Employment Counselor

Catholic Charities of Buffalo•Buffalo, NY

44d

About The Position

Catholic Charities of Buffalo is seeking a full-time Employment Counselor for our Workforce and Education department located at 525 Washington Street, Buffalo, NY 14203.Responsible for determining participant's employability through the evaluation of strengths, skills and barriers in support of the Erie County Work Experience Program. Will provide job development services, resume development, job application assistance, community linkage, and advocacy work. Catholic Charities is a non-profit organization offering a wide array of programs to empower individuals, children, and families. As the most comprehensive human service provider in Western New York, we serve the eight counties with dozens of programs at over 40 professionally staffed locations. Our services include comprehensive counseling for all ages, basic emergency assistance (including operating eight food pantries), mental health services, chemical dependency treatment, educational and job readiness services, services for older adults, marriage counseling, immigration and refugee assistance, and various programs addressing family issues. We strive to provide HOPE for all seasons.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in social work, school or career counseling, guidance, education, or related human services field.
Must have reliable transportation for job requirements.
Knowledge and experience with Vocational and Employment assessment.
Experience working with at-risk youth.
Experience working with older youth and adult populations.
Demonstrated proficiency with Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook) and general computer equipment; able to troubleshoot basic technical issues and navigate software tools confidently.
Strong personal and interpersonal communication skills.
Excellent organizational skills.
The ability to keep concise records.
A sensitivity to the development stages and well-being of participants.
The ability to work with diverse individuals and groups.
Able to accept supervision and work well both independently and in teams.
Excellent problem-solving skills to analyze issues and create action plans.
The ability to adapt to changing work priorities and maintain flexible working hours.
The ability to establish and maintain constructive relationships is important.

Responsibilities

Ability to engage with diverse clientele experiencing the impact of poverty, short- and long-term multi-problem situations and urgent needs
Comfortable providing case management services and making appropriate referrals to both internal and external referral sources
Expand and maintain a job bank for direct hire and / or Work Experience job sites
Assess and evaluate participants job performance and provide constructive feedback
Work closely with local employers to match students with available employment opportunities
Learn and utilize program specific data tracking system (OSOS) as well as internal database
Collaborate with Educators and Case Managers and provide employment related support to students/participants.
Utilize various methods, including standardized tests and websites such as CAREER ZONE to assess a student's employability, strengths, and barriers to employment
Present to schools, career programs, education departments and community organizations on program incentives and eligibility
Formulate a work plan for participants to develop short- and long-term career goals
Facilitate ongoing job readiness classes to program participants with a focus on employability skills which include areas such as communication on the job, interviewing skills, local and national employability outlook, dress for employment, how to determine what job is best for you, conflict resolution, and other areas
Assists clients with job placement, including job-search, resume/cover letter development, labor market analysis and employment contacts
Maintains case files as directed to meet customer follow-up and program evaluation needs
Meet quantitative expectations established by the funding sources and agency
Engage in professional development and in-service trainings
Perform other duties as assigned
Comply with the Agency's Compliance Program, Code of Ethics, laws, regulations, and ethical standards applicable to your job duties

Benefits

35 hours per week
13 paid holidays
25 PTO days per year (Pro-rated based on first year start date)
Comprehensive health, dental & vision offerings for full-time
Employer-paid life insurance for full-time
Ancillary benefit offerings for full-time
Flexible Spending Account (FSA) option for full-time
Health Savings Account (HSA) when electing a high deductible health plan for full-time
Employer-paid Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
403b Retirement Plan (Eligible after first pay period) with employer contribution after six months