Student Success & Engagement Specialist

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Why SKILLED US - Skilled US

About Skilled US

Skilled US is a nonprofit workforce development organization preparing Opportunity Youth and adults for family-sustaining careers through tuition-free education and training in high-demand industries. We combine academic instruction, career exposure, and strong wraparound support to help learners move from instability to long-term employment and economic mobility. We operate with urgency, high expectations, and deep belief in our students. Our team is mission-driven, entrepreneurial, and committed to measurable outcomes.

Job Summary

The Student Success & Engagement Specialist is the primary relationship, case-management, and support anchor for Skilled US participants, guiding each individual from intake through training, completion, and the post-program follow-up period. The role serves participants across the full Skilled US pathway: current high school students, exiting and recent high school graduates, adult learners pursuing a high school equivalency (HSE/GED), and young adults in workforce and YouthBuild programs, many of whom face significant barriers to education and employment.

Through trauma-informed mentorship, social-emotional support, individualized goal-setting, and active barrier removal, the Specialist builds a culture where every participant feels valued, stays engaged, earns their credential, and transitions successfully into a durable, family-sustaining career. The Specialist works in close coordination with educators, career and job developers, work-site instructors, families, and community partners, and maintains the case-management infrastructure, Individual Development Plans (IDPs), case notes, and supportive-services tracking that drives Skilled US's high retention and completion outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

Case Management & Individual Development Plans

• Conduct intake interviews and ongoing assessments to identify each participant's strengths, goals, and barriers to completion
• Develop, maintain, and monitor Individual Development Plans (IDPs) that advance each participant's educational, credential, employment, and personal goals — updating them as strengths and needs evolve over time
• Carry a mentoring caseload, providing each assigned participant ongoing, individualized support toward their IDP and life goals
• Create and maintain accurate, confidential case files and case notes that are signed and dated, and monitor IDP outcomes through completion and the follow-up period
• Participate in a regular case-conferencing system with educators, job developers, and instructors to review each participant's progress and plan for their success, while respecting participant privacy
  
  

Participant Engagement & Retention

• Build trusting relationships that foster a sense of belonging and keep participants actively engaged through completion
• Provide one-on-one and group support to participants struggling with motivation, attendance, or engagement, intervening early when warning signs appear
• Schedule and facilitate regular one-on-one sessions and recurring peer-group sessions that meet at consistent intervals
• Help participants build resilience, self-advocacy, communication, and decision-making skills, and implement restorative practices to support behavior and conflict resolution
  
  

Social-Emotional Support & Well-Being

• Deliver trauma-informed support and motivational-interviewing techniques in one-on-one and group settings, with time and private space set aside for individual conversation
• Identify participants needing additional social-emotional or mental health support and connect them to a licensed professional — on staff or through a partner — and to appropriate community resources
• Embed life-skills and professional-skills sessions into the program's regular schedule
• Promote a positive program culture grounded in inclusion, respect, and participant voice, in partnership with the program director
  
  

Barrier Removal & Supportive Services

• Assess participant needs and deliver allowable supportive services — transportation, PPE and uniforms, tools, testing and licensing fees, childcare, food, housing navigation, and emergency assistance — targeting grant funds on the barriers that most affect completion and placement
• Build and maintain a network of local partners and providers (mental health, substance-use counseling, legal aid, housing, childcare, food assistance) and a clear protocol for when and how to refer
• Connect participants to supportive services quickly in times of crisis to keep them on track toward their goals
  
  

Academic, Credential & Career Readiness

• Help participants identify strengths and interests and explore credential, apprenticeship, and post-secondary pathways
• Support HSE/GED and adult-education participants with study skills, time management, and goal-setting toward their diploma or equivalency and their next credential
• Connect participants to work-based learning, internships, employer connections, and leadership opportunities that deepen engagement and skill development
• Support participants transitioning into the program, between phases, or back after an extended absence or intervention
  
  

Follow-Up & Long-Term Success

• Check in regularly with participants during the follow-up period and use supportive services to encourage a successful transition into the workforce
• Track employment, retention, and wage-progression outcomes, and sustain engagement through an alumni network
• Encourage graduates to return as mentors and peer leaders, strengthening program culture and the pipeline of caring adults
  
  

Family & Community Partnerships

• Serve as a liaison among participants, families, and staff to ensure clear, coordinated communication and support
• Organize workshops, events, and programs that encourage family involvement in participant success
• Build relationships with community organizations and employers that expand resources and opportunities for participants
  
  

Data, Reporting & Compliance

• Maintain participant-level records of engagement, interventions, supportive-services spend, and outcomes in Salesforce and GPMS (Grantee Performance Management System) program reporting systems
• Use data-driven approaches to assess program effectiveness, flag at-risk participants early, and recommend improvements
• Keep case files and notes secure and confidential (locked or password-protected) and ensure documentation meets grant and program compliance requirements, including YouthBuild and other funder standards
• Stay current on best practices in case management, engagement, SEL, trauma-informed care, and youth and adult workforce development; use coaches and federal/program officers for compliance guidance
  
  

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree (or related expereince) in social work, counseling, education, psychology, human services, or a related field (LSW/LCSW — preferred)
• Experience in case management, social work, youth or young-adult development, adult education, or workforce program settings, ideally serving participants who face significant barriers
• Familiarity with Individual Development Plans, trauma-informed care, motivational interviewing, restorative practices, and SEL frameworks
• Knowledge of supportive-services and community-resource navigation (mental health, housing, childcare, legal aid, substance use, food assistance)
• Strong relationship-building, communication, organization, and documentation skills; comfort with data systems (e.g., Salesforce) and confidential recordkeeping
• Ability to collaborate across educators, job developers, instructors, families, and community and employer partners
• Passion for creating an inclusive, supportive learning environment and a genuine commitment to participant success and economic mobility
  
  

Work Environment

• Training-center and program-based setting with direct, in-person interaction with participants, families, and staff (100% in person)
• May require flexible hours for evening or weekend sessions, family meetings, and special events. Some local travel to engage community organizations, employers, and resources, and to support participants during the follow-up period
  
  

Compensation And Benefits

• A base salary that is competitively aligned with the market
• Incentive and bonus opportunities
  
  

PLA is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristics as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.

Please read carefully.

Phalen Leadership Academies (PLA) is an equal opportunity employer. PLA does not discriminate in employment on account of race, color, religion, national origin, citizenship status, ancestry, age, sex (including sexual harassment), sexual orientation, marital status, physical or mental disability, military status or unfavorable discharge from military service.

By completing this application you understand that neither the completion of this application nor any other part of my consideration for employment establishes any obligation for PLA to hire me. If hired, I understand that either PLA or I can terminate my employment at any time and for any reason, with or without cause and without prior notice. I understand that no representative of PLA has the authority to make any assurance to the contrary.

You attest by applying to this position that you have given PLA true and complete information on this application. No requested information has been concealed. I authorize PLA to contact references provided for employment reference checks. If any information I have provided is untrue, or if I have concealed material information, I understand that this will constitute cause for the denial of employment or immediate dismissal.

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