Workforce Development Specialist (Central Western Maine)

Position Summary

The Workforce Development Specialist will be responsible for outreach with potential employers to identify their workforce needs and identify job placement and career opportunities for Workforce customers. The Specialist will coordinate these visits and ensure that all employment leads are followed up on. This position is also responsible for developing On-The-Job Training (“OJT”) and Work Experience opportunities, as well as serve as Career Advisors assisting customers with career exploration, mock interviewing, resume and cover letter reviews, and job placement possibilities. The Workforce Development Specialist will also provide direct delivery of services to customers from application through job placement and follow-up. As an advisor the Workforce Development Specialist will work with customers to develop and execute employment and training plans, utilizing appropriate resources and support services per program guidelines.

Essential Functions

• Serves clients, partners, and government agencies in an honest, professional, ethical, effective, and efficient manner as a representative of EMDC.
• Develops relationships with employers in the Tri-County area.
• Markets all workforce resources available to employers, including OJT, Work Experience, and Apprenticeship.
• Develop employment leads and opportunities for workforce customers.
• Maintain database of potential employers.
• Maintain awareness and documentation of labor market information, relevant legislation and policy, and best practices in the field.
• Builds partnerships and maintains relationships with related educational institutions and community or government agencies.
• Completes intake applications and evaluates employment potential of applicants, provides employment-focused career advising services to enrolled customers, makes enrollment decisions in consultation with management.
• Administers career plans for customers, including financial planning/projections support services or training, and reconciling essential needs.
• Strategizes recruitment of quality enrollments; assists customers and evaluates systems to ensure that training, employment, education, and program performance goals are being met.
• Delivers, coordinates, and facilitates youth programming, including work readiness and other group program cohorts.
• Facilitates group presentations; leads large and small groups, informational sessions, focus groups, or other special events.
• Develops work experiences and work sites for students and cultivates employer relationships; creates partnerships with local colleges and universities, adult education, DHHS, Vocational Rehab, and high schools; participates in community meetings.
• Maintains excellent documentation and attention to detail; utilizes Maine Job Link to record and capture required data for programming and monitoring need.

Job Requirements

• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to work well with customers, co-workers, and supervisor.
• Understanding of Workforce Investment Act and successor programs.
• Ability to deliver presentations and facilitate conversations with small groups of customers and businesses.
• Valid driver’s license required with regular access to own reliable vehicle.
• Ability and willingness to provide services in locations outside the offices in collaboration with partners and community organizations.
• Regular attendance required.

Core Competencies

• Computer skills: Skilled in the use of computers, adapt to new technology, learns new programs quickly, uses computers to improve productivity.
• Customer service: Handles customer questions and complaints, communicates effectively, handles service problems politely and efficiently, maintains availability, follows procedure to solve customer problems, understands company products and services, maintains pleasant and professional image.
• Dependability: Meets commitments, works independently, accepts accountability, handles change, sets personal standards, stays focused under pressure, and meets attendance/punctuality requirements.
• Integrity/Ethics: Deals with others in a straightforward and honest manner, is accountable for actions, maintains confidentiality, supports company values, and conveys good news and bad.
• Teamwork: Meets all team deadlines and responsibilities, listens to others and values opinions, helps team leader to meet goals, welcomes newcomers and promotes a team atmosphere.

Position Competencies

• Communication: Communicates well both verbally and in writing, creates accurate and punctual reports, delivers presentations, shares information and ideas with others, has good listening skills.
• Customer Focus: Builds customer confidence, is committed to increasing customer satisfaction, sets achievable customer expectations, assumes responsibility for solving problems, ensures commitments to customers are met, solicits opinions and ideas from customers, responds to internal customers.
• Initiative: Tackles problems and takes independent action, seeks out new responsibilities, acts on opportunities, generates new ideas, practices self-development.
• Listening Skills: Listens attentively to others, asks clarifying questions, actively listens, stays open to other viewpoints, and manages distractions and interruptions.
• Problem Solving/Analysis: Breaks down problems into smaller components, understands underlying issues, can simplify and process complex issues, understands the difference between critical details and unimportant facts.
• Results Focus: Targets and achieves results, sets challenging goals, prioritizes tasks, overcomes obstacles, accepts accountability, sets team standards and responsibilities, provides leadership/motivation.

Education/Experience

• A degree in education, social work, human services, public administration or other related field preferred. Prior experience working with small businesses preferred.

Working Conditions

General business hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, though exempt positions will typically require work to be performed outside general business hours. Work is generally performed in an indoor, professional office environment.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit and talk or listen, and regularly required to use a keyboard for typing. The employee is often required to stand and walk. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and ability to adjust focus. The employee must travel to different locations and must be able to provide own transportation.

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Disclaimer: Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.