Youth Employment Coordinator

Urban Neighborhood Initiatives

Job Description

Title: Youth Employment Coordinator 

Department: Youth Workforce Development

Reports to: Leaders In Training (LIT) Program Director 

Type of Employment: Full-Time 

Start Date: ASAP

Hours/week: 40 hours/week

Job Summary

Urban Neighborhood Initiatives seeks a candidate to fulfill our Youth Employment Coordinator position under our Year-Round Youth Employment program,  Leaders In Training (LIT). The Youth Employment Coordinator is a full-time position dedicated to supporting In-School and Out-of-School youth and young adults ages 14-24 who live in the Springwells Neighborhood of Southwest Detroit. Among other responsibilities, he or she will recruit employer partners to create employment opportunities for program participants, coordinate summer employment programs, and facilitate ongoing monthly workshops, events, and networking opportunities for program participants.  This position will be crucial in increasing the number of youth enrolled in our summer employment program, and increasing the number of youth in our community who are keeping jobs and overcoming barriers to employment success, providing a positive doorway for young adults into the working world.The ideal candidate will possess a genuine passion and compassion for working with adolescents, helping them discover and realize their potential as valuable members of society.

Essential Job Duties & Responsibilities

• Recruit, screen, and orient local businesses, non-profits, and social enterprises to serve as employer partners for the Leaders In Training (LIT) program.

• Communicate empathetically and adjust the approach based on the participant's needs (ability to meet a young person where they are and refrain from judgment).
   
• Coach a caseload of youth participants toward achieving employment goals, providing individualized support and guidance.

• Conduct monthly career exploration and identification workshops, as well as employment preparation, life skills, employment-related skills, and job retention workshops.
• Update the workshops to ensure they remain current and relevant to participant needs.

• Coordinate and lead our yearly financial education event, Show Me The Money.  

• In collaboration with the LIT Program Director, coordinate the successful implementation and completion of summer employment programs.

• Identify at least 3 employer partners and establish a pipeline for youth to enter employment and grow with the company.

• Partner and work together with local employers, organizations, schools, and community resources to create meaningful opportunities that help youth develop their employability skills.

• Perform site visits at job placements and work with employer partners to evaluate youth’s performance and provide appropriate feedback and interventions.

• Track, measure, and report participant employment and training activities and outcomes during and after the program; participate in an ongoing workgroup to analyze data and improve programming.
   
• Identify and curate employment opportunities, training opportunities, and labor market information in the region for young people.

• Identify employment trends and share employment and training opportunities with the rest of the Youth Workforce Development Team.

• Participate in external committees and networks focused on improving educational and career opportunities for underserved youth.
   
• Participate in organization-wide meetings and training. and Perform other duties as assigned.

Minimum Requirements

• High school diploma required; associate’s or bachelor’s degree is preferred.
• Experience working directly with young people and/or job development experience preferred.
• Must have a valid driver’s license in the State of Michigan.
• Must pass a background check.
• Demonstrated ability to develop positive relationships with youth from diverse backgrounds.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Slides).

Core Competencies

• Human Center Focus: Is dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements of participants; gets first-hand customer information and uses it for improvements in services; acts with youths’ in mind; establishes and maintains effective relationships with youth and gains their trust and respect.
• Marshaling Resources: Providing participants with resources beyond the agency’s capabilities. Seeking resources from local, state, and federal government agencies to address program participants’ needs.
• Verbal and Written Expression: Ability to communicate in clear language and to adjust one’s use of language to the audience’s level. Shares ideas and information across diverse audiences to drive program performance and effectiveness.
• Resilience and Adaptability: Demonstrates high level of stress tolerance; copes well with ambiguity or setbacks; receptive and adaptive to work-related changes.
• Diversity and Inclusion: Values all people for their unique talents and divergent viewpoints. Actively encourages practices that support diversity, inclusion, and cultural competence.

Work Environment/Physical Demands
 

This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to speak and hear. The employee is frequently required to sit for extended periods, stand, walk, use hands and fingers, and reach with hands and arms. It requires lifting files, opening filing cabinets, and bending or standing on a stool as necessary. Travel and work outside of normal hours (including nights and weekends) may be required for meetings, presentations, training, and other work-related events/duties.
 

Compensation

$42,000-$50,000 salary with benefits commensurate with experience

Disclaimer

The above statements describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. All personnel may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed.

Additional information

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER