Workforce Placement, Retention, and Growth Manager (Internal Applicants Only)

Description Workforce Placement, Retention, & Growth Manager – Full Time Hire- US Enterprise Job Description Job Family US Enterprise Job Function Programs Career Track Programs Job Level Level 3 Job Title Workforce Placement, Retention, & Growth Manager Pay Grade BG-8 Reporting Line Program Portfolio Lead Supervises Employment & Career Pathways Guides Career Path Status Full time, grant funded; continuation depends on funding. 40 hours a week. Weekday daytime hours, with regular evenings and some weekends, because classes run when participants can come. Duty Station/Location Minneapolis Hub On-site, hybrid, remote On-site, non-remote position (expected to work 80% -100% in office, at community sites, or with employers) Travel expectations Frequent local travel to employer, training and community sites across the Twin Cities metro. About Alight Alight is a proximity-driven humanitarian organization that restores power and agency to people experiencing displacement. For nearly 50 years, we've walked alongside our customers, displaced communities, in some of the most challenging and complex places in the world. We center the choices, dignity and lived experience of the people we serve, even when it complicates the work. Alight's purpose is to inspire and unleash abundance in every person. Our mission is to build a meaningful life for and with the displaced: not just meeting basic needs, but building lives filled with joy, dignity and connection. We co-create solutions hand in hand with the communities we serve, because they know best what they need. About The U.S. Enterprise Team Alight U.S. connects New Americans in the Twin Cities to the networks, resources and knowledge they need to navigate employment, education and other U.S. systems. We serve all New Americans: anyone born outside the United States, and their children. The Role The Workforce Placement & Retention Manager is accountable for one journey: a New American job seeker completes a training that fits their goals, gets a job, and keeps it for at least 90 days. The training can be short, like completing one digital literacy assessment and earning a certificate. It can be more involved, like earning a PCA certificate. Or it can be a training Alight hasn't started yet. Our trainings will keep changing, and the journey stays the same. This manager leads a team of four Employment & Career Pathways Guides who do this work every day, and is a working manager. With a team this size, the manager also carries their own caseload, runs job readiness and hiring events, and works directly with job seekers and employers. Alight's Employment Work Is Funded By Several State And Federal Grants, And The Mix Will Change Over Time. The Team Doesn't Sort People By Grant. For Every Job Seeker, The Manager Makes Sure The Team Knows which programs the person qualifies forwhat enrollment paperwork to completewhere to record case notes so every funder sees the person's progress No New American job seeker is ever turned away because someone is unsure which program they fit. Key responsibilities Training, placement and 90-day retention outcomes (25%)Own the team's targets for training completion, job placement and 90-day retention, as set with the Program Portfolio Lead. Turn them into monthly goals for the team and for each guide.Make sure every job seeker is connected to a training that fits their interest, and moves from training into job search without a gap.Run a weekly pipeline review with the team. Know who is in training, who is job-ready, who is interviewing, who was placed, and who is between day 1 and day 90 of a new job. Act when someone stalls.Build and maintain a working list of current job openings and hiring managers. Match job seekers to openings that fit their skills, schedule, transportation and childcare.Make sure placements meet job quality requirements (for example wage and hours), and that placement details are verified and documented.Make sure every placed participant is contacted at least monthly through day 90, and the employer too when possible. Step in early when a job is at risk, including culturally informed problem-solving between the new hire and their supervisor.Lead group job readiness and application events: applications, mock interviews and honest expectation-setting about the jobs people are applying for.Work with the Workforce Design & Implementation Lead (Track lead 2+4) when necessary to create and implement hiring events where job-ready candidates can showcase their skills to employers and be recruite. Fllow up with candidates after job offers are made to support placement and retention. Direct service (30%)Carry a caseload of participants (smaller than an Employment & Career Pathways Guide) from intake through placement and 90-day follow-up.Screen each job seeker for every program they qualify for, complete the matching enrollment paperwork, build individual employment plans, and provide job search help: resumes, applications, interview preparation and onboarding paperwork.Arrange support services that remove barriers to work, such as transportation, licenses, credential evaluation and work supplies, following grant and agency rules.Cover for guides during absences, vacancies and busy periods so participants are not left without support. Team leadership (25%)Supervise, coach and support four Employment & Career Pathways Guides. Hold regular one-on-ones and case reviews.Set clear expectations for caseload size, monthly placements, follow-up and documentation, and check progress against them every week.Balance caseloads across the team, including the guide who focuses on ECS.Make sure every guide knows the eligibility rules, enrollment paperwork and case-note requirements for each program. Keep a simple reference guide current as programs change, so nobody is turned away or left unenrolled.Onboard and train new guides in employment services, job development, the 90-day retention model and all three case management systems.Build a team culture of accountability, learning and respect for the people we serve. Case management systems and compliance (15%)Make sure the three case management systems are used correctly and kept current by