Education Specialist - Women's Justice Program

Employment & Education Specialist - Women's Justice Program

Under the direction of the WJP Employment & Education (EE) Program Supervisor, the WJP EE Specialist is responsible for advancing education and employment opportunities for program clients. This role includes coordinating and delivering client training and support on a broad range of educational, employment, and career-oriented services, data management, and integration into the treatment team. The position also requires networking, marketing skills, and the ability to build relationships with potential employers and education partners.

• Engage with clients to build trusting, collaborative relationships and provide individualized support, developing vocational plans in collaboration with the treatment team, family members, and authorized partners.
• Conduct education and career assessments, proficiency testing, and interest inventories with justice‑involved clients and program graduates to identify strengths, needs, abilities, and preferences.
• Implement trauma‑informed care practices and individualized plans.
• Assess and respond to emergent signs of risk and suicidality.
• Link clients to intra‑agency and community resources to promote wellness and recovery, collaborating with the treatment team to integrate services.
• Provide one‑on‑one and group support in job development, resume skills, conflict resolution, customer service, communication, and essential soft skills for job readiness and retention.
• Connect clients to job fairs and career trade shows to expand employment opportunities.
• Support clients by linking them with the most appropriate employment settings and maintaining regular communication with participants and business partners.
• Offer individual and group career guidance, coaching, and case management focused on preparing clients for employment leading to long‑term self‑sufficiency.
• Provide follow‑along support to increase retention, client success, and employer satisfaction.
• Maintain employment and education data for clients, including pay stubs, schedules, resumes, employment history, banking information, and attendance records for current participants, program graduates, and WJT clients.
• Advocate for criminal‑justice‑involved clients participating in court‑ordered or voluntary treatment.
• Utilize health information technology and electronic interventions, including mobile and web‑based technologies.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the client population and proven practices related to the treatment of alcohol and other substance use disorders, co‑occurring conditions, and mental health interventions.

• Coordinate supported educational opportunities, including GED courses, post‑secondary schooling, and specialized skill/trade courses.
• Provide skill‑based education on topics such as interviewing, attendance, performance, and budgeting, and link clients to counseling on financial and employment benefits.
• Implement best‑practice curricula and emerging knowledge to improve educational and employment outcomes.
• Assist clients in determining objectives necessary to reach their recovery goals.
• Apply best practices for individual and group education sessions.
• Work to increase client engagement through structure, incentives, service individualization, and robust support networks.
• Develop community partnerships and assist with education and career placement and retention.
• Facilitate partnership support between educators or employers and clients to ensure needs are met and outcomes improved.
• Perform programmatic and administrative customer‑centered tasks, including outreach to current and prospective partners.
• Advocate for participants in the community.
• Expand partnerships through other service providers and volunteers to strengthen employment interventions and support.
• Promote wellness, self‑care, and self‑advocacy; teach clients positive self‑talk and problem‑solving techniques.

• Conduct employment search activities and build ongoing collaborative relationships with area employers, directing these relationships toward individualized vocational plans to assist with job placement and retention.
• Provide Human Resource support between employer and employee to ensure needs are met and serve as a liaison among individuals, employers, and community agencies.
• Perform programmatic and administrative customer‑centered outreach tasks.
• Advocate for participants within the business community.
• Collaborate with the supervisor to establish contact with community partners and external referral sources for program presentations, following up over time to identify new referrals.
• Expand partnerships through other service providers and volunteers to strengthen employment interventions and support.
• Attend supervision meetings.