Education and Career Specialist, Job Seeker Programs

Job Summary

The Education and Career Specialist provides services to participants in BEST's portfolio of workforce development programs—including the Introduction to Hospitality, Housekeeping Pre-Apprenticeship/Apprenticeship, Culinary Pre-Apprenticeship/Apprenticeship, and Direct Career Coaching programs—supporting processes from outreach and enrollment through job placement and retention.

In this job, you will:

• Conduct intake interviews to screen potential clients and determine industry compatibility.
• Deliver contextualized experiential learning curricula for job seeker programs.
• Create lesson plans and facilitate classroom instruction to prepare clients for careers in the hotel industry. Topics may include hotel branding, overviews of the hotel industry, customer service, job-keeping skills, resume writing, interview preparation, online job applications, professionalism in the workplace, technology skills, etc.
• Provide clients with ongoing individual career counseling that leads to job placement in entry-level positions in the hospitality industry.
• Assist clients in identifying and overcoming barriers to job placement and retention.
• Refer clients to relevant resources, such as case management services, English classes, SNAP, financial coaching, etc.
• Manage a client caseload, maintaining an appropriate level of contact with clients based on their needs, goals, and employment status.
• Participate in team meetings and professional development training as required.
• Work closely with BEST staff and partner hospitality employers to understand labor market trends, job requirements, and hotel brands.
• Collect, review, and manage the safekeeping of client documents.

All BEST staff members:

• Accurately capture and enter client and service delivery data into our Salesforce database in a timely manner.
• Support colleagues working in other programs. Lend a hand as needed.
• Develop strong working relationships with colleagues and external partners, and participate in meetings to foster these relationships.
• Communicate effectively with colleagues, clients, and partners.

Is this opportunity right for you? We are looking for people who:

• Demonstrate respect for and experience with bridging differences in language, culture, race, religion, citizenship, gender, and sexual orientation, and do not discriminate on the basis of income, immigration status, or disability.
• Have experience providing career guidance, coaching, and job placement of adults.
• Have teaching experience and are willing to create lesson plans and facilitate instruction.
• Are able and willing to work in a hybrid work environment. Staff members are expected to attend in-person program/organization events and internal/external meetings as required.
• Understand and follow confidentiality practices regarding clients and colleagues.
• Have strong tech skills and are comfortable using and/or learning how to use technology applications and platforms.
• Have outstanding customer service skills.
• Have advanced English language skills, both spoken and written.
• Have strong organizational skills and the ability to work independently and multitask in a fast-paced environment.
• Are able and willing to work in a hybrid work environment with day and evening hours (dictated by program delivery needs).

Bonus if you:

• Speak a second language.
• Have experience in the hospitality industry and/or workforce development.
• Have experience working with those who have barriers to employment and/or are English language learners.
• Have experience using databases.

BEST offers competitive salaries, 100% employer-paid benefits, and a real commitment to work/life balance. Benefits-eligible employees receive paid time off (vacation, personal, sick, and thirteen holidays) and a monthly cellphone allowance. Our benefits include healthcare, pension, Delta Dental, Davis Vision, an employee assistance plan, life insurance, short-term disability, accidental death and dismemberment insurance, legal services, and a first-time homebuyer loan. In addition, we offer a non-matching 401K plan managed through ADP. There is a waiting period before employees are eligible to access benefits.

Must be fluent in English. Second language a plus.