What are the responsibilities and job description for the Employment Coach position at Legacy Institute for Financial Empowerment?
About LIFE
Legacy Institute for Financial Empowerment (LIFE) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to improving financial stability and workforce development in rural communities. Based in Lufkin, Texas, LIFE is committed to creating opportunities that empower individuals and families to build sustainable, prosperous futures.
Our flagship workforce development program, LIFE Works, is designed to provide technical skills training through three social enterprises: LIFE Build, LIFE Tech, and LIFE Farms. These programs equip our trainees with in-demand skills and connect them to local employment opportunities with trusted employer partners.
At LIFE, we are passionate about driving positive change in our community. We are looking for individuals who share that passion and desire to join with us in this work. By joining the LIFE team, you become part of a mission-driven organization focused on creating real impact. We offer a supportive and dynamic work environment where every team member plays a critical role in advancing financial empowerment and workforce readiness for rural Texans.
We seek a person with workforce development experience capable of interacting with employers, service providers, and neighborhood residents. The successful candidate will lead the employment component of the LIFE Works department at LIFE by (1) identifying employment sectors and employers able to hire people from target neighborhoods neighborhood; and (2) helping families to connect with employment or skills training and to advance to a better job. The job responsibilities include:
1. Identifying growing employment sectors and potential employers.
2. Developing relationships with employers in order to understand their business and the job requirements of positions they seek to fill.
3. Working with employers to identify specific skills they are seeking and developing a process for residents to acquire those skills.
4. Maintaining contact and dialogue with these employers and responding to their concerns.
5. Working as a member of the cross-functional team providing services to families served by LIFE Works and the Financial Opportunities Center (FOC), sharing information, participating in team meetings, and helping to track and report progress and outcomes.
6. Providing job and career coaching, follow up, and job retention services to workforce training participants.
7. Interfacing with neighborhood service providers as needed, with an emphasis on developing relationships with organizations that provide job readiness and job training services of benefit to workforce training participants.
8. Advocating for hard-to-employ residents such as the disabled and ex-offenders.
9. Assisting with organizing job fairs for neighborhood residents where new job opportunities are presented.
10. Analyzing reasons why people are not hired or are fired and fine tuning the recruitment and preparation process so people remain employed.
11. Analyzing the data, process, and results and improving the process as necessary.
12. Providing reports and data on a timely basis as needed by project partners and funders.
13. Monthly documentation of job openings, neighborhood applicants, and an analysis of outcomes.
Additional Responsibilities:
14. Providing income support coaching as needed.
15. Providing financial coaching as needed.
Preferred Experience, Skills and Qualifications:
- 2-3 years experience in workforce development, business-to-business services and customer care, with an emphasis on employer outreach and service to disadvantaged populations. Previous successful experience in job development, recruiting, and job retention services is highly desirable.
- 4-year degree preferred but significant professional experience (five years or more) may substitute for formal education at the discretion of the hiring manager.
- Excellent working knowledge of the local business environment in Deep East Texas.
- General knowledge and understanding of the needs of a low-income working population, as well as knowledge of available community resources.
- Excellent social/interpersonal skills and writing ability commensurate with the communication and reporting requirements of the position.
- Well-organized and self-directed.
- Demonstrated proficiency with PC computer software at an intermediate level, including the Microsoft Office suite.
- Incumbent must have valid driver’s license and reliable transportation, as this position requires regular local travel.
An Equal Opportunity Employer