State Employment Services Coordinator - Kentucky Office for Refugees

at  Catholic Charities of Louisville

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

Bachelor’s degree in social work, Community Development, International Development, Public Administration, Public Policy, or related field.
Minimum of 3 years’ professional work experience preferably with refugees, immigrants, or other underserved populations. Candidate must also have strong knowledge and understanding of the governmental and non-governmental agencies in Kentucky that work with refugees, immigrants or other vulnerable populations. Candidates who are fluent in other languages preferred.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to those who are able to perform the essential duties of the job.

SPECIALIZED SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE:

• Analytical - the individual synthesizes complex or diverse information.

• Continuous Process Improvement – the individual looks for ways to improve,

  promote quality and demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness.

• Problem Solving - the individual identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner and gathers and analyzes information skillfully.

• Oral Communication - the individual speaks clearly and persuasively in positive or negative situations, demonstrates group presentation skills, and conducts meetings.
• Written Communication – will need to communicate clearly and persuasively for the purposes of grant management and reporting, advocacy, and effective email communications.
• Federal Grants Management – the individual must demonstrate knowledge and competencies in Managing Federal Grants and Cooperative Agreements as a Federal Recipient and Pass-Through Entity.
• Computer literate in Microsoft Office
• Must be able to maintain the confidentiality of any information s/he encounters.

• Program Specific Responsibilities
• Provides oversight of state-wide employment services that aligns with the strategic plan developed by the department.
• Program design should include the objectives as established by ORR, the analysis of local labor markets, employer-informed needs, input of local job developers and coordination of all funded employment services available to employment services providers.
• Provide ongoing support and feedback to the employment services section of the Family Self-Sufficiency plan. Develop and maintain any policies and procedures related to employment services.
• Train subrecipient employment staff in recruitment of new employers and to promote skills such as resume building, interviewing and job search to ORR eligible populations they serve.
• Develop long term strategies for employment service provision that includes the development of new employment sectors for ORR eligible clients.
• Develop an understanding of US Department of Labor policies and program priorities and how they are implemented at the state and local levels.
• In collaboration with the State Adult Learning and Career Advancement Coordinator strengthen partnerships with the Kentucky Education and Workforce Cabinet, regional and local workforce boards to promote opportunities to market refugee assets to employers and connect employment service providers to new employers.
• Work in collaboration with the State Adult Learning and Career Advancement Coordinator in the continuous improvement of work orientation and job training classes provided by employment service providers.
• In collaboration with the Monitoring and Evaluation team, provide ongoing analysis of employment services data and submit the Annual Outcome Goal Plan (AOGP) to the federal government on behalf of KOR.
• Work in collaboration with the Policy and Procedure Specialist in the development of policies and procedures related to funded programs.
• Represent KOR for required quarterly consultation with the resettlement agencies for Match Grant funding available through their National Resettlement agency.
• Strengthen partnership with the Kentucky State Police to increase access to Driver’s Licenses for the refugee community to enable better access to job markets.

General Program Responsibilities

• Develop Request for Proposals (RFP) to include the scope work, performance outcomes, funding availability and timelines or determine formula allocations in coordination with the KOR Program Manager.
• Develop and review of subrecipient work plans and budgets, performance indicators and contract deliverables.
• Review program reports submitted by sub-recipients and provide technical assistance to ensure that grant activities are consistent with overall goals and original project proposals.
• Maintain regular communication with sub-recipients, including ongoing training and peer learning opportunities.
• Identify areas for coordination and collaboration between sub-recipients and other direct service providers to ensure non-duplication of services and efficient and effective use of funding.
• Adhere to KOR’s annual monitoring and evaluation plan as established by the Monitoring and Evaluation Manager.
• Collaborate with the Monitoring and Evaluation teams to develop and continually modify monitoring and evaluation tools for assigned programs.
• Regularly use ClientTrack, KOR’s statewide database, to monitor sub-recipient activities and performance.
• Consistently collaborate with other KOR program staff to ensure consistency in program design and implementation.

• Provide support to private sponsorship groups as needed.

Administrative Responsibilities

• Responsible for writing semi-annual program reports, monitoring reports and fulfilling all other administrative requirements of grants/
• Consistent data monitoring and follow-up with subgrantees in coordination with other KOR staff.
• Maintain constant communication with the KOR Programs Director with regards to program strategy, M& E plans, issues and concerns, program successes and challenges, technical assistance needs, etc.
• Communicate consistently with the finance department with regards to any administrative budgets as well as the budgets and expenditures of subrecipients for assigned grants.
• Will be required to keep time and activity logs and charge time to appropriate grants.
• Other duties as assigned.

The State Employment Services Coordinator is a staff member of the Kentucky Office for Refugees (KOR), a department of Catholic Charities of Louisville. Catholic Charities of Louisville is the Replacement Designee designated by the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) to administer the Kentucky state refugee resettlement program and serve as the State Refugee Coordinator’s office. The Kentucky State Refugee Coordinator oversees the design, implementation, and coordination of refugee services throughout the state.
KOR is responsible for the management and operation of Federal funding that supports post-resettlement programs including short-term cash and medical assistance, employment services, case management, English Language Training, and a variety of other social services for refugees and other eligible populations who arrive in Kentucky. KOR coordinates programs and services in each resettlement site and participates in community meetings to ensure general awareness and coordination between stakeholders.
The State Employment Services coordinates all employment services funded by KOR throughout the state of Kentucky with the exception of Career and Youth Services. The coordinator will represent and maintain partnerships with Kentucky Education and Workforce Cabinet and Workforce regions across the state. Provide analysis of the capacity of the labor market for the local resettlement areas of the state. Provide technical support and training to employment service providers to ensure success and understanding of the employment program, including data collection and analysis.
A hybrid work schedule is available with the flexibility to work from home or in the office throughout the work week. KOR staff are required to be in the office two days a week to encourage collaboration and team building. Additional-in office days made be required on an as needed basis.