NY Alumni Engagement Manager

FLSA Status: Exempt

Type of Position: Management

Hours/week: 40 hours/week

Reports to: NY Program Director

Key Relationships: Inwood Program Manager, Brooklyn Program Manager, Inwood Culinary Instructor, Job Placement Coordinator

Position Summary

Emma’s Torch is a nonprofit social enterprise that empowers refugees, asylees, and survivors of human trafficking through culinary training, job readiness, and job placement support. We believe that meaningful employment is a powerful tool for long-term self-sufficiency and dignity. By providing high-quality training and robust career support, we open the door to opportunity in the food and hospitality industry.

The Alumni & Community Engagement Manager plays a central role in ensuring the long-term success of Emma’s Torch graduates by driving job placement, wage growth, and employment retention. This role is responsible for ensuring that our graduates not only find employment but thrive in meaningful, sustainable careers.

The Manager oversees alumni engagement and job placement efforts at both the Brooklyn and Inwood locations, working closely with staff at each site who provide direct, localized support to students and graduates. While the Manager holds primary responsibility for achieving program-wide placement and retention outcomes, support staff assist in implementing individualized placement activities on-site.

Key Areas of Responsibility

Alumni Community Engagement, Job Placement, and Retention (40%)

• Serve as the main point of contact for program alumni (within 2 years post-graduation) seeking employment support.
• Conduct monthly office hours to assess job readiness, develop individualized placement plans, and provide guidance on career navigation.
• Collaborate with staff at the Inwood and Brooklyn locations to ensure seamless, site-specific support for job seekers.
• Track and report on job placement metrics
  • 92% job placement rate within one month of graduation
  • 85% job retention at 6 months, 75% at 12 months
  • $30,000 average wage delta from program entry
• Bi-weekly meetings with operations managers following students progress and troubleshooting issues as they arise in service
• Collaborate with the Program Director to regularly evaluate progress toward placement and retention targets.
• Plan and execute quarterly alumni engagement events to foster community and share career development resources.

Industry Relationships (30%)

• Maintain, strengthen, and source employer partnerships to ensure successful placements and supportive work environments.
• Act as a liaison between employers and alumni to resolve workplace challenges and align experiences with Emma’s Torch Partnership Principles.
• Evaluate and onboard new employment partners to expand opportunities for graduates.

Classroom Management (20%)

• Deliver professionalism and job readiness curriculum to current students across both locations.
• Coordinate in-program job placement activities such as mock interviews, field trips, and job shadowing experiences.Support in all elements of classroom and student casework management - this can be anything. Emotional support for students really!
• General classroom support and coverage when needed

Management (10%)

• Manage incoming job placement coordinator.
• Project management of all job placement activities that culinary instructors and interns support on.

Goals & Objectives

Job Placement

• Definition: Number of students who successfully graduate from the Emma’s Torch program and are gainfully employed within 1 month
• Quantitative target:
• Tracking: Tracked via reports in Salesforce
• Check-in: Monthly reporting to Program Director and data team

Job Retention

• Definition: Students retain gainful employment at the 6, 12, and 24 month marks
• Quantitative target: Retention rates of 85% at 6 months, 75% at 12 months, 70% at 24 months
• Tracking: Tracked via reports in Salesforce
• Check-in: Monthly reporting to Program Director and data team

Alumni Engagement

• Definition: Effective engagement with alumni to ensure ongoing learning, feedback, and an ability to effectively report on target metrics
• Quantitative target:
  • 4 Alumni events held annually
  • Alumni database is updated regularly and able to report on at least 90% of all alumni
• Tracking: Reporting in salesforce
• Check-in: Weekly meetings with Program Director

Qualifications

Experience:

• Experience in workforce development, job placement, career counseling, alumni engagement, or related fields
• Experience working with immigrant, refugee, or other marginalized populations preferred
• Familiarity with nonprofit or social enterprise environments and multi-stakeholder collaboration
• Experience working across multiple sites or programs preferred
• Language ability in Spanish, French, Russian, and/or Haitian Creole preferred

Skills and Approach to Work:

• Deep commitment to economic mobility, equity in employment, and Emma’s Torch’s mission
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with an ability to build trust across diverse communities
• Data-driven strategic and solutions-oriented thinker with a hands-on, proactive approach to problem-solving
• Highly organized with strong time management skills and attention to detail
• Comfortable working both independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment
• Experience working with Salesforce, Asana, Slack, and/or Google Suite a plus!

COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION

Emma’s Torch encourages individuals of all ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds to apply for this position. We are committed to maximizing the diversity of our organization, as we want to engage all those who can contribute to this effort. Emma’s Torch is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified individuals and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, parental status, genetic information or characteristics (or those of a family member) or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.