Participant Support Specialist

Job Description

Job Description

CAREER DETAILS

CAREER TITLE: Participant Support Specialist

LOCATION: AYW Operating Site, Lockhart, TX

DIVISION: YouthBuild

DEPARTMENT: Participant Services

POSITION REPORTS TO: Participant Services Manager

POSITION SUPPORTS: Program participants and alumni

POSITION SUPERVISES: N/A

CLASSIFICATION: Part-time, Temporary, Non-Exempt

POSITION PURPOSE

The Participant Support Specialist provides participant-centered support and resource navigation to program participants and alumni to strengthen engagement, stability, completion, and successful transition. The position identifies barriers, coordinates support plans and resources, assists with benefits navigation, and provides follow-up as needed. Working with program staff, internal teams, and community partners, the role also supports recruitment, enrollment, retention, documentation, and transition planning using trauma-informed, strengths-based, and restorative practices.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND BASIC DUTIES

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions and basic tasks.

Under the direction of the Participant Services Manager, the Participant Support Specialist will perform the following functions:

1. Recruitment, Intake, and Enrollment
   1. Support intake and enrollment activities in coordination with recruitment, enrollment, CORE/Compliance, and program staff.
   2. Assist with interest forms, eligibility screening, intake appointments, participant paperwork, CASAS testing coordination, background-check coordination, and required documentation collection as assigned.
   3. Support participant orientation activities, including helping participants understand available support services, resource-navigation options, program expectations, paperwork requirements, timesheets, payroll processes, and other required procedures.
   4. Ensure assigned applicant and enrollment documentation is complete, accurate, appropriately secured, and maintained in accordance with grant, program, and organizational requirements.
   5. Track and maintain assigned recruitment, enrollment, demographic, and participant information in approved systems.
2. Participant Support and Resource Navigation
   1. Maintain an assigned participant support roster based on program needs, staffing levels, and participant support intensity.
   2. Provide participant-centered support, resource navigation, support planning, referrals, benefits navigation, and follow-up to address barriers that may affect attendance, engagement, participation, completion, or transition.
   3. Develop and maintain participant support plans, as appropriate, identifying participant goals, strengths, barriers, resources, next steps, and follow-up actions.
   4. Connect participants with appropriate internal and external resources, including housing, food assistance, transportation, health care, child care, legal aid, public benefits, and other community-based services.
   5. Coordinate approved needs-based support services in accordance with AYW policies, grant requirements, funding restrictions, and documentation standards.
   6. Assist participants with public-benefit applications and navigation, including applicable food, health care, cash, child care, housing, and other assistance programs.
   7. Provide approved transportation when necessary to help participants obtain required identification or documentation, access benefits or community resources, attend appointments, or address other program-related needs.
   8. Obtain and maintain applicable Community Partner Program navigator certification when required for assigned benefits-navigation responsibilities.
3. Engagement, Retention, and Completion Support
   
   1. Partner with program staff to identify participants who may be at risk of disengagement, repeated absence, early exit, or unsuccessful completion.
   2. Conduct regular participant check-ins to identify barriers, monitor support needs, and help participants remain engaged and progressing toward completion.
   3. Coordinate with education, training, and worksite staff when participant support needs may affect classroom participation, hands-on training, externships, construction activities, or other program requirements.
   4. Conduct visits to training sites, construction sites, externship locations, or other program settings as needed to provide participant check-ins and support coordination.
   5. Participate in participant-centered planning, restorative-practice, transition, and other multidisciplinary meetings as requested.
   6. Support appropriate re-engagement efforts for participants experiencing attendance, participation, or other barriers to successful program completion.
      
4. Career Pathways and Transition Coordination
   
   1. Coordinate with Career Pathways staff when participant support needs may affect job readiness, post-secondary readiness, placement, graduate follow-up, or transition planning.
   2. Participate in transition planning with participants and appropriate program staff to identify and address support-related barriers.
   3. Communicate relevant support-related information, within appropriate confidentiality and information-sharing guidelines, when housing, transportation, benefits, legal, family, or other stability needs may affect transition or placement readiness.
   4. Assist with leadership development, life-skills activities, résumé development, job-search preparation, or other career-readiness activities as assigned and in coordination with program staff.
5. Documentation, Coordination, and Escalation
   1. Document participant contacts, support notes, referrals, approved support services, support plans, follow-up activities, and outcomes in approved systems.
      
