Student Support Specialist

ESAC Youth Education Collaborative (EYOC)

Status: Fulltime

Location: Jamaica Plain

Salary: $52,000/yr

Schedule: 40 hours

Company's website: www.esacboston.com/eyoc

Job Summary:

The Student Support Specialist will provide educational counseling, workforce planning, guidance, and social support to EYOC students and alumni. The Student Support Specialist will play an integral role in building an inclusive and supportive environment for our students to learn.

The Student Support Specialist will be adept in managing and building relationships with community agencies to provide a network of integrated support that enable student persistence. The Student Support Specialist will be responsible for spearheading needs assessment to address barriers to progress including housing insecurity and homelessness, mental and behavioral health challenges, medical care, parenting supports, legal advocacy, emergency and financial assistance, and learning disability intervention.

The Student Support Specialist will also oversee service planning by meeting with students monthly to document academic and workforce goals, explore career pathways, conduct labor market research, and submit applications for employment, training, career certification, and college.

As a collaborative member of our team, the Student Support Specialist will work closely with the Education Director and HISET instructor to ensure EYOC students and families receive equitable access to education and social services to support academic credentialing, career transitions, and each student’s holistic development.

The Student Support Specialist will also be responsible for planning and developing workshops centered on student’s skills acquisition in the areas of career awareness, digital literacy, and financial planning.

Each year EYOC serves 30 Black and Latino youth from Greater Boston who are off-track from high school completion. The EYOC Student Support Specialist will help build upon our trauma-informed structure to foster a safe and responsive environment for our youth to thrive and succeed.

Requirements:

Graduate degree in Psychology, Counseling, Social Work, or related field is preferred. Bachelors degree required.

- 2+ years continuous experience providing case management to youth/young adults and families with the following barriers: court systems involvement (DCF, DYS), mental/behavioral/health challenges, substance abuse, trauma, domestic violence, homelessness, economic hardship, learning disabilities, and/or school drop-out status.

- An understanding of cultural competency and proficiency in supporting the socioemotional needs of youth of color in the Urban Education setting.

- A car and a valid US driver's license required.

**A CORI check and two positive references from employers are required

Specific Responsibilities:

  • Case Management: Assess and provide interventions for student's barriers to education and personal development. Acting as a truancy officer, the Student Support Specialist will investigate student absence and work with students and families to promote engagement in our learning community.

  • Collaborate with students, families, and stakeholders in the areas of child welfare, juvenile justice, mental and behavioral health, education, employment, and post-secondary training, and help students and families devise an action plan for student’s stabilization and skills-building.

  • Individualized Service Planning: Engage each student in service needs assessment and monthly goal-setting to prepare for post-graduate career entry. They will also maintain quarterly communication with program alumni and non-completers to provide access to post-program educational and career entry. The Student Support Specialist will apprise staff on service plans, goal attainment, and interventions offered to students.

  • Career Coaching and Life Skills Workshops. Develop a curriculum integrating socio-emotional learning and workforce readiness. The Student Support Specialist will host weekly workshops on workforce development, career exploration, soft skills, occupational assessment, the labor market, financial planning, digital literacy, professional communication, and life skills.

  • Service Coordination: Maintain daily communication with EYOC staff and community partners to align interventions and data sharing.

  • Collateral Contact: Collaborate with agencies including: DCF, DTA, DYS, legal services, health care, housing, and others to mitigate student’s barriers to engagement and HiSET credentialing.

  • Disability Accommodation Coordination: Ensure equal access to instruction, HISET testing, workforce development, and career-related activities in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Student Support Specialist will liaison between the Boston Public Schools, social workers, therapists, and medical/behavioral health stakeholders to help students complete the application process for reasonable accommodations on the HISET tests.

  • Data Management: Maintain documentation of service planning, student's progress and related information. The Student Support Specialist will also be responsible for data entry, quarterly reporting, and participation in community network meetings to ensure the continuation of program funding.

  • Grievance Procedures: Negotiate student's grievances as needed.

  • Professional conduct: You will be required to show respect for the EYOC student body and their lived experience, model appropriate boundaries, and enact cross-cultural sensitivity with a strong understanding of the nuances of supporting high-risk in the educational and career settings.

* As an ESAC employee you are expected to perform according to the expectations and policies associated with employment under the Ecumenical Social Action Committee (ESAC).*

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $25.00 per hour

Benefits:

  • 401(k)

  • Dental insurance

  • Flexible spending account

  • Health insurance

  • Health savings account

  • Paid time off

  • Professional development assistance

  • Vision insurance

Schedule:

  • 8 hour shift

  • Day shift

  • Monday to Friday

  • No weekends

COVID-19 considerations:
ESAC requires all front-facing staff to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19.

Work Location: One location

Please send cover letter and resume to Peg Drisko.