WIA Adult Services Employment Specialist II– Bilingual in Somali or Russian
Posted by: Neighborhood House
Description
Department:Education and Community ServicesReports To: Employment Supervisor
FLSA: Non-Exempt
Salary Range: Range 16 ($17.38 to $19.30 per hour)
Status: Regular, Full-time, 40 hours per week
Close Date: Thursday, July 5th, 2012 or until filled
Position Available: 2 (one position for Somali speaking
and the other is Russian speaking)
Neighborhood House Programs
Since 1906, Neighborhood
House has been helping diverse communities of people with limited resources
attain their goals for self-sufficiency, financial independence, health and
community building. Our services include early childhood education (including
Head Start and Early Head Start), mentoring and tutoring, emergency referral
services, self-sufficiency/employment classes and services (including ESL and
citizenship), job placement and training, substance abuse services,
transportation and outreach for the elderly and disabled and publication of the
Voice newspaper. Annually, Neighborhood House serves over 13,500 individuals. Of
those, 80 percent are refugees and immigrants.
Scope
As part of its Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Adult services, Neighborhood
House (NH) has a team of 4 Employment Specialists responsible for helping job
seekers access career building, training and tools toward family
self-sufficiency. NH is currently hiring two additional staff members to reflect
program growth in this area. WIA Adult services have a dual focus on meeting job
seeker needs as well as ensuring we serve the expectations of our employer
community. Each team member is bi-lingual/bi-cultural to meet the needs of the
diverse communities served by NH, including but not limited to the immigrant and
refugee communities of Seattle/King County. Employment Specialists on this
team are out-stationed at WorkSource sites throughout Seattle and King County,
and work closely with staff from partner agencies within this one-stop
system.
Neighborhood House is looking for two highly skilled, highly motivated
Employment Specialists to join this dynamic team. Because of the needs of
underserved clients, Neighborhood House would like to hire individuals who are
bilingual in Somali/English and Russian/English. These individuals will be
located primarily in the Work Source offices in Renton and Auburn,
respectively.
Responsibilities
- Develop and maintain effective relationships with job seekers. Counsel
job-seeking customers in vocational, employment and personal issues. Mediate,
problem-solve and coordinate individual services for customers. Develop
effective short and long term employment plans with customers to meet their long
term goals of self sufficiency. - Provide job development, placement and retention services to job seekers
including career exploration, job matching, career progression and pathway
building and working with employers to problem solve. - Determine client eligibility for WIA Adult services and track participant
activities and achievements. - Become familiar with complex regulations and provide services within this
framework. Accurately complete extensive technical documentation in a timely
manner. - Assist job seekers in accessing appropriate skills training, including basic
skills training, English as a Second Language, and occupational skills training
in high demand occupations. Provide guidance in accessing financial assistance
and long-term goal achievement related to training. Manage customers’ support
service and training/tuition funds. - Provide job seeker and site contribution services for customers of the
WorkSource system, including providing workshops; assisting with resource room
services and job search; counseling related to unemployment insurance or labor
market information and guidance with other resources as needed. - Conduct outreach and recruitment to primarily immigrant and refugee
communities in Seattle and King County. - Develop positive relationships with employers, including identifying and
screening appropriate candidates for job openings and helping employers hire and
retain a highly qualified workforce. - Develop and maintain relationships with other educational, employment and
case management organizations, including community and technical colleges,
community-based organizations and employment service providers, WorkSource
partners, DSHS and other system partners. Actively participate on
partner/collaborative initiatives or projects to enhance employment. - Assist team members with ongoing continuous quality improvement to enhance
program operations, including problem solving, helping to develop program
systems and procedures, or participating on team workgroups. - Provide translation and interpretation services for designated languages as
needed. - Perform other duties as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications
- AA degree in Human Services or related field.
- Three to five years professional experience in employment case management or
career development services with adults, or any combination of the above which
provides equivalent preparation. - Certification/formal training in case management highly desired.
- Bi-lingual ability in Somali or Russian with English skills sufficiently
strong to communicate in and prepare documents in English. - Good communication skills, both written and oral.
- Demonstrated understanding of local ethnic communities, labor market, local
employer base, WorkSource system, social service and education institutions in
King County. - Ability to work with limited supervision and considerable self-direction.
- Ability to work effectively in a multi-cultural environment with co-workers,
clients and partners. - Ability to excel in highly visible, highly public settings.
- Willingness to comply with the established agency performance standards
which may include: productivity/personal responsibility, customer
service-orientation, embracing a team player orientation, entrepreneurial, and
maintaining a professional demeanor. - Proficient with Microsoft Office software.
- Must pass the Washington State Patrol background check (rechecked every 2
years) and National Sex Offender Public Registry Check. - Must have reliable, independent transportation for travel between job sites.
- Candidates must be able to work a flexible work schedule, including some
weekends or evenings, as necessary. - Current First Aid Certificate (within 30 days of hire, maintain current
certificate during employment). - Current CPR Certificate (within 30 days of hire, maintain current
certificate during employment). - Child Abuse and Neglect Training (within 90 days of employment).
- BA in human services field.
Excellent medical, dental, and vision benefits available for employee and
family. Life and Long Term Disability insurance provided. Employer contributes
up to 4% toward retirements plan with employee match.
Employment Practice
Neighborhood House is an Equal
Opportunity Employer. Applications are considered without regard to race, age,
sex, color, creed, religion, disability, national origin, marital status, mental
or physical handicap, sexual orientation (heterosexuality, homosexuality,
bisexuality) and expression of gender identity or any other classification
protected by law. Neighborhood House encourages and gives hiring preference to
current and former Head Start parents and children. We encourage people of color
and residents of the communities we serve to apply.
How to apply
Application Procedure
Submit an agency application, along with resume and cover letter. Agency applications can be
downloaded (www.nhwa.org) or picked up at the
address below. Only applicants considered for interviews will be contacted.
Applicants may FAX their materials to (206) 461-3857, email to nhjobs@nhwa.org
or mail to:Neighborhood House
905 Spruce St., Suite 200
Seattle, WA
98104
Attn: Jill Trakarnsilpa, HR Manager
For more information
Inquiries may be directed to Human Resources at
(206) 461-8430 or by e-mail nhjobs@nhwa.org.
