Employment Specialist

Position Title: Employment Specialist

Supervisor: Director of Employment

Status: Full-time, hourly, non-exempt professional, $22-24/hour

Organizational Description:

Journey's End Refugee Services, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer and seeks to employ the best-qualified personnel without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, or any other reason prohibited by law.

Journey's End Refugee Services, Inc. is a refugee resettlement and immigration services provider for the Western New York Region. Journey's End works to assist newly arriving refugees to find gainful employment and avoid dependency on social services

Job Description:

The Employment Specialist has the dual responsibility of assisting clients with job placements and working with employers to fill open positions. This includes hands-on client-based job preparation skills/training, self-sufficiency work plan creation, and frequent placement follow-up. It also includes outreach to employers to develop and strengthen relationships with those employers in order to ensure proper placement and strong retention. The Employment Specialist works closely with case managers and other agency departments, with the objective of removing barriers to employment and ensuring clients are on track to be financially self-sufficient.

The Employment Specialist must exemplify Journey's End's core values in their work. These values include intercultural responsiveness, integrity, person-centered, empowerment, and exemplary service.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Work with clients – many of whom are limited English proficient (LEP) individuals – and employers to overcome the challenges newly arriving refugees face in seeking and retaining employment
• Work on new employment intiatives such as employment services for refugees and immigrants with disabilities or youth employment services.
• Provide transportation assistance, language assistance, and job application assistance in early stages of securing job for clients
• Provide culturally sensitive counseling and case management
• Ensure client milestones to employment are documented in data systems and case files, including job offers, job placements, job retention, public assistance usage, and ongoing follow-up on placements
• Model and teach clients about professional dress and communication, as well as expectations of U.S. employers
• Assist in targeting new and existing employers and act as their initial contact

· Enroll and determine eligible clients' specific needs and qualifications, including English language ability, transferable job skills, personal objectives, and barriers to employment through a comprehenstive intake and assessment process

• Communicate with clients and employers at 30-day, 60-day, 90-day intervals to provide support after job placements occur (for up to five years)

· Support clients on completing applications, interviews with potential employers, and accompanying clients to interviews, providing transportation and following up with employers until decisions are made

• Write clear case notes, reporting, and maintain accurate case files on a daily/weekly basis
• Advocate for clients in resolving issues with employers
• Facilitate groups and activities for clients, such as employment skills preparation, employer orientations, job clubs and trainings
• Assist with public benefits and unemployment issues as needed
• Troubleshoot and resolve clients' barriers to employment
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications:

• 1-3 years' experience working in the employment or workforce readiness field, including but not limited to job placement, training, or coaching
• Experience working with foreign-born populations

• Firm understanding of challenges newly arrived refugees face and ability to overcome those challenges

· Ability to implement job readiness opportunities for historically underrepresented persons, especially limited english proficient (LEP) individuals

• Knowledge of employer/employee rights and responsibilities
• Able to communicate in a timely, professional, and assertive manner
• Attention to detail and timely follow-through

• Solid computer skills

• Ability to work well independently and be self-directed, as well as a team player

• Highly organized, efficient and able to work in a fast-paced environment.

• Strong written and oral communication skills and an acute attention to detail

• Multilingual helpful, but not required (Fluent in Arabic, Dari, Pashto, Swahili, and/or Ukrainian preferred)

• Valid driver's license and access to reliable transportation

Journey's End is committed to the purpose of providing refugees with the resources and support they need to become successful, active, and contributing members of the Western New York community. The ideal candidate must be self-directed and able to work in a team environment.