Youth Employment Specialist

Background

Since 1976, St. Joseph Center has been meeting the needs of low-income and homeless individuals and families in Venice, Santa Monica, Mar Vista, and surrounding communities.  The Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community organization that assists people without regard for religious affiliation or lack thereof through comprehensive case management and integrated social service programs.  The Center enjoys broad-based community support as well as a sponsored relationship with its founders, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet.  St. Joseph Center serves approximately 6,000 individuals annually.

Brief Description of Principal Activities

Multifaceted intervention, prevention, and education services are carried out at four sites on the Westside of Los Angeles.  St. Joseph Center’s integrated programs provide clients with concentrated and coordinated access to services according to the nature of their needs.

Job Summary

The Youth Employment Specialist works to increase the income of young people enrolled in Youth Pathways South LA while they are in the program. The position connects participants to part-time work, early employment, internships and apprenticeships, helps them apply, prepare and get hired, and stays with them through the first months on the job so that the placement holds. The Youth Employment Specialist works with the Career Coach on the career pathways identified for each youth and works closely with the case managers and the Youth Pathways Lead to remove the barriers that stand between a young person and a paycheck.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Key Areas of Responsibility:

• Increase participant income during program participation through part-time and early employment, paid work experience, internships, apprenticeships, benefits enrollment and other sources of income.
• Bridge the gap between youth readiness and the job market, supporting participants through the application, placement and retention process.
• Work with the Career Coach to move each participant along the career pathway identified for them, and with the case managers and Youth Pathways Lead to remove barriers to employment.

Essential Duties:

• Work with each participant to build a simple, current picture of their income, including wages, benefits, stipends and other supports, and set an income goal that is reviewed and updated throughout the program.
• Arrange and coordinate transportation to interviews, orientations, first shifts and work-related appointments, including bus passes, ride share and staff transport where appropriate.
• Participate in case conferencing with the Youth Pathways Lead, case managers, Career Coach and instructor to review participant progress and coordinate employment goals with the rest of the service plan.
• Maintain timely and accurate records of employment activity, placements, wages, hours and retention in Salesforce, and provide the Program Manager with regular reporting against grant employment targets.

Other duties and responsibilities may be assigned. The duties and responsibilities listed are designed to provide typical examples of the work performed; not all duties and responsibilities assigned are included here, nor is it expected that all similar positions will be assigned every duty and responsibility.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• The ability to communicate with and relate to a diverse group of people including clients, community, employers and other staff.
• Practical knowledge of the entry-level labor market in Los Angeles, including which employers hire young people quickly, what those jobs pay and what they require.
•  Ability to hold a young person accountable while keeping the relationship intact, using a trauma-informed and strength-based approach.
• Ability to speak fluent Spanish and English language is preferred.

Experience:

• 2+ years of experience in employment services, job placement, workforce development, staffing or a closely related field, preferably serving youth or young adults.
• Experience and/or a strong interest in working with justice-involved youth, youth experiencing homelessness, or opportunity youth.

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in social work, human services or a related field. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered. 

Direct Reports:

This position has no direct supervisory responsibilities. 

Computer Skills:

• Experience with Salesforce, Clarity/HMIS or a comparable client data system
• Proficiency in MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
• Ability to use widely supported internet browsers.

Certificates, Licenses and Registrations:

• None

Travel Requirements:

• Access to reliable transportation. 

Work Environment:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand, sit, walk, stoop, talk, hear, reach above and below shoulders; use hand and finger dexterity, keyboarding and making and receiving telephone calls. The employee may be required on occasion to lift and or carry up to 20 lbs.

Employment with St. Joseph Center is contingent on completion of satisfactory background check.

The position requires an ability to work flexible hours including some early morning, evenings. A bilingual/bicultural background is a plus. Excellent Benefits package available.

For consideration, please submit cover letter and resume. St. Joseph Center is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. All applicants for employment are invited to voluntarily self-identify their gender, race, ethnicity, and veteran status, by completing the EEO Information. Providing your EEO Information is voluntary and refusal to self-identify will not subject applicants to any adverse treatment. Similarly, applicants who do self-identify will not be subject to any adverse treatment based on the information they provide.

St. Joseph center invites you to review the current "EEO is The Law" poster as part of the application process. A link to the current poster is located here.

 https://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/pdf/eeopost.pdf