POSITION DESCRIPTION

WORK SKILLS COACH
DOJ - SPECIAL PROJECT

Organizational Missions and Operating Principles

Twin Cities RISE! (TCR!) is an adult workskills development organization designed to address the concentration of poverty in communities of color by helping individuals develop marketable and transferable employment skills, leading to a skilled job at a livable wage over $20,000 annually plus benefits. TCR!’s work is guided by eleven core operating principles:

1. Employers are our customers.
2. We promote long-term success as an outcome of the program.
3. Program services are comprehensive and interconnected.
4. Relationships with key stakeholders are based on reciprocity and mutual accountability.
5. The program balances the needs and interests of customer companies and prospective TCR! participants who are ready for placement.
6. Programs services and administration are based on best practices and high standards.
7. TCR! trusts participants to make decisions regarding their own progress based on feedback from coaches, instructors, and staff.
8. TCR! practices performance-based assessment.
9. TCR! creates value for all key stakeholders: participants, employers, and the community.
10. TCR! only places participants in settings that are conducive to their growth, development, and success.
11. TCR! models an inclusive workplace where everyone is valued and there is desire for everyone’s success.

All TCR! staff are expected to adhere to these principles in work with other staff, customers, participants, and other key stakeholders.

Job Profile and Reporting Relationships

The Work Skills Coach is a key player on the Twin Cities RISE! team. The Work Skills Coach facilitates skill development that enables participants to: 1) obtain and succeed in a skilled job paying at least $10.00 per hour and including benefits; 2) transfer these skills to different jobs as the economy changes; and 3) strengthen the life management skills that provide the foundation for career success, 4) develop and maintain positive relationships with family/support members. These skills include: problem solving, decision-making, personal responsibility, self-discipline, sociability and teamwork, among others. Additionally, within policies and procedures, the Work Skills Coach facilitates outside resources such as educational institutions and housing in support of the participant’s development. The Work Skills Coach also continues to provide one-on-one support to participants until they have successfully completed at least one year of employment. The Work Skill Coach reports directly to the Project Manager.

Job Responsibilities

Coaches are responsible for achieving the results and responsibilities listed below:

1. Using TCR!’s model for skills assessment and development, determine participants’ needs and create a comprehensive and systematic plan to promote their skill development.

2. Ensure that performance standards contained in development plans are consistently reviewed and enforced for each participant.

3. Assess participants’ support needs and arrange for appropriate services.

4. Teach participants work skills in areas such as problem solving, teamwork, conflict management, work habits, etc.

5. Model the work behaviors we are teaching participants in interactions with TCR! staff as well as external stakeholders.

6. Build and sustain a support network made up of community and employer representatives as relevant to supporting individual participant development and success.

7. Work productively and constructively with other TCR! staff members to facilitate participant development and the development of TCR! as an institution.

8. Maintain positive and productive relationships with community partners and employers.

9. Provide participants with regular feedback and positive reinforcement.

10. Help ensure participants’ readiness and preparedness for skilled jobs that pay $10.00 per hour or more.

11. Collaborate with the Employment Services Representative to identify and place participants in internships and jobs paying at least $10 per hour upon graduation.

12. Take necessary steps to ensure that participants are retained by hiring company for a minimum of one year.

13. Provide information to management as requested to support the development of participants and TCR! as an institution.

14. Provide all participant coaching services within TCR! general program and financial policy guidelines and procedures.

15. Participate in program planning, evaluation and other special projects as requested by the Project Manager, and Chief Operating Officer.

Characteristics, Skills, and Experiences Required by Coaches

People Skills and Experience

1. The coach candidate must have in-depth experience (not necessarily paid) dealing one-on-one with adults of color who were working through problems or difficulties. This could be with any adult population of color (excluding friends and family members).

2. The coach candidate should have a modest understanding of psychological issues and should feel comfortable speaking with participants about a variety of adult issues (e.g., chemical dependency, depression, career choice, relationship issues, cultural, ethnic, and racial issues, emotional issues, etc.). The coach candidate should understand such issues sufficiently to be able to clarify participants’ needs in order to match them with the appropriate professional resources.

3. It is critical that the coach candidate be able to build an objective trusting relationship with participants in a reasonable amount of time. Key parts of this relationship include: being respected by participants, holding participants accountable for commitments, giving positive and constructive feedback, being compassionate and encouraging yet firm, able to deal with conflict in an appropriate manner, and a sense of humor. The coach candidate should be observant of his or her own preconceptions and way of thinking and must have the ability to connect with participants both intellectually and emotionally.

4. The coach candidate must not be easily manipulated, and should be able to set limits and enforce consequences.

5. The coach candidate must demonstrate great empathy and commitment but not cross the line to advocacy or personal involvement. He/she must not rely on participant approval for personal satisfaction. Self-confidence is a critical trait.

6. The coach candidate must have the ability to see the possibilities in people in the face of significant obstacles and be able to help participants see the potential within themselves and develop concrete steps to reach their goals. He or she should be able to motivate others.

7. The coach candidate should have experience and/or training in vocational assessment, teaching, counseling and/or coaching.