the manager and every guide:WorkForce One, DEED's system, for every DEED-enrolled participantMRIS, for ORR-eligible participants served through Resettlement Network ServicesAlight's internal database, for every participantMake sure contacts, services, placements and follow-ups are recorded on time, including at least monthly case notes where grants require them.Review case files regularly and fix gaps before they affect grant compliance or participant outcomes.Work with the Data Management & Quality Coordinator. Use their reports on missing records, participants who need follow-up and progress toward targets to direct the team's work.Prepare for and take part in internal and funder file monitoring. Coordination and learning (5%)Agree clear hand-offs with the Community Learning & Family Wellbeing Manager, so participants finishing digital literacy, PCA or CNA training move straight into job search and placement.Share what the team learns about barriers to getting and keeping jobs with the Workforce Design & Implementation Lead. This feeds new tools that prepare job seekers before they start work, and improvements to hiring events.Raise risks to targets, staffing or capacity early with the Program Portfolio Lead and Executive Director. What success looks like The team is on pace every month toward its training, placement and 90-day retention targets.No New American job seeker is turned away or delayed because of uncertainty about which program applies.Every Employment & Career Pathways Guide knows their caseload, monthly goals and next steps for each participant.Participants who finish training move into job search right away.New hires are contacted through day 90, and problems are caught early.WorkForce One, MRIS and Alight's database match what is actually happening with participants, and file monitoring finds few issues.Lessons from the frontline reach the Workforce Design & Implementation Lead and change how Alight prepares job seekers.Similarly, lessons are shared with the Community Learning & Family Wellbeing team to help them understand what training/education clients could use to be competitive in the workforce, fill current job vacancies, and help them succeed post hire. Qualifications Education & Experience 4+ years in workforce development, employment services, job placement, vocational counseling, case management, or refugee or immigrant services.1+ year supervising or leading staff, or formally leading a team's day-to-day work.A track record of placing job seekers in employment, and working directly with employers and hiring managers.Experience managing a caseload against grant-funded targets, deadlines and documentation requirements.Experience with government-funded programs. WorkForce One, MRIS or other public workforce systems preferred. Knowledge, Skills, Abilities Knows how to get people hired: job development, matching, application and interview coaching, and follow-up.Understands the barriers New Americans face in the U.S. job market, and the realities of entry-level jobs, especially in long-term care.Manages by the numbers: can turn a target into a weekly plan and see early when the team is falling behind.Coaches and holds people accountable with care.Organized and accurate with documentation across several systems.Builds trust quickly with job seekers, employers and colleagues across cultures. Other Driver’s license and Motor Vehicle Check clearance along with access to dependable transportation required.Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United StatesFlexibility to work regular evenings and some weekends.Languages: English proficiency required. A second language spoken by New Americans in Minnesota (for example Somali, Oromo, Amharic, Arabic, Dari, Pashto, Karen, Spanish, Swahili or French) strongly preferred. Values Alignment You are curious and truly listen. You appreciate the complexities of human beings. You ask questions, seek information, and dig deeper into understanding a problem holistically before working to solve it. You enter a space with humility and an eagerness to learn. You believe shared ownership creates better outcomes. You trust displaced customers to guide the way forward. You’re open to new and different possibilities, are motivated in what an abundant future could hold, and you generate ideas sparked from insight – and foster spaces that are safe for others to generate their ideas too. You bring others in, build ecosystems, and share power with those who care about this more than you do. You adapt your work to make space for others. You embrace transformation. You recognize and honor that our work centers people – a constantly changing and complex customer within a constantly changing and complex world. And so too, we must constantly change. You believe in the abundance of human beings and you understand that to unleash that abundance, we must bravely enter a bold new chapter capable of transforming the future. You value beauty. You believe a meaningful life includes joy, dignity, and connection. You place weight on the experience people have – of a place, a space, a person, a service. You strive to create things that are human-worthy and you believe quality should be determined by those experiencing it. Benefits & Compensation Salary range is $70,670 - $77,000, commensurate with experience.Benefits-eligible positionBorderless Team of 2,500 staff worldwide that sees possibility, celebrates moments of abundance, shares new ideas, and strives to do a better thing every day. Learning & Development – Access hundreds of free online learning courses to take at your own pace and tailor to your professional goals. Flexible Leave Time – Between vacation days, personal leave days, and holidays, you have ample opportunities to take time off when you need it. Alight is an Equal Opportunity Employer offering employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, national origin, citizenship, physical or mental disability, or protected veteran status. Alight complies with all applicable laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We strive to represent the diverse communities we serve. Applicants who contribute to this diversity and those who bring lived experience with displacement are strongly encouraged to apply.