Job Posting: Employment Engagement Coordinator

Position Type: Full-time; Monday-Friday 8:00-4:30pm

Reports to: Senior Manage, DOL CLEAR

Salary Range: $50,000 – $52,000

About Towards Employment

Founded in 1976, Towards Employment (TE) is a non-profit leader in providing innovative solutions to move people out of poverty, into quality jobs and along a career pathway.  Towards Employment has gained local and national recognition for achieving excellent outcomes through the hard work of its dedicated staff of 74 and an $8 million annual budget.  Towards Employment offers a continuum of support to low-income individuals preparing to enter the workforce or looking to advance from low-wage employment while also fulfilling the staffing needs of local employers.

Towards Employment offers a robust and competitive benefits package designed to support our team’s health, financial well-being, and work-life balance. Benefits include employer-subsidized medical and prescription; Traditional and Roth 401(k) plans with an employer match and profit sharing; and company-provided life and short-term disability insurance. We also offer voluntary benefits such as, vision, dental insurance, HSA/FSA savings accounts and dependent life insurance. Additional perks include paid parental leave, generous paid time off (including vacation, 10 sick days, 13 paid holidays, and time off between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve), flexible schedules, salary advances, cell phone reimbursement and an Employee Assistance Program offering free mental health support services. Join a team that invests in you!

Job Summary

The Employer Engagement Coordinator  is responsible for building and maintaining relationships with assigned  local businesses to identify workforce needs, promote training programs, and facilitate job placement opportunities for individuals seeking employment through workforce development initiatives, acting as a liaison between employers and job seekers to ensure a smooth transition into the workforce. Collaborating with the Employer Engagement team, they cultivate relationships with designated employers, showcasing the value of Towards Employment’s placement services to businesses open to hiring individuals with barriers to employment.

Responsibilities include identifying job opportunities, building employer connections prior to individuals' release from correctional facilities, facilitating job placements, and coordinating with reintegration programs to ensure a seamless transition into the workforce. As part of the employer engagement team, the Employer Outreach Coordinator will play a part in executing a coordinated strategy to reach a broad array of employers and share the full range of TE talent sourcing options. This role also involves educating employers about the various resources, programs , and strategies available to help them retain top talent, foster employee growth, and create an environment conducive to professional development. The Employment Outreach Coordinator works closely with other program staff to ensure that pre-employment barriers have been removed and that any post-employment issues that could threaten job loss are addressed.

Essential Job Functions

The performance of the duties outlined below must be carried out within the mission of Towards Employment; We Champion the potential of every person to succeed in a rewarding career, while working to create an equitable and inclusive workforce for tomorrow.

Employer Engagement Support

• In coordination with general Towards Employment employer engagement activities, work with employer engagement (EE) team to identify target employers not yet in the TE network, focusing on those offering quality jobs; conduct outreach to these employers to identify job opportunities for program graduates, including internships, on-the-job-training and full-time permanent employment.
• Actively reach out to assigned potential employers through phone calls, emails, and in-person visits to identify hiring needs, skill gaps, and potential job openings while promoting the hiring of formerly incarcerated individuals.
• Conduct presentations and workshops to educate employers about the benefits of hiring formerly incarcerated individuals.
• Identify potential job openings that align with the skills and interests of formerly incarcerated individuals.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with key decision-makers within assigned companies to understand their workforce requirements and advocate for workforce development programs.
• Continually update employer prospects and conduct target marketing to place graduates including those with specific skills, challenges, or narrowly focused goals.
• Communicate effectively with employers and participants to support their success.
• Work closely with TE program staff and career coaches to identify and close any gaps identified by employers.
• Contribute feedback regarding recruitment, intake, orientation, and workshops to ensure employer needs are reflected in organizational programming.
• Work with the EE team to organize employer engagement events such as job fairs, career workshops, and industry panels to connect job seekers with potential employers.
• Actively participate in the Employer Engagement Functional Team.

Tracking & Reporting

• Work with the employer engagement staff to track and report all employer interactions including feedback, hiring decisions and identify trends of employer needs and expectations to assist with service quality improvements.
• Maintain activity and results reports, including daily call logs and weekly outcome reports.
• Maintain a targeted list of potential and current employers.
• Track and analyze data on employer engagement activities, job placements, and training outcomes to assess program effectiveness and identify areas for improvement.
• Run monthly reports to review all placement, retention, and advancement metrics.
• Develop streamlined communication channels (formal and informal) with internal peers & leadership to ensure clarity of process and opportunity cultivation.

Minimum Requirements

• Minimum of five years’ relevant staffing and employment and/or operational experience. Experience in HR, sales, or recruitment and staffing preferred.

• Experience working directly with employers and candidates to successfully meet the needs of both.

• Experience working with adults with barriers to employment coming from low-income households and those who may have been involved with the criminal justice system.
• Strong organizational and time management skills to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Familiarity with local labor market trends and workforce development strategies.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Attention to detail, strong organizational, time management and problem solving skills.
• Must have proficiency with computers, including Microsoft Office; must be proficient in use of databases. Proficiency in data analysis and reporting to track program effectiveness.
• Strong presentation skills with both small and large groups
• Must be able to work as part of multiple teams, be flexible and dependable, and demonstrate initiative and creativity.
• Commitment to Towards Employment mission and values.

Work Environment

• Work is performed in both an office setting and virtual.
• This role requires frequent fieldwork, where you will engage directly with employers.

Success in this position also requires:

• Continuous Improvement – Committed to learning, development, assessment, and measurement to continuously improve.

• Coaching Capacity – Ability to provide guidance and to support the advancement of others.
• Team Builder – Leads others through collaboration, influence, and coaching.
• Social Justice Advocate – Passionate about promoting racial equity and inclusion at personal, organizational and systems level.