Employer Partnerships Specialist

Since 1982, over 160,000 youth have been helped with Youth Opportunities Unlimited (Y.O.U.) pro-grams. Y.O.U. helps teens and young adults, ages 14-24 living in economically distressed communities succeed by providing educational and workforce opportunities, skills development, and access to career pathways. We offer school-based and community-based programs designed to meet the needs of Northeast Ohio employers, with a focus on those industry sectors that provide the most opportunities for career success. At Y.O.U., we are dedicated to excellence and continuous improvement of the quality of our services to youth, employers, and the community.

Job Purpose

The Employer Partnerships Specialist (EPS) for LAUNCH is responsible for cultivating new and maintaining current partnerships with employers to develop and provide meaningful work experience opportunities for LAUNCH participants with the expectation that it will become a permanent hire. This EPS will partner directly with collaborative staff to embed Work Experience values into their programming and will facilitate all participant placement processes. The EPS will facilitate employer registration and worksite validation, for all LAUNCH work experiences and help support the unsubsidized placement of LAUNCH collaborative partners. The EPS also provides feedback to the Program Managers about the attitudes, abilities, and skills our employer partners are looking for in an entry level worker.

Essential Functions

• Nurture and support existing employer partnerships and LAUNCH partners, with in-depth engagement, while gathering information about the LAUNCH partner’s employment needs. 
• Work directly with LAUNCH partner organizations, making presentations about the value of participating in work experience programming to program participants and communicating regularly about participant statuses and interests. 
• Recruit employers that can provide meaningful work experiences to LAUNCH participants, particularly related to in-demand career fields, that could lead to permanent hire. 
• Develop relationships with employers and secure worksites for young adults in both the private sector and subsidized worksites
• Conduct periodic worksite visits as needed to ensure participants are working in a safe environment that will lead to a meaningful work experience.
• Conduct employer registration and worksite validation meetings, phone calls, and processes. 
• Edit, distribute, and track the worksite terms & conditions agreement, ensuring timely collection of supervisor signatures 
• Add & update systems records related to both participants and employers in Salesforce and our Y.O.U. data collection excel sheets
• Communicate regularly with Senior Manager for the Young Adult Workforce and Manager of CCMEP about Work Experience participant statuses and participate in scheduled LAUNCH meetings when requested. 
• Provide excellent customer service to employers and partners as it relates to worksite registration and matching youth participants in a timely manner.
• Handle escalated issues from worksites with tact and diplomacy.
• Match program participants to available work experience opportunities and permanent placement opportunities following Y.O.U. protocols on a routine basis, within short timeframes, to include worksite reassignments.
• Engage with partner management and job coaches to build relationships, helping partner staff to align their participant’s interests with opportunities to develop and grow through job exploration.
• Assist with career fairs, resume writing workshops, and other professional development events for LAUNCH participants.
• Other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision benefits available with coverage beginning the first of the month following date of hire.
• Company paid life insurance, AD&D, Short-Term Disability, Parental Leave, Employee Assistance Program and Long-Term Disability 
• Retirement Plan with generous employer contributions
• Generous paid time off package including 17 paid holidays
• Professional Development Assistance Program

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., Business, Communications, Education, Social Work) from an accredited college or university preferred
• An additional 4 years of work experience as detailed below can be substituted in lieu of a bachelor’s degree. High School Diploma or equivalent required.

Requirements

• 1-3 years of experience in sales prospecting, networking, and recruiting strategies.
• 1-3 years of experience working with at-risk youth and/or young adults as a coach, mentor, teacher, counselor, or other related position.
• Must have experience training and leading small working groups or teams.
• Familiarity in recruiting techniques and work opportunity development.
• Must be proficient with Microsoft Office programs and have experience with databases, spreadsheets, and word processing.
• Experience with Salesforce or a willingness and ability to learn new systems.
• Must have valid transportation to/from Y.O.U. offices, partner organizations, and other community-based locations to meet with clients. 
• Must pass a background BCI/FBI check as a condition of employment.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Belief and commitment to Y.O.U.’s mission, vision, and values.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Ability to build relationships with the area’s private and public-sector businesses.
• Understanding of modern job search, recruitment, and retention strategies.
• Strong coordination and organizational skills.
• Comfortable using computer programs and relationship management systems for record keeping.
• Solution-oriented, adaptable, and flexible.
• Ability to juggle multiple tasks and initiatives at once.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team under minimal supervision.

Work Environment

• This position will be scheduled to work in-office 3 days a week and can work remotely 2 days per week. This includes a mandatory in-office day on Wednesday. The position may also include occasional travel to offsite locations for meetings, programs, events, or activities as part of assigned responsibilities up to 50% of the time.
• The work pace for this position is usually fast paced where work is required for up to 2 hours at a time. This position requires such physical abilities as sitting for computer and phone work for long periods of time, lifting up to 25 lbs periodically and carrying office supplies, standing, and walking throughout the office buildings.
• Social interaction with team members, vendors, partners and/or participants frequently.
• The environment in which the job is performed outside a normal office space may include exposure to extreme temperature, noise, or other hazards. 
• When working remotely, the workspace must be free of distractions and background noise (Pets, children, television, radio, etc.)

All applicants are considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, marital status, parental status, veteran status, military service, family medical history, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.