Employment Placement Specialist

About Youth Job Center

Youth Job Center (YJC) is a leading provider of employment-related services for youth in the Chicagoland area, serving more than 20,000 young people during our 40 year history. YJC was founded in Evanston, IL on the belief that young adults are an undeveloped community asset— a valuable, untapped source of energy, talent, and productivity in the workplace.

YJC is a workforce development and job placement agency that prepares young people, ages 14-25, for success in the workplace and in life. We do this by providing our clients with employment opportunities, workforce readiness training, personalized career coaching, and barrier reduction services.

Position Overview 

The Employment Placement Specialist works closely with YJC’s Director of Employment and Training and the Employer Relations Manager, to place clients in jobs/positions that align with their current skills and experience. This role works with clients and team members across YJC’s High School, CORE Placement and Career Pathways programs to recruit and support participants in securing employment. The Employment Placement Specialist is responsible for entering data regularly to track progress on client placements, client services delivered, and other key metrics/outcomes. This role works directly with both clients and employer partners, helping provide connections and support to get clients placed quickly in a suitable role.

*This position is hybrid but requires an in-office presence for meetings, client assistance, and special events. This will be discussed and finalized with the supervisor based on time, location, and availability. 

Salary: $55,000 annually

Benefits: Health, dental, vision, life, LTD, 401K plus match, holidays, paid time off, paid winter break

Primary Responsibilities

Employment Placement

• Facilitate the successful job placement of YJC Clients, helping them secure positions that align with their skills, experiences, and/or career aspirations.
• Provide goal setting and work-readiness training in alignment with program and/or grant needs.
• Recruit participants for YJC employment programs through partnerships with schools, agencies and other partners.
• Assess clients’ employment readiness and provide feedback to help them improve their chances of securing a job. This may include evaluating their skills, experience, and job search strategies.
• Assist youth jobseekers with application and interview processes for open positions and follow up with both youth jobseekers and employers on a timely basis.
• Provide personalized placement and retention support for employment goals of clients.
• With YJC Employer Relations staff, work with employer partners on placement and retention.
• Maintain positive relationships and work with external partners based upon program needs.
• Collaborate with all program teams for program alignment and successful outcomes for clients.

Data and Administration

• Ensure continuous management of data in YJC’s Salesforce based Client Management System, entering data related to client services, goals, and outcomes on a bi-weekly basis.
• Review and verify the accuracy, consistency, and completeness of data in client management systems.
• Attend bi-weekly individual data/dashboard review sessions with the Director of Data Management.
• Record, track, and document all physical and electronic files according to YJC requirements.
• Manage the participant/employer relationship and complete applicable assessments or forms.
• Assist with monthly and quarterly reports to ensure program outcomes are aligned with annual goals.

Climate and Culture

• Reinforce a positive culture of teamwork, continuous learning, accountability, solution orientation
• Serve as ambassador, participating in community and organization events
• Support a high-performing culture, committed to delivering short and long-term results prioritizing continuous learning, goal orientation, accountability, and data-driven decision-making
• Ensure consistent administration of program policies and procedures
• Foster a positive working environment for all employees
• Participate in Board Meetings and special events as needed
• Other duties as assigned

Education/Work Experience 

• B.S./B.A. degree preferred or equivalent experience.
• Experience with job development, direct job placement, and retention support.
• Experience working with youth and young adults.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, advanced level Excel, and other project management programs.

Core Competencies & Job-Related Skills

• Outstanding relationship building and interpersonal skills. 
• Strong analytical, problem solving, and project management skills. 
• Strong communication, both written and oral.
• Workforce development and/or youth development expertise.
• Self-starter, able to move projects forward and determine areas needed for support.
• Ability to multitask and prioritize, define and troubleshoot problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
• Ability to build collaborative organizational culture.

Work Environment

This position is hybrid but requires an in-office presence for meetings, client assistance, and special events. The specifics will be discussed and finalized with the supervisor based on time, location, and availability. The role also routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets, and fax machines.

Physical Demands

While this is primarily a hybrid role, some physical action may be required during office visits, including moving between spaces, minimal lifting, transporting items, bending, and standing as necessary.