Job Coach​/Retention Specialist

Job Coach
Cincinatti Ohio
In
- Person
Anticipated deadline to submit application:
Friday October 16, 2026 at 12:00pm (EST) Position may close early if application limit is met.

The Job Coach is responsible for helping program participants—formerly incarcerated individuals—stay focused and motivated while working on transitional job sites and in their efforts to obtain permanent employment. Job Coaches effectively facilitate program participant progress to interview readiness by providing intensive coaching on interview and employment readiness skills. In addition to core coaching responsibilities, this role may support office-specific operational needs, including the provision of supportive and retention services.

This is an in-person role with the expectation that staff report to a CEO site, as the majority of participant interactions are conducted in person.

As part of our mission, we strongly encourage individuals who have lived experience of incarceration or involvement in the justice system to apply for this role.

The Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) provides employment services to people recently released from incarceration. Across the United States, 8,000-9,000 people participate in CEO each year, transitioning to employment that supports themselves, their families, and their communities.

What began as a demonstration project of the Vera Institute of Justice in the 1970s to address employment barriers facing the formerly incarcerated following release in New York City has grown into the leading reentry employment organization in the country, where over 30,000 formerly incarcerated individuals have secured full-time employment since 1996.

These responsibilities are representative, but not all-inclusive, of the responsibilities of this role:

• Engaging participants in ongoing discussions about their employment goals.
• Using motivational interviewing techniques as appropriate to help guide participants to goal achievement.
• Developing and producing a professional resume for each participant.
• Maintaining weekly contact with participants to track their progress to interview readiness.
• Facilitating group sessions and workshops to build employment readiness skills.

• Maintaining consistent contact with participants to ensure ongoing engagement and support.
• Researching and connecting participants to educational and vocational opportunities that align with their short- and long-term career goals.
• Providing participants with continued life skills education and relevant community resources to promote long-term stability.
• Advocating for participant needs with parole officers and other external constituencies to support successful reintegration.
• Distributing retention incentives to participants in accordance with program guidelines.
• Using motivational interviewing techniques as appropriate to help guide participants toward goal achievement.
• Developing and enhancing relationships with organizations that provide resources meeting participant needs; providing information and support to participants regarding access to these resources; and connecting program participants to supportive services as needed.
• Communicate with resource partners to track progress, overcome obstacles, and ensure participant satisfaction with the services they receive.

• Regularly discuss each participant’s job-start-ready progress with colleagues; problem-solve with colleagues when needed. Collaborate with additional members of CEO’s program team (including job developers and retention specialists) to support job searches and educational activities for participants.
• Organize documents, and prepare binders and files to house relevant legal and…