CONNECT Workforce Development AmeriCorps VISTA

Job Type
Fellowship
Organization
The Neighborhood Developers
Address

4 Gerrish Ave
Chelsea, MA
United States

Job Description

CONNECT Workforce Development AmeriCorps VISTA

Apply by 9/27/21 for a 10/25/21 start date

 

The Neighborhood Developers (TND) and its CONNECT department are seeking a full-time service member starting in late October 2021 to play an integral role in our workforce development initiatives in Chelsea and Revere.  Both communities were hard hit by the pandemic – with a great deal of job loss and financial instability for our low income, largely immigrant communities - so this is a particularly important time for workforce development.

The Workforce Development VISTA could make a critical difference in our constituent families’ lives while learning valuable new skills.  These skills will include substantive understanding of workforce development but will also include other valuable skills such as how to work in coalition with other organizations, how to influence policy makers, how to integrate direct services into broader efforts, how to adapt to changes on the ground and other valuable transferable skills.  TND does not offer VISTAs busy work; instead, our VISTAs become integral members of our team, have substantial interaction with other members of our staff and our community partners and constituents and can take major leadership roles in projects. 

This VISTA will work in coalition with grassroots advocacy organizations, municipal government leaders and other partners to help advocate for policies that support workforce development that will assist our unique communities and will provide developmental support for CONNECT’s direct services.  By supporting CONNECT’s abilities to place members of our constituency in family sustaining jobs with good benefits, the VISTA will help us achieve our long-term goal of moving clients from a place of economic insecurity to a place of financial stability and resilience.

 

Detailed Job Description

The Workforce Development  VISTA’s 2021 -2022 work will focus on the following tasks:

  1. Develop and implement a communication system for Chelsea and Revere’s workforce development coalitions (the Good Jobs Coalition and Revere Works). Likely activities will include developing a calendar of planned events across all partner organizations, running focus groups of community members to inform design of communication tools, devising a branding protocol for members’ use on public facing materials, developing a plan for members’ coordinated outreach and cross-marketing, and supporting the development of a two-city information portal for job seekers.
  2. Increase the volunteer capacity of the new workforce development services of the CONNECT Hotline. Likely activities will include working to develop a volunteer engagement plan, recruiting, training and deploying volunteers for the Hotline’s new re-employment service, and organizing several job and/or training program fairs supported by volunteers. By the end of the VISTA year, the VISTA will evaluate the use of volunteers in the CONNECT Hotline’s rapid re-employment service and report on volunteer-supported services and outcomes to date.
  3. Enhance TND’s ability to link constituents to workforce development services and its ability to increase clients’ digital literacy. Likely activities will include cataloging all local skills training, apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeships, relevant adult education offerings currently available to Chelsea and Revere residents and making sure that our constituents know about all these opportunities.  In addition, the VISTA may research and report on effective digital literacy programming and funding sources, develop and maintain a schedule for digital literacy across partner organizations, and research and write a memo that evaluates coalition partners’ digital literacy programming, with recommendations for next stage development.

Please note this is a VISTA member position, not a staff position (though a number of VISTAs have ended up as members of our staff). The VISTA member will be supervised by the Director of CONNECT, Alexa Shabecoff, and will work closely with our many formal and informal partnerships organizations.   The VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) program provides full-time volunteers to nonprofit, faith-based and other community organizations to create and expand programs that bring low-income individuals and communities out of poverty. In addition to a living allowance, the VISTA program offers an education award or cash stipend, health insurance, and week-long training in a U.S. city. For more information about AmeriCorps VISTA, see https://www.nationalservice.gov/programs/americorps/americorpsvista

 

Qualifications

Required:

  • College degree or relevant work history
  • At least 18 years of age
  • Strong analytic skills
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills
  • Responsible, self-motivated, and able to carry out and prioritize multiple ongoing projects
  • Thrives in a fast-paced work environment
  • Flexible enough to adapt to changes on the ground requiring changed objectives
  • Ability to work occasional evenings or weekends (e.g. for focus groups), not to exceed 40 hours/week
  • Strong work ethic, a good sense of humor, and a commitment to social justice

 

Desired:

  • Experience working in a diverse multi-cultural community
  • Relevant experience in community development / workforce programs
  • Experience using analytic tools such as SAS, R, Excel, Tableau or others
  • Database management experience, preferably Salesforce
  • Bi-lingual English-Spanish (both written and spoken)

 

Application Instruction

To Apply

TND is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. 

Reports to: CONNECT Director

The Neighborhood Developers, Inc. (http://theneighborhooddevelopers.org/) creates vibrant neighborhoods where people from all walks of life can thrive. Focused on three cities that abut Boston to the north (Chelsea, Revere, and Everett), TND brings its core strengths -- building homes, engaging neighbors, and fostering economic mobility -- to community partnerships that create thriving families and strong neighborhoods. 

One of TND’s signature initiatives is the CONNECT program which has an in-house staff that includes workforce development, financial coaching, rental assistance, free tax prep and benefits advising.  CONNECT also integrates the services of five agencies working together to improve the financial mobility of 3,000 clients annually. The program’s leadership constantly seeks to improve the mix, method of delivery, and quality of its services to better meet community members’ needs. 

Please email a resume and cover letter to VISTAVolunteer@tndinc.org. Please list CONNECT Workforce Development VISTA in the subject line. Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled - through September 27, 2021.