Workforce Initiatives Manager

Job Summary

Rising Sun seeks a full-time, Workforce Initiatives Manager for the Central Valley Region (San Joaquin, Merced, and Madera counties), who will report directly to the Senior Program Manager and collaborate with the Climate Careers team to accomplish the goals of the Climate Careers program. Collaboration with the team will include regular strategy and deliverable tracking meetings, team-building activities, joint problem-solving sessions, resource sharing and support, and consistent feedback loops.

Climate Careers uses an employment social enterprise model to combine home energy and water-saving services with youth development. Our free Green House Call service consists of energy and water use assessments, installation of efficiency devices, and client education. Youth program participants deliver this service to thousands of homes every summer, both virtually and in-person while growing personally and professionally, advancing on to paid externships in the fall with organizations doing climate-related work to increase their career exposure and experience.

The Workforce Initiatives Manager will drive program strategy and provide resources and support throughout every stage of a Climate Careers participant’s journey, from summer program and externship participation to alumni engagement. The goal is to elevate the Climate Careers program from merely providing job readiness training and career pathway exposure to creating a pipeline to long-term, sustainable employment within the green economy for our program alumni. Simultaneously, they ensure that new and existing workforce partners, specifically within the green economy, provide opportunities and pathways to employment for Climate Careers participants and alumni.

About Rising Sun

We’re deeply rooted at the intersection of equity, climate, and good, sustainable careers.

In 1994, Rising Sun Center for Opportunity began as Rising Sun Energy Center in Santa Cruz, California. Much has changed as we’ve adapted and innovated to respond to the needs of our participants and communities, but today, we remain rooted in our origins, preparing people throughout the Bay Area and Central California who have been locked out of prosperity for good jobs and green pathways that offer economic equity and mobility while building a climate-resilient future for all.

Learn More About Who We Are

General qualifications for the role are…

• Owning a car, valid driver’s license, and insurance. This role serves youth participants in three counties-San Joaquin, Merced, and Madera-which requires safe and reliable travel throughout the year, with increased travel expected between February and August.
• Having the ability to work some flexible hours, occasional evenings and/ or weekends to ensure that we can meet the varying schedules of the youth participants and community partners. Whether it’s through offering professional development workshops, alumni networking events or attending partner coalition events that happen outside of typical work hours
• The ability to travel to the Bay Area for Rising Sun’s mandatory in-person staff meetings and events when required. Currently staff travel to this region on a monthly basis.
• In order to align with our commitment to public health for our employees, participants, and community, we require proof of completion of the primary series of an approved COVID-19 vaccination by your start date. For more information, please see Rising Sun’s Mandatory Vaccination Policy
  
  

(We are serious; no matter how much we like you, we simply cannot consider you for this position if you don’t meet the items above)

The Workforce Initiatives Manager is responsible for…

Externship Program Implementation

• Supporting the Climate Careers Central Valley Region Managers in temporary staff recruitment by participating in recruitment events as well as interview panels to build rapport with incoming participants and temporary staff.
• Administer a successful implementation of the annual Central Valley Climate Careers externship program, which includes host recruitment, management of partner and industry relationships, securing hosts and facilitating host orientations
• Securing meaningful and impactful externship placements and projects for at least 80% of the annual cohort of youth participants that enable them to strengthen their transferable skills in the workplace and expose them to career pathways in the green economy.
• Oversee the completion of all youth extern objectives and deliverables, including 120 hours of externship work for each extern youth and 80% program satisfaction, in close collaboration with Climate Careers staff.
  
  

Staff Engagement and Management

• Establishing relationships with program participants during the summer and fall through consistent site office engagement and events participation.
• Directly supervising the temporary Youth Development Specialist team to ensure continuous progress on externship program implementation and deliverables.
• Lead ongoing check-ins with individual staff and team to identify areas of development, task prioritization, weekly planning, and team building. Provide consistent and timely feedback and utilize the Climate Careers 4-step disciplinary action plan to address any performance or disciplinary issues.
  
