Employment Specialist

Home Start Inc.; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 55,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Home Start Inc. in San Diego, CA seeks an Employment Specialist to support individuals facing homelessness and housing instability by providing employment assistance, readiness training, and case management within supportive housing programs.

You will conduct screenings, develop individualized employment plans, deliver job-search skills training, coordinate trainings, and collaborate with partners to help participants secure and retain work while advancing housing stability.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience required.
• Experience providing employment services, workforce development, or case management required.
• Experience serving individuals experiencing homelessness, housing instability, or barriers to employment preferred.

Responsibilities

• Conduct employment screenings, assessments, and skills evaluations to identify participant strengths, barriers, interests, and employment goals.
• Develop individualized employment and service plans in collaboration with participants.
• Provide structured job readiness and job-seeking skills training, including resume development, interview preparation, workplace communication, customer service, and professional conduct.
• Coordinate or facilitate classroom, online, computer-assisted, and on-the-job training opportunities.
• Support participants in developing learning skills necessary to secure and retain employment, including obtaining vocational licenses and certifications.
• Provide pre-vocational training, tutoring, literacy support, and employment-related instructional resources.
• Assist participants with employment applications, documentation, job search activities, and employment placement support.
• Provide counseling, encouragement, and job coaching to support participant success and employment retention.
• Support workforce development cohorts participating in the Thrift Boutique program through training coordination, participant support, coaching, attendance tracking, and skill development activities.
• Assist participants in developing transferable workplace skills through hands-on training opportunities within the Thrift Boutique environment.
• Coordinate with workforce agencies, training providers, employers, and community partners to support participant employment opportunities.
• Track participant progress toward employment and training goals and maintain required program documentation.
• Assist with coordinating participant stipends related to eligible employment and training activities in accordance with program guidelines.

Skills

Trauma-informed

Housing-first

Case management

Coaching/workshop

Communication

Bilingual English/Spanish

Microsoft Office

Education

Bachelor's degree in social work, human services, psychology, counseling, workforce development, or related field

Tools

Case management systems

Microsoft Office

Databases

Online employment platforms

Job description

The Employment Specialist supports individuals in achieving economic stability and self-sufficiency through employment assistance, workforce development, and case management services within supportive housing programming. This position assists participants experiencing homelessness, housing instability, or other barriers to employment by providing individualized support, employment readiness services, and referrals to community resources. The role works collaboratively with supportive housing staff, workforce development partners, and community providers to help participants increase income, secure and retain employment, and support long-term housing stability.

This position also supports workforce development cohorts participating in employment training opportunities connected to the agency’s Thrift Boutique program.

Key Responsibilities

Employment Assistance and Job Training

• Conduct employment screenings, assessments, and skills evaluations to identify participant strengths, barriers, interests, and employment goals.
• Develop individualized employment and service plans in collaboration with participants.
• Provide structured job readiness and job-seeking skills training, including resume development, interview preparation, workplace communication, customer service, and professional conduct.
• Coordinate or facilitate classroom, online, computer-assisted, and on-the-job training opportunities.
• Support participants in developing learning skills necessary to secure and retain employment, including obtaining vocational licenses and certifications.
• Provide pre-vocational training, tutoring, literacy support, and employment-related instructional resources.
• Assist participants with employment applications, documentation, job search activities, and employment placement support.
• Provide counseling, encouragement, and job coaching to support participant success and employment retention.
• Support workforce development cohorts participating in the Thrift Boutique program through training coordination, participant support, coaching, attendance tracking, and skill development activities.
• Assist participants in developing transferable workplace skills through hands-on training opportunities within the Thrift Boutique environment.
• Coordinate with workforce agencies, training providers, employers, and community partners to support participant employment opportunities.
• Track participant progress toward employment and training goals and maintain required program documentation.
• Assist with coordinating participant stipends related to eligible employment and training activities in accordance with program guidelines.

Case Management and Participant Support

• Provide trauma-informed, participant-centered case management services.
• Conduct intake, assessment, referrals, advocacy, and follow-up services.
• Coordinate with housing navigators, supportive housing staff, and community providers to align employment goals with participant stabilization plans.
• Support participants with barriers related to homelessness, mental health, substance use recovery, justice involvement, limited work history, or disability.
• Maintain accurate and timely case notes, data entry, and program reporting.
• Support participant safety planning, crisis intervention, and de-escalation when necessary.
• Collaborate with internal teams and external partners to coordinate participant services.
• Ensure confidentiality and ethical handling of participant information in compliance with agency and funding requirements.

Qualifications

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in social work, human services, psychology, counseling, workforce development, or related field preferred; equivalent experience may be considered.
• Experience providing employment services, workforce development, case management, or related social services required.
• Experience working with individuals experiencing homelessness, housing instability, or other significant barriers to employment preferred.
• Experience facilitating trainings, workshops, vocational readiness programs, or cohort-based programming preferred.
• Experience in retail training environments, social enterprise programs, or workforce development initiatives preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge of workforce development practices, employment resources, and community support systems.
• Demonstrated understanding of trauma-informed, housing-first, culturally responsive, and strengths-based service approaches.
• Demonstrated organizational, documentation, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated experience supporting participants with diverse employment barriers.
• Demonstrated group facilitation, coaching, and workshop presentation skills.
• Demonstrated collaboration with service providers, employers, and community partners.
• Demonstrated capacity to work independently and collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team environment.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, databases, case management systems, and online employment platforms.

Preferred Language Capacity

• Bilingual in English and Spanish or another language reflective of the communities served preferred.

Additional Requirements

• Valid California driver’s license, reliable transportation, and ability to travel throughout San Diego County.
• Ability to work occasional evenings or weekends as needed.

Home Start, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in the hiring of personnel because of gender, race, color, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship pregnancy, age, marital status, sexual orientation, medical condition, genetic information, gender identity or gender expression, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state or local laws.