Senior Vocational ESL Instructor

Background: The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. At work in over 40 countries and 25 U.S. cities to restore safety, dignity and hope, the IRC leads the way from harm to home. IRC San Diego’s Center for Financial Opportunity (CFO) is a collection of economic empowerment programs delivered in an evidence-based approach to ensure that individuals and families receive a comprehensive, tailored set of services to support initial self-sufficiency as well as economic mobility over time. CFO helps more than 5,000 unduplicated beneficiaries move towards self-sufficiency each year through integrated services that are designed to promote financial stability, including workforce development, small business development, digital inclusion, income support and financial counseling, as well as easy access to the Earned Income Tax Credit through IRC’s in-house tax assistance program.

Job Overview: The Workforce department supports employment through career development education, digital literacy education, transportation education, and job readiness services to ensure clients achieve self-sufficiency and economic independence. Our educational programming works to ensure that newly arrived refugees have the skills and knowledge to become successfully employed and are economically self-sufficient. Under supervision of the Senior Employment Training Supervisor, the Senior Vocational English as a Second Language (VESL) Plus Instructor will provide the day-to-day supervision of the VESL Plus Program and the VESL instructors.  The position will develop, refine, and implement the VESL curriculum with the goal of helping refugees, asylees, and parolees obtain early employment.  While VESL Plus cohorts target the development of both English language and work readiness skills, some may have an additional focus on driver education and safety, family childcare licensing, beginner computer skills, or literacy.  The Senior VESL Plus Instructor will work closely with the VESL and broader workforce team to provide guidance and support with required instructional and administrative goals and tasks.

Responsibilities: Include, but are not limited to:

• Encourage and support the advance planning, outreach, and implementation of each VESL Plus cohort, working closely with both the VESL and Workforce teams.
• Play the lead role in incorporating adult learning principles, updating, and adapting curricula for training programs based on client need or funder priorities.
• Work with the Volunteer Coordinator to develop and maintain volunteer support for educational programming.
• Provide ongoing support and instruction to program staff.
• Provide VESL instruction for 1-2 workshops per year and covering direct report’s VESL workshops while they are out of the office.
• Maintain referral process and communication with program staff to ensure students are enrolled in a timely manner.
• Train and mentor VESL Instructors in classroom management and curriculum implementation
• Develop and administer student evaluation tools.
• Ensure that programming and curriculum is linguistically sensitive and culturally relevant to client population, and classroom environment is welcoming to all students.
• Implement and lead VESL team in the management of student attendance and retention to maximize program impact and meet program goals.
• Lead VESL team in the collection of accurate and comprehensive attendance records and case notes.
• Implement and coordinate with direct reports to provide strengths-based and holistic educational programming to students.
• Participate in all program meetings, staff development activities, and other duties as assigned.

Position Reports to: Senior Workforce Training Supervisor

Position directly supervises: VESL Instructors (3)

Job Requirements:

• Undergraduate degree or relevant work experience. TESOL (or similar relevant) Certification strongly preferred.
• At least two years’ related professional experience; demonstrated experience with Job Readiness Training, VESL, developing and facilitating educational programming for underserved populations.
• Experience working with adult learners from a variety of cultural and linguistic groups, and with multiple levels of English language skill required; work with newcomer populations desirable.
• Experience designing curriculum and integrating technology utilizing Adult Education core principles.
• Able to think creatively and strategically to overcome barriers and develop new program models.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Highly organized, attentive to detail, responsible, and flexible.
• Self-starter with excellent analytical skills combined with the proven ability to multi-task, prioritize duties, and manage time effectively.
• Fluency in written and spoken English; fluency in additional language relevant to current refugee populations a plus

Working Environment: 

• A combination of standard office environment, remote work, and ‘field’ time within the service delivery area to perform the above outlined responsibilities.
• May require occasional weekend and/or evening work.

COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement: In accordance with IRC’s duty to provide and maintain a workplace that is free of known hazards and our commitment to safeguard the health of our employees, clients, and communities, IRC requires new hires to furnish proof of vaccination against COVID-19 in order to be considered for any in-office or hybrid positions.  All IRC US offices require full vaccination to attend any in-office functions (e.g., meetings, trainings).

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusivity: IRC is committed to building a diverse organization and a climate of inclusivity.  We strongly encourage applications from candidates who can demonstrate that they can contribute to this goal.

Equal Opportunity Employer: We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

US Benefits: We offer a comprehensive and highly competitive set of benefits.  In the US, these include: 10 sick days, 10 US holidays, 20-25 paid time off days (depending on role and tenure), medical insurance starting at $145 per month, dental starting at $7 per month, and vision starting at $5 per month, FSA for healthcare, childcare, and commuter costs, a 403b retirement savings plans with up to 4.5% immediately vested matching contribution, plus a 3-7% base IRC contribution (3 year vesting), disability & life insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support counseling and care in times of crisis and mental health struggles.