Employment Specialist I

Employment Specialist I

Help people build careers, stability, and brighter futures.

Central City Concern is seeking a compassionate, resourceful, and mission-driven Employment Specialist I to support individuals impacted by homelessness, poverty, mental health challenges, and substance use disorders as they pursue meaningful employment. In this role, you will partner with clients throughout their employment journey, helping them identify career goals, overcome barriers, secure employment, and maintain long-term success in work, housing, and recovery.

Why This Role Matters

At CCC, employment is more than a job. It is a pathway to stability, self-sufficiency, and personal transformation. As an Employment Specialist, you will play a direct role in helping individuals build confidence, develop workforce skills, connect to opportunities, and achieve lasting success.

What You'll Do

• Provide individualized employment coaching, career exploration, and job retention support.
• Help clients develop employment plans, career maps, resumes, cover letters, and interview skills.
• Connect clients to community resources that address barriers such as housing, transportation, behavioral health, and basic needs.
• Build relationships with employers and match clients to appropriate employment opportunities.
• Monitor client progress, document services, and maintain accurate records within case management systems.
• Collaborate closely with CCC programs, housing teams, and community partners to provide coordinated support.

The Blackburn Center combines supportive housing with an on-site health care clinic, pharmacy and employment services. Blackburn Center Apartments is a six-story apartment building located in the Hazelwood neighborhood of SE Portland, consisting of 90 single-room occupancy units and 34 studio units. Blackburn Center is located along the MAX Blue line.

Location: Blackburn Center, 12121 E. Burnside St. Portland

Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm (Saturdays & Sundays Off)

Compensation: $22.73/hr - $30.15/hr. Final comp will be determined based on relevant experience, education, credentials/licensure, and internal equity. External candidates: Offer max $26.37/hr per our Union contract.

AFSCME Union:

This role is a Union Represented position through; American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). You can find more information about your representation here

This position could be subject to Recall Rights : This applies to employees who were previously laid off from a CCC union-represented position. The previous employee may have recall rights to be considered for rehire before internal or external candidates are considered.

Seniority Bid Window: Opens: 9/1/26 Closes: 9/10/26

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS :

• High school diploma or GED and one year of experience in workforce development, social services, job placement, job coaching, employment and training, or related field.
• Must embrace the mission and philosophy of recovery and client centered treatment.
• Must be able to work weekends and/or evenings, as necessary.
• Must have necessary computer skills to accomplish duties.
• Knowledge of area employers, housing resources, training providers, human service agencies and community groups.
• Must be able to perform intra-city travel.
• Must pass a pre-employment drug screen, TB test, and background check.
  • This includes clearance by the DHS Background Check if working in FAN, Blackburn or OTRC Programs.
• Work on this specific contract prohibits convictions of child or elderly abuse, offenses against persons, sexual offenses, or child neglect.
• Ability to adhere to Central City Concern’s drug-free workplace which encourages a safe, healthy, and productive work environment and strictly complies with the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988. An employee shall not, in the workplace, unlawfully manufacture, distribute, dispense, possess or use a controlled substance or alcohol.
• Must generally have the ability to walk, bend, stoop, kneel, squat, twist, reach, pull and lift heavy objects, and climb stairs with reasonable or no accommodation.
• May be required to carry an agency cell phone for work use. Cell phone will be provided by Central City Concern.
• Must adhere to agency's non-discrimination policies.
• Ability to effectively interact with co-workers and clients with diverse ethnic backgrounds, religious views, cultural backgrounds, lifestyles, and sexual orientations, and treat everyone with respect and dignity.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bilingual in English and Spanish
• Peer Support Specialist Certification
• Experience working with homeless and/or recovering chemically dependent individuals
• Bachelor's degree
• Valid driver’s license preferred. If required to drive, must pass a DMV background check, and be designated an “acceptable” driver as outlined in Central City Concern’s Fleet Safety Policy. If required to drive, must pass an initial driver’s training within 60 days of being an approved driver and continued recertification training