8. The coach candidate should have a comprehensive knowledge of community resources.

9. The coach candidate should be able to provide ongoing feedback to program participants, co-workers, providers, and customer companies. He or she should recognize good performance and provide positive reinforcement.

10. The coach candidate should be able to understand different cultures, ethnic background, economic classes, and environments. He/she should be able to embrace diversity and be respectful of differences; and should work to promote cooperation among diverse groups in the workplace.

Team Skills

1. The coach candidate must have the ability to work in a team environment, interacting with management, administrative, direct service staff and participants to develop the best solutions to the issues at hand. He or she must have demonstrated the ability to work collaboratively as well as provide team leadership when necessary.

2. The coach candidate should have the ability to bring together a variety of people and resources on behalf of the participant. He or she should facilitate and coordinate, rather than control, these activities

3. The coach candidate should be able to manage conflict effectively and achieve win/win results.

4. The coach candidate should be able to effectively lead meetings.


Bridging the World of Work and the World of the Participants

1. The coach candidate must understand and appreciate the requirements of the for-profit business world and be able to translate those to participants. He or she must also have the ability to translate the participant perspective to customer companies. The coach candidate should be realistic about the barriers to success that people of color face in customer companies and be able to help both participants and customer companies find ways to deal with these barriers.

2. The coach candidate should be comfortable in a wide range of settings, from grassroots social service agencies to corporate offices.

3. It is desirable, but not necessary, that the coach candidate have at least two years work experience in a for-profit company.


Flexibility and Initiative

1. The coach candidate should demonstrate the ability to work in a fairly unstructured job or working environment. He or she should exhibit flexibility and adaptability with a high tolerance for ambiguity.

2. The coach candidate must take initiative in pursuing his/her duties within established policies and procedures. When something needs attention he/she should act while also having the good judgment to inform appropriate persons.

3. The coach candidate should have demonstrated in his or her own life an attitude of “making things happen” rather than a “victim” mentality. He or she should share Twin Cities RISE!’s philosophy that individuals can and should take responsibility for their lives without denying the impact of barriers that exist for people of color in society and the workplace. The candidate should have achieved some success in life and believe that people can rebound from personal and professional set backs or failures.

4. The coach candidate must have a take-charge attitude and a strong personal work ethic with a bias to action. He or she must be willing to do what it takes to get the job done and to take the initiative to achieve individual and organizational goals without waiting for explicit management direction or guidance. At the same time, he or she should know when management involvement is required and seek it out. The candidate should match action to words.

5. The coach candidate must be able to manage several tasks at one time, complete work on schedule, and follow through on tasks with minimal supervision. He or she should be able to adjust to multiple demands, shifting priorities, and rapid change.

6. The coach candidate should be flexible, resourceful, creative, and responsive to participant and company situations and needs. The coach candidate should continuously seek creative ways of problem solving around participant and customer company issues to facilitate participant job retention and upward mobility in the company.

Intellectual Capacity/Emotional Maturity

1. The coach candidate must possess a higher than average intelligence (i.e., he or she should be a quick learner, good problem-solver, creative thinker, and strong conceptualizer).

2. The coach candidate must have the ability to develop and present his or her own views on issues, while having an openness to pursue and consider other points of view.

3. The coach candidate must possess a feeling of self-esteem, while valuing others. He or she should have an ego strong enough to deal with the difficulties of the job, but does not require the lime light over that of the participant.

4. The coach candidate must be comfortable working in an environment that is outcomes-oriented and is highly evaluative and reflective.

5. The work skills coach must be comfortable working in a start-up company environment where policies and procedures are evolving.

6. The coach candidate should be able to see the big picture, and understand how the various parts and experiences in the participant’s life are related. He/she must demonstrate intellectual curiosity to learn what is behind behavior, and possess the ability to ask important questions, separate the important from the less important and effectively work out realistic action plans.


Communication Skills

1. The coach candidate must be an effective communicator both in writing and speaking.

2. The coach candidate should be able to understand and verbalize a wide range of English from informal slang to business language.

3. The coach should be able to listen effectively and confirm the messages communicated by others.

4. The coach candidate should be able to encourage open communication and the free flow of information and ideas.


Values

1. The coach candidate must demonstrate honesty, personal integrity, and ethical behavior in all dealings with co-workers, employers, providers, and community networks.

2. The coach candidate must believe that success in work and life is dependent upon strong core values and is prepared to teach and support such values with participants. He or she should have an understanding and appreciation for the role values can play in a person’s life, with the recognition that this will vary from person to person.

Administrative Skills

1. The coach candidate must have the ability and willingness to learn and use computer and administrative systems.

2. The coach candidate should be willing and able to be nearly administratively self-sufficient, i.e., preparing correspondence, filing, copying, etc.

3. The coach candidate must be willing and able to appreciate and use the necessary tools necessary to document and support participants’ development, including participant casenotes, progress reports, and financial reports.

HOW TO APPLY:
Please send cover letter and resume with salary requirements to hr@twincitiesrise.org. No phone calls. EOE