YouthBuild Career Coach

About the role

The YouthBuild Career Coach provides intensive case management, guidance, and support services to youth participants ages 16–24, helping them address barriers to success, coordinate supportive services, monitor progress, and ensure they meet program, grant, and compliance standards. This position also supports leadership development and service-learning projects.

Responsibilities

• Provide intensive case management to YouthBuild participants, ensuring wraparound support that addresses educational, vocational, and personal barriers.
• Conduct regular progress reviews, updating Individual Service Strategies (ISS) in alignment with YouthBuild USA requirements.
• Provide or arrange for supportive services such as housing assistance, food security, childcare planning, healthcare/mental health services, substance abuse counseling, legal aid, and re-entry services for justice-involved youth.
• Facilitate or co-facilitate trauma-informed workshops and sessions that build resilience, leadership, and life skills.
• Develop strong relationships with community-based organizations, employers, trade unions, apprenticeship programs, and education providers to connect participants with opportunities.
• Collaborate with staff to integrate leadership development, community service learning, and academic/vocational progress into holistic case management.
• Maintain participant records ensuring documentation of all program activities, attendance records, progress reports and other information as required.
• Attend regular service learning and leadership development sessions, often held in the community.
• Participate in National training and development programming twice annually.
• Adhere to YouthBuild USA policies and procedures as well as SER Metro-Detroit organizational policies.
• Support data collection, reporting, and audit preparation to meet all grant requirements, performance benchmarks, and monitoring visits.
• Actively contribute to retention and follow-up strategies, supporting participants during enrollment and for 12 months post-program as required.
• Attend professional development sessions, staying current with best practices in youth development, trauma-informed care, and workforce readiness.
• Serve as an advocate for youth both inside and outside the program, promoting equity, opportunity, and community connection.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent education and experience in human services, youth development, counseling, or related fields.
• At least 4 years of experience providing case management, youth development, workforce development, or related human services.
• Demonstrated experience working with opportunity youth (disconnected from school and work), including youth facing multiple barriers (e.g., homelessness, foster care, justice-involvement), inclusive of individuals with lived experience.
• Knowledge of trauma-informed practices and ability to apply motivational interviewing and strengths-based approaches.
• Strong understanding of workforce development systems, apprenticeship pipelines, and community resource networks in Detroit.
• Bilingual language skills in English/Spanish or English/Arabic is preferred.
• Working knowledge of local community services and agencies.
• Computer skills necessary to maintain various records and reports.
• Proficiency with case management databases (such as OSMIS, GPMS, and LaunchPad) and Microsoft Office.
• Interpersonal skills necessary to build positive relationships with program participants and various support agencies.
• Excellent organizational, written and verbal communication skills.
• Mental ability to handle pressures related to performing multiple tasks requiring concentration and attention to detail and dealing with multiple individuals from diverse backgrounds and varying levels of need.
• Physical ability to sit at a computer for extended periods of time.
• Must be willing to work a flexible schedule, including evenings/weekends as well as active participation in service-learning projects.
• Must have a valid Michigan Driver’s license.
• Incumbent must also have reliable transportation to attend meetings outside of the office as needed.
• Must obtain a Michigan chauffeur’s license within 90 days of employment.