The Specialist must excel in fostering relationships with employers and community partners, managing job placements, and addressing barriers to employment faced by youth participants. The position requires a proactive approach to workforce development, including leveraging labor market data, providing crisis support, and maintaining detailed program documentation.

The general duties and responsibilities of the position are included in but not limited to the information listed below.

● Use data available from OWD’s Planning Division, keep abreast of local labor market opportunities for this population to develop placement strategies with the larger YOU Boston team.
● Troubleshoot any issues which arise at respective sites.
● Actively participate in the processing, supervision, and education of all YOU Boston young people involved in levels of programming and services.
● Serve as a member of the larger service team for all youth; working collaboratively with all YOU Boston staff to meet individual and agency goals and mandates.
● Supervise a team that will identify, prepare, and place a designated number of YOU Boston program participants in the private sector or in training opportunities as mandated.
● Oversee and coordinate internship programming tailored to two distinct age groups: youth ages 14-18 and young adults ages 18-24, ensuring developmentally appropriate experiences and support.
● Collaborate with Case Managers & Operations to ensure all youth interns have completed necessary paperwork for programming and payroll.
● Collaborate with Case Management & Staff to provide monitoring, life-planning, crisis support, linkage to other programs, and overall problem-solving assistance and advocacy on behalf of program youth. Assist them in developing healthy professional and personal networks for future reliance.
● Must be able to productively communicate and establish rapport with all young people and members of the YOU Boston service team in a fast paced environment, working with young people that present multiple barriers to employment.
● Recruit large and small-sized, for profit, and not-for-profit employers willing to engage in a process to hire young adults.
● Assess and confirm safety concerns/updates with the Case Management team prior to instruction and placement with job coaches.
● Provide ongoing support and relationship management with YOU employer partners. Support other initiatives as opportunities arise with the ultimate goal of increasing employer involvement in YOU Boston programming.
● Develop relationships with local career centers, training providers and vocational programs to support placement efforts.
● Work in daily collaboration with the YOU administrative team.
● Organize and maintain program documentation, including job descriptions, MOUs, corrective action forms, data, and payroll.
● Build and maintain relationships with individuals, industries, organizations, government entities, colleges, and other community organizations with the primary goal of internship placement.
● Collaborate with Job Coaches to monitor attendance, punctuality, and work performance through regular communication with interns and site supervisors.
● Adhere to all daily data input requirements and administrative tasks.
● Assist with the overall management of the youth payroll system in collaboration with designated YOU Boston staff.
● Perform other related duties as requested.

• Years of Experience: Four (4) years of experience in employer engagement and job development with an established network of employment partners.
• A bachelor's degree may be substituted for up to two years of the required experience.
• At least two (2) years of supervisory experience preferred.
• Excellent oral and written communication and organizational skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft applications and Google Suite.
• Prior experience in the job placement/career placement/human resources field is also desirable.
• Must have knowledge of the Boston business, non-profit, and education communities.
• Strong project management, organizational, and presentation skills; as well as ability to communicate effectively in person as well as in writing.
• Bilingual preferred (Spanish, Haitian Creole, Cape Verdean Creole, Chinese, and Vietnamese).
• Ability to exercise good judgment and focus on detail as required by the job.

Boston Residency Required.

Terms: 

Union/Salary Plan/Grade: MM2-5

Hours Per Week: 35