Career Specialist

Job Description

Career Specialist

University City District (UCD) is a non-profit, special services district that leverages a unique partnership of universities, health systems, large and small businesses, and community groups to invest in public spaces, address public maintenance and public safety issues, bring life to commercial corridors, promote job growth and innovation, and connect residents to career opportunities; by way of the West Philadelphia Skills Initiative (WPSI/Skills Initiative).

The West Philadelphia Skills Initiative (WPSI/Skills Initiative) is a nationally recognized workforce intermediary. We implement custom talent solutions focused on connecting the City’s talent to opportunities within prestigious companies, organizations, and institutions. We are looking to add a Career Specialist to our team to support our graduates as they continue their career journeys.

As a Career Specialist at West Philadelphia Skills Initiative, you will play a pivotal role in supporting our alumni community in their ongoing career journeys. Reporting to the Director of Programs, you will be responsible for fostering connections between alumni and additional career opportunities, ensuring the successful placement of unplaced graduates within 90 days of graduation, and monitoring and reporting on alumni job retention at various intervals. You will also provide essential support to all alumni through resume updates and ongoing professional development opportunities.

Alumni Engagement and Career Connection:

• Proactively engage with alumni to understand their career goals and aspirations.
• Identify and connect alumni with relevant job opportunities, internships, and networking events.
• Facilitate partnerships with local employers to create pathways for alumni employment and advancement.
• Work across teams to manage the WorkWithWPSI program which provides direct job lead referrals to program alumni.

Placement and Retention:
• Work diligently to place unplaced graduates in suitable job roles within 90 days of graduation.
• Manage relationships with employers seeking to hire Skills Initiative graduates.
• Collaborate across functions to develop job opportunities for graduates.
• Monitor alumni job retention at 3, 6, and 12-month intervals and provide necessary support to ensure long-term success in their roles.

Professional Development Support:
• Assist alumni with resume updates, cover letter writing, and interview preparation to enhance their job search skills.
• Organize and facilitate workshops, seminars, and training sessions to support ongoing professional growth and skill development.

Program Support and Facilitation:
• Collaborate with the program team to design and implement effective career development programming.
• Facilitate career development training sessions for active program participants and alumni
• Provide coaching and job connection support to program participants as needed.
• Collaborate with Director of Programs to design an approach for building career action plans during programming
• Support incumbent worker training programs to upskill existing employees and meet the evolving needs of our partner employers.

Job Skills & Qualifications

Required

• Minimum 2 years experience in career counseling, coaching, workforce development, or related field
• Experience working with diverse groups of people, including individuals with barriers connecting to employment
• Strong understanding of career development theories, assessment tools, job search strategies, and employment resources
• Familiarity with labor market trends and community resources for job seekers
• Interest and ability to thrive in a collaborative organization that values creative decision making, accountability, risk-taking, and innovation
• Exceptionally strong communication skills for both internal team and external stakeholder communications
• Self-starter mentality with experience launching a new program, workflow, and/or service line

Preferred
• Experience implementing and managing post-program supports

Technology Competencies:

• Microsoft Office Suite including Teams and Planner
• Salesforce is strongly preferred

Although the above competencies are preferred, training and support on all systems will be provided.

Salary for this role is $70,000.

Interested applicants should send their resume to Erica Jorden, Director of Human Resources, ejorden@universitycity.org using the subject line: Career Specialist

University City District provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.