Career Development Specialist

Job Title: Career Development Specialist
FLSA Status: Full-time/Exempt
Department: Member Development
Reports To: Sr. Director, Career Development
Location: Rung St. Louis
Schedule: Varies; will include evenings and weekends
Salary Range: $50,000 – 65,000

Description of Organization:
Rung for Women is comprised of a team of passionate and enthusiastic individuals who are committed to inspiring women to climb the economic ladder. We envision a world where all women can lead equitable and abundant lives. Our program offers professional and personal development opportunities, along with a supportive community, for women who want to earn more money and overcome the systemic economic, social and health barriers to wealth creation.

We believe in unlocking potential and possibilities in our staff and Members (program participants). We leverage a strengths-based coaching model to build our Members’ capacity for goal setting and problem solving, along with financial education, power skills development, and pathways to middle-skill career pathways that offer a thriving wage. Currently, Rung focuses on career pathways in the technology, geospatial, and advanced manufacturing industries. Rung partners with employers and training partners, who offer a fast-track to career launch though short-term industry-specific training, on-the-job training and apprenticeships. At the same time, Rung Members gain access a community of like-minded women, health and wellness amenities, and child-care to support them in achieving their goals.

Since our launch March of 2021, more than 300 women have begun a journey with Rung, many of whom have completed career training and coaching and have achieved better employment opportunities.

Our staff are:

• Passionate about Rung’s vision & mission
• Collaborators
• Effective communicators
• Self-directed
• Value-adders
• Have a growth mindset and high EQ

Position summary: Utilizing the GROW (Goal/Reality/Options/Way Forward) Coaching model, this position is responsible for guiding Members through Rung’s Member Development Process. The Career Development Specialist provides advisement on career exploration, selection, goal setting, and job search and attainment. If you love making connections with people, motivating and inspiring them to achieve results, and thrive on dynamic variety in your day, then this position is for you.

How you’ll help Rung achieve our vision: This position serves as the Member’s coach, career advisor, and success partner to ensure that they successfully complete Rung’s programming, achieve their career goals, and secure/maintain employment so that they can ultimately increase their wealth.

What you will do:
Individualized Career Coaching

• Provide coaching and advisement on Members’ career-related aspirations, concerns, and uncertainties to encourage the selection of appropriate career choices
• Administer and review results of various assessment tools to guide Members through career selection and confirmation process
• Conduct regular check-in meetings to coach Members on clarifying, setting, and following through with individual goals
• Maintain awareness and understanding of skill and job requirements for Rung’s selected career options
• Track Members’ meeting attendance, performance and progress in program to ensure ongoing engagement
• Provide accountability and guidance to manage Members’ completion of all program components
• Assist Members in navigating program logistics, including ensuring Members are enrolled in required classes, trainings, and appropriate optional activities
• Maintain accurate meeting notes, and ensure required data input to Salesforce database

Group Coaching & Facilitation

• Lead group coaching sessions to ensure Members develop the skills and confidence for transitioning to a new career
• Facilitates presentations on personal and professional career development issues
• Provides group discussions related to career exploration and career planning
• Coordinate the scheduling and management of group coaching sessions and volunteer support
• Conduct group practices sessions on job readiness skills (i.e. interviewing) and provide feedback to Members

Job Search Support

• Responsible for ensuring 70% to 80% of a caseload of 40 – 50 Members attain a new job or promotion during 3-months of job attainment support.
• Responsible for ensuring 70% to 80% of Members with new jobs or promotions retain them for 90-days.
• Assist Members with development and execution of a job search plan with defined goals and timelines
• Provide guidance and feedback on job search activities during program and for up to 90-days after Members complete training
• Assists with developing individual coaching supports for Members’ “Rung Ready” job search strategies
• Create, curate and add coaching and career development related content to the Learning Management System
• Review and provide feedback on resumes, cover letters, and other job search related documents and activities

General Program Support and Administration

• Participate in cross-functional teams to ensure successful execution of program and achievement of organizational goals
• Attend admissions, recruitment, and member training events to assist with cultivation of prospective members and current member support
• Administer surveys and collect data to evaluate the effectiveness of individual and group sessions with Members
• Maintain weekly Salesforce data entry standards along with meeting monthly quality audits
• Proactively assist with researching and learning targeted industries
• Proactively assist with designing, developing, and refining programmatic processes and assets
• Assist other departments as needed

Schedule and Training

• This position requires working at least 2 nights per week until 8:00 p.m. and occasional weekends
• Ability to flex work schedule for extended hours with approval from supervisor
• Required to work a minimum of 3 days in the office unless meeting schedules dictate additional days
• Employees are expected to occasionally assist with Rung’s non-programmatic programs as requested
• Completion of basic Coach training within first year of employment, unless proof of previous training completion is provided
• Completion of a Coursera training program within first 6 months of employment

What you need to bring us:

• Passion for Rung’s vision & mission
• Demonstrated experience in working with individuals from diverse backgrounds
• Previous experience working with people on a one-to-one, high capacity, basis
• Previous coaching, leadership, and career development experience
• Previous experience and demonstrated comfort in facilitating groups
• Program design experience is a plus, or a demonstrated deep interest in learning this skill
• Ability to make connections with, motivate, and inspire others to achieve results
• Empathetic communication style
• People- and relationship-orientation
• Comfort with using data to assess Member progress, setting priorities, and making modifications to encourage successful outcome attainment
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office products
• Familiarity with CRM systems (particularly Salesforce) preferred
• Previous workforce development and/or social work experience a plus

Why Rung for Women?

Rung for Women knows that our success is the result of attracting, retaining, and investing in high caliber staff who have a passion for our vision and mission. When you thrive, Rung thrives. We therefore offer a competitive array of benefits, including:

• Comprehensive Health Insurance: Medical, dental, and vision (majority of the cost for employees is paid by Rung) plus short- and long-term disability insurance (fully paid by Rung)
• Retirement: dollar-for-dollar match up to 5% of the employee’s annual salary
• Paid Time Off: Up to three weeks of vacation, 1 week off at end of December, 1 week of sick time, 20 hours of volunteer time, and 9 holidays each year
• Flexibility: flexible work schedule to adjust for longer workdays. A minimum of three or more workdays required in the office; remote work may be allowed for up to two days per week.
• Paid personal and family leave: up to 12 weeks paid time off annually for the birth of your child or to respond to your own serious illness; up to 2 weeks to respond to a loved-one’s illness
• Cell Phone Reimbursement: up to $75 monthly
• Professional Development: up to $2,000 annually to further your professional development, plus monthly professional development in-services
• Team Building: organized activities throughout the year for departments and all staff to build a strong staff community

Rung for Women is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws. This policy applies to all employment practices within our organization, including hiring, recruiting, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, leave of absence, compensation, benefits, training, and apprenticeship.

The above job description is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of duties and standards of the position. Incumbents will follow any other instructions, and perform any other related duties, as assigned by their supervisor.

Application Process
Interested candidates should complete the following steps by Monday, February 5th at 5:00pm CST:
1. Predictive Index Assessment https://assessment.predictiveindex.com/6KH/9bd7734f-aae9-422c-ab2a-a9b26b5a0416?type=candidateba (5-7 minutes)
2. Submit your resume and cover letter to Rung for Women at Careers@rungforwomen.org

Interview Process
The hiring manager will review applications as they are received and determine which candidates are a good fit for the position; eligible candidates will be invited to an initial interview. Finalists will be informed of the next phase of the interviewing process.

All applicants will be informed of their application status.