Job Summary: The Employment Specialist helps residents and community members find employment and connect to living wage careers. The Specialist addresses barriers to employment by seeking to improve participants' skills, increasing access to jobs with increasing earnings potential and ensuring people remain in jobs once employed. The Employment Specialist identifies opportunities and matches qualified participants with jobs. The Specialist cultivates and maintains relationships with employers and provides on-going retention services to both the employer and the participant.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Provides job placement and retention services:
• Builds trust with participants and develops an understanding of each individual's career interests and history of education and employment
• Supports participants to secure and retain jobs
• Assists job seekers with resume writing, interviewing skills, job searches, job coaching, presentation (interview attire, phone, and email etiquette) and job retention practices
• Maintains contact with employers and clients following placement to ensure job stability, verifies job placement and retention, and gathers feedback from employers and clients
• Identifies and develops post-employment supports that meet both the employers' and participants' need.
• Develops jobs:
• Develops specific job opportunities that are a match for an individual's skills and interests.
• Develops internships and other career and skill building opportunities, and advocates on behalf of participants 
• Maintains relationships with existing employers and establishes relationships with new employers. Conducts prospecting/cold calls and face-to-face meetings with employers. 
• Conducts reviews of existing PH accounts on a regular basis to evaluate employer demand and usage of PH services and determines how best to improve and/or leverage relationship to meet placement objectives Strong administrative, managerial and leadership skills
• Supervises one or two apprenticeship cohorts per year.  This includes facilitating a weekly workshop that supports each cohort of apprentices over the first six month of their employment, in addition to usual job placement responsibilities above. 
• Achieves weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual placement goals as prescribed and in accordance with PH contractual obligations. 
• Accurately documents all participant and employer contact, activities, and outcomes into theelectronic case management system (ETO).

Education and Experience Minimum Requirements:

Minimum Experience 

• Bachelor's Degree and at least two years of experience working with barriers to employment that are experienced by people who are recovering from homelessness, addiction, mental health issues or incarceration.
• Sales or marketing experience strongly preferred. Strong verbal and written communication skills, experience prospecting, building a pipeline, moving opportunities through a sales or similar cycle.
• Experience proposing, presenting, and discussing a product with decision-makers. 
• Proven success with program development and implementation.  
• Proven ability to effectively manage client relationships. Ability to report to management clearly and in a timely manner on sales or similar activities.

Preferred Experience: 

Knowledge of supported employment model. 

Strong network of business leaders in Philadelphia. 

Strong Microsoft Office computer skills.

Experience with Efforts to Outcomes evidence-based tracking software.

Experience and/or interest in recovery, mental health, poverty, and social justice.

Core Skills:

Ability to effectively network with others and influence them to change position, addressing stereotypes and misconceptions of people who have experienced homelessness or may be at risk of homelessness.

Ability to anticipate problems and develop contingency plans to deal with them as well as evaluate and implement alternative courses of action.

Ability to continue a course of action and achieve goals in the face of adversity. 

Ability to bring and sustain considerable stamina and vigor to all aspects of the work.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

Moving about to accomplish tasks or moving from one worksite to another.

Project HOME provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment, without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. Project HOME prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type.