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provide employment services aligned with CCC and contractually required program standards including, but not limited to, development of a comprehensive case plan that identifies employment and training goals, monitoring client progress toward said goals, and provision of services that support their plan.
• Maintain high-quality documentation within CCC’s Apricot Case Management system and other systems as required by funders such as iTrac and iMatchSkills. This includes ensuring all contractually and operationally required data is collected, services provided are tracked, and required documents are collected and stored properly.
• Carefully monitor services obtained, financial supports, and employment status for clients on their caseload, including provision of short-term retention services.
• Work with clients to complete Career Maps and provide client assessments to determine skills and abilities.
• Actively participate in outreach and provide assistance and direction to clients in identifying SNAP eligibility as well as how to obtain forms of identification for employment.
• Check the eligibility of clients for access and/or enrollment into appropriate programs and services available in the community that support their employment goals. This includes collaborating with resource agencies by making referrals and providing interventions to remove barriers to employment, including housing, mental health, drug and alcohol abuse, and emergency services.
• Assist clients with the requirements of applying and interviewing for jobs, including building cover letters and resumes and assisting with practice interviews.
• Match job seeking clients and employers using a variety of professional job placement skills.
• Work with internal service providers to ensure coordinated and streamlined services. This includes but is not limited to CCC Supportive Housing and Social Enterprises teams.
• Provide ongoing individual support and encouragement to clients.
• Meet contractual goals for clients served and other key performance metrics
• Attend all required meetings and training offered by program funders and community partners to ensure alignment with the regional industry and workforce strategy planning.
• Attend all required internal CCC meetings and trainings.
• May assist clients with housing through referrals to housing resources and supporting housing retention with employment services.
• Synthesize information from diverse sources and act on information appropriately for each client and program.
• Participate in compliance, quality assurance and quality improvement activities as directed.
• Adhere to all CCC policies, procedures, and guidelines.
• Adhere to all state and federal privacy regulations, including HIPAA and 42 CFR Part 2, and to CCC policies and agreements regarding confidentiality, privacy, and security. Support compliance with all privacy and security requirements pursuant to community partners' and outside providers' patient confidentiality agreements, including privacy and security requirements for EMR access. This includes immediately reporting any breach of protected health information or personal identification information of any person receiving CCC services by CCC or an outside provider to the CCC Compliance Department, as well as to your supervisor or their designee.
• Perform related duties as assigned, within the scope of the role.

ABILITIES:

• Ability to develop and carry out individualized employment, training and retention plans.
• Ability to maintain accurate records and necessary paperwork.
• Strong time management, follow-through and organization skills in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to successfully interact and communicate clearly with a wide variety of people including clients, employers, partnering agencies and co-workers.
• Ability to be creative, innovative, and be a progressive problem solver.
• Demonstrated knowledge of issues related to individuals with multiple barriers to employment.
• Ability to provide de-escalation tactics in a trauma informed way.
• Ability to display a non-judgmental attitude and a willingness to learn new skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Knowledge of and ability to maintain professional boundaries.
• Experience facilitating training, groups, and workshops.
• Demonstrated expertise in assisting individuals to develop employment, training and supportive services plans and providing on-going support as they work to achieve goals.

Benefits at Central City Concern:

We offer incredible benefits to our employees, including an extensive total rewards package, competitive compensation, medical, dental, vision, Student loan repayment options, and retirement savings matching plans!

• Generous paid time off plan beginning at 4 weeks of PTO accrual per year! Accrual amount/rate increases with longevity.
• Up to 11 recognized Holidays and 2 personal holidays (dependent on work shift schedule).
• Amazing 403(b) Retirement Savings plan with an employer match of 4.25% in your 1st year, 6% in the 2nd year, and 8% in your 3rd year!
• Comprehensive Medical, Vision, and Dental insurance coverage.
• Employer-Paid Life, Short-Term Disability, & Long-Term Disability Insurance!
• Sabbatical Program offering extended time off at years 7, 14, and 21.

This description is intended to provide a snapshot of the work performed and is not designed to contain a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of the position.

As an agency deeply rooted in recovery, part of our policy and commitment to a drug and alcohol-free workplace includes post-offer, pre-employment drug screens. Please note we follow Federal Guidelines regarding prohibited substances, even for those legal at the state level.

Central City Concern is a second-chance employer and complies with applicable laws regarding the consideration of criminal background for employment purposes. Government regulations, contractual requirements, or the duties of this job may require CCC to conduct a background check and take appropriate action to address prior criminal convictions.