PART-TIME EMPLOYMENT COACH FOR MADERA COUNTY

About Root & Rebound (R&R): Root & Rebound’s mission is to support people navigating reentry and help reduce the harms perpetuated by mass incarceration. You can learn more about our work in our 2021 Annual Report and our website.

Our values are that of Dignity, Integrity, and Accountability!

Employment Status: This is a Part-Time non-exempt position, reporting to DeJone Watts, Social Services Manager.

Commitment: 18-month contract position (with potential for extension based on grant funding), starting as soon as possible.

Location: We are a hybrid office-remote work environment in Fresno, CA serving Madera county in person.

About the Employment Coaches Position:

R&R seeks a new member of what we call our “FRWEI” (Fresno Reentry Women’s Employment Initiative) team to serve Madera county in partnership with the Workforce Development Board of Madera County. This role is crucial to the wellness and efficiency of our organization as they are the first point of contact to Root and Rebound and are responsible for providing empathetic and trauma-informed communication to our clients in Madera county. This position will consist of assisting clients with job leads, furthering their education, resume and cover letter building, building relationships with local employers, gathering economic security resources, referring clients to partner organizations and agencies, and supporting our staff attorney with coordinating and planning direct legal services events.

Responsibilities & Duties: The Employment Coaches responsibilities & duties include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Administer FRWEI intake with new clients
• Conduct career and education assessments
• Work with local employers build referral pipelines to create job opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals .
• Communicate with clients to understand their goals and ambitions
• Building and reviewing Resume and Cover letters
• Credit building, Budget Planning, opening “second chance bank accounts” (employment coach will be trained in CFR credit building, banking, and budgeting tools)
• Refer clients to local community partners for out of scoop issues.
• Conduct mock interviews
• Flag supervisor for employment related financial barriers for clients
• Identifying and attending job fairs
• Gathering economic security related resources
• Developing and implementing effective coaching strategies to help clients overcome employment-related challenges.
• Assist clients in the process of furthering their education (Registration/Fafsa/connecting client w/helpful programs/communities on campus etc)
• Assist clients to discover and overcome their personal barriers and set goals
• Assess the strengths of individuals and teach them to use them effectively
• Help in the development of motivation and skills
• Data entry in our case management system (Clio)
• Teaching clients how to use job-related tools correctly (if applicable).
• Work alongside FRWEI Staff attorney to coordinate and planning direct legal services events

Qualifications: The ideal candidate has the following qualifications:

• Desire to work with people with arrest and conviction histories, and on criminal justice issues in a dynamic legal environment;
• Ability to inspire and motivate people
• Respect diversity and culture
• Knowledge of, or connection to, rural prison town communities in the Valley;
• Outgoing personality, not afraid to network;
• Strong time-management and organizational skills;
• Ability to take initiative, problem-solve, meet deadlines, work both collaboratively and independently;
• Ability to genuinely connect, empathize, and build trust with system-impacted communities;
• Flexible, adaptable, and able to prioritize work given organizational and client needs;
• Creative, enthusiastic, and willing to learn and try new things;
• Doesn’t mind constructive guidance
• Familiarity with Google Suite (Google Docs, Excel/Sheets, PowerPoint/Slides, etc) – willing to gain proficiency if unfamiliar / new to this technology
• Comfortable with coordinating and planning events

Preferred Qualifications:

• Proficiency in Spanish;
• Direct experience navigating reentry from prison or jail;
• Formerly incarcerated and/or system-involved individuals strongly encouraged to apply;
• Experience working with system-impacted individuals.

Compensation & Benefits: This is a Part-time non-exempt role at $28/hr employment benefits at R&R include:

• Medical, vision and dental care;
• Employer-sponsored 403(b) retirement plan;
• Internal and external professional development opportunities;
• Three (3) weeks of paid time off per year, plus holiday closures, which includes additional 1 week office closure around the December holidays and seven (7) federal holidays, Juneteenth, and Indigenous Peoples’ Day

Application Instructions: To apply for a position, please send the following materials to DeJone Watts at dwatts@rootandrebound.org with “Employment Coach Madera County ” in the subject line.

Root & Rebound is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applications from all qualified individuals including formerly incarcerated and/or system-impacted individuals, people of color, persons with disabilities, ethnic and religious minorities, women, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and gender variant individuals. Individuals with lived experience with the criminal justice system are strongly encouraged to apply.