What are the responsibilities and job description for the Career Services Specialist / Job Developer position at EntreNous Youth Empowerment Services, Inc.?
About The Position: EntreNous Youth Empowerment Services seeks to hire a full-time Career Services Specialist | Job Developer to coordinate the agency’s employer partnerships, placement, and transition services for participants in our workforce training programs. Under the supervision of the Manager of Workforce Development, the Career Services Coordinator | Job Developer is responsible for securing placement opportunities in post-secondary education, occupational training programs, and apprenticeships. The Career Services Coordinator | Job Developer will handle all aspects of the organization’s transition services. A sincere desire to assist people in succeeding and developing self-confidence, effective leadership skills, and familiarity with various challenges and issues faced by people from low-income communities is a must.
About The Organization: EntreNous’ mission is to deliver programs, resources, and services to foster resilient and self-sustaining people. Our purpose is to offer an integrated human development approach to high-quality workforce and leadership development programs, education, resources, and services. Through the creation of an inclusive, equitable, and nurturing environment, we provide culturally relevant and rigorous instruction. The goal is to improve financial sustainability for people and families in economically distressed communities.
About Our Programs: EntreNous serves people ages 18 who have been pushed or have dropped out of traditional education and those involved in the legal system. Through various services, program members develop needed skills to create sustainable wage positions for themselves, primarily in Construction | Building Trades and Hospitality | Culinary Arts. Areas of focus include Career Development, Counseling, Civic Engagement | Leadership, Education (Accredited High School Diploma), and Workforce Development (Construction | Culinary). We are a full-time, project-based program focused on social justice and restorative practices that allows people to develop the skills needed to rebuild their communities and lives.
Essential Functions
Employer Engagement:
- Develop relationships with representatives from business, government organizations, trades, and post-secondary education institutions that result in meaningful placements for participants and grades (e.g., college, full-time employment, apprenticeships, etc.)
- Maintains comprehensive knowledge of local, state, and national workforce trends to source opportunities, tailor training to industry needs, and offer informed guidance to job seekers
- Create connections and drive collaboration with hiring managers and HR teams to secure employment for diverse candidates, including those with challenging backgrounds (Fair Chance Hiring)
- Attend community service, networking, and conference events (some Saturdays or weekends are required) for participant and partner recruitment efforts.
- Champion program involvement to build and sustain ongoing relationships with businesses, industry contacts, and placement agencies
- Identify job opportunities through comprehensive research using digital platforms, print media, and agency connections while organizing and attending job fairs.
Pre-Placement:
- Conduct workforce development activities with participants (e.g., mock interviews, guest speakers from industry-specific companies, job preparation workshops, etc.) in both the Construction and Hospitality/Culinary industries.
- Support participants in skill assessment, provide career guidance tools and offer comprehensive job search assistance, including application help, resume development, and interview coaching.
- Arrange experiential learning opportunities, including site visits, internships, and employer classroom visits, and promote job seekers through employer visits.
- Help create job search materials and arrange interviews for qualified candidates.
Placement & Follow-Up:
- Connect trained program graduates with suitable employment, collect employer information, align job requirements with candidate skills, and coordinate interviews.
- Maintain employer contact regarding placed candidates, stay current on employment events, and keep communication open during participants' employment period.
- Develop, track, report, and document participant/alumni placement statistics, success stories, and employment progress for one year post-program completion.
- Exercise sound judgment in making effective decisions and problem-solving skills
- Prepare reports, presentations, and correspondence as required while maintaining meticulous attention to detail, perform effectively under time constraints, and apply superior analytical abilities to resolve challenges.
- Ability to work effectively with minimum supervision and manage competing priorities
- Other duties as assigned
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements below represent the required knowledge, skill, and/or ability. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
- Shows passion, ingenuity, and flexibility when working in professional settings, collaborating with team members, partnering with organizations, or independently with minimal direction
- 5 years FT paid work experience in an organizational setting related to adult and youth development – teaching, counseling, case management, healthy relationships, required, in a nonprofit setting preferred
- Master’s degree preferred in a related field, minimum of Bachelor’s degree
- Significant experience with partnership, employer, community-based organizations, and post-secondary career development with demonstrated knowledge of resources
- Deep knowledge and understanding of the Fair Chance Act (California), Fair Chance Ordinance (Los Angeles County), and relevant legislation
- Effective presentation skills – ability to plan and facilitate individual and group training sessions on a variety of program-related topics
- Knowledge of computerized management information systems and proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Google Suite, etc.
- Demonstrated ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously and to meet deadlines
- Excellent oral and written (English) communication skills with demonstrated ability to effectively communicate with employers, participants, staff, management, and community partners
- Demonstrated sensitivity to individuals of various socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds, including reentry populations
- Must be motivated to learn, a self-starter, trainable, and an excellent role model
- CA Driver’s License, reliable transportation, adequate insurance, and good driving record required (DMV printout); Pass Criminal Background Check; CPR/First Aid Certified (preferred)
- TB Test (last 4 years)
- Bilingual preferred, Spanish
- Lived experience encouraged to apply
TO APPLY
No phone calls, please. Please apply online.
EntreNous is an equal-opportunity employer. It is the policy of EntreNous to afford equal employment and advancement opportunities to all qualified individuals without regard to race, creed, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, physical or mental disability, marital status, citizenship status, medical condition, or any other legally protected status.