Bilingual Trainer/ Project Manager

About AFS:

Founded in 2010, Appalachian Field Services is an MHIC licensed construction social enterprise committed to providing work and career advancement to individuals facing barriers to employment, and to serving and lifting up the communities within which it works. AFS specializes in the renovation and maintenance of vacant housing, and takes on a wide variety of jobs, ranging from initial securing to full renovation.

In 2022, AFS formed the WaterBottle Worker-Owned Cooperative. AFS is now a subsidiary of WaterBottle. The majority of AFS business comes from its sister WaterBottle subsidiary, Rising Housing.

All Rising and AFS Employees are invited to become members of the WaterBottle Co-op after 60 days of employment.

Role Narrative:

The Training/Bilingual/Dispatch Associate Project Manager (TBD) will report to the AFS Ops Director. The TBD will support the Ops Director in the management of a variety of AFS work, from large construction projects to smaller repair and maintenance jobs. In addition to general project management tasks such as coordination with and support of construction teams and sites, the TBD will also lead AFS efforts to train construction (and possibly other WB staff) at the highest position-appropriate level, support Latina/o/e construction workers, and manage external customer relations.

Role Expectations:

• Organize, monitor and support construction projects
• Work with HR and Ops Director to:
• develop and administer worker trainings, education and certifications
• support spanish speaking co-op members
• Manage external construction client relations by:
• Receiving, responding to, and/or assigning for action and/or follow-up all external communications
• Monitoring follow-up and keeping clients informed of progress
• Cross train with other Assoc Proj Managers to support internal capacity building and redundancy

Role and Responsibilities

The Training/Bilingual/Dispatch Associate Project Manager will work with the WaterBottle HR Adminstrator and the AFS Operations Director to:

• Design and administer new training and certification policies, procedures and curricula
• Perfect P&P, including internal certifications and authorizations component
• Draft Work Order P&P curricula
• Work with media to produce training videos
• Identify need for in-person trainings and train the trainers

External Trainings and Certifications:

• OSHA 10
• OSHA 30
• Lead Renovator
• Asbestos

Work with WB HR Administrator to determine to what extent the TBD should also develop non-construction trainings for the co-op, eg:

• Worker coop democracy and administration
• New hire orientations, time-clock training, etc

Lead WaterBottle efforts to support its Spanish-speaking workers and tenants:

AFS ops:

• Create and implement Spanish internal trainings
• Locate external (Lead, OSHA, etc) Spanish trainings
• Translate work orders, subcontracts, and other ops docs
• Assist other project managers and workers with on-site translation
• Encourage and support bilingualism among AFS staff

WB & Rising:

• Assist Rising Property Management with bilingual needs assessment and bilingual services development

Assist WB HR with

• policy and procedure translation, training and administration
• Latina/o/e employee support, e.g. ITIN, Green Card, Asylum, Driver’s license, Financial literacy, life skills, External support referrals (health, mental health) etc.

Assist WB Coop with:

• welcoming dialogue in Spanish
• encouraging Latina/o/e co-op participation and engagement
• governance docs translation, administration and training

Other project management responsibilities (67%):

• Project Management Dashboard
• Draft RFP's & subcontracts.
• Administer & enforce subcontracts.
• Monitor, report and coordinate subcontractor performance via project management dashboard

Other Responsibilities:

• All AFS managers are expected to “jump in and get dirty” when needed, which could be when there is a labor shortage, or when good training and leadership by example are called for.
• Support efforts to secure investment and grants which both leverage and fund training and Latina/o/e outreach and support

Required Skills & Experience

• Spanish and English written and verbal fluency
• Experience in designing and delivering educational programs, with a focus on adult learning principles and workforce development.
• Strong foundational knowledge in human resources practices, including workforce development, diversity and inclusion, and employee relations.
• Intermediate to advanced computer skills, e.g., basic competency with spreadsheets, Google apps, PDFs, emails and attachments, and ability to interact with databases & use industry specific apps (project management/construction management)
• Drivers license and vehicle, ability to travel to Baltimore work sites, and, from time to time, other Maryland and DC work sites.
• Familiarity with construction industry, or, project management experience
• Ability to complete projects on time, on budget, with a high standard of quality.
• Good communication and writing skills.