Employment Specialist, South San Francisco Career Center

About JobTrain

JobTrain is a nonprofit organization on the move.  We are delivering best in class outcomes, increasing our reach by expanding regionally, and we have committed to an ambitious new expanded mission to help our community to advance beyond the initial job placement, providing career advancement programming to help them achieve “full economic mobility.”

Born out of the civil rights movement in 1965, we now serve those in need of job training or other services that will advance their economic mobility at one of our Bay Area career or training centers.  We create an environment and workspace where our staff reflects the diversity of the communities we serve, fostering a safe and welcoming place for our clients.  We deliver on some of the best outcomes in the workforce development field, with a vision to provide our clients with the long-term support they need to achieve full economic mobility. 

We are growing, and we need your help!

About the Department and Role

The Employment Specialist position is an integral part of the Career Center’s success and JobTrain’s more than 55 years of continuous expansion. This role is on the front lines of understanding one of the most dynamic job markets in the world and has shared responsibility for continuing to keep JobTrain on the cutting edge of workforce development in California and nationwide.

Essential Responsibilities

• Connect and guide clients to the appropriate services and resources based on an in depth understanding of the breadth and scope of JobTrain services
• Work one-on-one empathetically to build rapport and assess client needs and / or barriers to gaining employment
• Develop and co-create Individualize Employment Service Plan in partnership with client (resume, force / career coaching) leveraging internal team / knowledge / network as needed
• Manage a caseload of job seeking clients on a continuous basis (pre- and post-employment retention follow up to one year)
• Build and manage interpersonal relationships with clients and employers and community partners
• Represent JobTrain to complete outreach events: job fairs, workshops, employer events, 1-1, and large audiences
• Deliver and report timely outcomes and program deliverables (internal / external)
• Conduct cold calls as required with employers and recruiters
• Coordinate job development activities with other organizations to support clients toward economic mobility
• Collaborate with employment specialists and JobTrain staff to provide input / feedback to proactively and continuously improve the career center processes

Qualifications

We strive to find candidates who have the qualifications for the role, but who are also aligned with our values of teamwork, community and leadership and have a commitment to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion. The specific qualifications for this role are listed below.  

Experience and / or Education

• Proven experience with: Workforce development (LMI, labor force dynamics) as it relates to job placement and / or managing a caseload and / or account management or grant management experience.
• Direct experience working with specialized populations experiencing barriers to employment (i.e.: people experiencing homelessness, low-income/public assistance, justice engaged, long-term unemployment, mature workers, DV survivors, etc.
• Employment Specialist I : At least 1 year of customer service experience
• Employment Specialist II : 1 year of direct workforce development experience

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Ability to manage a caseload by assessing and meeting client employment needs, staying organized in follow up, documentation, and reporting job placements.
• Excellent customer service and client rapport-building skills by maintaining and modeling a professional demeanor while efficiently performing the required job duties.
• Communication skills, especially the ability to guide conversations and achieve employment goals effectively & efficiently. Ability to speak Spanish highly desirable.
• Facilitation and public speaking skills with the ability to deliver workshops in a variety of settings.
• Critical thinking through a lens of empathy, compassion, equity, innovation & inclusion.
• Understanding of grant funded programs, databases & reporting parameters.
• Broad familiarity with computer software and systems (i.e.: MS Suite, spreadsheets, meeting technology, etc.)
• Ability to work independently, autonomously and toward JobTrain’s mission and career center goals (i.e.: organization & task management, set and meet personal and professional goals, use adequate discernment.

• Must be able to travel to different sites as needed, within Santa Clara & San Mateo Counties, including evenings and weekends.

COVID-19 Certification

JobTrain requires that all employees be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, except as required by law. Any employment offer will be contingent upon satisfactory proof that you are fully vaccinated from COVID-19, subject to reasonable accommodations for medical or religious reasons, and/or as otherwise required by applicable law.

Compensation and Benefits

JobTrain offers a competitive salary, numerous health benefit plans and premium coverage of 90%, vision and dental, flex spending and HSA programs, 401K with an employer match, EAP and emergency services, vacation time, paid sick leave, retirement program employer match, long-term disability and life insurance.  We also pay employees for 10 observed holidays including a whole week off between Christmas Eve and New Years Day.

Based on our career ladders the starting salary is as follows: 

Additional Information

We want applicants who are interested in JobTrain’s mission, and we encourage you to attach a cover letter to explain why you are interested in JobTrain and how your experience matches with our needs.

At JobTrain, we take the interview process very seriously. If you are selected to move through the process you should expect a couple of telephone screen calls and one or two Zoom / on-site interviews as part of the interview process.

JobTrain is an equal opportunity employer/program. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. Additionally, JobTrain does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, ethnic background, religion, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, physical or mental disability or national origin.

Also, please note:

• Our focus is on local candidates, we do not offer relocation benefits.
• Successful candidates must have legal residency and work eligibility in the United States (per INS Form I-9 instructions).
• JobTrain will require the successful candidate to undergo a background check.