Project Diakonia

OVERVIEW

Project Diakonia provides employment support, vocational training, and career navigation services to underserved young adults ages 16–24.

The Career Navigator serves as the primary point of contact for participants following enrollment and is responsible for helping participants progress toward meaningful employment, education, credential attainment, and long-term self-sufficiency. They build trusted relationships with participants while maintaining clear expectations for accountability and progress. This position coordinates individualized career planning, employment services, education navigation, supportive services, barrier reduction, and ongoing case management.

The Career Navigator works closely with instructors, Workforce Coaches, the Program Team, and other Project Diakonia staff to ensure participants experience coordinated services and clear transitions throughout the program.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Participant Engagement & Case Management

• Build professional, trusting relationships with participants that encourage accountability, growth, perseverance, and consistent engagement.
• Maintain an assigned caseload and proactively guide participants toward employment, education, credential attainment, or their next appropriate milestone.
• Develop, implement, and regularly update Individual Success Plans (ISPs) based on participant goals, barriers, progress, action steps and changing circumstances.
• Monitor participant progress and address disengagement, missed milestones, or emerging barriers promptly.
• Identify barriers affecting employment, education, or program participation and coordinate appropriate internal support and community resources.
• Maintain healthy professional boundaries while providing participant-centered support.

Career & Employment Navigation

• Coach participants in career exploration, career planning, goal setting, workplace readiness, professional communication, and personal development.
• Assist participants with employment preparation, including resumes, applications, interviewing, job search strategies, and workplace expectations.
• Help participants understand employer expectations related to attendance, communication, professionalism, reliability, and workplace conduct.
• Provide appropriate follow-up and retention support after employment or education placement.
• Develop and maintain productive relationships with employers, educational institutions, workforce partners, and community organizations.
• Identify employment, education, apprenticeship, and career-development opportunities appropriate for participants.

Documentation & Performance

• Maintain accurate, timely, and complete participant records.
• Document participant contacts, progress, barriers, referrals, supportive services, employment outcomes, education outcomes, and other required information.
• Maintain assigned program KPIs and contribute to organizational outcome tracking.
• Ensure documentation is completed according to program, grant, contract, and organizational requirements.
• Maintain participant records and confidential information in approved organizational systems.

SUCCESS IN THIS ROLE LOOKS LIKE

• Participants consistently progress toward employment, education, credential attainment, or their next appropriate milestone.
• Individual Success Plans are current, actionable, and actively used to guide participant progress.
• Participants understand both the support available to them and the expectations for their own participation and accountability.
• Barriers are identified early and addressed proactively.
• Participants remain engaged and receive timely follow-up when engagement declines.
• Participant records, documentation, and KPIs are accurate, timely, and complete.
• Participant employment, education, credential attainment, and retention outcomes are accurately tracked.
• Handoffs between Enrollment, Career Navigation, instructors, Workforce Coaches, and other program staff are clear and consistent.

CORE COMPETENCIES

• Relationship Building
• Coaching and Mentoring
• Career Planning
• Case Management
• Professional Communication
• Problem Solving
• Organization and Time Management
• Documentation and Follow-Through
• Collaboration
• Adaptability
• Professional Boundaries
• Accountability

SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum of two years of relevant experience in workforce development, case management, education, social services, counseling, youth development, or a related field.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to build trust while maintaining appropriate professional boundaries.
• Ability to effectively manage a caseload and multiple competing priorities.
• Strong organizational, documentation, and follow-through skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively across departments and with external partners.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and ability to learn and consistently use organizational technology and case-management systems.
• Experience working with underserved, opportunity, justice-involved, or otherwise high-barrier young adults.
• Experience with workforce development, career navigation, employment services, or community-based case management.
• Familiarity with Monday.com or similar workflow and case-management systems.
• Valid driver's license and ability to travel locally to participant meetings, employer locations, educational institutions, and community partner sites.

WORK SCHEDULE

Full-time.

Occasional evening or weekend work may be required based on participant, employer, program, or community needs.

PHYSICAL & WORK REQUIREMENTS

• Ability to communicate in person, by telephone, electronically, and through virtual meeting platforms.
• Ability to travel locally for participant meetings, employer visits, educational institutions, and community partner engagement.
• Ability to work in office, classroom, employer, and community environments as reasonably required by the position.

ROLE BOUNDARIES

The Career Navigator primarily provides case management, career navigation, employment support, and participant coordination.

The position should not independently perform instructional, enrollment-agent, clinical, or other regulated functions unless those responsibilities have been specifically assigned and the employee meets any applicable qualification, approval, training, or credentialing requirements.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

• Pay Range: $20.00 – $26.00 per hour, commensurate with experience and qualifications.
• In accordance with Colorado law, part-time employees accrue paid sick leave under the Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (HFWA) at a rate of 1 hour for every 30 hours worked. This position is also covered under the Colorado Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) program.

APPLICATION PROCESS

• Interested candidates should submit a resume through ZipRecruiter. We highly encourage including a brief cover letter describing your construction experience and your interest in mentoring young adults.
• Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

Project Diakonia is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Colorado Job Application Fairness Act, we do not request age, date of birth, or graduation dates on initial applications

Project Diakonia provides employment support, job training, and job placement services to at-risk young adults (ages 16-24) in Colorado Springs. For more information, please visit our website: projectdiakonia.org