New American Workforce Navigator

Job Summary
Expanding employment opportunities and increasing workforce participation among New Americans (immigrants and refugees) are primary strategies in the South Central Workforce Development Board’s local and regional Strategic Plans. The primary role of this position is to expand access to workforce services for New American residents that will provide gainful and/or improved employment, education and training, and overall career opportunities that also allow them to overcome barriers to success. The Navigator will provide individual job coaching and job placement services, introduce and connect residents to a wide range of workforce services and will assist individuals in making transitions between services in complex systems. Working under the supervision of the VP of Operations and Special Projects and alongside community partners and other workforce staff in a highly collaborative environment, the Navigator will help build transformative career opportunities and service delivery for our local New American populations.

Duties

• Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

· Provides positive public relations and outreach by being highly active and visible in local communities and creating and cultivating solid relationships and involvement with immigrant and refugee organizations, community partners and local leaders.

· Provides personalized support to unemployed/underemployed New Americans in understanding, locating, accessing and attaining local employment and programmatic support opportunities, including enrollment in education and training programs.

· Acts as a coach, mentor and advocate to support customers’ empowerment and trust with the regional workforce system and community entities that provide supportive opportunities while serving as a resource and primary point of contact.

· Provides basic case management duties including: developing individualized plans; ensuring smooth handoffs to other providers; and documenting and tracking efforts, contacts, and results weekly through spreadsheets, tools and databases.

· Collaborates with employers, Business Solutions Team (BST) members, and the Kentucky Career Center partners to identify existing employment and training opportunities in the area and facilitate building new opportunities.

Skills

• · Must be proficiently bi-lingual (English and at least one of the following: Arabic, Bosnian, Burmese, Karen, Karenni, Spanish, Swahili and/or Zomi).

· Time Management: effectively manages one’s own time to ensure work is completed efficiently and within timelines. Stays focused and prevents irrelevant issues or distractions from interfering with work completion.

· Interpersonal Skills: succeeds in understanding others; is open and skilled in using one’s interpersonal style to meaningfully interact with others, including empathy, humility and patience. Demonstrates tolerance and civility when engaging with others.

· Problem-Solving: identifies issues and underlying components of the situation; considers alternative solutions by weighing potential risks and impact again the desired outcome. Recommends or implements, as necessary, the best solution(s) for resolving the problem.

· Providing Coaching & Motivation: partners with clients to identify and resolve complex or sensitive issues; assesses the best way to motivate a client to take steps towards their employment or career goals; is able to acquire a keen perspective on each client’s unique employment and wrap-around needs.

· Relationship-Building: builds constructive working relationships with key stakeholders characterized by a high level of acceptance, cooperation, communication and mutual respect.

· Able to work with diverse groups of people, embrace and engage diverse groups, and understand the importance of cultural competency in interactions and serve as a cultural mediator to internal agencies and the larger community.

· Diplomatic, tactful, flexible, resourceful, dependable, and professional.

· Able to achieve success in a high-performance, numbers, and result-based environment.

· Experienced with Microsoft Office products and Google apps

· Ability to work virtually, maintain a flexible schedule, and travel often to meet with customers and attend community meetings and presentations, primarily within Warren County.

· Must be a self-starter, motivated, well-organized, and willing to learn new skills.

Qualification Requirements:

· Bachelor’s degree preferred but not required (years of experience and familiarity with workforce and community entities will be considered).

· Ideal candidates are a member of the same cultural, racial, and ethnic group as the New American target populations (see language groups above)

· Must have experience working with immigrants and refugees and knowledge of and experience with community and government resources.

· Must have valid driver’s license, insurance, and excellent driving record and reliable transportation to travel and attend meetings with partners and clients and occasional regional meetings. Up to 30% of the time may be spent traveling.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $45,000.00 - $55,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• AD&D insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Health savings account
• Retirement plan

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift

Ability to Commute:

• Bowling Green, KY 42101 (Preferred)

Ability to Relocate:

• Bowling Green, KY 42101: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $45,000 - $55,000