Career Counselor/Vocational Counselor -… at The Jericho… · New York

About Jericho Project

Jericho Project is a nationally recognized nonprofit that has been working to end homelessness at its roots since 1983. What began as a Manhattan soup kitchen has grown into a citywide organization serving nearly 3,000 New Yorkers each year—including over 700 veterans, as well as young adults and families, many of whom identify as LGBTQ+.

Jericho provides more than 600 units of supportive housing through seven permanent residences in the Bronx and Harlem, along with scattered-site apartments throughout New York City. Our housing-first model is paired with wraparound services delivered by skilled case managers, licensed mental health clinicians, and workforce development specialists. Together, these services support our four pillars of stability: housing, employment, wellness, and family.

In 2024, Jericho facilitated over 570 housing placements, helped secure nearly 275 job placements, and delivered over 750 therapy sessions through our in-house Jericho Therapy Program. As we move toward expanding our reach by an additional 2,000 units of housing, we remain committed to helping individuals and families build lasting independence and well-being—one person, one home, and one community at a time.

About the Position

As a member of Jericho’s Workforce Opportunities team, Career Counselor will provide workforce development services to program participants in order to help them achieve the highest possible level of employment, educational attainment, skills development, and/or other meaningful activity, e.g., paid internship. Career Counselor will also work closely and collaboratively with the case management and Business Services team to ensure that tenants’ employment and educational goals are fully met.

Position: Career Counselor Location: The Bronx Reports To: Senior Career Counselor Status: Non-Exempt Compensation: $53,000.00 to $55,000.00 annualized

Responsibilities:

• Manage a caseload of about 100 participants in multiple buildings to help them access education/ training opportunities, prepare for employment, find and keep employment, and maintain economic self-sufficiency.
• Maintain active engagement in all phases of tenant enrollment in Workforce Opportunities (WfO) services, from outreach to completion of assessments and service plans.
• Develop and implement effective client engagement strategies; maintain high level of participation in WfO services; conduct, at minimum, bi weekly outreach to all participants and maintain related progress notes.
• Complete employment and educational assessments on all participants; ensure that assessments and service plans are updated twice a year, and more often where needed.
• Identify and refer participants to job training programs; HSE, ESOL and other adult literacy and life skills programs; college and other higher education programs, as identified in participant’s service plan.
• Assist participants in developing a job readiness portfolio, consisting of a resume and cover letter, and assessment of interviewing skills.
• Work closely with WfO’s Employment Specialists; respond to job leads within required time frames; identify and refer participants for matching positions, using the Jericho AWARDS system and other methods of referral.
• Assist participants in conducting independent job search; identify new job leads as needed and make direct referrals to employers.
• Provide job retention and follow up services to all employed participants for a minimum of two years; offer re-placement services and referrals to training and educational programs as needed.
• Access community resources to aide participants in their job search, job retention and/or re- placement efforts.
• Actively participate in case conferencing sessions with the case management team and the program director and in some cases, the Business Services team.
• Regularly attend the WfO monthly team meetings and supervisory meetings as scheduled and required.
• Maintain and update participant records in the AWARDS system within required time frame.
• Provide reports on participant engagement, job readiness/job search/education/training activities, and job placement outcomes as required.
• Other responsibilities as assigned and required by the emerging needs of programs and participants, such as service delivery in multiple sites for multiple programs.
• Provide services to up to two sites as needed for client engagement and job search.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree is required.
• Knowledge and experience in workforce development and service delivery to low-income individuals with significant barriers to employment required
• Must be able to work and produce desired performance outcomes in a team environment, requiring high levels of collaboration, cooperation, and teamwork.
• Ability to help 105 job seekers secure employment and reach job retention milestones.
• Ability to travel throughout the five boroughs a must.
• High level of computer literacy and written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience working with individuals in mental health/substance abuse recovery as well as those experiencing homelessness highly preferred.
• Experience providing supported employment services to individuals with disabilities is preferred
• Knowledge and experience in helping low-income job seekers find and keep jobs.
• Working knowledge of AWARDS is highly desirable.
• Knowledge and experience in the application of Motivational Interviewing and Person-centered planning preferred.

ADA Specifications: This position requires the ability to lift up to 50 lbs. Ability to travel to various sites. One must possess the ability to speak, hear, see, and write as well as the ability to use a computer and related software programs. Local and/or national travel required and may require some longer weekday/weekend commitments to accomplish related business projects or meet deliverables.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where all employees feel welcome and valued. We believe that diversity and inclusion are essential to our success.

DISCLAIMER This job description is intended to provide a general overview of the position and its essential functions. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all the duties and responsibilities that may be assigned to the staff member. The specific duties and responsibilities of the position may change from time to time, as determined by the needs of the organization. The staff member must be able to perform the essential functions of the position satisfactorily, with or without reasonable accommodation. Reasonable accommodation will be made to enable employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions of their job, absent undue hardship.