JOB DEVELOPER

Hours: Full-Time (40 hours / week)

Reports to: Director of Career Services Center

Supervisory Responsibilities: N/A

Location: Bronx

Organization Description

Youth Justice Network (formerly known as Friends of Island Academy) was founded in 1990 on the school floors of Rikers Island to anchor, support and develop capacity among young people newly released from jail in New York City. Our mission is to break cycles of incarceration and build an equitable justice system by providing young people with individualized advocacy, mentorship, and opportunities to grow, thrive, and lead. Youth Justice Network builds on connections developed with young people whose lives have intersected with the justice system, and leverages those relationships to provide post-release, neighborhood-based supportive services. Young people become members of Youth Justice Network for the long-term and develop personal milestones and goals in the arenas of health and well-being, education, employment, youth leadership and community participation.

Position Background and Description

Under a recently funded initiative, Youth Justice Network will provide workforce development and wraparound services to underemployed or unemployed participants, ages 18 to 40, involved in the criminal justice system or impacted by community violence.

The goal is to provide pathways to employment and economic mobility for people who reside in communities where community violence is most prevalent, including neighborhoods identified as priority areas by the Gun Violence Prevention Taskforce. YJN will offer pathways to job readiness, training for sustainable and emerging industries, internships, and supported job placement.

As part of Youth Justice Network’s Career Services Center, the Job Developer will create a network of relationships with industry professionals to support career development and job attainment for young people. They will young people to facilitate their engagement with the world of work and support their employment needs – from job readiness to short and long term employment goals.

Developing new employment partners and working with the Career Specialists to review candidates’ resumes, provide job interview coaching, strategically place and match candidates to opportunities based on skill sets and overall abilities, and provide post-placement follow-up services to determine job satisfaction; track and analyze each candidate’s interview/placement activity.

Hours: Full-time, including some Saturdays

Reports to: Director of Career Services Center

Location: Bronx-Based

Essential Responsibilities:

Develop and maintain relationships with employers

• Conduct active employer outreach/marketing to develop short-term labor, paid internships, job shadowing opportunities, and permanent employment for youth;
• Establish relationships with employers that allow for the flow of information regarding problems, complaints, and progress of recently placed jobseekers; identify and discuss corrective action strategies with direct supervisor as needed;
• Demonstrate to employers the effectiveness and profitability of employing Friends of Island Academy’s jobseekers by identifying positions commensurate with their skill sets;
• Educate employers on the advantages of hiring from Friends of Island Academy’s pool of candidates; be able to cite recent departmental employment statistics and competitive advantage of hiring from Friends of Island Academy;
• Cultivate and develop larger business accounts

Strategically place and match candidates to opportunities based on skill sets and overall abilities

• Provide one-on-one career coaching to young adults with limited work history and low-levels of educational attainment as they transition into the workplace and achieve professional advancement;
• Utilize a strategic, individualized approach to place justice-involved youth into internships and/or sustainable jobs, and facilitate re-placement services for employers and jobseekers when necessary;
• Assist in the creation of strong working resumes for each jobseeker and ensure candidates' ability to speak to their resumes prior to their interview(s); instruct applicants in job search and interviewing techniques as needed;
• Work alongside the department’s team of Career Specialists to determine job-readiness of each candidate and identify top candidates for specific job orders and internships;
• Maintain regular phone, email, and in-person communication with graduates on caseload; develop unique motivational strategies and incentives to get graduates to 365-day employment retention goal;
• Document all pertinent discussions, milestones, events, and incidents in real-time in Friends’ internal database system (ETO).

Lead the Job Development efforts of the Career Center

• Convene and facilitate a weekly Job Development meeting to coordinate employer outreach and participant placement efforts; develop agendas and prepare appropriate data for meetings;
• Use to ETO to prepare and share reports on the employment status and salary/benefits/hours of graduates on a weekly to monthly basis; track job retention at critical milestones throughout the year with the overarching goal of attaining 90-plus days of continuous employment for each individual;
• Organize Career Center participation at hiring events, career fairs, etc.

Support the overall efforts of the Career Center team

• Assist Career Center team in identifying additional resources and partners who can assist with basic needs fulfillment (i.e.: employment, housing, clothing, haircuts, incentives, additional skills training needs).
• Work with colleagues to help youth change their lives and build their careers.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree required and relevant experience working with youth and emerging adults population;
• Two years experience working in employment readiness and workforce development
• Understanding of current and future job market and career trends
• Demonstrated experience in the workforce development field, or in a related sales capacity, with a solid, proven job bank/lead list, and strong
• Integrity, flexibility and a profound commitment to the youth we serve;
• Committed to working collegially and in a team-based setting;
• Experience/training in youth development;
• Strong interpersonal skills, cultural competence, and an understanding and belief in strengths-based youth development philosophy;
• Strong oral and written communication skills;
• Skilled in meticulous documentation and an eye for detail; proficient in Microsoft Excel.
• Experience in data entry on online database systems or a willingness to learn online database systems;
• Physical ability to travel extensively throughout the five boroughs and Rikers via walking and public transportation.
• Occasional evenings and weekends required for youth development activities/events

Preferred

• Experience youth and young adults who are systems involved (i.e. juvenile justice, child welfare, etc.);
• Experience working in a community-based setting providing crisis support and/or case management;
• Experience in education, conflict resolution, and/or counseling;
• Experience with or understanding of trauma-informed practices;
• Bilingual; Spanish preferred

Youth Justice Network is privileged to have a profoundly committed and caring staff – one which believes unconditionally in our members’ ability to do right and do well. We take our work very seriously, but we strive to make time for self-care and joy. We look for staff from all walks of life who have integrity, humor, a strong work ethic, are passionate about our mission and work, and who are committed to address the harms caused by mass incarceration.

Depending on full or part-time status, benefits include a competitive vacation/sick leave policy including three days off between Christmas and New Year's Day, four-day summer weeks through July and August, generous health insurance, 403b match.

Salary Range: $60,000-63,000k

Target start date: As soon as possible

For purposes of internal equity, we are unable to go outside of the salary posted.