Bilingual Retention Specialist

North Lawndale Employment Network; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 55,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

North Lawndale Employment Network is seeking a Bilingual Supportive Services Navigator to serve as the central liaison between program participants and partner agencies, providing career consultation and facilitating retention.

The role manages a caseload, cultivates relationships with employers, and delivers Spanish-English interpretation for meetings and onboarding. This full-time position supports workplace success and community empowerment.

Qualifications

• Bilingual Spanish/English (oral and written).
• Experience in supportive services, case management, or navigation.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with diverse individuals.
• Independent work at an employer site.
• Commitment to NLEN's mission of employment equity.

Responsibilities

• Direct Support & Case Management: Conduct intake assessments and ongoing check-ins with employees to identify needs and develop individualized support plans.
• Referral Coordination & Resource Navigation: Connect employees to internal NLEN services and external resources; follow up for outcomes.
• Data, Reporting & Airtable Management: Document interactions in Airtable and generate reports tracking KPIs.

Skills

Bilingual Spanish/English

Supportive services experience

Case management

Interpersonal skills

Confidentiality

Independent work

Tools

Airtable

Job description

Reports to: Manager of Community Initiatives & Retention

Status: Non-Exempt

Hours: Full-Time, 8 AM - 5 PM, 40 hours per week

Compensation: $55,000 - $60,000

Organizational Description

North Lawndale Employment Network is a comprehensive workforce development agency on Chicago's West Side dedicated to advancing the economic outcomes of the community's residents through innovative employment initiatives, including our social enterprises. In August 2021, North Lawndale Employment Network (NLEN) transitioned to a new campus which features a premier community café for residents and stakeholders.

Our Mission

To improve the earning potential of the North Lawndale community through innovative employment initiatives that lead to economic advancement and an improved quality of life for residents.

We are seeking a Bilingual Supportive Services Navigator to function as a central liaison between participants who matriculate into continuing education/training programs, and/or employment opportunities, and external partner agencies, institutions, and employers. This position will orient, interview, and offer career consultation to NLEN program participants to ensure successful retention of career opportunity. In addition to managing a caseload of NLEN program participants, this position will also engage a network of employers to develop quality job options for residents.

Key Responsibilities

Direct Support & Case Management

• Conduct intake assessments and ongoing check-ins with employees to identify needs and develop individualized support plans.
• Provide direct services such as transportation supports, grocery stipends, housing stabilization referrals, appointment scheduling, and benefits navigation.
• Maintain strong, confidential, and trust-based relationships with employees.

Referral Coordination & Resource Navigation

• Connect employees to internal NLEN services including financial literacy, GED/ESL programs, banking enrollments, counseling/wellness services, coaching, and workforce advancement opportunities.
• Identify external community resources for housing assistance, food security, utility supports, childcare, and crisis assistance.
• Conduct timely follow-up to ensure referrals result in successful outcomes.
• Serve as the primary bilingual liaison between NLEN and Fillmore Linen Service, supporting HR, supervisors, and employees.
• Provide Spanish-English interpretation for meetings, orientations, onboarding conversations, and supervisor communication.
• Participate in monthly case reviews and contribute observations about emerging needs and trends.

Data, Reporting & Airtable Management

• Document all supportive service interactions, referrals, and outcomes using Airtable, consistent with NLEN data quality standards.
• Maintain accurate, timely records to support tracking of NLEN KPIs, including retention, stability outcomes, and wraparound service counts.
• Generate reports and summaries for the Manager of Community Initiatives & Retention to inform program improvement, employer engagement, and funding requirements.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Bilingual Spanish/English (oral and written).
• Experience in supportive services, case management, or community resource navigation.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively with diverse individuals, including immigrants and multilingual communities.
• Comfort working independently at an employer site.
• Strong organizational and communication skills.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and demonstrate sound judgment.
• Commitment to NLEN's mission of employment equity and community empowerment.

Preferred

• Experience using Airtable or other case management databases.
• Knowledge of Chicago's social service landscape and public benefits systems.
• Background in workforce development, social services, or community outreach

NLEN Core Values

Neighborhood-focused employment initiatives are fundamental.

Successful programs are neighborhood-focused and community-driven, so they meet the specific needs of individuals.

Quality of work matters.

People who work hard should not be poor. A full-time job must meet basic needs and offer conditions for engagement, advancement, and respect.

Economic mobility is essential to reducing poverty.

Family supporting wages and financial literacy are core to addressing economic insecurity, which disproportionately affects African American, Latino, and other families of color. Economic insecurity is not only impacting the poor; it has grown to threaten the middle class. Self-employment and entrepreneurship are critically important economic mobility strategies to generate income and boost household finances.

We must address the racial wealth gap and social inequality.

The United States' history of racially charged public policy has created the modern racial wealth divide not just through the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow, but through the more recent race-based discrimination in hiring, housing subsidies, tax subsidies, and veteran benefits as well as other implicitly and explicitly racist public policies.

Everyone deserves human dignity and empowerment.

To uphold this belief, we do all of our work in a manner that values human dignity and eliminates shame, humiliation, and stigma by building on the strengths that help our participants and community survive loss and trauma and rebalance the power dynamic between participants and authority figures.