Job Coach

About the role

This is an in-person role with the expectation that staff report to a CEO site, as the majority of participant interactions are conducted in person. As part of our mission, we strongly encourage individuals who have lived experience of incarceration or involvement in the justice system to apply for this role.

Who We Are

The Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) provides employment services to people recently released from incarceration. Across the United States, 8,000–9,000 people participate in CEO each year, transitioning to employment that supports themselves, their families, and their communities. What began as a demonstration project of the Vera Institute of Justice in the 1970s to address employment barriers facing the formerly incarcerated following release in New York City has grown into the leading reentry employment organization in the country, where over 30,000 formerly incarcerated individuals have secured full-time employment since 1996.

Who You Are

• You demonstrate commitment to CEO’s mission and interest in working in a fast-growing, results-oriented nonprofit environment.
• You are passionate about helping individuals become the best version of themselves; interested in guiding individuals to achieve career goals through a balance of accountability and empathy.
• You have a deep interest in re-entry or criminal justice reform.
• You are comfortable providing the feedback and support necessary to facilitate the development of participant knowledge and skills.
• You have strong customer service skills; take a human-centered approach when communicating with participants.
• You have the ability to anticipate problems, evaluate them, and determine/implement solutions.
• You have the ability to analyze various points of view and data to form a perspective appropriate to a particular context.
• You have excellent interpersonal and written communication skills with the ability to adjust to particular personalities and interaction styles on the spot.
• You are self-motivated, diligent, and resilient; demonstrates stamina and vigor while holding yourself accountable to deadlines and outcomes, even in the face of adversity or setbacks.
• You are highly organized with top-notch time management skills and the ability to juggle multiple priorities seamlessly or ask for support with prioritization when needed.
• You are comfortable learning new technologies that an organization adopts/implements.
• You have the ability to maintain composure and work efficiently and accurately during highly stressful circumstances.
• You come to CEO with at least 2+ years of experience.

Responsibilities

Job Coaching

• Engaging participants in ongoing discussions about their employment goals.
• Using motivational interviewing techniques as appropriate to help guide participants to goal achievement.
• Developing and producing a professional resume for each participant.
• Maintaining weekly contact with participants to track their progress to interview readiness.
• Facilitating group sessions and workshops to build employment readiness skills.
• Maintaining consistent contact with participants to ensure ongoing engagement and support.
• Researching and connecting participants to educational and vocational opportunities that align with their short- and long-term career goals.
• Providing participants with continued life skills education and relevant community resources to promote long-term stability.
• Advocating for participant needs with parole officers and other external constituencies to support successful reintegration.
• Distributing retention incentives to participants in accordance with program guidelines.
• Developing and enhancing relationships with organizations that provide resources meeting participant needs; providing information and support to participants regarding access to these resources; and connecting program participants to supportive services as needed.
• Communicating with resource partners to track progress, overcome obstacles, and ensure participant satisfaction with the services they receive.

Wraparound Support

• Maintaining consistent contact with participants to ensure ongoing engagement and support.
• Researching and connecting participants to educational and vocational opportunities that align with their short- and long-term career goals.
• Providing participants with continued life skills education and relevant community resources to promote long-term stability.
• Advocating for participant needs with parole officers and other external constituencies to support successful reintegration.
• Distributing retention incentives to participants in accordance with program guidelines.
• Using motivational interviewing techniques as appropriate to help guide participants toward goal achievement.
• Developing and enhancing relationships with organizations that provide resources meeting participant needs; providing information and support to participants regarding access to these resources; and connecting program participants to supportive services as needed.
• Communicating with resource partners to track progress, overcome obstacles, and ensure participant satisfaction with the services they receive.

Program Administration

• Regularly discuss each participant's job-start-ready progress with colleagues; problem-solve with colleagues when needed.
• Collaborate with additional members of CEO’s program team (including job developers and retention specialists) to support job searches and educational activities for participants.
• Organize documents, and prepare binders and files to house relevant legal and non-legal materials; maintain electronic and physical case files.
• Review participants’ daily performance ratings provided by work site supervisors.
• Maintain accurate client records in Salesforce; and update progress notes in Salesforce during and after each meeting.
• Maintain contact with work crew site supervisors, exercising responsiveness to their concerns.
• Establish relationships with community-building organizations serving justice-involved individuals, presenting CEO’s programs and services to groups and individuals.
• Attend local events and meetings in the reentry community to build relationships with organizations offering participant support.
• Develop organizational systems to manage caseload.
• Track and report updates as needed.
• Set up, organize, and maintain paper and electronic filing systems in accordance with recognized procedures and standards.
• Support the Program Manager with administrative and operational duties to ensure smooth and seamless site operations; perform other tasks and responsibilities as assigned.
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with external supportive services partners and update external resource contact information.

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for this position is $52,600. In an effort to be both equitable and transparent, CEO's compensation philosophy considers a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, experience, internal equity, and home office location in making a final determination on our salary offer.

We recognize that salary is a part of the overall compensation package and also provide a comprehensive benefits package, including medical and dental coverage, as well as professional development opportunities and training, including regular training opportunities in Motivational Interviewing (MI). MI is one evidence-based skill that reentry and human service professionals can utilize when supporting participants to achieve their goals. We also offer paid parental leave, participation in a retirement plan, sick and vacation leave, paid holidays and more. We are a workplace that promotes continual learning and teamwork, offering lunch and learns, team outings, holiday gatherings and more for our staff.