Workforce Development Specialist - San Jose Apply
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST
New Door Ventures is an early intervention employment and education program for high-potential transition-age youth (TAY) ages 17-24 who reside in Bay Area communities facing elevated levels of youth disconnection, socioeconomic challenges, and community stress.
Founded in 1981, New Door Ventures was born out of the belief that by providing resources for youth to build foundational education and job skills, personal support, mentorship, and pathways to higher education and career opportunities, these young people can experience greater success in adulthood. Our strategies provide educational and economic mobility for TAY facing significant barriers to obtaining and retaining unsubsidized employment, empowering youth make successful transitions to adulthoods marked by economic independence and engagement with their community.
Since 2005, we have served more than5,000,anddirectlyemployed over 2,700,TAYthrough our workforce readiness programs with demonstrable long-term impact. According to Californias Employment Development Department (EDD), 74% of our program graduates are employed 3 years after program exit significantly higher than youth who began but did not complete the program (52%) and all California youth ages 16-24 (40%). EDD wage data also demonstrates that youth who completed our program have higher average annual earnings of 40% one year after program completion and 200% two years after program completion than the year prior to entering the program.
New Door currently operates in San Francisco and Oakland. We are excited to be expanding to San Jose in 2024, in partnership with MidPen Housing. MidPen is the Bay Area's largest affordable housing provider and partners with nonprofit organizations to support residents' economic mobility. To serve our launch of our San Jose Employment Program we are currently hiring a Workforce Development Specialist.
About the Opportunity:
The Workforce Development Specialist provides supportive services, advocacy, and life and job skills training to youth with the goal of supporting youth to attach to future employment. New Doors Workforce Development Specialists work on behalf of youth to provide workforce development services in addition to supporting/supervising participants in their job-training internships. In those internships, this role serves as a link between our site partner and program participants to ensure they have all they need to be successful at their assigned job. At the end of their internship at New Door, our goal is to place young people into paid employment.
This role is established to serve a pilot program, currently planned for 2 years. The position is non-exempt and is located primarily on-site at MidPens Italian Gardens location in San Jose, CA . Currently, New Door Ventures employs a hybrid work location policy, with a 3:2 office/remote cadence and the expectation of in office days on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Some travel is expected, both in-city and to our other locations. Exact schedules and locations are set by your supervisor based on the needs of our clients and individual responsibilities. New Door Offices are designed to be welcoming spaces, equipped to keep staff and clients protected from infectious disease transmission. Teams strive for respectful collaboration within locations and across regions.
Who Were Hiring: Under the supervision of the Employment Program Manager, the ideal candidate will be a self-motivated and accountable youth services provider who demonstrates effective relationship building skills, comfort working in an adaptive and innovative work environment, superior communication and interpersonal skills, and a commitment to advancing equity and economic mobility for youth.
What Success Looks Like:
Passionately works as an advocate and support towards the growth and success of young people in reaching their employment and life goals
Delivers high-impact, training for youth with a diverse set of learning styles and needs
Confidently interacts with youth and staff at all levels of the organization. This includes our alumni and (occasionally) our board of directors
Leads with initiative and a continuous improvement lens
Communicates well with youth and has a healthy understanding of, and respect for, emotional and other boundary-setting
They enjoy working to meet goals, both individually and as part of a team, and are focused on the success of our youth throughout the program
Can self-manage and motivate, and experience in trauma-informed work has led them to be aware of self-care needs and how to care for their colleagues
Works well with external partners, is nimble, and has a strong personal alignment with New Doors Values
Primary Responsibilities:
Instruction and facilitation (30%)
Conduct high-impact Job Readiness Workshops in various topic areas including but not limited to positive communication and conflict management techniques, goal setting towards career advancement, digital literacy, job application process, resumes and cover letters, interviewing skills, and job retention techniques using various instructional methods
Create and maintain a positive, highly interactive, respectful, and participatory learning environment
Collaborate with curriculum team to plan, recommend, and develop new or improved activities and ensure high-quality service to all participants in the program
Identify and seek out guest speakers to facilitate additional workshops, career panels, etc.
Analyze clients learning difficulties and develop course plans accordingly
Internship Support (30%)
Ensure participants are supported and advocated for during their internship experience
Provide consistent communication with employment worksite partner and Business Partnerships team in a collaborative and solutions-focused approach
Empower participants to learn the skills they need to be actively engaged at their internship site and help problem-solve and develop the soft skills to remain employed
Supportive Services and Post-program Goals (30%)
Provide individual supportive services to participants and coordinate with MidPen Housing to meet youth needs such as housing support, cash benefits, mental health services, legal support, etc.
Support youth in the development and attainment of post-program employment and education goals
Connect participants with other resources to support them in the job market as well as youth pursuing vocational and career development interests
Monitor youth program performance and consistently evaluate efforts. Use New Doors online case management system (Apricot) effectively to record client work
Intake Assessments (10%)
Support program intake process to help ensure that youth participants meet enrollment criteria and target population goals
Preferred Qualifications & Skills:
The equivalent of, or a Bachelors degree (or higher) in a related field
1-3 years of experience in vocational training for transition-age youth, adult education, or similar settings including direct service to transition-age youth, disconnected youth populations, preferably in a youth employment program
Demonstrated success as Workforce Specialist or a similar role
Superior youth engagement and relationship management skills
Demonstrated excellence in youth development principles and practices
Strong written and oral communication skills
Attention to detail, strong organizational, time management, and problem-solving skills
Ability to work independently, be nimble and dependable, and demonstrate initiative
Knowledge of San Jose transition-age youth needs and resources, especially for historically oppressed people including those experiencing poverty, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ individuals
Ability to use appropriate computer and reporting systems including Windows operating system, Microsoft Office Suite, Zoom (Apricot or Salesforce knowledge a plus)
Desired, but not required: Bilingual language capabilities, preferably Spanish
Compensation Workforce Development Specialist at New Door Ventures earn $63,000.00 - $65,920.00 annually dependent on experience. Compensation is reviewed annually. New Door offers a generous benefits package including medical, dental, vision, commuter benefits, matched 403(b) retirement savings plan, tuition support, and PTO of 7+ weeks in the first year including 13 vacation days, ~10 sick days, and 13.5 company holidays.
Organizational Benefits New Door Ventures challenges staff professionally and provides ample professional development opportunities and on-the-job growth. New Door culture is stimulating and motivating, populated with dedicated, intelligent staff and a youth-focused, established leadership team.
New Door Ventures is a safe space for all, regardless of race, gender, sexuality, country of origin, religion, or ability. Candidates from diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply. New Door Ventures is a 501(c)3 community-serving nonprofit and an Equal Opportunity Employer that strives to have a diverse team representative of the young people it serves.
How to Apply Please send your resume and a thoughtful cover letter letting us know why you think youd be a great addition to our team. Please include: Workforce Development Specialist in the subject line and email the resume and cover letter to: staffing@newdoor.org
**Submissions sent without a cover letter will not be considered**
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $63,000.00 - $65,920.00 per year
Benefits:
- 403(b)
- Dental insurance
- Flexible schedule
- Flexible spending account
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Schedule:
- 8 hour shift
Ability to Relocate:
- San Jose, CA 95125: Relocate before starting work (Required)
Work Location: In person
