Life Skills Educator

Center for Employment Opportunities • Buffalo, NY

3d • Onsite

About The Position

The Life Skills Educator (LSE) leads large-group workshops for 10–20 program participants, preparing them for success in temporary and permanent employment. Workshops take place at the local office four days a week. This is an in-person role at a Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) site, where most participant interactions occur in person. Depending on site needs, the LSE may also handle intake and/or outreach functions. The role may include transporting participants to a classroom training center for apprenticeship training for up to five hours per week.

CEO provides employment services to people recently released from incarceration. The organization serves approximately 8,000–9,000 people annually across the United States and helps participants transition to employment. Applicants with lived experience of incarceration or involvement in the justice system are strongly encouraged to apply.

The salary is $47,800. CEO’s final salary determination may consider experience, internal equity, and home-office location. The benefits package includes medical and dental coverage, professional development and training (including regular Motivational Interviewing training), paid parental leave, retirement plan participation, sick and vacation leave, and paid holidays. The workplace promotes continual learning and teamwork through activities such as lunch-and-learns, team outings, and holiday gatherings.

Requirements

• At least two years of experience teaching or leading group presentations.
• Commitment to CEO’s mission and interest in working in a fast-growing, results-oriented nonprofit environment.
• Passion for helping individuals become the best version of themselves.
• Deep interest in re-entry or criminal justice reform.
• Ability to lift morale and present content in an exciting and engaging way.
• Ability to consider and analyze different points of view and data to form a context-appropriate perspective.
• Ability to learn and accurately convey curricula quickly using excellent communication skills, and to adapt presentation style to support participant understanding.
• Comfort providing the feedback and support needed to develop participants’ knowledge and skills.
• Self-motivation, diligence, resilience, and stamina, with accountability for deadlines and outcomes despite adversity or setbacks.
• Strong organization and time-management skills, including the ability to manage multiple priorities or request support with prioritization.
• Comfort learning new technologies adopted or implemented by an organization.
• Valid driver’s license.
• For the outreach function, ability to travel throughout the city where the site is located.
• For the outreach function, comfort conducting outreach and skill in relationship building and tailoring persuasive written or verbal communication to the priorities of individuals or groups.
• For the intake function, strong attention to detail and ability to follow structures and processes while producing consistent, accurate, thoroughly documented work.
• For the intake function, respect, fairness, patience, and efficiency when working with participants, referral partners, and outside agencies.

Nice To Haves

• Lived experience of incarceration or involvement in the justice system.

Responsibilities

• Transport participants to the classroom training center for apprenticeship training as needed, up to five hours per week.
• Present well-prepared, organized, engaging, and clear content that follows CEO’s course syllabus.
• Prepare participants for CEO’s program model by ensuring they have sufficient documentation and understand program policies and safety practices.
• Guide and coach participants in employment-preparation activities, including writing professional resumes, networking, and mock interviewing.
• Help participants become job-start ready by developing their communication and self-presentation skills.
• Discuss participants’ employment goals and provide support, encouragement, and constructive feedback.
• Keep abreast of current practices and events that could affect participants, and suggest new curriculum material.
• Keep parole officers informed about participant progress.
• Use motivational interviewing techniques as appropriate to guide participants toward their goals.
• Monitor and record class attendance.
• Accurately document participant contact and progress in the case management system.
• Escort participants to nearby agencies to apply for documents when needed.
• Support the Site Lead with administrative and operational duties.
• Perform other assigned tasks and responsibilities.
• When assigned outreach duties, build relationships with probation and parole officers and community organizations to generate participant referrals.
• When assigned outreach duties, work off-site at supervision offices to present CEO services, facilitate referrals, and share participant progress updates.
• Connect participants to external resources as needed.
• Document outreach activities, contacts, and outcomes in Salesforce.
• When assigned intake duties, welcome walk-ins, explain document requirements, collect intake materials, and provide brief CEO program overviews.
• When assigned intake duties, review intake documents, including I-9s, for CEO and federal compliance, and accurately return documents to participants.
• When assigned intake duties, enter participant details promptly and accurately into Salesforce.
• When assigned intake duties, retrieve parole documentation and coordinate with participants, referral sources, and internal departments.
• When assigned intake duties, manage and respond to requests for letters of reasonable assurance, agency inquiries (such as OCSE and SSA), and employment verifications.
• When assigned intake duties, return documents with 100% accuracy to the correct participants.

Benefits

• Medical coverage
• Dental coverage
• Professional development opportunities and training, including regular training in Motivational Interviewing
• Paid parental leave
• Participation in a retirement plan
• Sick leave
• Vacation leave
• Paid holidays

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed