports for individuals with high support needs in communication . The successful candidate will report directly to the Head of Adult Support & Employment.

This role provides an ideal opportunity for someone who is passionate about influencing positive social change in our communities, relishes the challenge of such a programme, has very strong organisational skills and is interested in working with the AsIAm team to break down the geographical and social isolation experienced by many autistic people and their families.

Key Responsibilities:

• Continuous evaluation of the barriers to participation and mental wellbeing of autistic adults, and mapping of group based supports to reduce and remove barriers 
• Alongside the fellow Support and Wellbeing Programme Officer, coordinate a diverse suite of social connection and capacity building groups and activities in an online/offline context to meet a wide range of interests and needs
• Work closely with the Employment Officer to develop pathways between individuals accessing well-being supports and moving into employment
• Work closely and build relationships with a portfolio of independent facilitators to timetable an array of activities and events
• On-board new facilitators and ensure governance and training requirements are consistently and robustly met
• Work with the Communications Department to promote the calendar of activities and effectively manage the booking system
• Maintain a database of community members and keep them up to date on the programme timetable of activities and groups, as well as other key activities within AsIAm which may be of interest
• Develop relationships with external stakeholders to coordinate multiple venues to host events 
• Assist in the development of programme resources and materials 
• Operate support planning and implementation in a data driven manner, collating pre and post data to inform support purpose and delivery 
• Prepare comprehensive reports for Heads of Departments and develop case studies for the annual report
• Provide regular updates to the Head of Adult Support/CEO as required
• Participate in the overall team to ensure collaborative teamwork and support other team members as required 
• Collaborate and align with the Child and Adult Support Groups to ensure consistency and efficiency and the smooth transition of teens into to the adult groups when appropriate

Due to the evolving nature of the Company's requirements, the Employee will be required to perform such additional duties appropriate to the role as may be reasonably required of them by the Company from time to time.

Key Requirements:

Experience, Education, Skills, and Abilities Required:

• A desire to champion social inclusivity for autistic adults
• An in-depth knowledge of Autistic identity and culture, and the barriers experienced by autistic adults
• Experience in supporting individuals who are Autistic have an intellectual disability
• Experience in supporting individuals who have an intellectual disability
• Very strong organisation and administrative skills, and good attention to detail
• Ability to operate independently
• Ability to interact with and engage communities to support the Programme throughout the country
• Experience in delivering capacity building supports on self-advocacy, and Autistic identity
• Experience to delivering social connection groups and/or events
• Ability to develop, disseminate, interpret and communicate the outcome of stakeholder experiences including through surveys and focus groups
• Ability to engage with complex stakeholder management, to build consensus and to resolve conflict as it arises
• Full driving licence 

Other requirements relevant to the role but not essential are:

• Knowledge of disability legislation and social policy
• Analytical and report writing skills
• Relevant academic qualification
• Proven track record in programme management and delivery

Contract Duration:

This role is full-time role for an initial one-year period, with a view to extension.

Salary & Benefits:

AsIAm will offer salary and benefits commensurate with AsIAm pay scale and experience. This includes a 7.5% pension contribution and access to an Employee Assistance Programme, following probation.

Working Hours and Location:

The role is Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. The role holder is expected to at times travel for work, in the setting up and reviewing of regional groups. 

The role holder is required to have a degree of flexibility with regard to working hours with the expectation of some evening and weekend work.

Your next step…..

Interested applicants should submit a CV and cover letter to Lisa Aspeling, at Lisa@asiam.ie

You can contact Lisa at 083 3442 360 with any queries.

Closing Date: 7th of August 2024

Note: All candidates must be willing to undergo Garda Vetting should they be successful.

AsIAm actively supports inclusion in the workplace and will endeavour to provide reasonable accommodations as requested by candidates throughout the interview process for this position 
AsIAm is an equal opportunities employer which reserves the right to practice positive discrimination as set out by the Employment Equality Act, 1998.