Financial Fitness Counselor

Job Description

NYC Financial Empowerment Center – Workforce One

Job Title: Financial Fitness Counselor

Location: Jamaica, Queens

Job Type: In- Person (not remote)

About Urban Upbound

Founded in 2004, the mission of Urban Upbound is to break cycles of poverty in New York City public housing and other low-income neighborhoods. We provide underserved youth and adults with the tools and resources needed to achieve economic prosperity and self-sufficiency through seven comprehensive, integrated programs: Employment Services, Financial Counseling, College Access and Youth Development, Tax Preparation and Income Support Services, Community Revitalization through Business Innovation, Mental Health and Wellness, and Financial Inclusion services anchored by the Urban Upbound Federal Credit Union. Our services are reared in the Jobs-Plus model, a proven place-based employment program designed to increase the earnings and employment of working-age public housing residents. This three-pronged approach includes employment-related services; financial incentives that make work pay; and community support for work, the strengthening of social ties among residents and community stakeholders to support residents' job preparation and work efforts.

Urban Upbound seeks a dedicated professional to fill the Financial Counselor position. The right individual will join an already robust Financial Fitness team to work at our NYC Department of Consumer Affairs, Office of Financial Empowerment, and Financial Empowerment Center located at the Jamaica Queens Workforce One Office. The Financial Counselor provides a range of financial services that are tailored to the needs of individual participants; from changing participants' attitudes towards their financial futures and goal setting, to credit repair and debt management, to long-term asset building of homeownership, higher education, retirement planning while officiating a supervisory role. The ideal candidate would have individualized financial literacy counseling experience with clients from diverse economic, cultural, and social backgrounds including low to moderate income residents. This person will also have prior individual and group counseling experience and the ability to attend and pass mandatory personal finance training courses. He or she will work independently and as part of the broader financial program team to coordinate financial services for Workforce One clients and promote opportunities to the local community.

The Financial counselor is flexible, open, and caring to the greater population. You will be on the front lines of poverty alleviation, working with an innovative city organization that constantly changes and evolves its tactics toward tackling poverty in NYC.

Responsibilities:

• Financial counseling of New Yorkers with various income levels, helping them achieve financial stability and mobility; measuring impact with specific weekly, quarterly, and yearly goals.
• Assist clients with complex personal finance issues, including legal aspects, such as wage garnishments, judgments, bankruptcies, etc.
• Assists clients in understanding their financial capability including, credit report analysis, budget, savings, and action plan preparation.
• Conduct client intakes and individual counseling/education.
• Conduct/coordinate group education and informational seminars utilizing PowerPoint presentations.
• Respond to client inquiries, monitor the progress of participants, and assist participants in understanding affordability and non-delinquency issues. Provide early intervention as needed.

• Maintain confidentiality of client information and provide administrative support by maintaining client records, inputting data in multiple databases, arranging for client appointments, generating status reports, and notifying clients of meeting dates.
• Project management
• Be a flexible team player, and assist as needed to ensure efficiency and quality program delivery.
• In collaboration with the director and manager, lead outreach and general marketing to the community regarding OFE Financial Fitness and other Urban Upbound programs and services.
• Flexible work hours, including some evenings and weekends will be required of this position.
• Duties will be required to be performed at various locations as determined by the organization.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree preferred
• Bilingual: English fluency with Mandarin, Cantonese, Bengali, and or Spanish intermediary or advanced proficiency (ability to counsel, present, and write in second languages)
• Prior work experience with low income communities
• Prior workshop and presentation experience
• Financial Fitness Counseling experience; preferred (You must be committed to taking a CUNY Personal Finance course, as mandated by NYC’s Office of Financial Empowerment)
• Must be based in the NYC Metropolitan area

Preferred Qualities:

• Commitment to helping social empowerment and economic development
• Genuine passion for service and working with the LMI community
• Client focus and adaptability to different personality types
• Genuine passion for money is essential, although advanced knowledge on topics may be learned on the job
• Independent self-starter with strong teamwork abilities, as you will be given a lot of autonomy in managing your clientele
• Flexibility in working towards the larger mission of Urban Upbound, as this may involve a lot of experimentation in approaches to working with clients and referrals to other programs
• Creativity in your approaches to working with people. Ideas are welcome here, including on improving client service delivery through technology, integration, and communication methods

Benefits:

• Training provided in various topics, including technical content skills, operational management, and analytical skills
• Provide you with challenges to develop your personal and career development skills
• We provide medical, vision, dental insurance, a commuter pass program, and generous vacation and sick days

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $50,000.00 - $55,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Ability to Relocate:

• Jamaica, NY 11430: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $50,000 - $55,000