Vocational Educational Specialist

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We have three comprehensive healthcare plans to choose from based on your priorities and budget. Housing Works covers most of the plan; you pay aportion, based on your salary. Staffbeginsaccruing PTO immediately for a total of up to30 days earned in the first year. We offer employees an educational benefit. This money is available for tuition loan reimbursement, tuition costs, andtext books.

The Vocational/Educational Specialist (VES) supports young adults in the STARS Supportive Housing Program as they pursue educational and employment goals. Under the general direction of the Program Coordinator, the VES provides individualized coaching, vocational guidance, and coordination of services to help clients transition into work or training program

Primary:

• Provide one-on‑one vocational and educational coaching to young adults in the STARS program; assisting them to identify career goals and explore training opportunities and enrolling them in vocational programs.
• Support clients in job readiness activities including resume development, interview preparation, and workplace skills.

Secondary:

• Provide client services including appointment scheduling, transportation coordination, and accompaniment to key appointments.
• Facilitate at least four educational workshops annually based on client needs; workshops may be delivered by internal staff or external providers.
• Develop an individual employment plan with the client with input from the care team, other treatment providers, and key others.
• Incorporates information about the person’s culture that is related to work and school.
• Updates the employment plan as prescribed by funder and grant requirements when there is a change in employment or education status.
• Conducts 10 employer contacts per month to learn about businesses and employer needs, to talk about specific clients who are looking for work and/or to talk about employer services offered.

• Bachelor's degree in counseling, Psychology, Social Work or a directly related field.
• Master's degree preferred.
• A minimum of three years of relevant experience in a social services setting working with Vocational Services with individuals experiencing homelessness, mental health issues, and/or substance use is required.
• Strong community connections with educational programs and employment contacts.
• Ability to prioritize and multi-task.
• Experience with and proven commitment to working with low-income and marginalized communities, as well as individuals with multiple chronic medical and/or behavioral health conditions.

Job candidates should be aware that scammers may pose as employers and create fake job postings in order to extract personal information from individuals for financial gain. Housing Works will never ask job candidates for personal information, such as social security numbers or bank account details, over the phone. If you suspect that a job posting may be fake or wish to confirm that a job posting from Housing Works is genuine, please contact us at at recruitment.

Housing Works provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Housing Works complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. Housing Works also does not request prior salary information during the hiring process.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

This position is included in a bargaining unit of Housing Works’ New York City employees represented by a labor union known as the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union (“RWDSU”). Accordingly, the RWDSU has the exclusive right to bargain over the terms and conditions of employment related to this position and this position may become covered by the terms of a collective bargaining agreement (a “CBA”) between Housing Works and the RWDSU.