Employment Specialist

Denver

Organization: IRC - International Rescue Committee
Location: Denver
Grade: Mid level - Mid level
Occupational Groups:
- Labour Market Policy
Closing Date: Closed

IRC BACKGROUND:

The IRC opened a Denver office in 2016 to provide reception and placement services to newly arrived refugees. The office is slated to resettle approximately 200-250 refugees per year and provides wraparound program services that assist refugees, asylees, Cuban and Haitian entrants, victims of trafficking, survivors of torture, asylum seekers, and other immigrant populations. The IRC in Denver's service approach is client-centered, empowerment-focused, trauma-informed, and multigenerational.

JOB OVERVIEW:

IRC in Denver’s Economic Empowerment Program seeks to support clients’ immediate needs for economic stability, while ensuring that near-term demands do not overshadow longer-term economic health. The Employment Specialist assists clients in setting employment and career goals, coaches them toward those goals, assists in securing jobs that will advance their efforts to achieve economic self-reliance, and helps connect clients to supports to pursue career pathways.

The IRC in Denver is recruiting a new Employment Specialist to focus primarily on COVID relief and response efforts. Working directly with clients and in close collaboration with colleague Employment Specialists and other direct service staff across the IRC in Denver team, the Employment Specialist learns about clients’ work needs as well as the skills, expertise and assets they offer to prospective employers. The Employment Specialist cultivates a network of potential employers, learns about their workforce needs, identifies areas of alignment within the client population, and facilitates client participation in all phases of the hiring process. The Employment Specialist maintains ongoing relationships with both clients and employers, assisting in troubleshooting when challenges arise, promoting opportunities for job upgrades and advancement, and advocating for fair treatment of clients by their employers when warranted. The Employment Specialist will also participate in the intake, employment assessment and service planning process, including providing career counseling support as needed.

This position will support a caseload of individuals whose employment has been adversely impacted by COVID-19, promoting individual and community recovery related to COVID-19. This role will also serve as a bridge between the education and employment teams to ensure impacted individuals have access to a variety of supports to support their stability and self-sufficiency, such as digital literacy, vocational ESL, and job readiness training.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

Employment Services

•Employing a coaching approach, including motivational interviewing techniques, in client interactions.

•Participating in the client intake, assessment, service planning and goal-setting processes.

•Enhancing clients’ work readiness by offering weekly job club support and providing one-on-one coaching and job readiness support, together with colleagues from the education team.

•Providing employment-related coaching and promoting client engagement in activities that further job readiness, job retention, career laddering post-employment, and ongoing career development.

•Advocating for benefits, higher pay and advancement opportunities for clients.

•Re-engaging clients with positive 90-day job retention and longer-term clients to support job upgrades and career advancement through CAREERS and other services and supports.

•Assisting clients in accessing public benefits and providing referrals and navigation to facilitate access to other services as needed.

•Coordinating services with the broader IRC in Denver team to ensure a holistic approach to moving individuals and entire families forward.

Employer Engagement

•Representing the IRC and the IRC’s clients professionally to the local business community.

•Researching and identifying local industries and employers who stand to benefit from employing refugees and similar populations and may be amenable to hiring them.

•Building working relationships with potential employers through outreach, education, and events.

•Maintaining relationships with clients and employers and assisting with questions or issues that may arise in the course of the client’s employment.

•Maintaining contact with employers through site visits, appreciation events, and other means.

•Liaising between employers and with other Employment Specialists and team members to ensure successful employment placements for clients.

•Responding to incoming inquiries from employers regarding employment opportunities.

Quality and Compliance

•Documenting case notes, entering program data, and preparing required reports in an accurate and timely manner.

•Ensuring that services are delivered in accordance with relevant quality assurance standards.

•Abiding by the standards of case management and delivery expectation set forth by the IRC, the Colorado Refugee Services Program (CRSP), the Office of Refugee Resettlement, and other donors as applicable.

•Meeting monthly individual goals and outcomes under Matching Grant, the Colorado Alliance for Refugee Empowerment and Success (CARES) Reach Program, and other agreements.

Other

•Participating in training and professional development relevant to the role.

•Attending meetings as appropriate and requested by CRSP and/or other state and local partners.

•Other duties as assigned.

KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS:

Position Reports to: Employment Services Coordinator

Position Directly Supervises: N/A; may supervise interns and volunteers engaged in job development and related services.

JOB REQUIREMENTS:

•Undergraduate degree is preferred, or equivalent combination of work and lived experience.

•Minimum of 2 years relevant work experience in human services field is ideal.

•Experience with the U.S. job search process and the ability to effectively coach clients through the nuances of seeking employment.

•Previous experience working with job development preferred.

•Fluency in English, both spoken and written, is required.

•Fluency in Arabic, Russian, Dari, Burmese, Kiswahili or other languages and cultures of the local refugee population is strongly preferred.

•Experience in working with refugees or in refugee resettlement is highly desirable.

•Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

•Effective, professional presentation skills.

•Proficient in general office software programs, e.g., MS Office suite, email, internet applications and relational databases (familiarity with Efforts to Outcomes particularly valuable).

•Proven ability to work as a team member in a cross-cultural environment.

•Detail oriented with excellent organizational skills, ability to multi-task and complete work in a fast-paced environment.

•Valid driver’s license, reliable vehicle with current insurance, and the ability to travel regularly throughout the service delivery area strongly preferred.

WORKING ENVIRONMENT:

•Standard office work environment combined with considerable time in the field and in neighborhoods where clients live and work.

•Travel in and around the Denver metro area to facilitate service delivery, build community relationships and represent the IRC with community partners.

•Hours outside of typical office hours required at times.

IRC- leading the way from harm to home

IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law

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