Placement Specialist/Coach – Youth Thrive program (*New)
Job Description
About The Career Foundation:
The Career Foundation is a dynamic non-profit organization that offers a wide range of employment, training, and HR services to job seekers and employers. Since its inception in 1988, The Career Foundation has steadily expanded its services. Operating out of multiple locations, we now help thousands of people each year successfully accomplish their employment goals. Our team of dedicated professionals has described The Career Foundation as caring, compassionate, innovative, and team-oriented. For more information about us and our services, please visit our website at CareerFoundation.com.
Some of the benefits and features available to our employees include:
- Competitive compensation
- A comprehensive Health Benefits plan that includes massage therapy, naturopath services, travel coverage, and much more
- A comprehensive Dental Insurance plan
- An RRSP Matching benefit
- An Employee & Family Assistance program
- Employee wellness initiatives
- Paid days off for religious observance purposes
Program and Role Description:
The Career Foundation’s Youth Thrive program operates both regionally and nationally, offering youth a variety of activities such as professional skills workshops, a virtual retreat, and volunteer placements. These opportunities help youth participants gain valuable skills and experiences, engage in important community projects, and promote civic engagement and social inclusion. Our national Youth Thrive program is available to youth aged 16 to 29 living in Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, or Nova Scotia, while our regional Youth Thrive program serves eligible youth living in Ontario. Both programs particularly focus on youth who identify as Indigenous or are underserved from equity-deserving groups.
As a Placement Specialist/Coach with our regional or national Youth Thrive programs, you would be an essential member of the team. Some of your responsibilities would include establishing and maintaining relationships with non-profit organizations in multiple sectors and developing meaningful volunteer opportunities for youth. You would also work directly with youth participants to help them understand the expectations and requirements of various non-profit workplaces and what it takes to be successful in their volunteer roles. You would have a caseload of youth and mentors assigned to you, as well as placement targets to achieve.
Position Type:
Full-time (37.5 hours per week) one-year contract with excellent potential to lead to permanent
Base Locations Available:
- Toronto (Yonge St. & St. Clair Ave. E).
- Etobicoke (Islington Ave. & Hwy 401)
Schedule and Requirements:
- This Placement Specialist/Coach position requires regular on-site work at one of the designated base offices outlined above, as well as frequent local travel to community partner locations and other stakeholder sites. Successful candidates must possess a valid Ontario G driver’s licence and a reliable vehicle to perform essential duties that require frequent local travel. This position will also operate under a hybrid schedule, allowing for one work-from-home day per week. The hybrid schedule is based on performance and operational needs and requires a private work-from-home space with reliable, high-speed internet. A company laptop and other equipment will be provided.
- Please note that the work schedule for this position requires successful candidates to be flexible and available to work some evening hours and occasional weekends to meet the needs of the program.
Vulnerable Sector Check:
An offer of employment for this opportunity will be contingent on a Vulnerable Sector Check (VSC). The costs will be covered by The Career Foundation.
Anticipated Start:
January 2025
Reporting to:
Program Coordinator
Please note:
With your application, please indicate your preferred base office location from the options listed above.
Responsibilities include:
Community Partner Outreach, Relationship Building, and Volunteer Development
- Contacts non-profit organizations to promote The Career Foundation’s national Youth Thrive program and develops new relationships with organizations in various industries each week.
- Places youth clients into volunteer opportunities by matching them with advertised and non-advertised volunteer roles, including opportunities developed through establishing effective relationships with non-profit partners.
- Supports non-profits in identifying volunteer opportunities and projects that youth can engage in to help the organization achieve its mission.
- Conducts on-site visits at non-profit partner facilities to ensure they provide suitable and safe workplace environments.
- Negotiates and administers placement training plans with non-profits and appropriately matches youths’ skills with volunteer requirements.
- Consistently monitors and tracks personal success rates to achieve individual targets that contribute to the team’s overall objectives.
- Conducts outreach and engages mentors who can guide youth and ensure successful placements.
- Arranges guest speakers to educate youth clients on civic engagement, the non-profit sector, volunteer opportunities, volunteer expectations, and other information supporting their successful outcomes.
