Career Pathways Navigator

Position Title: Career Pathways Navigator

Reports To: Associate Director of San Mateo County

Community: San Mateo County

Office Location: Redwood City, CA (up to 50% hybrid role of in-person and remote)

Compensation: $27.01/hourly, generous benefits package

Status: Full-time, non-exempt

About Fresh Lifelines for Youth

Fresh Lifelines for Youth is an award-winning non-profit whose mission is to partner with youth to unlock their potential, disrupt the pipeline to prison, and advance justice in California and beyond. By 2030, through partnering with young people, communities, and systems, FLY will contribute to the fight for equity and justice by taking concrete steps to dismantle California’s pipeline to prison, equip 30,000 youth to transform their lives and create meaningful opportunities for them to live healthy, free, and productive lives. For more information about Fresh Lifelines for Youth, please visit: www.flyprogram.org

Education and Career Services at FLY

Over the course of 3-10 months (depending on the program), FLY aims to support youth in moving the needle on their educational and career journeys. Depending on their current status, FLY’s efforts are focused on supporting youth in achieving one of the following outcomes:

• Re-enrollment in school
• Grade matriculation
• High school graduation or GED completion
• Post-secondary enrollment or full-time employment

Career Pathways Navigator - Position Summary

The Career Pathways Navigator supports youth to pursue their academic and career development goals. The Navigator works with youth to provide connections to basic needs, educational, and career resources within the county, guidance on education and career skill-building, and help in navigating the systemic challenges FLY youth face within the education system.

Position Responsibilities

Provide Connections to Educational and Career Resources

• Establish and maintain effective relationships with key schools, districts, and County Office of Education (COE) partners as well as admissions and counseling staff and faculty at post-secondary institutions
• Support the partnership development with other community-based organizations providing academic and career support services appropriate for FLY youth
• Maintain connections with local employers to generate opportunities for youth to gain exposure, experience, or expertise in fields of interest; where appropriate, engage employer partners in career guidance and mentorship roles
• Share community resources with youth including other FLY programs and opportunities

1:1 Career Exploration Support and Workshop Facilitation

• Conduct or support assessments of youth interests, values, and skills
• Facilitate career and education-related workshops for youth around interests and needs (eg. graduation requirements, completing FAFSA, study strategies, interviewing, etc.)
• Check in with youth on school and career exploration progress and wellbeing
• Help youth get career exposure and advancement opportunities

• Build FLY’s understanding of how best to advocate for our youth in academic and career settings and strategies that are most effective in supporting their academic and career growth

Education System Navigation

• Provide insight on education laws, policies and practices affecting students
• Build FLY’s understanding of how best to advocate for our youth in academic and career settings and strategies that are most effective in supporting their academic and career growth
• Provide advocacy in readmission hearings to support youth reintegrating into traditional high schools

Administrative Support and Data Collection and Entry

• Remind youth about upcoming workshops, events, field trips etc. and track data and attendance records for workshops
• Enter youth check ins, attendance and youth demographics into FLY’s data entry database ETO
• Collaborate with staff and interns to prepare workshops

Position Requirements

The ideal candidate will have a deep commitment to social, racial, and economic justice. They will be passionate about education, have enthusiasm for career exploration, and knowledge of the school-to-prison pipeline. The candidate will believe in FLY’s vision and mission and will represent FLY’s values: accountable, dedicated, respectful, equitable and just, loving, innovative, hopeful, youth-centered

Core Competencies: Skills and behaviors that FLY expects and develops all staff to exhibit across all positions at various levels of proficiency (early stage, intermediate and advanced)

• Cultural Responsivity: Demonstrates an openness and commitment to equity, justice, and belonging. This includes being aware of one’s own bias and privilege, building an understanding of systems of oppression, and valuing diverse perspectives; you take actions to learn and contribute to an environment that creates power-sharing, access, and opportunity within our community.
• High Quality: The ability to own your work, be accountable, and take initiative to produce high-quality results. This includes setting and achieving standards that demonstrate a high level of care and commitment to our mission, our population, our colleagues and our partners.
• Collaboration: The ability to work effectively within a team and intentionally across teams to contribute to FLY’s mission and agency goals. When working with others, you exercise your strengths and build on the strengths of others.
• Communication: The ability to convey information effectively with consideration of the situation and audience. This includes communicating clearly with people of different backgrounds and cultures in which you demonstrate self-awareness, empathy, and active listening.
• Problem Solving: Applies critical thinking to problem solving that considers multiple perspectives and actively identifies creative solutions to address individual and systemic challenges.
• Adaptability: The ability to adapt and respond to change effectively. This includes engaging in continuous learning, maintaining a solutions orientation, and proactively seeking opportunities to be supportive of change that best serves our mission.