Resource & Support Specialist

Since 1982, over 160,000 youth have been helped with Youth Opportunities Unlimited (Y.O.U.) programs. 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

Resource & Support Specialists work directly with youth and young adults who participate in LAUNCH (Young Adult Workforce Collaborative)to provide initial and ongoing wrap around services to empower youth and young adults in reaching their personal goals and career aspirations, to uplift strengths, to address barriers and challenges to successful completion of work experiences and/or training, and to equip youth and young adults to attain employment. Resource & Support Specialists also provide support, guidance, and mentorship to youth and young adults in the program and community. Resource & Support Specialists are an integral part of our operations, essential to our vision and mission, and create lasting impressions on youth and young adults in the community, pushing them forward to meeting their future career goals.

Essential Functions

• Partner with Career Pathway Navigators to ensure a smooth handoff of participants from intake into ongoing case management and service delivery
• Meet with prospective participants to determine personal goals, career aspirations, barriers, and other information as needed.
• Guide participants through the identification of goals, barriers, potential challenges, strengths, and skills on their path to individual success.
• Ensure the accurate completion of the Comprehensive Case Management Employment Program (CCMEP) Stepping Stones to Success assessment and Individual Opportunity Plan (IOP). 
• Provide coaching, advocacy, and barrier remediation to youth and young adults, and their families, including referring youth and young adults to internal/external resources to help them overcome those challenges.
• Provide individualized career counseling to In School Youth (ISY) LAUNCH participants, including career exploration, goal setting, and pathways to employment or post-secondary education.
• Maintain timely and accurate documentation of all ISY LAUNCH participant interactions (e.g., in-person, phone, email, virtual) in ARIES and other data systems, including case notes, Individual Opportunity Plans (IOPs) and assessments, as well as education and training milestones and outcomes. 
• Provide reports of delivered services as requested and needed.
• Work in partnership with program leaders, administrative staff and agency partners of the collaborative provide wraparound support to participants throughout the enrollment, service delivery, work experience, and follow up periods.
• Accompany Job Coach on at least two worksite visits for participants participating in work experience.
• Employ creative strategies to reinforce the learnings from work experience and continue to address life skills and career exploration and planning
• Facilitate engaging Workforce Development Workshops in partnership with local community partners 
• Support participant efforts to obtain employment and/or enroll in post-secondary education as needed. 
• Build and maintain positive working relationships with partner organizations such as schools, businesses, government entities, and other family/youth serving organizations/groups. 
• Perform 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., Social Work, Psychology, Education) 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

• 1-2 years of experience in human services, social work, case management, education in a school setting, or related field.
• 1-2 years of experience working with youth and young adults and providing supportive services and/or community resources. 
• Familiar with Cleveland’s network of social services providers.
• 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. 
• Strong verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills. 
• Demonstrated active listening skills.
• Possess high level of integrity and ability to use good judgement and discretion in handling sensitive and confidential information.
• Proven ability to build quality business relationships internally and externally.
• Highly attentive to details and strong organizational skills.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, results oriented, and data driven environment.
• Proven ability to complete tasks and juggle multiple initiatives with minimal supervision. 
• Strong coordination and organizational skills. 
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team. 

Work Environment

• This is an in office position 5 days a week at OneStop.
• The position may also include travel to offsite locations up to 50% of the time for meetings, programs, events, or activities as part of assigned responsibilities.
• 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.
• Flexibility to work some evening and weekend hours.
• 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.