Employment Specialist
CASES
Summary
The Assertive Community Engagement & Success (ACES) program seeks an employment specialist that can support ACES participants ages 16-24 in job readiness skill development, vocational training and employment planning and job placement. ACES is a program serving young men residing in East Harlem or the South Bronx who may not have started but can strive to overcome threatening environments and system-involvement to find the path to success. These young people will be engaged in high-risk behaviors and voluntarily engage with the ACES program.
We are looking for skilled team members who can envision a model based on the theory that young people regardless of roadblocks—violence, trauma, racism, gangs, incarceration, truancy and unemployment—can engage in positive relationships to change behaviors and acquire life, education and employment skills.
This position is full-time and requires in-person and in-community work primarily. ACES home office and community work throughout NYC
Qualifications
- Experience in workforce development required
- 2 years + of work with youth and/or young adults; Commitment to active youth engagement
- Experience working with justice involved and/or opportunity youth
- Strong communication skills, both written and oral
- Ability to build and maintain relationships with a diverse range of external and internal partners
- Trained in or committed to training to become competent in trauma informed approaches as a means of engaging young people
- Commitment to participant-centered service delivery and continuous improvement
- A valid tri-state driver’s license is required. This position requires regular community-based travel and the ability to move with participants to job related appointments, interviews, job fairs, training programs, work sites, and other employment related opportunities
Duties
- Provide individualized job coaching, employment planning and career counseling
- Design and deliver engaging workshops focused on job readiness skills, not limited to but including resume building, interview techniques, workplace etiquette, job searching, etc
- Support participants in conducting effective job searches, including the use of online job portals and networking strategies
- Provide one-on-one coaching to help participants develop individualized job search plans
- Travel within the community to meet participants in various settings (home, workplaces, etc)
- Guide participants through the process of acquiring professional credentials and certifications with referral partners
- Escort participants to job fairs and other employment networking opportunities
- Lead and assist with coordination and logistics for employment related events, job fairs, hiring initiatives, outreach activities, and participant engagement opportunities
- Maintain up-to-date documentation in databases to include participant attendance and progress
- Maintain ongoing communication with referral partners to ensure successful placements
- Participate in professional development training to better equip yourself to serve participants effectively
- Stay updated with the latest workforce development trends and best practices to enhance service delivery
- Other duties as assigned by Team Leader or Director
