Community Engagement Specialist

The Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services (CASES); New York (NY); On-site; USD 47,000 - 54,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental

Vision

Vacation and PTO

Holidays

403(b) retirement plan

Employee Referral Program

Job summary

CASES is seeking a Community Engagement Specialist to support the Supervised Release Program by delivering trauma-informed, culturally competent services in Brooklyn. You will mentor participants, broker connections to community supports, and accompany clients to court dates as needed.

Your role emphasizes building trust, navigating complex systems, and helping participants achieve their personal goals during the supervision period.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or HSE is required.
• Lived experience working in systems and communities affected by social support is required.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Respect for confidentiality.
• Strong interpersonal skills.
• Proficiency with word processing and spreadsheets (MS Word, Excel); experience with PowerPoint.
• Must be a self-starter and able to work independently.

Responsibilities

• Build authentic, long-term mentorship relationships with pretrial participants to support individuals to develop and commit to their own plans for change and growth.
• Engage with participants using cultural sensitivity and establish mutuality to motivate participants.
• Serve as a broker to connect participants to pro-social activities and community supports.
• Facilitate peer support networks for youth participants to support positive behavior change and goals.
• Accompany participants to court dates and advocate for them as appropriate.
• Provide advocacy and mentorship to address participants' needs and navigate systems.
• Engage participants at risk to promote engagement and trust with supervision.
• Help build community provider networks and referrals for income support, housing, education, employment, health, and more.
• Visit service providers’ facilities, assess service quality, and contribute to referrals list.
• Facilitate meetings for participants to receive services and accompany them when needed.
• Serve as an accountability partner bridging participants and staff.

Skills

Lived Experience

Organizational Skills

Verbal & Written Communication

Confidentiality

Interpersonal Skills

MS Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Self-starter

Education

High school diploma or HSE

Tools

MS Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Job Title

Community Engagement Specialist

Job Summary

CASES’ Supervised Release Program (SRP) annually diverts 2,500 people otherwise facing pretrial detention at Rikers Island to community-based supervision and support services. Program participants include youth and young adults, people with substance use disorders and mental illnesses, and individuals who are homeless. About 88% of SRP participants identify as Black and Latinx. The program serves individuals of all gender identities and sexual orientations. While many SRP participants experience significant behavioral health and other service needs, they have not been found guilty of a crime and have limited obligation to engage in program services.

This context requires SRP community staff to expertly deliver culturally competent and trauma-informed approaches to help participants tap into their intrinsic motivation as they recognize and leverage their strengths and skills, typically including remarkable resilience. Community staff—including through mobile outreach in participants’ community settings—help participants fulfill Supervised Release Program court-mandated supervision. SRP community staff seek to leverage the pretrial supervision period—typically lasting about 5-6 months—to help participants identify their goals and access services to support meaningful life improvements while fulfilling all court requirements and avoiding detention and incarceration.

Salary

The salary for the Community Engagement Specialist position is $47,380 (Uncertified) - $53,560 (Certified) per year.

Shift Hours

This position is full-time Monday - Friday from 9AM to 5PM.

Location Address

25 Chapel Street, 11th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201.

Workplace Flexibility

On-site

What you will be doing

• Build authentic, long-term mentorship relationships with pretrial participants to support individuals to develop and commit to their own individual plans for change and growth
• Engage with participants using cultural sensitivity skills and establish mutuality through connectivity in order to motivate participants
• Serve as a broker to connect participants to pro-social activities, positive peer groups, as well as formal and informal community supports
• Facilitate peer support networks for youth participants to support these participants to maintain their commitment to positive behavior change and their identified goals
• Accompany participants to court dates, waiting with participant for court appearance and advocating for participant, if appropriate
• Provide advocacy and mentorship to support participants to address their needs, navigate systems, and progress successfully through pretrial supervision
• Engage participants who are at increased risk for poor pretrial supervision outcomes, complementing the work of case coordinators to promote participant engagement and trust with supervision
• Support the development of community provider networks conducting outreach to community providers and grassroot neighborhood groups to ensure participants have access to a range of services to address income support, clothing/food, education, vocational, employment, trauma, mental health, substance use, employment, healthcare, cultural, spiritual, care management, and housing needs
• Visit service provider facilities, assess the quality of services, and contribute to the list of referrals
• Facilitate meetings for participants to receive services and accompany participants to facilities, if appropriate and necessary
• Serve as an accountability partner for participants and bridge between participants and other staff members

What we are looking for

• High school diploma or HSE required
• Lived Experience working in systems and communities impacted by social support systems is required
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Respect for confidentiality
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Highly proficient in word processing and spreadsheet applications (MS Word, Excel), experience with PowerPoint
• Must be a self-starter and able to work independently

Additional, skills we are looking for preferred but are not essential skills

• Conflict management and de-escalation skills preferred
• Credible Messenger training preferred

Employee Benefits

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Vacation and Paid Time Off – starting at 25 days-off annually, plus an additional summer self-care day.
• 12 Paid Holidays per year.
• Retirement 403(b) Competitive matching up to 6%.
• Employee Referral Program

Our Values

At CASES, we like to move with PURPOSE, which reflects our values:

PEOPLE| Hold people’s stories with dignity

UNITY|Commit to a shared mission

RESPECT|Celebrate the strength of diversity

PROGRESS|Always work to improve

OPTIMIZE|Make the best use of resources

SOLUTIONS|Work together to solve problems

EMPATHY| Seek to understand others

Although we would love to learn about the skills of every candidate, only selected candidates that are selected will receive a response.

CASES is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment with CASES is based solely on qualifications and competence for a particular position without regard to race, color, ethnic or national origin, age, religion, creed, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or marital, military, or citizenship status. We also actively recruit individuals with prior involvement in the criminal legal system.

Monday - Friday, 9am to 5pm

35 hours per week excluding breaks