Entry Level Economic Development Jobs in Michigan

OUR ORGANIZATION:  

Kinexus, recognized as one of Nonprofit Times 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2026 Best Nonprofits to Work For, is a cutting-edge community development organization with growing initiatives to create an economically thriving Michigan. We are change agents who create solutions for business, workforce, and community challenges to promote economic vitality. 

The Michigan Works Team is made up of dedicated professionals whose role is to develop the local workforce and build a talent pipeline to meet current and future needs of employers in the area.  At the same time, we are helping jobseekers in our community find sustainable employment.  Customers come to the One Stop with many different skill levels and work with our specialists through coaching, scholarships for classroom training in high demand occupations, and on-the-job training opportunities.  We work closely with local businesses to connect jobseekers to multiple types of employment from entry level work to professional careers.    

OUR DESIRED OUTCOMES: 

Our long-term outcome is to attract individuals to support economic growth and vitality in Southwest Michigan. The Career Development Specialist will assess and evaluate One-Stop customers in alignment with high-demand industries, identify opportunities for skill upgrades or re-training, and enroll qualified job candidates into appropriate training opportunities. These opportunities will result in assisting job candidates to placement in high-demand sectors resulting in higher wage earnings.  

WHAT WE EXPECT FROM YOU: 

The Career Development Specialist is a crucial player within Michigan Works! Team. They are working with a variety of populations seeking employment, including low-income individuals, youth, college students, adults switching careers, single-parents, offenders, long-term unemployed, and ALICE population connecting them to community resources. They ensure the job seeker has a good customer experience while they align key resource for assisting with barriers to employment. The expectation is the Career Development Specialist will strive to dual enroll the job seeker in multiple programs that will help them reach self-sufficiency.

• Develop a working knowledge of required competencies of workforce programs: WIOA (Workforce Innovation Opportunities Act), FAE&T (Food Assistance Employment & Training), PATH (Partnership Accountability Training and Hope), RESEA (Reemployment Eligibility Service Employment Assessment), TAA (Trade Adjustment Assistance), Wagner-Peyser, and other programs as they are awarded
• Identify and provide career coaching, including resume assistance, mock interviews, supportive services, training opportunities, and professional development services in line with job seeker needs and regional job growth-employer demand
• Work to resolve barriers with disadvantaged participants and help establish and connect the participants to training, employment, and scholarship opportunities
• Perform timely data entry and maintain accurate participant files and perform monthly audits on each participant's file
• Maintain knowledge of current Michigan Works! services, high-demand sectors, and local employment opportunities
• Ongoing outreach and recruitment to seek potential customers for established programs
• Utilize tools to assess skills and abilities, assist with career planning, and provide continuous monitoring of the career development process 
• Works closely with Workshop Facilitator on the development of career coaching workshops both in person and in a virtual setting. 
• Interact daily with internal and external partners to achieve successful outcomes in support of performance metrics and organizational vision, goals, and strategies
• Performs an array of service duties including:
  • Veterans Affairs
  • Hiring and Special Event Planning
  • Jobseeker Outreach
  • High School Completion and Adult Education Provider Outreach
  • Community Resources and Partner Engagement
  • Workforce Intelligence and Salesforce
  • Compliance and File Retention 
• Strong collaboration skills and ability to work with multiple teams within Kinexus Group to streamline services, and maximize all resources in support of the right service at the right time  
• Model the way for a common purpose and shared consciousness under our Team of Teams approach. 
• Accountability to align with the mission, vision and values of Kinexus Group 
• Live our values - be bold, be inspirational, be entrepreneurial and be inclusive.
• Continuous quality improvement 

MINUMUM REQUIREMENTS: 

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent professional experience in business, human services, workforce development, or a related field 
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills 
• Passionate about serving others and the community 
• Capability to work in a team environment 
• Ability to organize, prioritize, and maintain confidentiality 
• Solid computer skills and ability in Microsoft, Excel, Power Point and virtual meeting platforms (ex: Google Hangout, Zoom) 
• Ability to adapt to change and work in a fast pace environment  
• Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills 

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE: 

• Two years of professional experience in business, social services, workforce development, or a related field 
• Prior case management experience 
• Spanish bilingual ability 

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:  

• Must be able to lift to 25 pounds at times.  
• Must be willing and able to travel approximately 30% of the time between Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren counties. 

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

• Flexible and open. 
• Periodic telecommute work.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM US:  

• A robust onboarding experience to integrate you into our team.  
• Team of Teams training in support of the organizational strategies.  
• Job training and development to ensure you are established and growing in your role.  
• Cross Operational Meetings with your peers.  
• Exceptional benefits. 
• Be a part of transformational change in Michigan. 

We have unique culture that requires individuals to be BOLD, INSPIRATIONAL, ENTREPRENEURIAL and INCLUSIVE. We spend more waking hours with each other than we do with family or friends, so finding someone that adds to our culture is extremely important.

Kinexus Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Program. Auxiliary aids, reasonable accommodations and/or services are available upon request for individuals with disabilities. Michigan Relay Center: 711 Voice and TDD. Kinexus is a partner of American Job Centers.