   2. Maintain complete, accurate, timely, respectful, and audit-ready documentation in accordance with program, CORE/Compliance, grant, and AYW standards.
      
   3. Provide participant-support information and documentation needed for grant reporting, DOL reporting, monitoring, internal program review, and participant planning as requested.
      
   4. Coordinate urgent participant-support needs with the Participant Services Manager and appropriate program, CORE/Compliance, Human Resources, organizational leadership, or external resources.
      
   5. Escalate safety concerns, housing instability, mandated-reporting concerns, compliance-sensitive matters, participant conduct concerns, or organizational risks through established reporting and escalation procedures.
      
   6. Maintain participant confidentiality and comply with applicable information-sharing and records-management requirements.
      
   7. Maintain appropriate professional boundaries and refer participants to qualified providers or community resources when specialized, clinical, legal, or other professional services are needed.
      
   8. Support participants in understanding program requirements while recognizing that program leadership retains responsibility for policy enforcement, corrective action, participant-status decisions, and other formal program decisions.
      
6. Program Collaboration and Other Responsibilities
   
   1. Participate in team meetings, trainings, professional development, participant activities, and continuous-improvement efforts.
      
   2. Collaborate with program staff, Participant Services, Career Pathways, CORE/Compliance, and other internal teams to support coordinated participant services.
      
   3. Promote respectful, equitable, inclusive, and participant-centered practices in interactions with participants, staff, partners, and communities.
      
   4. Perform other duties as assigned in support of participant success, program operations, and organizational priorities.
      

QUALIFICATIONS

Minimum Required

EDUCATION / CERTIFICATION

• High school diploma or GED.

EXPERIENCE

• Two years of related experience in participant support, youth development, human services, workforce development, education, community services, or a related setting.
• Experience working directly with youth or young adults who may face barriers to education, employment, participation, or stability.
• Experience with participant documentation, resource coordination, referrals, benefits navigation, or related support services.
  

Preferred

EDUCATION / EXPERIENCE

• Associate degree in Human Services, Social Services, Education, Workforce Development, Youth Development, Psychology, Sociology, or a related field.
• Experience working in YouthBuild, AmeriCorps, workforce development, education, nonprofit, or other grant-funded programming.
• Experience with resource navigation, public benefits, participant support planning, recruitment, enrollment, retention, or transition services.
• Community Partner Program navigator certification or experience assisting individuals with public-benefit applications.

KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/ABILITIES

KNOWLEDGE

• Knowledge of participant-centered, strengths-based, trauma-informed, and restorative approaches to youth and young-adult engagement.
• Understanding of community resources, public-benefit programs, referral processes, and barriers that may affect participant stability and program engagement.
• Understanding of participant support planning, documentation, confidentiality, professional boundaries, and appropriate escalation practices.
• Familiarity with recruitment, enrollment, retention, and transition-support processes in workforce-development or youth-serving programs.
• Proficiency with Google Workspace, Microsoft Office, spreadsheets, shared document systems, databases, and other participant-data tools.

SKILLS

• Strong participant engagement, relationship-building, coaching, and resource-navigation skills.
• Strong organizational, documentation, follow-through, and time-management skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Effective problem-solving, de-escalation, and referral-coordination skills.
• Ability to communicate clearly with participants, families, staff, community partners, and service providers.
• Ability to accurately maintain participant records, track follow-up needs, and use organizational systems.

ABILITIES

• Build trust and maintain professional relationships with participants from diverse backgrounds and experiences.
• Identify participant barriers and strengths and connect participants with appropriate resources and support.
• Maintain appropriate professional boundaries while providing responsive and compassionate participant support.
• Manage multiple participants, referrals, documentation requirements, deadlines, and follow-up responsibilities.
• Exercise sound judgment, maintain confidentiality, and appropriately escalate safety, compliance, or participant concerns.
• Work independently and collaboratively while remaining aligned with program policies, grant requirements, and supervisory direction.
• Adapt to changing participant and program needs while remaining organized, professional, and

BENEFITS

American YouthWorks offers competitive benefits and leave packages including, on an annual basis:

• 11 personal days;
• 8 sick days;
• 19 break days, taken throughout the spring, summer, and winter;
• 17 holidays, 2 float holidays
• Employer contributions toward medical and dental plan;
• Employer-paid Life, AD&D, and Long Term Disability;
• Pre-tax programs for child and health care;
• Supplemental income and additional voluntary life options
• 403(b) retirement with employer contribution;