Coordinator - Post Secondary Options & Career Resources

Join Our Team At Mercy Home For Boys & Girls

At Mercy Home for Boys & Girls, we are dedicated to empowering Youth, fostering hope, and creating brighter futures. Our mission is to be advocates, educators, coaches, and role models for the Youth we serve. We strongly believe that every young individual deserves a chance to thrive and reach their full potential.

As one of the Top 100 Places to Work in Chicago according to the Chicago Tribune for the past 13 consecutive years, Mercy Home prides itself on prioritizing the growth and well-being of our team. We provide comprehensive training as well as ongoing professional development opportunities throughout your time here.

If you're passionate, driven, and dedicated to making the world a better place, then we want you on our team. The committed workers at Mercy Home provide healing, guidance, and opportunity to young men and women in need.

How You'll Make an Impact:

You will offer support and guidance on the educational and vocational goals of residents at Daley Home; to represent the Agency at schools, post-secondary development programs, and with employers; to support administrative procedures and processes for Daley Home; and to maintain professional data and program materials. This role also supports and implements the philosophy and policies of the Agency by problem-solving with youth to help them meet their goals and by providing appropriate supervision of youth in the milieu and during activities.

In This Role, You Will:

• Assess and implement Mercy Model programming with assigned youth and young adults, including but not limited to strengths discovery, goal setting, problem solving, in-vivo mentoring, and skills coaching.
• Collaborate with the treatment team to identify roles in each young adult's future planning, including other key stakeholders (family members, mentors, etc.).
• Coordinate with the treatment team to execute vocational and educational components of the community launch plan.
• Work collaboratively with Residential Programs, Education and Career Resources, Community Care staff, and the Transition Coach in support of PSO/CR planning.
• Monitor and assess youth progress and modify plans as needed to support successful transitions to independence.
• Develop, implement, manage, and monitor operational, administrative, and programmatic processes related to post-secondary education and vocational planning for assigned programs.
• Conduct career and post-high school educational assessments and develop corresponding case plans; support community exploration as appropriate.
• Complete educational and vocational admissions assessments and monitor progress for young adults seeking placement at Daley Home.
• Maintain educational and vocational records, including accurate data entry in databases.
• Continuously assess educational and vocational needs to ensure appropriate resources are available or requested.
• Compile and collaborate on data, information, and statistics related to Quality Improvement (QI) and the Education and Career Resources (ECR) department.
• Support young adults in seeking on-campus, part-time, and full-time employment; participate in internship preparation and campus employment support as assigned.
• Monitor external job placements and serve as liaison with employers.
• In collaboration with Daley Home Residential Program, implement Job Preparation and Financial Literacy programming for each young adult.
• Research, track, and communicate summer employment and internship opportunities in coordination with the department.
• Coordinate driver's education for young adults.
• Plan, execute, and attend post-secondary and career exposure visits.
• Attend weekly Daley Home staff meetings to ensure clear communication regarding educational and vocational needs.
• Maintain direct communication with Education and Career Resources staff and program staff regarding daily availability for tutoring or vocational services.
• Maintain strict confidentiality when coordinating services such as tutoring.
• Work two evenings per week to support evening programming.
• Actively identify, evaluate, and connect youth and young adults with relevant community PSO/CR resources.
• Utilize CPI de-escalation and behavior management techniques as required.
• Learn and consistently implement Agency treatment philosophies, modalities, and practices.
• Provide structure through supportive supervision, guidance, and positive role modeling within the milieu.
• Coach youth and young adults in skill development, social problem solving, and strengths identification.
• Engage youth and young adults in daily routines by setting expectations, reinforcing positive behavior, setting limits, and providing corrective feedback.
• Develop and support creative interventions that leverage youth strengths and interests.
• Provide individualized services aligned with each young person's goals and needs.
• Remain current on program documentation and respond to emails promptly.
• Complete all required documentation during shifts and follow on-call notification procedures.
• Provide safe transportation for youth and young adults in accordance with Agency policy and state laws.

What We Need From You:

• At least 21 years of age.
• Bachelor's degree required, ideally with a major in education, social work, business, or a related field.
• Strong understanding of, and passion for, the importance of post–high school education and workforce development opportunities, particularly for Mercy Home's young adult population.
• Demonstrated experience working with youth and young adults who have experienced developmental adversity and/or trauma (minimum two years' experience preferred).
• Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills.
• Ability to conduct trainings for young adults on relevant topics.
• Ability to identify, schedule, and coordinate guest speakers and special courses for young adults.
• Ability to research and network with educational and workforce development programs and establish community connections.
• Ability to work independently and as an active member of an interdisciplinary treatment team.
• Openness to and respect for cultural and socioeconomic differences, with demonstrated competency in working with a diverse client population.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel, with the ability to learn additional software programs as needed.
• Comfort with recordkeeping, numerical data, and performing simple statistical analysis.
• Strong relationship-building and coaching skills.
• Ability to maintain a professional demeanor (e.g., respect for others, receptiveness to feedback, openness to differing viewpoints, willingness to learn new skills, and ability to avoid personalizing feedback) while exercising sound judgment and discretion.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality.
• Ability to follow both oral and written instructions.
• Ability to read and interpret documents such as operating and maintenance instructions, procedure manuals, and professional journals.
• Ability to write clear and accurate reports and correspondence.
• Ability to work two evenings per week.
• Ability to attend required Agency trainings and maintain training compliance, including flexibility to attend daytime or off-schedule sessions as needed.
• Ability to promote, support, and role-model Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) theory and practice for de-escalation.
• Active engagement in learning and integrating developmentally appropriate, attachment-informed, and trauma-responsive practices consistent with the Mercy Model of Care and ARC Framework.
• Demonstrated commitment to the mission, values, and goals of the Agency.

Basic Information / Schedule Details

Monday to Friday: 8am to 5:30pm

Pay: $26.50 to $28.00 Hourly, Full-Time

Location: West Loop Campus- 1140 W Jackson Chicago, IL 60607

For information on benefits please follow this link-

Why You Will Love Working Here:

At Mercy Home, our commitment to providing the best care for the Youth we serve extends to ensuring our team receives top-of-the-line training and professional development.

We are a Top Workplace as awarded by the Chicago Tribune.

Mercy Home for Boys & Girls is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to Inclusion and Diversity

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