BUSINESS & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SPECIALIST

About the role

The Business & Community Engagement Specialist will cultivate, grow, and actively maintain lasting partnerships with businesses in the Region for the purposes of determining industry skill/training needs, and facilitating business engagement programs.

Responsibilities

• Source and identify new business relationships to serve as recurring referral leads.
• Identify business requirements and determine how to integrate their services with Goodwill’s Mission.
• Maintain on-going communication with employer partners to address any issues and help identify qualified candidates for available positions.
• Collaborate with partners to enhance established Goodwill programs and services.
• Follow up on pre-existing employer partnerships to ensure quality and partner satisfaction.
• Document new, expanded, and existing partnerships.
• Understand and articulate the company’s value proposition and benefits of partnering with Goodwill Southeast Georgia.
• Demonstrate a deep understanding of Goodwill’s participant interests, skills, and barriers to target employer outreach based on this understanding.
• Embrace the core values of the organization in the spirit in which the organization operates at work and in the community.
• Develop and nurture relationships with local community agencies to identify resources that assist clients in overcoming barriers such as housing, food insecurity, and medical needs.
• Attend relevant events and activities to represent Goodwill, participate as an informed partner to promote Goodwill programs and build strong relationships with key employers & stakeholders.
• Use labor market and feedback data to adjust services to increase effectiveness and efficiency.
• Ensure accurate skills assessments on clients to help determine career interest for optimum placements that meet the needs of both participants and employers.
• Aid in identifying critical knowledge and/or skill gaps during career coaching sessions and help clients with obtaining the necessary training to overcome the skills gap.
• Collaborate with Mission Service leadership to address barriers identified during career coaching session that may hinder a client from achieving their career goals.
• Recommend additional educational/training to clients that will enhance their career goals.
• Provide job readiness training opportunities to clients to include interviewing techniques that will help strengthen employment outcomes.
• Facilitate job readiness trainings to ensure individuals seeking services are prepared to enter the labor market.
• Assist clients with registering for post-secondary opportunities to gain credentials.
• Contribute to the fulfillment of department and agency objectives and goals.
• Comply with all department and agency policies, procedures, and regulations.
• Cook up and track progress of individuals hired.
• Partner with OC team to maintain an up-to-date resource manual that outlines community resources available to clients for barrier removal and support services.
• Meet/exceed the key performance indicators monthly of individuals served, trained and placed.
• Collect and report on metrics and programmatic activity.
• Generate weekly, and monthly reports outlining individuals served and the community needs for barrier removal.

Qualifications and Special Skills Required

• Bachelor's degree in Human Services preferred and a minimum of three years’ experience in a similar role.
• Relevant Goodwill experience will be evaluated and may supplement for prior workforce development experience.
• Must possess a valid driver's license, own insurance, and independent transportation.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, interpersonal and presentation skills.
• Ability to draft and present on business engagment programs, Goodwill’s Mission, and programmatic data across a variety of stakeholders and audiences.
• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook.
• Excellent time & project management skills.
• Provide timely updates to supervisor on development and progress.
• Function independently in a multi-task environment, as well as part of a team.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality.
• Be flexible and a willingness to adjust to changing assignments.
• Ability to work in evenings and weekends to meet employer and event needs.
• Must be willing to travel. This position requires travel between locations, off-site meetings and events as needed.