Position: Job Developer

Reports to: Director of Workforce Programs and Compliance

Status: Exempt

Hours: Full-Time / Minimum of 40 hours per week, occasional weekends and evenings required due to special meetings or events.

Our Mission: To improve the earning potential of the North Lawndale community through innovative employment initiatives that lead to economic advancement and an improved quality of life.

Job Summary: The Job Developer (JD) plays a crucial role in fostering strong employer partnerships to secure meaningful career opportunities for NLEN clients participating in various programs and services offered by the Workforce Development Department. We are seeking a dedicated individual to join our team in a position that focuses on providing support to justice-impacted and reentry individuals. In this role, you will have the opportunity to work closely with individuals who may be facing various challenges such as medical, behavioral health, housing, and other needs, all while assisting them in their journey towards employment.

We are seeking a highly motivated and dedicated individual to join our team as a Job Developer. As a key member of our multi-disciplinary workforce team, you will play a crucial role in addressing the holistic needs of individuals who are seeking employment and supportive services from our organization, NLEN. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to work closely with and report directly to the Director of Workforce Programs. The successful candidate will collaborate effectively with various programmatic teams and key stakeholders at NLEN, fostering cross-functional partnerships to achieve organizational goals.

Relationships: The Job Developer does not have supervisory responsibility for other team members. This position collaborates intensively with all NLEN program staff; and interfaces with the President & CEO, Chief Innovation Officer, Director’s Sweet Beginnings Enterprises, Data Analysis Project Manager, Director of Economic Advancement and Financial Opportunity Center, and Director of READI on matters of data management, service coordination, and external relations.

Job Development

▪ Responsible for fostering positive relationships and ensuring the continued satisfaction of community employers. Additionally, they will be expected to stay informed about the current job market and the specific needs of local businesses.Serving as the face of NLEN to prospective employers

▪ Researching, conducting outreach, and building relationships with prospective employers willing to hire NLEN participants with hiring needs that match the skills, experience, and interests of our overall participant cohort

▪ Maintaining relationships with existing employer partners ▪ responsible for developing an effective campaign that incorporates various communication channels such as email, direct mail, face-to-face meetings, and networking activities on behalf of the organization.

▪ serve as the main point of contact for various community-based employment sites. They will be responsible for fostering positive relationships and ensuring the continued satisfaction of community employers. Additionally, they will be expected to stay informed about the current job market and the specific needs of local businesses.

▪ The individual's accountabilities and work volume will be determined by establishing annual success objectives and contract deliverables within the provided framework: reducing the unemployment rate in North Lawndale by 10% ▪ Responsible for developing and implementing business outreach plans in order to achieve the business goals of expanding the client base and maximizing client impact.

Job Developer

Retention

▪ In partnership with Retention Specialist(s) achieving targeted participant retention outcomes of 30, 90, 180, and 365 days of full-time employment through communication and relationship management

▪ Assists with communicating employer expectations to the participant and monitors their progress continuously. Shares observations and suggestions to the participant’s Retention Specialists in hopes of increasing their skills and retention.

Administrative Support

▪ Documenting all participant and employer contact, activities, and outcomes in our case management system (Salesforce)

▪ Maintain a working knowledge of high-level compliance, contractual obligations, and invoicing pertaining to all government-funded projects ▪ Responsible for managing accounts, including employer client files and database, as required by program contacts. Their primary objective will be to meet targeted placements as defined by contractual goals.Maintain accurate records with all employers including Memorandums of Understanding that detail the employer expectations regarding wage subsidy invoices

▪ Performing other job-related duties and responsibilities assigned from time to time

▪ Documenting appropriate job-related relationships with professional affiliations, community groups, service collaborators, and other partner groups are maintained (these include, but are not limited to, LBRA, the NLCCC Workforce Development Committee, and the North Lawndale Chamber of Commerce)

Professional Qualifications

NLEN requires its staff to:

▪ Solve problems creatively

▪ Manage time efficiently

▪ Attend to details meticulously

▪ Communicate effectively in writing and verbally

▪ Collaborate flexibly with colleagues in a diverse and changing environment

▪ Believe strongly in NLEN’s vision, mission, and core values

Education and Experience Requirements

▪ Bachelor's Degree in Social Work, Human Relations, Public Policy, Business Administration or related field from an accredited institution

▪ 4-5 years of job development, employment placement or related experience

▪ Working knowledge of building collaborative relationships with employers and community leaders

▪ Ability to work in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment with a strong focus on metrics and data driven decision making, preferably in a not for profit organization

▪ A minimum of two years' experience utilizing databases, including Salesforce

▪ You have exceptional project management, prioritization, and planning skills, with demonstrated success

▪ The selected individual should possess a strong understanding of customer and market dynamics. They will be responsible for managing accounts, including employer client files and database, as required by program contacts. Their primary objective will be to meet targeted placements as defined by contractual goals.

▪ The ideal candidate will possess a comprehensive understanding of employment trends, program models, vision, and execution strategies, including but not limited to cold calling and delivering presentations.

▪ Ideally, you have prior experience working with former offenders, homeless or underprivileged families and low income families is preferred; and knowledge of research and current trends in re-entry and workforce development

• Car and valid Illinois driver’s license and insurance required

NLEN Core Values

Neighborhood-focused employment initiatives are fundamental.

Successful programs are neighborhood-focused and community-driven so they meet the specific needs of individuals.

Quality of work matters.

Job Developer

People who work hard should not be poor. A full-time job must meet basic needs and offer conditions for engagement, advancement, and respect.

Economic mobility is essential to reducing poverty.

Family supporting wages and financial literacy are core to addressing economic insecurity, which disproportionally affects African American, Latino, and other families of color. Economic insecurity is not only impacting the poor; it has grown to threaten the middle class. Self-employment and entrepreneurship are critically important economic mobility strategies to generate income and boost household finances.

We must address the racial wealth gap and social inequality.

The United States’ history of racially charged public policy has created the modern racial wealth divide not just through the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow, but through the more recent race-based discrimination in hiring, housing subsidies, tax subsidies, and veteran benefits as well as other implicitly and explicitly racist public policies.

Everyone deserves human dignity and empowerment.

To uphold this belief, we do all of our work in a manner that values human dignity and eliminates shame, humiliation, and stigma by building on the strengths that help our participants and community survive loss and trauma and rebalance the power dynamic between participants and authority figures.

Job Type: Full-time

Schedule:

• 8 hour shift
• Day shift
• Monday to Friday

Work Location: In person