JCG Career Success Specialist

Background: CYC empowers young people to overcome obstacles and excel by providing a range of services designed to keep young people in school, prepared for college and career, and on the pathway to success. CYC is focused on helping students graduate from high school with a pathway towards education, training, certifications, meaningful employment, or enlistment.

Our Vision: Every young person will reach their full potential. Our Mission: Empowering young people to overcome barriers and excel in education, career, and life. Our Commitment: We are committed to inclusive and equitable programs, policies, and procedures that empower everyone we serve.

Department: Jobs for Cincinnati Graduates (JCG) Reports to: JCG Senior Program Manager

Position Summary: The JCG Career Success Specialist is responsible for fully implementing the Jobs for America's Graduates (JAG) Graduates (JAG) model within the assigned school site. The Specialist identifies, recruits, instructs, advises, and supports students who need additional assistance graduating from high school and successfully transitioning into postsecondary education, employment, or military service. The role combines classroom instruction, counseling and advocacy, career association advising, community and employer engagement, data management, and twelve months of graduate follow-up services. Job Function: The Specialist is accountable for student outcomes and model fidelity, including enrollment, competency attainment, graduation, placement, follow-up, and accurate documentation in JAG's data systems.

Core Goals

• Ensure participating students receive the support needed to graduate from high school and transition successfully to postsecondary education, employment, or military service; for non-graduates, support attainment of a diploma or GED during the follow-up period.
• Create and sustain a network of school, family, employer, civic, community, and postsecondary partners that expand services and opportunities for students.
• Maintain high accountability for services and student success through timely, accurate documentation and regular review of student data.
• Achieve state and national JAG performance outcomes through instruction, guidance, academic support, career and postsecondary planning, work-based learning, leadership development, and follow-up.

Primary Responsibilities

• Build and maintain positive, ongoing relationships with students, families, principals, administrators, teachers, counselors, employers, and community leaders. Serve as an advocate for students and for the JAG program.
• Collaborate with an in-school advisory committee and community partners to identify student needs, remove barriers, support academic success, and connect students with counseling, remediation, career exploration, college planning, work-based learning, and other services.
• Develop an employer and community marketing plan that builds awareness of JAG, creates classroom speaker and field trip opportunities, supports service-learning projects, and strengthens local program sustainability.
• Provide direct follow-up support for twelve months after graduation, including communication with graduates, employers, and postsecondary advisors as needed to verify placement, encourage retention, and continue student support.
• Complete special projects and other duties as assigned by program management or school leadership.

Work Environment & Schedule: This is a full-time, year-round position requiring occasional evening and weekend activities. While site schedules may vary, the Specialist should devote the full workday to implementing the JAG model. Time should be balanced across curriculum and instruction; guidance, counseling, Career Association, and student advocacy; development and community relations; and database/documentation responsibilities. Sites may schedule multiple daily JAG classes and dedicated planning or coordination periods to support model fidelity.

Physical and Mental Demands The physical and mental demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodation will be provided to individuals with a disability. The employee is:

• Able to remain in a stable position for extended periods of time.
• Able to move around the environment to access necessary materials and/or equipment.
• Digital dexterity and hand/eye coordination in the performance of tasks.
• Able to speak and hear.
• Able to lift and move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and move up to 25 pounds.
• Able to use hands to finger, handle, or feel, and reach with hands and arms.
• Specific vision abilities include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
• Able to compare, decide, problem solve, analyze, instruct, and interpret.
• Upon request, necessary adjustments or adaptations may be made to allow individuals to participate fully in the activity or perform their job effectively.

Required Qualification

• Associate Degree in Education, Social Work, Counseling, Workforce Development, Human Services, Business, or related field preferred.
• Experience working with youth, workforce development, education, mentoring, or community-based programming preferred.
• Strong presentation, facilitation, organizational, and relationship-building skills.
• Working knowledge of computer technology, word processing, spreadsheets, web-based applications, and data entry, and should be able to use data to drive instruction and program improvement. Preferred Qualifications:
• Bachelor’s Degree in Education, Social Work, Counseling, Workforce Development, Human Services, Business, or related field.
• Experience with JAG model implementation, WIOA/CCMEP programming, employer engagement, trauma-informed practices, and workforce systems.
• Preferred experience includes working with youth; knowledge of adolescent development; experience in secondary or postsecondary education settings; classroom management; leadership and motivational skills; human relations and collaboration skills; ability to manage multiple priorities independently, and the ability to maintain appropriate boundaries while building supportive student relationships.
• Teaching license, substitute license, career coaching credential, or workforce development certification preferred but not required.