- Maintains accurate and up-to-date documentation on all volunteer development activities, including interviews, volunteer vacancies, placements arranged, and other support activities.
- Works in collaboration with fellow team members to plan, execute, and continuously monitor effective outreach plans to recruit youth, mentors, and non-profits, and maintain up-to-date records of outreach efforts.
- Plans and participates in community events, hiring fairs, and related activities to promote The Career Foundation’s services.
- Enters and maintains thorough written documentation in online data reporting systems, ensuring that caseload files are up-to-date and ready for file audits.
- Performs other relevant duties as assigned.
Youth Placement and Retention Coaching
- Provides coaching and support to help youth overcome barriers to completing volunteer placements.
- Guides youths’ volunteer search and coaches them at each step to ensure their placement success.
- Serves as a resource to youth and non-profit partners to mediate issues if they arise and provide other supports that lead to retention and successful volunteer completion.
- Delivers group workshops or coaching to help with youths’ skills development.
- Provides individual coaching to youth participants, helping them apply skills learned through workshops, and conducts project-specific interview preparation with each participant.
- Coaches youth during their volunteer placements to overcome learning and integration obstacles.
- Works with mentors to support youth in maximizing these civic engagement opportunities.
- Monitors youth to ensure the success of their volunteer projects and ensures they receive the support they need.
- Utilizes digital systems and technologies provided by The Career Foundation to further support youth participants with achieving successful outcomes.
- Performs other relevant duties as assigned.
Qualifications/ Skills Required:
- Post-secondary degree or diploma in human/social services, marketing, business, or a related field relevant to the position’s duties is highly preferred, or an equivalent combination of education and experience is required.
- A minimum of 2 years of direct experience in job development, coaching, co-op placements, volunteer engagement, sales, or business development, or experience that is directly transferable to the responsibilities of the position, is required.
- Must be willing to work on-site from the office on a regular schedule and possess a valid Ontario G driver’s licence and reliable vehicle to conduct essential work-related travel within the communities served.
- Previous experience with community outreach, developing relationships with non-profits and/or other employers, and familiarity with youth employment programming are considered strong assets.
- Candidates who meet all the above qualifications and have extensive volunteering experience, as well as an existing network of non-profit contacts that could be relied upon to provide volunteer opportunities for youth, will be given priority.
- Experience working with youth, including those who identify as Indigenous or are from underserved equity-deserving groups, is considered an asset.
- Exceptional relationship-building skills with a proven ability to develop rapport with people.
- Proven track record in a results-driven environment with experience meeting assigned targets.
- A professional and courteous approach to client service with a high level of respect for the diversity of the people served.
- Knowledge of current labour market trends, job search techniques, and youth employment research methods is considered an asset.
- Excellent verbal and written English communication skills. Bilingualism is considered an asset.
- Exceptional customer service skills and the ability to uphold the organization’s service standards, policies, and core values.
- Proven ability to maintain sensitive information, exhibit tact, diplomacy, and good judgment, with high standards of ethics and confidentiality.
- Excellent time management and organizational skills.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel), and Office 365 applications, including Teams and SharePoint. Must possess the aptitude and willingness to learn and work with new online systems and technologies.
- Must be flexible and available to work some evening hours and occasional weekends.
- Positive attitude with a dedicated work ethic and willingness to take initiative to lend assistance where needed to ensure that the team is successful in meeting all objectives.
The Career Foundation’s Commitment:
The Career Foundation is committed to diversity and inclusion and aims to create a healthy and rewarding environment for all. We welcome applications from qualified individuals who represent the diversity of the people we proudly serve, including, but not limited to, visible minorities, women, persons with disabilities, Indigenous peoples, and individuals of all genders and sexual orientation. The Career Foundation, in accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), is also committed to accommodating applicants with disabilities throughout the recruitment process. We will work with candidates requesting accommodation at any stage of the hiring process.
To apply for this position, please complete the application form below. We suggest using the latest version of Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge to complete the form, in order to ensure that your application is submitted correctly.
*Should you experience any technical difficulties while submitting your application, please submit your résumé to jobs@careerfoundation.org, along with a Word document that addresses all of the questions in the application form.