Senior Program Specialist at Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Job Description:

Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania and North Central West Virginia is a nonprofit organization that funds job training, education, and other community programs by selling donated clothing and household items in Goodwill stores and online. We offer life-changing work on a mission-minded team. We are 1,000 working as one and each of us is essential to helping our community thrive. For three years running, Goodwill has been named to Forbes’ list of America’s “Most Inspiring Companies”.

We offer a wide range of career opportunities from entry level to management in retail, human services, and administrative fields. Learn more about working at Goodwill. You can help. We can show you how.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW:

The Project SEARCH Transition-to-Work program is a unique, business-led, one-year employment preparation program that takes place entirely at the workplace. The goal for each Project SEARCH participant is competitive employment. Total workplace immersion facilitates a seamless combination of classroom instruction, career exploration, and hands-on training through worksite rotations. Modeled on a nationally recognized program developed at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Project SEARCH provides students ages 18-21 with real-life work experience to help them develop the following skills: work etiquette/code of conduct, work social skills, interviewing skills, and job readiness skills. (Learn More About Project SEARCH)

POSITION SUMMARY:

As the Senior Program Specialist, you will plan, direct, and coordinate job readiness and related transition services, including facilitating job-readiness workshops, coordinating work experiences, and managing key stakeholder relations. The Senior Program Specialist works with service providers, agency staff, host business staff, and school districts to implement Project SEARCH at the host site. The Senior Program Specialist ensures implementation of each participant’s transition plan, working with the host business and industry to identify and build work-site rotations that meet their competitive employment needs.

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of and develop relationships with program partners and sites (e.g., hospitals, schools, family members, etc.) to meet the needs of individual participants, including but not limited to physical, social, cultural, and other livelihood needs (e.g., transportation, food, and housing needs).


• Prepare and maintain records and reports, such as participation data, or other information needed to gauge effectiveness of services.


• Develop service plans, support plan implementation, and ensure all applicable regulations, requirements, laws, policies, etc. are followed.


• Evaluate participants’ skills and abilities to ensure appropriate job matching; monitor participant progress and make necessary adjustments to ensure a quality experience and goal attainment.


• Provide direct service and support to participants, such as training on employment, employability, self-sufficiency, or related issues; support services referrals; identify workplace accommodations or adaptations; conduct needs evaluations, or resolve related issues requested by a participant or host site, to meet a participant’s individual needs.

External Hiring Range: $41,756.00 up to $43,426.24/year

Schedule: Monday through Friday (8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.) Schedule can vary depending on department needs.

Travel Required: Some local travel to community sites in Allegheny County may be required.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree AND no experience required.

Required Education: must be in Special Education.

Required Experience: must have a teaching certificate.

Preferred Experience:  Experience with transitional services and/or youth preferred. Teaching and Special Education certifications preferred.

REQUIRED CLEARANCES, LICENSES, AND CERTIFICATIONS:

• Candidates are expected to provide current, valid clearances (Child Abuse, FBI Fingerprints, and PATCH) prior to first day of employment.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)

Human Services

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