Job Development Specialist

Job Development Specialist

Organization Overview:

Community Services League (CSL), founded in 1916, is one of the Kansas City region’s largest social service providers. Through its mission and vision of collaborating on strategies that foster community stability and individual wellbeing, CSL maintains and delivers a variety of innovative anti-poverty programs that help move our community forward. CSL’s programming offers a full suite of case management, supportive coaching, and direct wrap-around services to assist our neighbors in creating stability in their lives and households. We assist individuals and families throughout the metro area, and, largely, our programming is in the areas of basic needs, family stability, workforce development, financial coaching, housing services, and community development.

Position Overview

The Job Development Specialist is responsible for building and maintaining strong relationships with employers to create meaningful job opportunities for program participants. This role serves as a critical link between the organization and the local business community, promoting the value of inclusive hiring and matching employer needs with the skills and goals of job seekers. The Specialist proactively develops a network of employer partners through outreach, site visits, and ongoing communication, identifying hiring trends, workforce demands, and partnership opportunities. In collaboration with employment program staff, the Specialist aligns employer requirements with participant qualifications, facilitating job placements, internships, and other work-based learning opportunities.

Reports to: Senior Vice President of Workforce Development

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain relationships with a diverse network of employers to identify current and future hiring needs.
• Conduct targeted outreach to businesses through cold calls, networking events, job fairs, site visits, and community partnerships to promote program services and job candidates.
• Serve as a liaison between employers and job seekers, ensuring a strong match between job openings and participant skills, interests, and career goals.
• Develop customized hiring solutions for employer partners, including on-the-job training programs, internships, and work experiences.
• Coordinate and host employer events, such as hiring fairs, informational sessions, and workplace tours to enhance participant exposure to job opportunities.
• Maintain a database of employer contacts, job leads, and placement outcomes to track engagement and ensure timely follow-up.
• Collaborate with employment services staff to prepare job seekers for employer expectations, including resume tailoring, interview coaching, and soft skill development.
• Gather and relay feedback from employers on candidate performance, using it to inform coaching strategies and program improvements.
• Stay current on labor market trends, industry needs, and workforce development practices to inform outreach strategies and employer engagement efforts.
• Advocate for inclusive hiring practices, encouraging employers to consider individuals from diverse backgrounds, including those with barriers to employment.
• Works closely with other Worklife Center team members in a collaborative manner.
• Research industry data that supports New Skills Course Selections.
• Participates in CSL Worklife Center Activities.
• Participates in continuous improvement strategies.
• Identify key community partners related to adult education and career development. This may include relationship building with local schools and trade programs, scholarships, and access to skill training, job clubs, and other resources.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

This job has no supervisory responsibilities.

Hours/Schedule: The typical hours for this position are 8am-5pm, Monday-Thursday and 8am-12pm on Friday. From time to time, this schedule will vary depending on the needs of clients, partners, or programs.

Salary/Benefits:

Salary will be commensurate with experience with a salary range beginning at $43,888-$55,369. CSL offers an employee health insurance plan, and a retirement savings plan with company contributions, that is available after the required tenure is met.

Physical Demands & Work Environment:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, talk and/or hear. The employee is frequently required to use hands to handle information and work within various accounting systems by computer. The employee is occasionally required to move throughout the office to assist, to interact with and communicate with staff. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 5 pounds.

Competencies:

To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies:

• Job Knowledge - Competent in required job skills and knowledge; exhibits ability to learn and apply new skills; keeps abreast of current developments; requires minimal supervision; displays understanding of how job relates to others; uses resources effectively.
• Use of Technology - Demonstrates required skills; adapts to new technologies; troubleshoots technological problems; uses technology to increase productivity; keeps technical skills up to date.
• Customer Service - Manages difficult or emotional customer situations; responds promptly to customer needs; solicits customer feedback to improve service; responds to requests for service and assistance; meets commitments.
• Communications - Expresses ideas and thoughts verbally; expresses ideas and thoughts in written form; exhibits good listening and comprehension; keeps others adequately informed; selects and uses appropriate communication methods.
• Adaptability - Adapts to changes in the work environment; manages competing demands; changes approach or method to best fit the situation; able to deal with frequent change, delays, or unexpected events.
• Quality - Demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness; looks for ways to improve and promote quality; applies feedback to improve performance; monitors own work to ensure quality.
• Teamwork - A team player with a high energy level, strong interpersonal and multi-tasking skills, enthusiasm, initiative and flexibility who will represent Community Services League in a professional and ethical manner at all times.

Preferred Qualifications:

A strong candidate must be able to work independently and take the initiative on getting things done within the given parameters; have strong networking skills; be organized and able to manage time; computer skills; and have strong team-building skills.

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field and/or a minimum of two years’ experience in similar field.
• Familiarity with Eastern Jackson County and surrounding communities and their resources
• Must have experience and the capacity to work with neighbors in a wide variety of life circumstances, from a variety of backgrounds, and with a resiliency-minded lens.