Temporary Financial Counselor

About NYLAG:

Founded in 1990, NYLAG is a leading civil legal services organization combating economic, racial, and social injustice by advocating for people experiencing poverty or in crisis. Our services include comprehensive, free civil legal services, financial empowerment, impact litigation, policy advocacy, and community partnerships. NYLAG exists because wealth should not determine who has access to justice. We aim to disrupt systemic racism by serving individuals and families whose legal and financial crises are often rooted in racial inequality. NYLAG goes to where the need is, providing services in more than 150 community sites (e.g. courts, hospitals, libraries) and on our Mobile Legal Help Center. NYLAG’s staff of over 400 impacted the lives of nearly 129,000 people last year.

Job description

NYLAG's Financial Empowerment and Advocacy Unit (FEAU) was established in 2009 and serves a wide range of clients. FEAU provides services at NYLAG’s office and community-based intake sites throughout New York City, Long Island, and Westchester, including via our work with the Office of Financial Empowerment, UJA Federation of NY, and the Human Resources Administration.

The financial counselor will counsel, coach, educate, and empower low- to moderate-income New Yorkers and their families, with a specific focus on LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. This position is part of a programmatic partnership between NYLAG and the Ali Forney Center, aimed at addressing the unique financial challenges faced by LGBTQ youth experiencing housing instability. The financial counselor will provide one-on-one assistance to help clients access formal banking relationships, establish and rebuild credit, organize their finances through budgeting, managing and reducing their debt, establishing savings, securing benefits, and understanding taxes to meet their short- and long-term financial goals. Services will be delivered in a trauma-informed, inclusive, and client-centered manner, tailored to meet the needs of LGBTQ youth in crisis.

Duties and Responsibilities

Direct services:

• Facilitate in-person and virtual one-on-one financial counseling & coaching with low-to-moderate income New Yorkers at a variety of community-based organizations and at partner sites.
• Implement retention and engagement strategies to encourage clients to participate in multiple sessions and reach their financial goals.
• Lead weekly financial education workshops for youth and other program participants, promoting financial literacy in both individual and group settings.
• Develop and organize accessible curriculum and outreach materials (e.g., handouts, flyers) in collaboration with partner sites to support engagement and learning.
• Foster and maintain strong and collaborative relationships with staff members and external stakeholders to ensure program success.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues, supervisors and other service providers to ensure high quality services.
• Must be knowledgeable in working with diverse communities, particularly LGBTQ, Latinx, people of color, and populations with low-income, and must deliver services with cultural humility.
• Be comfortable traveling to partner sites to provide support to program participants. Face-to-face in-person service is an essential component of this position.
• Ensure achievement of program deliverables.

Administrative:

• Ensure data is entered accurately and timely in NYLAG’s case management system and in partner’s system(s), if applicable.
• Ensure client files are saved securely and fully in our central shared file system.

Advocacy:

• When applicable, participate in the unit’s advocacy work by collaborating on blog posts and other activities to highlight our efforts towards advancing racial equity in the financial counseling field.

Qualifications

NYLAG seeks a highly motivated financial counselor with either (i) a bachelor’s degree and a minimum of two (2) years of full-time work experience, with preferred background in finance, financial education, counseling/coaching, or social service delivery; or (ii) four (4) to eight (8) years of full-time work experience in financial education, counseling/coaching, or social service delivery. A successful candidate will show demonstrated commitment to working within and in partnership with LGBTQ communities. Experience and maturity in working with a diverse range of partners, funders, and clients. Energy and willingness to travel to sites across NYC and work directly with clients at partner site's location. Demonstrated capacity to work independently and strong desire to develop their financial counseling & coaching skill set. This is a position that offers the opportunity to get additional in-house training and further grow your career.

Preferred Qualifications

• Preference will be given to applicants with bilingual ability (written and spoken) in Spanish.
• Preference will be given to applicants who have taken the Personal and Consumer Finance course endorsed by the Office of Financial Empowerment.
• Ability to teach financial skills in one-on-one or group settings.
• Experience working with youth and individuals impacted by trauma, homelessness, or mental health challenges.
• Knowledge of social service systems and community resources as they relate to the youth/young adult population
• Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to navigate sensitive situations with professionalism and discretion.

NYLAG’s Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

NYLAG is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. People of color, women, people with disabilities, immigrants, veterans, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people, and those with lived experiences in the communities we serve are strongly encouraged to apply.

Employment type:

☒ Full-time

Professional Level:

☒ Professional

Salary Range: NYLAG is a unionized workplace, and salaries are set pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement. The current salary range for this position is between $66,700 and $71,225. This role is anticipated to run through June 30, 2026.

Benefits: Medical, dental, vision, 401k, life insurance, long term disability, commuter benefits, flexible spending accounts (FSA) for Medical and Dependent care.

Application Instructions: Please save resume and cover letter in one pdf.

Covid Vaccination Policy: Please note, to safeguard the health and well-being of our employees and clients, NYLAG requires all employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, unless a medical or religious exemption is approved.

This position involves working directly with youth and may include interaction with minors. As such, candidates must successfully pass a background check and meet all clearance requirements established by both the partner site and the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD).

NYLAG is committed to a hybrid work policy for staff whose work does not require their full-time presence in the office. However, please note that this role does require in-person days at various sites. This policy is subject to change.