Career Success Navigator

Good Shepherd Services, Ltd; New York (NY); On-site; USD 42,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

Good Shepherd Services is implementing a Career Success Initiative to support young people through work readiness, job readiness, and career readiness experiences. The Career Success Navigator will coach, build relationships, and navigate participants to opportunities across GSS sites in collaboration with staff and partners.

The role emphasizes trauma-informed, culturally responsive practice, and requires flexibility, mobility, and strong partnership-building to reduce barriers and sustain

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree preferred; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
• Experience delivering strengths-based coaching and youth development services.
• Ability to build trust with young people and provide consistent follow-through.
• Knowledge of education, training, internship, apprenticeship, employment, and community-resource systems in NYC (preferred).

Responsibilities

• Provide individualized career coaching, goal setting, and ongoing follow-up with CSI participants.
• Conduct intake and assessment to identify interests, goals, barriers, and readiness stage.
• Guide participants to Work Readiness, Job Readiness, or Career Readiness experiences and track progress across levels.
• Maintain a mobile presence across sites and partner with staff and community organizations.
• Coordinate warm handoffs and referrals to internal and external opportunities and supports.

Skills

Relationship building

Coaching

Case management

Communication

Organizational skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in social work, counseling, education, workforce development, human services, or related field

Job description

Reports to: Program Director, Career Success Initiative

Hours: 35 Hours/Week; Exempt

Job Summary

Good Shepherd Services (GSS) is developing a Career Success Initiative (CSI) to provide young people with connected, long-term support as they move through Work Readiness, Job Readiness, and Career Readiness experiences. The initiative is designed to create consistent pathways across GSS programs and external education, training, apprenticeship, internship, and employment partners.

The Career Success Navigator serves as an ongoing coach, relationship-builder, and system navigator for CSI participants. The Navigator meets participants where they are, helps them identify appropriate next steps, provides warm handoffs to internal and external opportunities, reduces barriers to participation and employment, and maintains support as participants advance in work, education, training, and career pathways. The role is mobile and works across GSS sites in close partnership with program staff and community partners.

Major Duties

• Build trusting relationships with participants and provide individualized career coaching, next-step advisement, goal setting, and ongoing follow-up.
• Conduct participant intake and support the CSI assessment process to help identify each participant’s interests, goals, experiences, barriers, and stage of readiness.
• Guide participants into appropriate Work Readiness, Job Readiness, or Career Readiness experiences and support their progress from one level to the next.
• Maintain a visible, mobile presence across assigned GSS sites through workshops, guest presentations, intake meetings, office hours, and direct coaching.
• Receive referrals from GSS programs when participants need resources, connections, or career supports beyond those available within the referring program.
• Provide warm handoffs as the standard practice, including personal introductions, co-attendance at initial appointments when appropriate, and continued follow-up with participants and partners.
• Connect participants to internal GSS programs and external education, training, HSE, internship, apprenticeship, college, and employment opportunities.
• Coordinate barrier-reduction supports, including assistance securing identification needed for work and connections to childcare, housing, legal, and other resources.
• Help coordinate micro-internships and other bridge-to-job-readiness experiences for participants with limited work experience or system involvement.
• Connect participants with career-development mentors and other supportive adults as appropriate.
• Maintain contact with participants after completion or exit from their final CSI program experience, including participants who are employed, in college, or in training, for at least 12 months and up to 24 months when indicated by the CSI model.
• Provide support to alumni and incumbent workers with employment retention, re-engagement, advancement, career changes, and transitions.
• Advise GSS program staff about available next steps and resources for participants, including individuals who are not formally enrolled in CSI.
• Document participant engagement, referrals, warm handoffs, progress, placements, barriers addressed, and follow-up activities in designated systems.
• Collaborate with the CSI Navigator team, GSS program staff, and external partners to strengthen pathways, improve participant experience, and identify service gaps.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in social work, counseling, education, workforce development, human services, or a related field preferred; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
• Experience providing strengths-based coaching, case management, career development, youth development, workforce development, or related services to adolescents and young adults.
• Demonstrated ability to build trusting relationships with young people and to provide consistent, participant-centered follow-through.
• Knowledge of education, training, internship, apprenticeship, employment, and community-resource systems in New York City preferred.
• Ability to work effectively with young people facing barriers related to housing, childcare, identification, legal-system involvement, limited work experience, or disconnection from school or employment.
• Commitment to trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and strengths-based practice.
• Strong partnership-building, communication, facilitation, problem-solving, and organizational skills.
• Ability to collaborate across programs, maintain professional relationships with external partners, and coordinate warm handoffs.
• Ability to document services accurately, manage a caseload, track follow-up, and use data to support participant progress and program improvement.
• Ability to work independently, manage multiple priorities, and maintain a flexible schedule and mobile presence across GSS program locations.
• Ability to use public transportation to travel throughout New York City.
• Bilingual skills are a plus.

General Requirements

All staff are expected to be committed to the mission, vision, and values of Good Shepherd Services, including involvement in quality assurance activities and a willingness and ability to work within a culturally diverse environment.