The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world’s largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you’re a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.
The Youth Higher Education Specialist will be responsible for supporting San Diego County’s education initiative, aimed at increasing submission rates for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the California Dream Act Application (CADAA). Working under the guidance of the Education and Training Manager and Career Development Coordinator, the Specialist will collaborate with Education and Training colleagues and school personnel to identify opportunity youth, and graduating high-school seniors, with a particular focus on schools where the IRC Youth Department currently provides services.
The Specialist will provide educational workshops and personalized 1:1 support to predominantly refugee and immigrant youth, with the goal of increasing awareness and submission of FAFSA or CADAA applications. In addition, the Specialist will provide support for post-secondary institution applications, enrollment, and navigation. This position will also work individually with youth clients to assess their eligibility and readiness for the program, create career development plans, schedule, and implement career development activities, prepare job applications, and obtain successful job placements.

EDUCATION

• Undergraduate degree required; undergraduate degree in the education or social services field preferred;

WORK EXPERIENCE

• Experience working with youth; experience in a school setting strongly preferred;
• Experience working with refugees, asylees, and/or immigrant populations required
• Experience with or familiarity with the FAFSA or CADAA processes required;
• Case management or coaching experience preferred;
• Experience in a non-profit setting and/or international setting a plus;
• Experience with online learning platforms including Zoom, Google Classroom and Drive a plus;

DEMONSTRATED SKILLS & COMPETENCIES

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to make presentations and lead groups;
• Proficiency in English and a refugee and/or immigrant language such as Spanish, Farsi/Dari, Pashto, Arabic, Swahili, etc. required;
• Ability to think and work independently;
• Must be very flexible, capable of working under pressure with deadlines and handling multiple priorities;
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, multicultural environment;
• Strong digital literacy skills, particularly in MS Office applications and experience with databases;

• Develop and conduct a minimum of 8 workshops to educate and facilitate the FAFSA and CADAA processes
• Provide personalized 1:1 assistance to a minimum of 130 clients with FAFSA/CADAA applications and financial aid education
• Assist with post-secondary applications and enrollment in vocational trainings, community colleges, 4-year universities, adult schools, or vocational programs
• Conduct outreach and recruit eligible students to the program services
• Collaborate and communicate with school personnel to identify and enroll eligible students
• Conduct eligibility and pre-enrollment assessments with potential participants, build career development plans with strategic direction, detailing actionable and realistic activities, and provide ongoing case management
• Provide one-on-one assistance to help clients prepare their resumes during training period, look for appropriate job opportunities, and practice interview skills
• Provide individual mentorship on resume writing, interview preparation, job search techniques, and other skills related to career advancement
• Ensure the delivery of individualized and group coaching and instruction of advanced work readiness and other employability skills
• Support clients in identifying, enrolling, and completing vocational training activities such as certification attainment, apprenticeships, paid/unpaid work experience, and recertification or licensure Stay updated on financial aid policies for students of various citizenship status
• Maintain and input student data including eligibility documents, attendance records, FAFSA/CADAA completion using IRC databases
• Follow program policies and report client progress
• Support general youth programming services, as needed.
• Connect students to tutoring services and other IRC programs based on individual needs
• Contribute to the development and implementation of IRC Refugee Student Scholarship program
• Attend and participate in Education and Training department meetings to collaborate with colleagues
• Provide training and supervision to department volunteers as required
• Perform other relevant duties as assigned.