Job Description

Posting number: 202600345

Department: Economic and Workforce Development

Job classification: Employment Specialist

Posting type: Open

Categories: Career Exploration

Summary

The CareerRise Team at Larimer County Economic & Workforce Development (LCEWD) is hiring a Youth Career Specialist to join their skilled, collaborative, and service-oriented team. If you have a strong passion for supporting youth and young adults facing challenges to employment or education, we want to meet you!

This individual will be working within the CareerRise Team and will primarily provide direct, intensive case management services to a caseload of WIOA inCompass Program youth and young adults ages 16–24 who face significant challenges to employment and/or education. In particular, this position will primarily be supporting participants residing in Southern Larimer County (Loveland, Berthoud, etc.) and will be expected to meet in person in shared community spaces within these communities in addition to our Fort Collins office.

The case management activities for this position include determining and documenting program eligibility, providing one-on-one employment/career-related counseling, working with program participants to remove employment barriers and build support through community-based referrals, planning, and education. Direct, individualized counseling utilizing Motivational Interviewing and related techniques will be a regular part of supporting these young people.

The ability to provide services both in person and through virtual platforms while building meaningful relationships with youth and young adults is essential to success in this role.

In addition to the case management of WIOA Youth, the CareerRise team shares the commitment of serving all youth, ages 14–24, who may have general inquiries and requests for assistance with employment seeking and other related topics. This team commitment includes participation in rotating team phone and email responsibilities, school presentations, group workshop facilitation, and other various outreach activities or events.

LCEWD carefully recruits staff to build on our existing culture of collaboration, respect, inclusiveness, and innovation. We value all types of diversity, and we value the journey and recognize skills can be demonstrated through a variety of professional and personal experiences. We believe in having purpose and balance in life and support employee flexibility. Our department is passionate about serving people, businesses, and our community. Join our team, apply today!

To be considered for this position, please attach a cover letter and resume to your application.

Examples of duties

What you'll be doing:

• Provide one on one case management services to an assigned caseload of youth & young adults enrolled in the WIOA inCompass program that face challenges to employment/education.
• Perform digital file maintenance by maintaining accurate case documentation, service records, and data entry in compliance with LCEWD, CDLE, WIOA, and confidentiality standards
• Connect youth participants to High School Diploma/Equivalency/GED opportunities, internships, and/or assist them in bridging to post-secondary education.
• Work in partnership with youth participants on career exploration activities and in counseling to identify pathways of interest including potential training paths.
• Provide employment support and guidance on job search strategies including resume development, interviewing skills, and identifying internship or employment opportunities.
• Work in partnership with other youth & young adult community services providers to ensure continuity of care, facilitating community referrals as appropriate.
• Support CareerRise events and initiatives, including the Spring Employment Event (Teen Job Fair), Jump Start Your Job Search Series, Young Entrepreneur Tournament, seasonal internship programs, and other youth-focused programming.

To view the full job description, visit - https://www.larimer.gov/hr/careers/job-descriptions#/app/detail/Employment_Specialist.

What we're looking for

• Have direct experience working with youth and young adults in a case management, counseling or mentoring capacity.
• Have the ability to work with a wide range of individuals with varying socio-economic backgrounds, skills, education, and interests..
• Have exceptional organizational skills, strong attention to detail, ability to prioritize, and accurately meet deadlines while adhering to policy and procedure..
• Comfort in working both independently and as a part of a team, ability to work with a cross-functional team within a department..
• Understand and stay current on the fundamentals and trends of employment counseling i.e. resume, interviewing, and networking.
• Be empathetic and have conflict management skills.
• Have the ability to be flexible and adapt to changes.
• Have digital literacy i.e. Google, Zoom, Excel, Jot, Adobe, etc.
• Demonstrated knowledge of professional boundaries, with the ability to maintain them and make appropriate referrals for additional support.
• Communication/Coordination with both internal and external partners.

Qualifications

All candidates will be screened for the following required minimum qualifications. Any candidate who does not meet all of the qualifications listed as required will be eliminated from the process.

• Two (2) years of experience in a related field or in the performance of similar duties and responsibilities is required.
• High School Diploma or GED, required.
• Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work, Human Services or related field or the equivalent of direct case management experience, preferred.

Benefits

Here’s what Larimer County offers for all Regular, Limited Term, and Appointed positions:

• Medical, Dental, and Vision benefits
• FSA or HSA (depending on the medical plan)
• Short- and Long-Term Disability
• Employee Assistance Program
• Basic Life/AD&D Insurance
• Accident and Critical Illness Insurance
• Retirement Plan 401(a) with employer match
• 457(b) Deferred Compensation
• Generous paid time off, including vacation, sick leave, and holidays

Want to dive into the details? Check out Larimer County's Benefits. https://www.larimer.gov/hr/benefits.

Supplemental information

Schedule

The typical schedule for this position is Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Our main EWD office is located in the Larimer County Administrative Services building at 200 West Oak Street, Fort Collins CO 80521. However, this position will be the primary case manager serving youth in Southern Larimer County (Loveland, Berthoud, etc.) requiring multiple days per week to be spent providing in person services in Loveland community spaces and partner locations. Hybrid remote work is available in accordance with Larimer County policies and operational needs.

Other Information

An offer of employment is contingent upon the successful completion of required pre-employment checks or testing.

All application components must be submitted by 11:59 PM MT on the closing date listed.

Larimer County is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment in all employment practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity or expression, and sexual orientation), national origin, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, military status, or any other characteristic protected by law or regulation.