Workforce Development Specialist

Workforce Development Specialist

Requirements

• At least 10 years of professional level experience in the field of employment, education, or training
• A Bachelors’ Degree in Education, Business, Social Science or related field
• Experience developing or adapting workforce development programs, particularly in Dislocated Workers, TANF workforce funds, or other WIOA (Workforce Initiatives and Opportunity Act) resource programs strongly preferred
• Experience working directly with people from a diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic background
• Experience working directly with people at high risk of being involved in gun violence and/or direct lived experience
• Experience developing and implementing a strategic plan
• Experience as a program manager, including, but not limited to, managing projects on time and on-budget, managing consultant services, and drafting scopes of work and requests for proposals (RFPs)
• Experience managing program evaluation
• Experience building coalitions of diverse stakeholders
• Experience managing communications

Responsibilities

• Research and identify prospective employers, training partners, apprenticeships, and so on to describe ORP’s program’s objectives and solicit cooperation in providing employment and training opportunities
• Create, establish and maintain temporary, full-time and part-time job banks; tracks and follows updates on job fairs and internet resources
• Coordinate and facilitate employer/training information sessions, recruitment days and targeted job fairs
• Develop services to address gaps (social, emotional, basic skills) to prepare individuals for referrals into job readiness programs; development of a referral system to track programs, identify opportunities, and connect participants to appropriate workforce programs
• Develop new retention supports for transitional jobs, career training, and permanent employment
• Responsible for actively providing soft skills training to participants in both group and individual settings, providing coaching in areas such as interview skills, corporate attire, and professional etiquette and documenting all client progress
• Contact and coordinate guest speakers from various professional fields to share career and training experiences with participants
• Work closely with the Assistant Director of Reentry Services to coordinate career plans by matching job skills with applicant qualifications
• Manage participant records, narrative reports, statistical reports and other records to facilitate data sharing and exchange of information
• Keep organized records of clients served, analyze service data and report on outcomes to identify trends and service effectiveness
• Support research activities, data analysis, and policy analysis related to reentry and employment, workforce development, education, and career pathways to advance ORP’s mandates of creating a city-wide reentry agenda, developing a data-driven system, and/or improving the quality of reentry services
• Collaborate with ORP staff, Criminal Justice Partners, Employer/Community Partners, and other city departments
• Work closely with ORP staff to develop a deep understanding of the barriers to career pathways, and associated solutions, for returning citizens
• Develop workshops and initiatives for both currently impacted and formerly impacted persons
• Work with participants from PA County jails and State and Federal prisons returning to the community in need of workforce development services
• Familiarity with and ability to teach and/or coordinate services for cognitive behavioral concepts (CBT) and Trauma informed concepts
• Enhance the services available through ORP by developing and strengthening partnerships among City agencies, and community-based service providers who specialize in supporting people with criminal justice system involvement and offer services related to employment, education, and/or career pathways
• Provide direct ongoing support to the Fair Chance Hiring Initiative, as necessary and mutually agreed upon by ORP and the Commerce Department
• Provide ongoing and direct support for the PREP program with the Department of Revenue
• Provide activities to support ORP efforts to increase returning citizens’ access to more individualized and higher quality services to address employment, education, economic mobility, and/or career pathways
• Represent ORP on appropriate committees and collaborative structures as assigned under the direction of the Executive Director and First Deputy Director
• Lead efforts to provide career pathways, job readiness training, and economic opportunities for criminal justice-impacted participants within the P3 Community Violence Interruption (CVI) model
• Collaborate with the P3 Leadership team to address long-term economic independence and support participants in overcoming barriers to employment
• Collaborate with community partners, businesses, and workforce development agencies to create job placement opportunities and sustainable career pathways
• Facilitate partnerships with local employers, unions, and vocational training programs to secure apprenticeships, internships, and employment opportunities
• Provide supervision to job coaches and other staff on the workforce development team
• Stay up to date on employment laws and policies affecting returning citizens
• Perform any additional duties as described by the Office of Reentry Partnerships related to the goals and activities of the Office

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience in government and working within the criminal legal system
• Knowledge of the criminal justice system and the reentry landscape in Philadelphia