Employment Specialist

Center for Employment Opportunities•Oakland, CA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) is seeking to hire an Employment Specialist for its local office. This role is crucial to CEO's mission of helping individuals transitioning out of incarceration regain the skills and confidence needed for a successful transition to stable and productive lives. Employment Specialists work to increase employment opportunities for participants by aligning participant interests, experiences, and ambitions with job placements and by identifying and cultivating potential employers. The most rewarding aspect of this role is making the "right fit" match between a participant and an employer, leading to successful employment and reduced recidivism. CEO strongly encourages individuals with lived experience of incarceration or involvement in the justice system to apply.

Requirements

Experience in workforce development, recruitment, or sales/account management, with a role in which performance goals were met regularly.
Excellent interpersonal and written communication skills with the ability to adjust to particular personalities and interaction styles on the spot.
Resilience and persistence in anticipating and addressing challenges.
Comfort working under pressure and meeting deadlines despite opposition or setbacks.
Ability to analyze data or market research to guide practice and decision-making.

Nice To Haves

Deep dedication to social justice.
Experience in the re-entry space.
Passion for making an impact in people's lives and guiding them to achieve career goals through a balance of accountability and empathy.
Enjoyment of networking and cultivating lasting relationships with people and businesses.
Lived experience of incarceration or involvement in the justice system.

Responsibilities

Envision, develop, and implement a strategic plan for placement services that ensures CEO meets its participant placement metrics.
Conduct reviews of existing CEO business partnerships regularly, evaluate employer demand and usage of CEO services, and determine improvements and ways to leverage relationships with employers.
Achieve weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual placement goals in accordance with CEO’s contractual obligations.
Research, conduct outreach to, and build relationships with prospective employers willing to hire CEO participants and who have hiring needs that match the skills, experience, and interests of our overall participant cohort.
Maintain relationships with existing employer partners.
Schedule and conduct daily prospecting, cold calls, and face-to-face meetings.
Serve as the liaison among employers, participants, and our criminal justice partners.
Screen and match program participants with employment opportunities, taking into consideration each participant’s skills, work experience, interests, and goals and aspirations.
Customize participants’ resumes to fit identified opportunities.
Manage a caseload of participants, support and coach them around applying for jobs, navigating the hiring process, and finding and securing right fit employment.
Document all participant and employer contact, activities, and outcomes in our case management system (Salesforce).
Perform other job-related duties and responsibilities assigned from time to time.