The Arc of Northern Virginia is a statewide, not-for-profit association that advocates for people with intellectural and developmental disabilities and their families. The Arc Personal Support Trust is a special needs trust, founded in 1999.

The purpose of a job description is to give a framework to the general nature of the position. The Arc of Northern Virginia is successful because of the teamwork of all employees working together to build a solid organization to advocate for people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities and their families. The Trust program works with people of all (dis)abilities. The job description should never be viewed as an exhaustive list of any one person’s responsibilities as we work together to get the job done.

The Beneficiary Advocate is responsible for two mission-critical activities:

1. Helping The Arc of Northern Virginia Personal Support Trust Beneficiaries use their trusts to meet their needs by providing direct services, and

2. Assisting the Trust Director with new client outreach activities.

This is a full-time position and reports to the Trust Director.

Qualifications/Skills:

Bachelor’s degree
Knowledge of the disability field, preferably with contacts in both the DD and ID communities as well as within the mental health community
Field experience in working through difficult situations
Working knowledge of government benefits to be able to assist beneficiaries with some case management and benefit eligibility issues
Ability to compassionately, yet professionally assist individuals with disabilities enrolled in The Arc of Northern Virginia Personal Support Trust
Strong organization, planning, time management and interpersonal skills
Excellent verbal (on the phone and in person) and written communication skills

Nice to Have Skills and Experience:

Second language skills (Spanish and/or Korean in particular)
Demonstrated experience developing a marketing/business development plan for a social or community-based service
Counseling and/or case management experience within or outside of the disability community.

Beneficiary Advocate Duties and Responsibilities:

This position will require some travel around Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. to visit, provide assistance, and other duties as needed for The Arc Trust beneficiaries
Work with Trust staff to identify beneficiaries who need additional assistance outside of the normal trust administration and develop concrete, client-specific strategies for assisting these clients. Targeted supports might include: case management, obtaining appropriate housing, obtaining appropriate mental health services, and facilitating other services/arrangements as needs arise and the determination is made that the Beneficiary Advocate’s assistance is needed
Meet with Trust beneficiaries and Grantors as necessary to assess, determine desires and needs of beneficiaries for the use of their trust account
Respond to and facilitate supports to alleviate crises in beneficiaries’ lives as needed
Locate and communicate with Trust beneficiaries and/or key people who have not utilized their trust accounts to determine if there is anything needed from the trust, or if there are any circumstances where the trust account is not currently needed
Provide written documentation of all contacts with trust beneficiaries to become a part of the Beneficiary’s permanent trust file
Prepare invoices, reports, letters, memos, and other documents using word processing, spreadsheet, database or presentation software
Assist in the preparation of marketing materials for Trust Director’s client consultations, presentations and special workshops
Under Trust Director’s guidance, develop plan with scheduled events, social media initiatives and other defined work products
Refine marketing plans and materials based on client feedback and program’s overall experience.
Social media marketing experience
Content writing for web and printed materials

How to apply

Application Process:

Please submit a resume and cover letter via email or mail by December 2, 2015. Interviews will be scheduled as soon as resume is in the hands of the Trust Director.

Tia Marsili, Director of Trusts, The Arc of Northern Virginia, 2755 Hartland Rd, Ste. 200, Falls Church, VA 22043 or tmarsili@thearcofnova.org