Job Coach/Retention Specialist

Center For Employment Opportunities, Inc.; Cincinnati (OH); On-site; USD 43,000 - 53,000; Full time

Job summary

Center for Employment Opportunities, Inc. in Cincinnati is seeking a Job Coach to guide formerly incarcerated participants toward interview readiness and employment success through intensive coaching and resume development.

This is an in-person role with daily participant interactions and collaboration with the CEO site and program team to support reintegration efforts.

Qualifications

• Experience supporting formerly incarcerated participants in job readiness.
• Proven ability to conduct motivational interviewing with diverse clients.
• Strong written and verbal communication with attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Engage participants in ongoing discussions about employment goals.
• Develop professional resumes for each participant.
• Maintain weekly contact to track interview readiness progress.
• Facilitate group sessions to build employment readiness skills.
• Coordinate with parole officers and community resources to support reintegration.

Skills

Motivational interviewing

Interview coaching

Interpersonal skills

Customer service

Communication

Education

2+ years experience in job coaching or reentry services

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

Job Coach
Cincinatti Ohio
In- Person
Anticipated deadline to submit application: Friday October 16, 2026 at 12:00pm (EST) Position may close early if application limit is met.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Job Coach is responsible for helping program participants—formerly incarcerated individuals—stay focused and motivated while working on transitional job sites and in their efforts to obtain permanent employment. Job Coaches effectively facilitate program participant progress to interview readiness by providing intensive coaching on interview and employment readiness skills. In addition to core coaching responsibilities, this role may support office-specific operational needs, including the provision of supportive and retention services.

This is an in-person role with the expectation that staff report to a CEO site, as the majority of participant interactions are conducted in person.

As part of our mission, we strongly encourage individuals who have lived experience of incarceration or involvement in the justice system to apply for this role.

About Us

The Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) provides employment services to people recently released from incarceration. Across the United States, 8,000-9,000 people participate in CEO each year, transitioning to employment that supports themselves, their families, and their communities.

What began as a demonstration project of the Vera Institute of Justice in the 1970s to address employment barriers facing the formerly incarcerated following release in New York City has grown into the leading reentry employment organization in the country, where over 30,000 formerly incarcerated individuals have secured full-time employment since 1996.

RESPONSIBILITIES

These responsibilities are representative, but not all-inclusive, of the responsibilities of this role:

Job Coaching

• Engaging participants in ongoing discussions about their employment goals.
• Using motivational interviewing techniques as appropriate to help guide participants to goal achievement.
• Developing and producing a professional resume for each participant.
• Maintaining weekly contact with participants to track their progress to interview readiness.
• Facilitating group sessions and workshops to build employment readiness skills.

Wraparound Support -

• Maintaining consistent contact with participants to ensure ongoing engagement and support.
• Researching and connecting participants to educational and vocational opportunities that align with their short- and long-term career goals.
• Providing participants with continued life skills education and relevant community resources to promote long-term stability.
• Advocating for participant needs with parole officers and other external constituencies to support successful reintegration.
• Distributing retention incentives to participants in accordance with program guidelines.
• Using motivational interviewing techniques as appropriate to help guide participants toward goal achievement.
• Developing and enhancing relationships with organizations that provide resources meeting participant needs; providing information and support to participants regarding access to these resources; and connecting program participants to supportive services as needed.
• Communicate with resource partners to track progress, overcome obstacles, and ensure participant satisfaction with the services they receive.

Program Administration

• Regularly discuss each participant’s job-start-ready progress with colleagues; problem-solve with colleagues when needed. Collaborate with additional members of CEO’s program team (including job developers and retention specialists) to support job searches and educational activities for participants.
• Organize documents, and prepare binders and files to house relevant legal and non-legal materials; maintain electronic and physical case files.
• Reviewing participants’ daily performance ratings provided by work site supervisors. Maintaining accurate client records in Salesforce; and updating progress notes in Salesforce during and after each meeting.
• Maintain contact with work crew site supervisors, exercising responsiveness to their concerns. Establish relationships with community-building organizations serving justice-involved individuals, presenting CEO’s programs and services to groups and individuals. Attend local events and meetings in the reentry community to build relationships with organizations offering participant support.
• Developing organizational systems to manage caseload. Tracking and reporting updates as needed. Setting up, organizing, and maintaining paper and electronic filing systems in accordance with recognized procedures and standards.
• Support the Program Manager with administrative and operational duties to ensure smooth and seamless site operations; perform other tasks and responsibilities as assigned.

POSITION QUALIFICATIONS

Must Have Skills or Competencies

• Demonstrated commitment to CEO’s mission and interest in working in a fast-growing, results-oriented nonprofit environment.
• Passionate about helping individuals become the best version of themselves; interested in guiding individuals to achieve career goals through a balance of accountability and empathy.
• Deep interest in re-entry or criminal justice reform.
• Comfortable providing the feedback and support necessary to facilitate the development of participant knowledge and skills.
• Strong customer service skills; takes a human-centered approach when communicating with participants.
• Ability to anticipate problems, evaluate them, and determine/implement solutions.
• Ability to analyze various points of view and data to form a perspective appropriate to a particular context.
• Excellent interpersonal and written communication skills with the ability to adjust to particular personalities and interaction styles on the spot.
• Self-motivated, diligent, and resilient; demonstrates stamina and vigor while holding yourself accountable to deadlines and outcomes, even in the face of adversity or setbacks.
• Highly organized with top-notch time management skills and the ability to juggle multiple priorities seamlessly or ask for support with prioritization when needed.
• Comfortable learning new technologies that an organization adopts/implements.
• Ability to maintain composure and work efficiently and accurately during highly stressful circumstances.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• JC: You come to CEO with at least 2+ years of experience.

Compensation and Benefits

The salary for this position is $47,800 annually. In an effort to be both equitable and transparent, CEO’s compensation philosophy considers a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, experience, internal equity, and home office location in making a final determination on our salary offer.

We recognize that salary is a part of the overall compensation package and also provide a comprehensive benefits package, including medical and dental coverage, as well as professional development opportunities and training, including regular training opportunities in Motivational Interviewing (MI). MI is one evidence-based skill that reentry and human service professionals can utilize when supporting participants to achieve their goals.

We also offer paid parental leave, participation in a retirement plan, sick and vacation leave, paid holidays and more. We are a workplace that promotes continual learning and teamwork, offering lunch and learns, team outings, holiday gatherings and more for our staff.

More About Us

Center for Employment Opportunities believes that everyone deserves the chance to shape a stronger future for themselves, their families, and their communities. People who are justice involved are highly encouraged to apply for vacant positions at all levels. CEO is committed to the CROWN Act, and creating an open space where our employees can present as their true authentic selves.

All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without unlawful discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, gender, gender identity, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, prior record of arrest or conviction, citizenship status, current employment status, caregiver status, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local law. We value diverse experiences, including with regard to educational background and justice system contact.

Please note that due to the volume of resumes received, we are unable to contact each applicant regarding the status of each position or reply to candidates’ inquiries via phone or email.