Career Pathways and Student Transitions Manager

ORGANIZATION SUMMARY

World Relief is a global Christian humanitarian organization whose mission is to boldly engage the world’s greatest crises in partnership with the church. The organization was founded in the aftermath of World War II to respond to the urgent humanitarian needs of war‑torn Europe. For 80 years, across 100 countries, World Relief has partnered with local churches and communities to build a world where families thrive and communities flourish.

Today, organizational programming focuses on humanitarian and disaster response, community strengthening and resilience, and refugee & immigrant services and advocacy.

The Workforce Development Team’s Career Pathways and Student Transitions Manager (CPSTM) provides integrated leadership for World Relief Chicagoland’s career pathways and workforce development programming, including Career Pathways Specialists (CPS) and Student Success Coaches, ensuring cohesive delivery of career planning, academic transitions, training preparation, and employment support for adult immigrants and refugees. The CPSTM further supports cross‑department integration between the Career Pathways team, Adult Education, and the Employment Services team to ensure learners and jobseekers move along coherent, accessible pathways from English acquisition and foundational employment toward long‑term economic mobility through integrated workforce development pathways and services.

This role safeguards team culture, maintains program continuity, and ensures integrated programming with Employment Services, Adult Education, and Children and Youth through shared systems, aligned goals, and consistent implementation.

Team Leadership and Supervision

• Supervise staff and manage daily work activities, track and approve timesheets and time‑off, monitor performance and conduct goals and progress check‑ins, document performance concerns, and enter staff promotions, transitions, and separations in HRIS.
• Coach and support all CPS and provide dotted‑line supervision to Student Success Coaches.
• Maintain cohesive culture across Workforce Development and Adult Education, ensuring smooth communication.
• Lead team meetings, case reviews, and cross‑functional planning sessions.
• Support staff development in workforce development practices and academic transition advising.
• Coordinate dotted‑line supervision of Student Success Coaches aligned with AE instructional goals.

Program Coordination & Service Delivery

• Integrate recruitment and referrals with the Employment Services team.
• Collaborate with Adult Education instructors to align curriculum, bridge programming, and ICAPS pathways with employer‑informed skills requirements.
• Coordinate with Children & Youth to provide early career exploration and part‑time job readiness for older youth.
• Ensure Career Pathways Specialists maintain aligned practices for job upgrades, credential pathways, wage/benefits tracking, and advancement milestones.

Cross‑Department Functional Alignment

• Support shared recruitment pipelines and current practices across AE classes, Employment 6/12‑month follow‑up, and C&Y after‑school programs.
• Translate AE priorities into career pathways/WD practices through team participation.
• Translate Workforce Development priorities into academic transitions through CPS support of AE initiatives.
• Maintain alignment with the Director of Community Enterprise & Workforce Innovation to ensure consistent strategy and program vision.
• Participate in cross‑department client tracking to support Employment, Case Management, and grant performance benchmarks.

Stakeholder & Partner Coordination

• Maintain relationships with community colleges, training providers, and employer partners for placement, advising, and job retention.
• Represent WRC in external meetings, work groups, and partnership activities.
• Align employer advisory groups with CP program design to reflect labor market needs and support job upgrades.
• Coordinate youth‑relevant partnerships with the C&Y team for high schools and youth workforce programs.

Compliance, Data, and Performance Management

• Ensure documentation meets standards of AE, WD, and grant‑funded programs.
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