Employment Specialist 1

SHELTER, Inc. rebuilds lives one family at a time, by helping them re-establish a home and assisting with the skills and resources needed to live the life they deserve. Created in 1986, we are a community-based non-profit currently operating in Contra Costa, Solano, Sacramento, and Marin counties. In 2024 our compassionate teams helped 5,824 people including 1,938 children secure or maintain their housing.

We believe a safe home and the opportunity to thrive are rights—not privileges. Every day, our teams have the honor of walking alongside families and individuals as they rebuild their lives. If you’re looking for more than just a job—and you want to be the spark that ignites lasting change in your community—you’ll find purpose here!

Work Location: Onsite at our Concord office

Employment Details: Non-exempt/Full Time, Monday- Friday during business hours

Compensation: $21.75-28/hour

About the role: We're seeking a passionate Employment Specialist to guide individuals in recovery towards meaningful careers. You'll provide vital support—from resume to placement—helping them build stable, purposeful lives.

If you are driven to empower participants’ lives in a meaningful way, we’d love to talk to you!

What you’ll do:

Screening and Assessment

• Screen prospective program participants for educational and work history.
• Help participants identify career path, identify strengths/ capabilities and challenges/barriers to employment success.

Service Delivery and Coordination

• Maintain an active case load of 20 to 30 participants seeking employment placement assistance, helping program participants develop a job search plan that has self-defined, time-specific goals for obtaining/retaining employment.
• Help develop and implement job readiness, placement and retention services for participants.
• Cultivate and maintain referral relationships within the local educational, job training, and workforce communities to ensure increased access to employment opportunities.
• Deliver skills workshops related to employment readiness, resume preparation, computer labs, and interview and job seeking/keeping skills.
• Expand job-related tools, tips and other resources to maximize employment opportunities.
• Process service-related expenditure requests according to established policies/procedures.
• Communicate with other teams to assure close coordination in service delivery.

Service Documentation

• Keep case files and HMIS service data up-to-date, completing data entry at the time of, or no later than within 24 business hours of every service interaction.
• Administer employment exit surveys to monitor job placement outcomes and to identify opportunities for program improvement.
• Conduct and document participant follow-up at 13-week, 26-week and 1 year.

What you’ll bring:

• Associates degree plus professional or volunteer experience that demonstrates a capacity to engage low-income supportive service program participants in employment or career counseling and assessment.
• 1+ year of experience providing career advising or support service provision to people who are experiencing substance abuse, low-income and/or homeless who have barriers to employment, i.e., diverse language backgrounds, limited job history and justice-impacted individuals.
• Strong computer proficiency, including expertise in Microsoft Word, Outlook, and Excel.
• Experience working with computer-based service documentation/data collection, HMIS preferred. 
• Willingness to work flexible hours as needed
• Experience working in diverse settings with people across all socio-economic spectrums and a wide variety of personalities and roles - staff, participants, local agencies, vendors, volunteers, etc.
• Bilingual, GCDF certification is a plus.

Key Proficiencies you'll need:

• Maintains clear, firm, yet flexible boundaries, and a positive demeanor.
• Self-motivated and accountable in managing time and resources.
• Demonstrates professionalism and maintains high ethical standards and confidentiality. Delivers quality, organized work on time.

Position Requirements:

• Access to reliable personal transportation required, including a DMV record that permits driver to be insured under SHELTER, Inc.’s automobile coverage.
• Must successfully pass a criminal background check
• Must provide TB test clearance

What we offer:

• 18 days of Paid Time Off
• 15 paid holidays, including your birthday!
• 100% paid medical insurance (Kaiser, Sutter Health, Anthem Blue Cross), dental, vision for employees, 50% for your dependents.
• 100% paid Group Term Life insurance, Accidental Death & Dismemberment, Long-term disability insurance
• Up to $3,000 Tuition Reimbursement a year
• 403b with SHELTER Inc., matching contribution
• Pet Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Discount Marketplace
• Internal growth opportunities

We value diversity

SHELTER, Inc., is an equal opportunity employer. We believe diverse perspectives drive innovation and lead to better outcomes for the communities we serve. We strongly encourage applications from individuals with varied backgrounds, identities, and lived experiences.

Notice: This description is a guide only. Upon hire, you will receive a formal job description.