Mayfair Coordinator - Community Navigator

Mayfair Coordinator, Community Navigator:

The Community Navigator is a key coordinator position within the Alternative Community Strengthening Team, which operates two Family Resource Centers in East San José.

The Community Navigator is responsible for coordinating and assisting community members in receiving resources at SOMOS Mayfair. This coordinator will work to conduct thorough needs assessments and make internal and external referrals based on individual and family needs of each participant; this includes connecting with system partners at the County and City, partner school districts and other family-serving nonprofits. They will support youth and families to successfully navigate systematic processes/barriers and will support youth and families in advocating for their needs. They will report to the FRC Site Supervisor and will work with a team of Coordinators in addition to the Alternative Community Strengthening Manager, and Director to execute our proven SOMOS model; bridging early learning, leadership development and community organizing strategies.

The Community Navigator will work with the FRC Site Supervisor to meet objectives and increase capacity in delivering our FIRST 5 scope of work, while continuing to align our alternative systems work with our community organizing and leadership development strategies. They will be responsible for family engagement in the form of outreach, hosting, and convening parents and youth as active participants in the services, programs, and campaigns of SOMOS Mayfair. The coordinator will also have opportunities to support the Site Supervisor in maintaining and cultivating new community partnerships that support the SOMOS Mayfair and the Si Se Puede Collective “No Wrong Door” model in East Side San Jose.

Lastly, this position will work in an ecosystem of strong partnerships, including: the Sí Se Puede Collective, First 5 Santa Clara County, Alum Rock Unified School District and East Side High School Union District. It is expected that the navigator incumbent will support in the coordination of partnership efforts and joint programming. As part of our evaluation and learning strategy, the Coordinator will enter and manage all data information related to areas of responsibility and support with messaging and marketing strategies as needed.

Ideal Candidate Qualifications and Qualities

• Outspoken, passionate and committed to advancing racial, economic and social justice in immigrant, working class and multi-generational communities
• Experience providing referrals, case management or navigation support for youth and families
• 2-year experience in the youth and family strengthening/social work field or nonprofit field
• Professional or lived experience in youth and family engagement and resource coordination
• Experience in case management, health coverage enrollment (e.g., Medi-Cal, Santa Clara Family Health Plan), and facilitating access to social services and community resources.
• Experience and deep desire to work with children, youth and families to advance their leadership and involvement in the community
• Experience in public presentations, speaking engagements and/or group facilitation
• Experience in community outreach and engagement
• Ability to work evenings and weekends to ensure access to services for working families and school-aged youth
• Deep listener and committed to learning from diverse perspectives
• Creative and highly active individual that is outcomes-driven
• Willingness to learn and teach others new skills, ideas and information

Key Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Proactive and experienced with navigating systems
• Bilingual/biliterate Spanish-English required
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and ability to communicate with a broad audience
• Knowledge of community resources, agencies and services
• Technology proficient; including virtual platforms like Google Workspace, Office 365, MS Word, Excel, etc.
• Valid California driver’s license and proof of auto insurance required
• Fingerprint and background check may be required

Duties and Responsibilities (approximate % of time)

Direct Service (40%)

• Welcome and support with walk-in youth and families into our Family Resource Center
• Assist community in determining their needs. Maintain a positive and supportive attitude during interaction with community and team members
• Coordinate and conduct intakes and assessments to ensure youth and families have access to a full range of services and opportunities
• Coordinate and conduct “warm hand-offs" referrals and follow-up with partners in a timely manner to ensure best possible outcomes for youth and families
• Follow up on all aspects of service in a timely manner
• Cultivate relationships across diverse communities and connect people to resources and opportunities around housing, education, employment, financial capability, health/mental health, social capital, and permanence that are responsive to their cultures and identities
• Create strong relationships with different service providers and have strong working knowledge of what services they provide
• Collaborate with community social service providers including shelters, food banks, child welfare departments, public health departments, probation departments, etc.
• Responsible for the timely and accurate input and collection of data and information that may be required by the agency reporting requirements

Strategy and Program Development (20%)

• Listen to community leaders and partners to identify gaps and create a feedback loop to fill said gaps
• Support in strategy development to expand access to services for the community
• Support in the development of networked “warm hand off” referral systems with County of Santa Clara, ARUSD, and the SSPC.
• Support in relationship-building with partners providing programs and services at the FRC

Outreach (15%)

• Coordinate and co-design with staff and community leaders, outreach and engagement opportunities that are embedded in the community culture and responsive to community needs
• Work closely with partners in the Alum Rock School District, East Side Union High School District, the Si Se Puede Collective, the County of Santa Clara, City of San José, First 5
• Participate in community events and activities to promote SOMOS mission and inform/connect community members to essential services
• Register youth and families for programs/ resources that fit their needs or provide a referral for other internal programs when needed.
• Conduct follow-up phone calls, send texts and emails to participants

Organizational Alignment (10%)

• Engage in advocacy and organizing and integrate campaign priorities into the FRC Coordinator program
• Move youth and families to collective action
• Connect leaders to our Family Resource Centers
• Implement leadership development model within FRC Coordinator program
• Connect youth and families to ongoing learning opportunities and SOMOS Collective spaces
• Coordinate closely with Community Organizing & Policy and Learning and Leadership Development teams to support strategic alignment of planning, evaluation, implementation across our organization
• Learn about, develop a strong understanding of, and uphold the principles and practices of our full SOMOS model. Support youth, families and partners to understand this way of working by modeling our integrated approach
• Seek out opportunities to collaborate to across SOMOS departments and build relationships

Administrative (15%)

• Create and execute an annual work plan, that includes organizational strategies and milestone deadlines
• Execute a Learning & Professional Development Plan to develop or strengthen essential skills and seek opportunities for greater and on-going learning, including community organizing models and the practice of popular education pedagogy
• Participate in agency wide decision-making arenas and in regular internal political education as needed
• Contribute to the development of organizational world-view and development of strategic plan
• Participate in SOMOS Mayfair staff meetings and training and support major organizational campaigns and projects
• Follow programmatic and agency protocols and procedures.
• Attend team/organization meetings.