Employment Education Specialist

HANAC, Inc. – originally founded by George Douris as the Hellenic American Neighborhood Action Committee – is a New York City-based multi-faceted social services organization. The organization was founded in 1972 to serve the needs of vulnerable populations throughout New York City.  

The Employment/Education Specialist will assist youth in making informed choices and planning for meaningful futures by facilitating orientations, workshops, and project-based learning. He/she is committed to positive youth development principles and creates a collaborative environment of inquiry, reflection, and discovery in which youth feel comfortable sharing and challenging themselves. The program goals include:

• Developing young people's work readiness and social and job skills.
• Providing safe work environments.
• Adhering to agency policies and procedures.
• Providing integral support services across program units.
• Managing programmatic recordkeeping.

Rate of Pay: $22.40 per hour 

Work Schedule: Flexible between the hours of 8 am-11 pm

Work Location: Varies depending on company needs. The main Location is 23-16 30th Avenue, Astoria, NY 11102

Major Functions/Accountabilities:

• Responsible for on-site, day-to-day supervision of activities funded directly through SYEP.
• Organize and lead professional development workshops with youth (such as program orientation, work readiness, financial literacy, teamwork and conflict resolution, time management, education, and career exploration)
• Provide educational advice to support the individual needs of the participants.
• Provide a safe and engaging learning environment for all SYEP participants.
• Assist youth in identifying their career interests through exposure to different industries, occupations, educational pathways, and the requirements for success in each of them.
• Enable youth to acquire positive work habits and develop employment‐related skills.
• Develop and maintain positive relationships with SYEP participants.
• Cultivate and sustain a real-world working experience for the program participants.
• Enable youth to develop financial literacy and other competencies that will prepare them to succeed in their transition to adulthood.
• Maintain the classroom, including efficient classroom management and cleanliness.
• Submit timesheets, weekly assessments, and any other relevant documents to the Youth Employment Coordinator promptly using Dropbox, google drive, and other assigned platform
• Monitor SYEP/WLG activities, including recruitment, registration, and collection of documentation, orientation, payroll, and program implementation.
• Act as liaison to worksites. Complete weekly assessments, including a written summary of the week based on conversations with worksite supervisors and participants and field observation. Conduct weekly interviews with both the participants and worksite supervisors as part of weekly assessment reports
• Distribute and collect all relevant documents from worksites, including timesheets, evaluations, and reflections, and ensure accuracy and completion to meet strict deadlines
• Monitor and review incident reports and informs the Program Director of all incidents.
• Troubleshoot any issues that may arise at worksites and help participants and employers reach a mutual agreement upon resolutions.
• Responsible for the entry of SYEP/WLG participant timesheets and signing them at the end of the pay period.
• Participate in the distribution of debit cards to participants.
• Light administrative duties include making phone calls, outreach, emailing, faxing, copying, and making packets.
• Maintain and update all participants’ employment files.
• Participate in weekly meetings with the Youth Workforce team
• Attend staff meetings and professional development training as required
• Complete Basecamp check-ins twice per day
• Assist with other department duties and projects as needed.

Requirements:

• Ability and patience to work with youth, recognizing their exuberance and juvenile behavior, particularly in group settings.
• Travel within NYC: use public transportation or traverse city streets, occasionally ascend/descend stairs, and be exposed to outside weather conditions.
• Ability to work with the public and/or youth.
• Remain in a stationary position at a workstation and use a computer at least 50% of the time.

Qualifications:

• High School Diploma required; current college enrollment. AA/AS degree a plus.
• Minimum of three years of experience planning and facilitating workshops for youth on workforce and career topics.
• Experience with classroom management.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work in a professional setting.
• Must be proficient in Microsoft Office Word/Excel2010; demonstrated work proficiency with the Internet.
• Excellent organizational and administrative skills.
• Prior knowledge of Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP)
• Experience developing youth development, work readiness curricula, and lesson plans.
• Demonstrated experience working with youth development programs and facilitating educational workshops for young people.
• Unflappable customer service, organization, and time management skills.
• Creative, professional, and has an excellent sense of humor.
• Passion for youth and community development.
• Bilingual, English/Spanish a plus.
• Must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 at the commencement of employment or adhere to enhanced protocols if Company determines your job position requires accessing a HANAC worksite.