Opportunity Accelerator (OA) Coordinator

Goodwill Industries of Southwestern Michigan; Kalamazoo (MI); On-site; USD 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay

Comprehensive benefits package

Job summary

A nonprofit organization in Kalamazoo seeks an Opportunity Accelerator Coordinator to support individuals and families in achieving employment and education goals. The role emphasizes coaching relationships, collaboration with community partners, and maintaining rigorous data standards. Ideal candidates should be experienced, organized, and possess a strong understanding of challenges faced by low-income individuals. A focus on continuous improvement and data-driven insights is essential for this fulfilling position.

Qualifications

• At least one year of experience working directly with individuals or families.
• In-depth understanding of the culture of poverty.
• Excellent professional presentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide coaching relationships with individuals or families.
• Collaborate with internal and external partners.
• Maintain accurate digital files and data compliance.

Skills

Experience working with individuals or families

Understanding of the culture of poverty

Bilingual abilities

Microsoft Office proficiency

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Education

High School Diploma/GED

Bachelor’s degree preferred

Tools

Microsoft Word

PowerPoint

Excel (Pivot Tables, VLOOKUPs)

Outlook

Job description

Goodwill Industries of Southwestern Michigan

420 E Alcott St. Kalamazoo MI 49001

WHY WORK FOR GOODWILL?

Ready for a career with impact? Goodwill Industries of Southwestern Michigan (Goodwill SWMI) gives you the opportunity to make a difference in your local community while building your professional skills. Goodwill SWMI is a complex enterprise offering a wide range of career opportunities. Our organization rewards creativity and innovation, while offering competitive pay and a comprehensive benefits package. Our team members enjoy a unique work environment that is professional, fast paced and fulfilling.

About Our Organization

Goodwill SWMI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Our nearly 300 dedicated team members help achieve our mission of improving the community by providing employment, education, training and support services tailored to individual needs across a six county territory. At Goodwill SWMI, the work we do makes a difference in the lives of the individuals we serve and, in turn, in the communities in which we live.

Goodwill SWMI manages ten retail stores (with attached, attended donation centers and one stand-alone donation center), Contract Manufacturing Operations as well as Custodial & Janitorial business units. These business operations provide stability to our organization that is not always enjoyed by nonprofit organizations solely funded by outside sources.

Our organization’s values shape our culture and guide our interactions with program participants, customers, community and one another. Our shared commitment to Living the Mission; Promoting Teamwork; Driving Collaboration; Taking Responsibility for our Actions and Behaviors; Respecting and Appreciating Others is what makes us successful and inspires all that we do.

Want to learn more about Goodwill SWMI? Go to our website at: www.goodwillswmi.org

Position Title

Opportunity Accelerator (OA) Coordinator

Classification

Exempt/Salary, Full Time

Supervised By

Vice President of Mission Services

Supervises

Does not supervise others. May be responsible for coordinating and supervising activities of participants, interns, work study students or volunteers.

Grant Context

NOTE: Grants support this position. This position’s establishment and continuance may be dependent upon on-going grant funding.

General Responsibilities

The Opportunity Accelerator Coordinator serves as a dual-function lead: ensuring the quality and consistency of mission services through direct career navigation and maintaining rigorous data integrity, reporting, and compliance standards. The Coordinator ensures that job seekers receive high-quality, holistic support while helping people achieve their dreams and realize their potential. The OA Coordinator walks with community members through our Opportunity Accelerator structure, encouraging and supporting them as they work to achieve the goals they have set for themselves. They interface with internal (e.g. Goodwill team members) and external partners to help participants set and achieve employment & education goals. The OA Coordinator works to ensure both the participant and their family have the support and resources they need to achieve their goals; they recognize each person is unique, and wraparound them to provide contextualized, custom support.

The Opportunity Accelerator Coordinator will work with a variety of participants, including individuals with disabilities, individuals experiencing poverty, in school individuals (high school &/or post-secondary) and other adults (18+) across our territory to ensure mission services are delivered with network-wide consistency while adapting to local community needs.

The OA Coordinator will collaborate with mission teams to identify gaps in resource constraints and facilitate the “Goodwill Way” of integrated service delivery and provide the data-driven insights necessary to measure impact and secure funding.

Opportunity Accelerator Framework

The OA Coordinator is an essential part of developing and fully implementing Mission Services programming across southwestern Michigan. The ideal candidate is creative, energetic, believes in continuous improvement and is ready to help build and develop transformational programming in our six counties.

Essential Functions

• Establish and maintain coaching relationships with individuals or families participating in the Opportunity Accelerator, with a focus on building household stability through employment and education opportunity with support from community resources. The Opportunity Accelerator Coordinator will have worked directly with the participant but also with their family, helping them connect to resources to improve the lives of the entire family.
• Help meet needs and address concerns in partnership with internal and external partners. Work with other Mission Services teammates to answer the Get Help line phone calls, emails and texts. Get Help participants are seeking community resources.
• Cross-train in teaching employment focused classes (e.g. resume, online presence, essential skills)
• Cross-train in Vocational Rehabilitation (VR), providing back-up for work experiences, classes and other services during busy seasons.
• Assist with grants as needed, including providing content, data or reviewing narrative.
• Establish and maintain positive working relationships with Goodwill teammates, participants, area employers, community partners and education institutions; work together to strengthen existing programming and identify opportunities for new endeavors.
• Keep up to date, accurate, comprehensive digital files; enter all data within seven days of service provision (e.g. into Efforts to Outcomes (ETO), Cognito, etc.)
• Audit participant files and digital records to ensure 100% compliance with GII standards and grant requirements.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Knowledge, Skills And Abilities

• At least one year of experience working with individuals or families
• Possess in-depth understanding of the culture of poverty
• Bilingual abilities a plus
• Excellent professional presentation skills and appearance
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, advanced Excel (Pivot Tables, VLOOKUPs) and Outlook) or comparable software
• Familiarity with the Goodwill Opportunity Accelerator® framework or similar evidence-based social service models.
• Demonstrated interest in and belief in people’s abilities to make changes based on their own inherent strengths, talents and desires
• Ability to work independently but also as a member of a collaborative team
• Ability to make independent objective decisions
• Possess superior organizational, clerical and communication skills
• Previous case management experience preferred
• Data collection and program development experience preferred

Education

High School Diploma/GED required; Bachelor’s degree preferred but not required, preferably (but not limited to) social work, psychology, child development, education or human services, 1-3+ years in workforce development, program coordination, or data management.

Physical Requirements

General office environment. Regular local travel for meetings across southwestern Michigan (Allegan, Berrien, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph & Van Buren counties). Must possess valid driver’s license and be eligible for insurance under Agency’s commercial liability policy. Special accommodations can be made with President/CEO and HR Director’s approval.