  

Partners & Employers Engagement

• Steward partnerships with community partners, employers and contractors within the green jobs industry to establish employment pipeline and opportunities for Climate Careers alumni
• Engage with partners in key community events to promote collaborative opportunities for externships and long-term career pathways
• Actively brainstorm new workforce development best practices and new opportunities for upskilling and training for youth
  
  

Alumni Relations & Tracking

• Be accountable for alumni program development and management (including digital resources, mentorship program) grounded by alumni feedback
• Organize and host alumni events in alignment with alumni needs and interests
• Manage alumni communication channels (social media, email inbox, office hours, etc.) and create content for monthly newsletter
• Identify key alumni outcomes, metrics and utilize data management platform for tracking purposes
  
  

Job Placement

• Develop and implement a model that aims to improve program alumni workforce outcomes and equity for populations with barriers to employment by identifying quality job opportunities within the green economy
• Increase engagement and create a comprehensive employer database across sectors aligned with the competencies, skills and interests of participants and alumni
• Actively place program alumni into green career pathways and other related fields
• Additional responsibilities as assigned
  
  

A strong candidate for the Workforce Initiatives Manager role must…

• Reflect on and describe the impact of one’s own identity, biases, privilege –and those of others–in a given situation, decision, or process. Is able to hear, reflect, act on, and learn from feedback regarding identity and equity.
• Understands how race, gender, socioeconomic status, and other identities intersect with economic and climate resilience disparities. Committed to dismantling and transforming systems and practices that perpetuate inequity. Actively seeks knowledge and professional development opportunities related to equity, green economy careers, youth workforce development, and climate resilience
• Experience with leading teams and programs centered around workforce development, youth development, and/or environmental issues.
• Thrives in a fast-paced environment with competing priorities that require a creative and solution-oriented thinker with a knack for organization and streamlining teams. When faced with a challenge, you have multiple ideas on how to solve it
• Utilize coaching, training, and feedback to develop others, support problem-solving, hold accountability, learn from mistakes, and motivate them to take action and meet goals.
• Be enthusiastic to meet and engage with individuals to build authentic relationships/alliances with community and workforce partners, specifically within the green economy, by following through on commitments and providing clear information.
• Hold an overarching knowledge of the employment landscape in our service regions when it comes to industries with the most opportunities that align with our service populations
• Be knowledgeable about current best practices for resume design, interview technique, LinkedIn curation, etc
  
  

It’s a big PLUS if you also have…

• Experience building and managing stakeholder relationships with Central Valley Region communities (e.g. community-based organizations, local governments, utilities, funders, and/or other partners)
• The ability to speak multiple or an additional language other than English
• Have experience using Google Suite, Microsoft Office, Salesforce, and Canva.
• Have lived, proximate, and/or professional experience with the issues, people, and communities Rising Sun works with
  
  

About Rising Sun’s Culture…

We are mission-driven and work hard because we care about what we do. We are deeply committed to equity, inclusion, and antiracism, and are actively advancing on that journey, though we know the work is never done. We like working with each other and we like to make work fun. We’re into continuous improvement, learning, transparency, and tough conversations. We practice appreciation and start each meeting with a team-builder, and it’s not uncommon for staff to bring snacks to share that tell a story about who they are and where they come from. When we’re at the office, there’s usually at least one dog hanging around. We put people first, especially our program participants. We like to promote from

within and build each other up, but we also like to bring in new ideas and different perspectives. We’re looking forward to meeting you and hearing about how you can contribute to making Rising Sun a great place to have an impact.

You Might Also Be Wondering About Pay And Benefits…

This is a permanent, full-time, exempt, salaried, and benefited position with an annual salary of $77,564-$81,442.20 commensurate with experience. Rising Sun offers a competitive benefits package that includes:

• 100% coverage of Medical, Vision, Dental insurance for employees, 50% coverage for dependents
• 403b contribution option and 3% match after first year
• $100,000 Life Insurance Policy
• 17 PTO days/year (increases each year until year 10)
• 17 Holidays/year (includes 2 floating holidays and a week of closure during winter)
• 4 Restorative days/year
• Birthday off
• Hybrid Remote work options - dependent on position
• Monthly internet and phone reimbursement, totaling $100
• 12-week, 40% parental leave
• 2 months of paid sabbatical after year 7
• Annual professional development budget
• Financial advising through Stonebridge Financial Group
  
  

Rising Sun is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Rising Sun is committed to diversity and considers all applicants for all positions without regard to color, ethnic background, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, and disability status. EOE/AA; women and minorities are encouraged to apply.

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