Job Title: Employer Engagement Manager

Compensation: $28.91 per hour, non-exempt

Full Time: 100% FTE, 40 hours per week

Benefits: Medical, vision, and dental health insurance, paid time off, flex days, life insurance and retirement plan

Organization Size: 50 employees

Reports to: Career Services Director

Location(s): Watsonville or Salinas

JOB OVERVIEW:

Digital NEST is a workforce development center that has welcomed hundreds of youth from working-class, farmworker communities to develop the technical and professional skills they need to achieve their dreams. The NEST is proud to be a great place to get your career started and/or to expand your career to the next level. It is an exciting time for the NEST as we are on the precipice of expanding to a total of five communities across Northern California by the end of 2023. Digital NEST has centers in the heart of Watsonville, Salinas, Gilroy, Modesto, and soon to launch in Stockton. 

A critical part of achieving our mission is our ability to secure and grow employer opportunities, which drive our work and enable our youth to transition to high potential careers. We seek to cultivate relationships with major employers who have recurring hiring needs for internships and skilled entry level positions. We are looking for a talented individual to drive these critical partnerships that will enable us to scale our impact, and provide opportunity to tens of thousands of California youth in the coming years.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Employer Engagement (70%)

• Develop and implement the employer engagement strategy with short-term and long-term goals to build a strong pipeline of entry-level, career track employment opportunities for all bizzNEST interns (as well as internship and apprenticeship opportunities) 
• Strategically identify and build strong relationships with new prospective employers (primarily small and mid-sized local and regional businesses, and secondarily, major companies) by connecting with talent leaders, recruiters, employer specialists, etc. while also maintaining strong relationships with existing partners 
• Establish effective communication and collaboration with Career Services team to support bizzNEST interns through the hiring process for successful entry to full-time employment. 
• Create and implement an individualized strategy for maintaining and strengthening partnerships once secured
• Conduct research, stay abreast of workforce development and industry trends and needs, and analyze and provide data to inform the development of industry engagement strategy for specialized employer programs 
• Identify employment and internship opportunities for members, and maintain and deploy the monthly NEST Digest newsletter to share opportunities
• Evaluate the employer engagement plan and employer/member experiences through qualitative and quantitative methods, in collaboration with Evaluation Director
• Work most closely with bizzNEST in addition to Career Pathways teams to ensure successful placement of the bizzNEST interns and high school students interested in pursuing employment right out of high school, pursuing college, or bizzNEST. 
• Maintain connected to and familiar with government and professional organizations and associations related to workforce development and related conferences and initiatives. (e.g. California Workforce Development Board).
• Submit monthly status updates that show progress toward meeting quarterly deliverables and yearly goals
• Speak with passion, confidence, and purpose about Digital NEST’s programmatic offerings, mission and values; project and embody our core values when representing NEST
• Travel to areas within assigned regions as necessary for community partner cultivation and management
• Work closely with the Career Services Manager to fully understand the needs of the bizzNEST interns
• Represent Digital NEST at events, meetings and conferences to build relationships and increase brand recognition with potential employer partners
• Perform other duties and tasks that are assigned by supervisor 

Programs (30%)

• Manage the professional mentor program, in collaboration with the Career Services Director, bizzNEST Director, and Career Services Manager 
• Maintain comprehensive database of current and potential mentors
• Develop and implement strategy to scale professional mentor program to more Digital NEST members across all sites
• Collaborate with Career Services Manager as needed to enhance alumni services

QUALIFICATIONS:

• 3-5 years of professional experience in a nonprofit and/or corporate setting, with a focus on employer engagement and external partnerships management
• 2-3 years experience working in external partnerships or communication
• Experience with Program Design and Management
• Comfort and skilled in strategically networking, speaking, and meeting new people in activist and nonprofit circles as well as corporate and business settings
• An independent self-starter with strong organizational, communication, presentation and customer service skills, and attention to detail
• Ability to interact with and relate well to others, and embodies a collaborative spirit
• Must be flexible; have a positive, can-do attitude; and have a strong desire to work in an industry that focuses on helping others
• Advanced proficiency with Google Workplace collaboration tools
• Basic proficiency with Powerpoint, Excel, WordPress, and graphic design
• Basic proficiency with a task management system, like Asana, preferred
• Experience with a CRM databases is strongly preferred, but not required
• Experience in corporate recruiting and/or corporate partnerships with nonprofit organizations preferred, but not required

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

• Passion for the mission of Digital NEST and belief in upholding organization’s core values.
• Understanding of and sensitivity to issues of culture/ethnicity/race, gender, sexual identity, class/SES and immigration status. 
• Ability to be an ally to people of color, women and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, queer, questioning and intersex individuals and their allies (LGBTQIA). 
• Candidates must have a valid CA driver's license, pass a background check, and be able to travel and work evenings or weekends occasionally, or as needed.
• This is NOT a remote position. Candidate will need to be in one of our locations. No relocation package offered.

We understand that no candidate is perfectly qualified for any job. Experience comes in different forms; many skills are transferable, and passion goes a long way. Even more important than your resume is a clear demonstration of dedication, impact, and the ability to thrive in a fluid and collaborative environment. We want you to learn new things in this role and encourage you to apply if your experience is close to what we’re looking for. We also know that diversity of background and thought makes for better problem-solving and more creative thinking, so we're dedicated to adding new perspectives to the team. We look forward to hearing from you.

Digital NEST, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Digital NEST is also committed to an inclusive experience for all applicants and will endeavor to make a reasonable accommodations in the interview process, to the known physical or mental limitations of qualified employees with disabilities unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of our business.

Please refer to our career page for more information on how to apply for reasonable accommodations.

No recruiters please.