Boston Housing Authority · 17 hours ago
Youth Development Specialist
Boston, MA
Full-time
Hybrid
Mid, Senior Level
$71K/yr - $89K/yr
5+ years expBoston Housing Authority (BHA) fosters sustainable communities by providing quality affordable housing. They are seeking a Youth Development Specialist to provide case management services for residents aged 14-24 years old, focusing on improving their post-secondary education and employment opportunities through individual support and community partnerships.
Government Administration
Responsibilities
Provide broad spectrum of support for youth at site to reduce education and employment-related barriers and prepare youth for professional opportunities. This may include providing individual career counseling, referring and enrolling youth in programs and accompanying them to initial program start, forming partnerships with community organizations and advocating for more opportunities and resources, and identifying supportive resources, among others
Develop professional goals with participants and screen for barriers to employment. Develop individual work plans with steps to address these barriers and assist youth in reaching professional goals. This may include education and vocational planning and career research and planning to ensure that youth are aware of diverse career opportunities and paths to achieve these goals
Provide individual job readiness support such as skill development, resume assistance, interview practice and skills, and soft skills. Refer participants to workforce readiness programs where the Development Specialist is not suited to develop more technical skills
Develop relationships with service partners, local employers, and program providers to improve youth access to these opportunities, develop new employment and internship opportunities, and increase the competitiveness of Hailey applicants. Coordinate with partners on support for youth jointly served by Development Specialist and service provider
Refer and enroll youth in other supportive services that will grow their opportunities for gainful employment, such as those that address social-emotional health, housing stability, food insecurity, etc. Provide counseling on life and soft skills needed in professional setting such as time management, maturity, financial literacy, communication and interpersonal relationships, as well as cultural biases
Consistently and frequently follow up with participants to ensure they are attending programming and following through on work plans and goals. The Development Specialist may need to meet with participants daily, weekly, or monthly depending on the level of support and follow through needed to help youth achieve their goals and overcome barriers. If youth become unresponsive, then Development Specialist will be responsible for pursuing all avenues of contact to try to re-engage participant in services. Development Specialist will also follow up and monitor progress of participants as they enter other services and programs
Conduct outreach to all households at site with member between ages of 14-24 years old to enroll participants in case management services. Outreach should be ongoing as long as caseload remains less than full. If caseload is full, then outreach should resume once youth move on from services or utilize the services less frequently
Digitally track progress towards individual goals and case management services provided
Maintain database of community partners, employers, and programs and their opportunities provided as well as those utilized by young people
Create library of employment-related resources to share with participants as relevant
Track key metrics on youth support in alignment with the BHA’s youth strategy, such as number of youth served, programs enrolled, and referrals made
Collaborate effectively in a hybrid in-person and remote workplace setting, with expectation of daily work at Mildred C. Hailey development in Jamaica Plain
Perform other related duties as required
Qualification
Required
At least five years of experience providing case management services to underserved youth and/or young adults
Masters of Social Work can replace two years of experience
Experience in community organizing and working with low-income populations required
Experience working/living in the Boston community required, and in public housing a plus
English proficiency required, conversational Spanish is strongly preferred
Familiarity with community resources, local employers, workforce development programs, youth programs and services, education and training opportunities, and labor market trends required
Self-starter with ability to work independently to launch initiatives with limited resources and minimal supervision
Excellent conflict management and customer service skills
Must be proficient in Microsoft systems and demonstrate the ability to learn and utilize new software
Demonstrated communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills
Ability to work independently and in teams
Attentive to detail, intellectually curious, and issue driven
Applicant has a commitment to professional development and receiving and giving feedback
Benefits
14 paid Holidays
4 Personal Days
3 weeks of vacation
3 weeks of paid sick leave
MBTA discount
Participation in the City’s pension plan
Healthcare through the Commonwealth
And much more.
Company
Boston Housing Authority
Boston Housing Authority (BHA) provides affordable housing to more than 58,000 residents in and around the City of Boston.
501-1000 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageCompany data provided by crunchbase