Resource Coordinator - PeopleFirst

PeopleFirst, Ascentria’s flagship social innovation venture, helps workers tackle challenges outside of work so they can succeed at work, improving lives, strengthening employers, and transforming the workplace. By pairing trusted human Pathfinders with an AI-enabled navigation platform, PeopleFirst connects employees to critical resources like childcare, transportation, housing, and legal aid. This unique combination of human compassion and technology reduces stress, improves retention, and boosts productivity, positioning PeopleFirst as a next-generation model for workforce well-being.

Summary 

This role offers the opportunity to help launch a startup within a large, mission-driven nonprofit. Reporting to Ascentria’s Senior Director of Innovation, the Resource Coordinator joins a small, entrepreneurial team working at the intersection of social determinants of health (SDOH) navigation, technology, and social enterprise—combining fast-paced, hands-on work with the stability of a 153-year-old institution.

The Resource Coordinator is PeopleFirst’s primary resource specialist, working directly with employees and job seekers while helping shape how PeopleFirst operates. Although the role does not initially supervise staff, it is intentionally designed as a foundational position. As PeopleFirst grows, this role will help codify the PeopleFirst model, train future coordinators, and support responsible scale.

The position blends direct service delivery with systems thinking, continuous learning, and model development, turning real-world experience into repeatable practice. Success requires strong listening skills, empathy, comfort with ambiguity, and the ability to translate lived experience into clear next steps, workflows, and ongoing improvements, grounded in human-centered design and real-world usability.

Essential Job Responsibilities:

Resource Navigation

• Serve as a trusted, confidential point of contact for employees seeking assistance with barriers such as childcare, transportation, housing, healthcare, or financial challenges.


• Conduct intake, assessment, goal-setting, and follow-up


• Connect individuals to community-based resources and supports aligned with their needs and eligibility


• Support job retention and workforce stability through timely, practical interventions


• Maintain accurate documentation, case notes, and outcome tracking


• Meet grant compliance, reporting, and data-collection requirements


• Participate in the development, implementation and daily use of the PeopleFirst solution


• Coordinate with community partners, employers, and internal Ascentria teams

Model-Building

• Identify patterns in participant needs and system gaps, and share insights from the field


• Translate participant needs into simple workflows, tools, and process improvements


• Participate in pilot testing and iterative learning cycles


• Build and maintain trusted community resource partnerships


• Compile and manage resource lists, eligibility criteria, and application processes across key domains


• Support participants through application and follow-through, using outcomes to refine the model


• Assess best-fit resources and support participants through application and follow-through, using outcomes to refine the approach


• Contribute to documentation, playbooks, and training materials that support consistent delivery of the PeopleFirst model

Training, Coaching & Future Team Leadership

• Serve as an early steward of the PeopleFirst model, helping define standards of practice, tools, and ways of working


• Support the onboarding, training, and coaching of future PeopleFirst Resource Coordinators as the program grows


• Model high-quality, human-centered resource navigation and documentation practices


• Share feedback and field-based insights to inform performance expectations, role design, and staffing models


• Contribute to the development of supervision frameworks, learning routines, and quality assurance processes in partnership with PeopleFirst leadership


• Help foster a culture of learning, reflection, and continuous improvement within the PeopleFirst team


• Other duties as assigned

 Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Human Services, Public Health, Community Health, Sociology, Psychology, Workforce Development, or a related field, or equivalent experience providing direct resource navigation, care coordination, or community-based support.


• Minimum two (2) years of experience providing direct resource navigation or care coordination in workforce development, human services, community health, social work, or related settings.


• Minimum one (1) year of supervisory experience.


• Entrepreneurial mindset with comfort working in a startup or pilot environment, including helping to build, test, and refine new programs, processes, and tools.


• Strong interpersonal, listening, verbal, and written communication skills; ability to communicate with diplomacy and confidence, including in group settings.


• Demonstrated ability to assess individual needs, connect people to appropriate resources, and build trust across diverse cultures and backgrounds.


• Ability to work effectively in multicultural and multilingual environments; multilingual proficiency preferred.


• Ability to build, test, and improve services within structured, grant-funded, or regulated environments, including documentation, tracking, and compliance requirements.


• Strong organizational, time-management, and multitasking skills; ability to work independently and as part of a team in a fast-paced, evolving environment.


• Demonstrated ability to lead staff, volunteers, and interns and contribute to continuous improvement and innovation in service delivery.

Please note: Candidates who are selected for hire must successfully complete all required background checks before starting their employment.

Here’s why you should join us:

We prioritize our employees' wellbeing with a comprehensive benefits package, for those who qualify, and a supportive workplace culture where all are encouraged and empowered to drive change, make a difference, and enjoy life outside of work.

Ascentria offers the following employee benefits:

• High quality/affordable health, dental, and vision insurance to support your overall wellness


• Flexible Spending Account to help manage eligible expenses


• A 403(b) retirement plan with employer match


• A full-service Employee Assistance Program with many free and accessible services and supports


• Generous tuition reimbursement to invest in your professional growth and development


• Paid time off which increases as your tenure grows and holidays for work-life balance


• A workplace culture that values diversity, equity, and inclusion, where all voices are heard and respected

When you join Ascentria, you’re not just taking on a job—you’re stepping into a role that empowers you to grow personally and professionally while contributing to a meaningful mission.