This specialist role supports San Diego County's education initiative, focusing on increasing submission rates for federal and state student aid applications. The specialist will work with refugee and immigrant youth, providing workshops and one-on-one support for financial aid and post-secondary institution applications, enrollment, and navigation. The position also involves assessing eligibility, creating career development plans, and assisting with job applications and placements.
Responsibilities
Develop and conduct a minimum of 8 workshops to educate and facilitate the FAFSA and CADAA processes
Provide personalized 1:1 assistance to a minimum of 130 clients with FAFSA/CADAA applications and financial aid education
Assist with post-secondary applications and enrollment in vocational trainings, community colleges, 4-year universities, adult schools, or vocational programs
Conduct outreach and recruit eligible students to the program services
Collaborate and communicate with school personnel to identify and enroll eligible students
Conduct eligibility and pre-enrollment assessments with potential participants, build career development plans with strategic direction, detailing actionable and realistic activities, and provide ongoing case management
Provide one-on-one assistance to help clients prepare their resumes during training period, look for appropriate job opportunities, and practice interview skills
Provide individual mentorship on resume writing, interview preparation, job search techniques, and other skills related to career advancement
Ensure the delivery of individualized and group coaching and instruction of advanced work readiness and other employability skills
Support clients in identifying, enrolling, and completing vocational training activities such as certification attainment, apprenticeships, paid/unpaid work experience, and recertification or licensure
Stay updated on financial aid policies for students of various citizenship status
Maintain and input student data including eligibility documents, attendance records, FAFSA/CADAA completion using IRC databases
Follow program policies and report client progress
Support general youth programming services, as needed
Connect students to tutoring services and other IRC programs based on individual needs
Contribute to the development and implementation of IRC Refugee Student Scholarship program
Attend and participate in Education and Training department meetings to collaborate with colleagues
Provide training and supervision to department volunteers as required
Perform other relevant duties as assigned
Requirements
Undergraduate degree required
Millions of jobs, with real people getting hired every day
200,000+
New jobs added daily
7,000,000+
Verified job listings
1,000,000+
Tailored applications submitted
Experience working with youth; experience in a school setting strongly preferred
Experience working with refugees, asylees, and/or immigrant populations required
Experience with or familiarity with the FAFSA or CADAA processes required
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to make presentations and lead groups
Proficiency in English and a refugee and/or immigrant language such as Spanish, Farsi/Dari, Pashto, Arabic, Swahili, etc. required
Ability to think and work independently
Must be very flexible, capable of working under pressure with deadlines and handling multiple priorities
Comfortable working in a fast-paced, multicultural environment
Strong digital literacy skills, particularly in MS Office applications and experience with databases
Access to a reliable vehicle to travel throughout the service delivery area with a valid driver's license and current insurance required
Nice to have:
Undergraduate degree in the education or social services field preferred
Case management or coaching experience preferred
Experience in a non-profit setting and/or international setting a plus
Experience with online learning platforms including Zoom, Google Classroom and Drive a plus
Benefits
10 sick days
10 US holidays
20-25 paid time off days depending on role and tenure
Medical insurance starting at $143 per month
Dental starting at $6.50 per month
Vision starting at $5 per month
FSA for healthcare and commuter costs
403b retirement savings plans with immediately vested matching
Disability & life insurance
Employee Assistance Program which is available to staff and their families to support counseling and care in times of crisis and mental health struggles
Important Details
Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:30am-5pm
May require occasional weekend and/or evening work
Working environment: standard office environment, including hybrid mode of remote work within San Diego County and required in-office days, and some 'field' time within the service delivery area
About the Company
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities.
