[Hiring] Youth Adult Career Navigator Energy @Community Action Pioneer Valley, Inc.

Role Description

The Career Navigator develops compassionate and respectful relationships with participants using a strengths-based, goal-oriented approach for a new Energy Workforce Development Program. The Career Navigator will conduct outreach and enrollment activities for Weatherization Tech and Crew Chief training programs. Provide job readiness training, case management, job search tools, educational support, and job development for all enrollees. Support participants in their next steps and in overcoming barriers to those goals. Additionally, the Career Navigator develops relationships with employers throughout the region to support participants in securing full-time employment. Convenes quarterly the Advisory Committee meetings with employers and educators. The Career Navigator will spend time in the Weatherization lab and shadowing Energy Auditors/ Weatherization Techs. The Career Navigator is responsible for administrative tasks including maintaining case notes, data entry, document collection, and ensuring that program standards are maintained.

Essential Responsibilities

• Provide individual support/case management to approximately 15-20 weatherization Tech participants and 8 Crew Chief participants annually.
• Work with participants to complete assessments, establish and support progress of their goals.
• Build relationships and attend meetings with community partners, area coalitions, and non-profit organizations.
• Serve as a liaison to coordinate services and opportunities for participants.
• Work in partnership with other Youth & Workforce Development staff to plan and coordinate opportunities to support interdepartmental integration services and activities across programs.
• Communicate regularly with supervisor to maintain weekly work schedules and locations in Outlook calendar.
• Complete all required paperwork, data collection and case records as required.
• Respond clearly and in a timely manner to emails, chats, and complete required work documents within established timelines.
• Follow guidelines, procedures, and policies of the program contract, of Youth & Workforce Development Programs, and of Community Action.
• Remote work available complying with the agency’s policy.
• Required to travel regularly throughout the Youth and Workforce Development Programs service area, to other Community Action sites and service locations, and occasionally out of the service area.
• Attend weekly supervision with supervisor, create professional development goals and attend professional development trainings.
• Attend regularly scheduled team meetings, mandatory agency training, and participate in professional development activities.
• Maintains strictest confidentiality.
• Perform other reasonable duties as assigned by the supervisor, director or designee.

Qualifications

• Interpersonal communication – verbal and written
• Conflict resolution, problem-solving, establishing priorities, navigating change
• Judgement and decision-making
• Practiced organizational skills and attention to detail
• Openness to understanding participants as experts of their own varied experiences and identities
• Skillful relationship building with participants, staff, and community members
• An understanding and willingness to talk about issues using an approach that is positive, engaging, accessible, and inclusive, such as Positive Youth Development and harm reduction
• A balance of initiative to work independently and collaboration to work with others
• Understanding and willingness to learn data capture and tracking methods
• Promote equity by deconstructing barriers to a racially just system
• Cultivate work environments that value truth-telling, courage, vulnerability, space to think and reflect, community-mindedness, hope, and openness to difficult conversations

Key Knowledge and Experience

• Knowledge of social services, advocacy, and navigating resources
• Knowledge of Franklin and Hampshire counties and North Quabbin regional organizations and resources
• Experience working with marginalized communities and individuals with low incomes
• Experience working with People who have low incomes, are people of color, queer, trans, disabled, and/or housing insecure
• Experience with data management, data capture, tracking methods and analysis for outcome measurements
• Computer skills (Microsoft Suite-Outlook Email, Calendar, and Teams chat, Discord, Zoom, and databases)

Minimum Qualifications/Transferable Skills

• Three years’ experience working with adults, providing individual support/case management
• Bi-lingual/Bicultural (Spanish/English) preferred
• CPR/First Aid (will be provided if needed)

Physical Demands and Working Conditions

• Extensive use of telephone required
• Must be able to lift between 20 and 30 lbs.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include vision, color vision and the ability to adjust focus
• The work environment includes indoor office environments or comparable spaces, and community spaces, with occasional exposure to outdoor weather when traveling to outreach or meeting sites. The noise level varies by site
• This position regularly requires sitting, standing, travelling, driving, walking, talking and/or listening
• The position frequently requires climbing stairs and/or ladders, accessing confined spaces such as attics or basements, crawling, squatting, kneeling or bending, and lifting.
• The position occasionally requires use of hands to handle or feel, use of arms/hands to reach, and use of entire body to lift and or move objects.
• Manual dexterity required for use of calculator and computer keyboards, phones, and building diagnostic tools
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include vision, color vision, and the ability to adjust focus
• The work environment includes an indoor office space, travel to and in classrooms, labs and Client’s homes (including attics and basements), and to outreach or meeting sites
• Occasional outdoor work may expose employees to hazards and/or extreme temperatures when assessing building exterior, traveling to audit or weatherization job, outreach or meeting sites
• Audit sites may contain hazardous materials and/or expose employees to extreme temperatures
• The noise level in the office is typically quiet, and may vary
• The noise level in the client homes may vary