Career Success Specialist

Position Description

Neighbors, Inc. is a nonprofit social service agency with more than 50 years of experience serving Dakota County and surrounding communities through high dignity basic needs services, including Hunger Relief, Clothing, Community Resources, and Financial Empowerment. Neighbors meets immediate needs while empowering individuals to move toward greater stability andself-sufficiency.

Our Mission:

Neighbors helping neighbors build stability to increase opportunityand wellbeing.

Job Title:

Career Success Specialist

Classification:

Non-Exempt, Full-time

Hiring Range:

$52,000 - $56,000 Annually

Position Overview:

The Career Success Specialist works in partnership with the Career and Financial Coaches, the Job Developer and the greater Financial Empowerment Team to support job seeking participants with appropriate employer opportunities and supports successful placement, onboarding, and retention. The position serves as a liaison between the Career and Financial Coaches and the Job Developer. This position will take the lead in helping to identify work-ready participants and serve as the primary employer account manager and work in tandem with the Job Developer after a relationship or opportunity has been established. This position helps translate employer requirements into clear guidance, coordinates referrals and interviews, supports hiring and onboarding, tracks outcomes, and uses employer feedback to strengthen participant preparation and program effectiveness. This role is critical to achieving contracted outcomes by connecting participant readiness, employer coordination, and placement and retention support to measurable employment results.

Supervised by:Director of Community Partnerships

Essential Job Functions:

Career Readinessand Client Support— 60%

• Identify clients who are career ready and are looking to improve or change their career trajectory or to re-enter the workforce.
• After placement, partner with Coaches, who provide participant retention coaching, to identify concerns early and coordinate timely support.
• Gather and use employer feedback to improve work readiness training, participant preparation, job matching, and service delivery.
• Enter timely and accurate case notes for client interactions.
• Use data and program outcomes to identify service gaps, improve workflows, and strengthen placement and retention results.
• Plan and coordinate sector focused employer hiring and interviewing events involving multiple candidates.
• Have a strong understanding of hiring requirements, schedules, wages, skills, and workplace expectations.
• Facilitate employer interview coordination and communication between candidates, Coaches, and hiring partners.

Employer Account Management and Placement Support –20%

• Match client employment goals, skills, interests, income requirements, transportation, and other relevant factors with employer partner job opportunities.
• Maintain regular employer communication after placement and serve as the employer side contact for retention support.
• Present qualified candidates to employers, in coordination with the Job Developer and Coaches, based on the stage of the employer relationship.
• Assist employers in understanding and effectively supporting program participants.
• Coordinate job matching and referrals with support and candidate recommendations from Coaches and the Job Developer.
• Support the employer’s hiring and onboarding process through the participant’s start date.
• Provide employer side onboarding and transition support during the first days and weeks of employment.
• Help resolve workplace or performance concerns by coordinating employer communication with the participant’s coach or case manager.
• Maintain employer accounts, assess satisfaction, and identify repeat hiring, referral, and expansion opportunities.
• Enter timely and accurate case notes for employer interactions, including employer communications involving participants.

Candidate Pipeline Management — 20%

• Monitor each active candidate’s stage, activity, readiness, and next step within the employment pipeline.
• Serve as a secondary point of contact during work readiness training and help Coaches understand employer expectations and screening requirements.
• Partner with Coaches, who lead individualized participant conversations, to identify and recommend work ready candidates for employer referrals.

Job QualificationMinimum:

• Bachelor's degree.
• 2 or more years of relevant experience in workforce development, career services, employer relations, case coordination, recruiting, human resources, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating job matching, referrals, hiring processes, or employment retention services.
• A demonstrably equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.

Preferred:

• Familiarity with Dakota County and surrounding communities.
• Knowledge of the nonprofit workforce sector, career pathway programs, credentialed training, and contract objectives.
• Experience with Salesforce, Apricot, Workforce One, or another client or employer relationship management database.
• Bilingual Spanish and English.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Strong understanding of workforce development, job readiness, candidate screening, job matching, placement, onboarding, and retention practices.
• Ability to build trusted relationships with employers while maintaining a participant-centered and collaborative approach.
• Ability to interpret employer requirements and translate them into clear guidance for Coaches and participants.
• Strong coordination, project management, follow-through, and organizational skills.
• Ability to collect, interpret, and use data to improve program effectiveness and participant outcomes.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively with participants, employers, staff, volunteers, stakeholders, and funders.
• Ability to prioritize tasks and work independently and as part of a team.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office products and comfort learning client and employer tracking systems.
• Collaborative approach to problem solving and continuous improvement.
• Ability to exercise discretion and manage confidential information.

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to sit at a desk for extended periods.

Additional Information:

• Other duties as assigned.
• Eligible for employment in the United States.
• Periodically able to work evenings and weekends.
• Pass criminal, credit and vehicular background checks.
• Must have access to reliable transportation.

This job description is a good-faith representation of what the job entails and is subject to change.

Equal Opportunity Employer: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, disability, marital status, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, familial status, genetic information or a protected veteran's status.

To apply please send resume and cover letter toandrew@neighborsmn.org. Review of applications will continue until the position is filled.