Manager, Employment Transition Coaching

Direct message the job poster from The Career Foundation

Tips: Seeking a Program Manager to start up and oversee a multisite training and coaching service with a team of 10 multidisciplinary professionals. The program is designed to be transformational in nature and will support people who once faced difficult life circumstances and lost their confidence and belief in themselves to reconnect with their life goals, recognize their potential and begin on a path to economic independence through employment.

The program will work with people who are currently in receipt of Ontario Works income support and help them to develop short and long term goals that facilitates their readiness to seek out employment. The program consists of group facilitation, individual motivational coaching, guest speaking sessions, mentorship, workplace exposure, transition to employment services and alumni support.

Job Description

Full Time and Onsite overseeing multiple locations across Toronto.

Reporting to: Senior Manager, Employment Services

Responsibilities include:

Quality Program Delivery

• Provides leadership and expertise to the team in areas of community and employer partnerships to achieve required client volumes, delivery of quality training and coaching, information and referral services, workplace exposure, client alumni support, and other key performance indicators (KPIs).
• Conducts regular daily monitoring of service delivery to ensure quality training, coaching, and support to clients.
• Reviews staff schedules, wait times, client files, client service interventions, client referrals, client feedback/evaluations, progress towards target/goal achievement, workshops, and other areas of service delivery, ensuring that all requirements in The Career Foundation's and funder's guidelines are met.
• Manages participant and stakeholder feedback, mediating issues as they arise.
• Addresses and effectively mediates conflicts or concerns between staff and clients when needed, exhibiting exceptional customer service skills, and seeks support from the Senior Manager as needed.
• Oversees the quality of the program, ensuring 100% service satisfaction of stakeholders while meeting and exceeding overall effectiveness, customer service, and efficiency targets.
• Ensures that the team utilizes and leverages technologies provided by The Career Foundation for efficiencies and to help lead clients to successful outcomes.

Staff Management

• Cultivates a positive and collaborative working environment, maintaining an open-door policy to provide team members with easy access to advice, feedback, and suggestions.
• Provides leadership, motivation, and expertise to the team in all areas of program delivery.
• Coordinates staff training, including leading and overseeing onboarding and training for all new team members.
• Regularly reviews role-specific training curriculum and makes updates in collaboration with the Senior Manager and HR as needed.
• Conducts quality performance management daily, including: providing constructive feedback, coaching, and direction to staff members who are not meeting performance expectations to help them improve; recognizing staff members performing well and providing opportunities for further growth and development, wherever possible; documenting regular performance discussions and ensuring formal performance reviews are completed at required intervals; and implementing disciplinary actions, including terminations, when needed through consultation with senior leadership.
• Demonstrates patience, open-mindedness, and respect at all times when managing the team, ensuring that everyone feels heard, valued, and engaged and is operating at their highest potential for their best interest and that of fellow team members and clients.
• Leads weekly team meetings to case conference, share progress towards goals, and leads the team in troubleshooting/brainstorming issues.
• Ensures that all team members adhere to The Career Foundation's Policies and Procedures Employee Handbook.
• Prioritizes recruitment when a vacancy on the team must be filled, including actioning interviews in a timely manner when recommended by the HR department.
• Oversees and approves staff attendance, including approval of vacation days and other eligible paid days off.

Reporting & Administration

• Oversees the quality of documentation maintained by the team of participant files and service records in mandatory data management systems.
• Regularly communicates and provides weekly reports to senior leadership regarding the team's progress towards goals, compliance with the funder's guidelines, and The Career Foundation's internal standards of practice.
• Prepares funder reports, business plans, and other communications required for the program for review by senior management.
• Responds promptly to funder requests for information and support.
• Manages policy sign-off requirements and other correspondence with the team in a timely manner when directed by HR.
• Collects and updates statistical information as needed.
• Coordinates the retrieval of client files for the Director of HR when a request is received in accordance with The Career Foundation's Privacy Policy for access to personal information.

Budget Management

• Maintains, tracks, and administers the program's budget with accurate and up-to-date data.
• Regularly reviews and reconciles budget expenditures with the Finance team.
• Assumes accountability for all related expenditures and budget outcomes.
• Oversees and approves staff expenses in accordance with related policies.

Outreach, and Partner and Funder Relations

• Develops and implements various effective outreach strategies for the team to ensure a steady flow of client intakes.
• Represents The Career Foundation at community partner meetings.
• Builds and maintains relationships with community partners to facilitate client referrals and enhance services and supports to meet clients' needs.
• Works with the team and other site managers to support the development of relationships with employers to facilitate job placements.
• Performs other relevant duties as needed.

Qualifications/ Skills Required:

• A leader with at least 3 years of direct management experience supervising a team, including prior management experience within the Employment Services industry, where daily monitoring and proactive performance management were required to meet standards and achieve targets.
• Prior direct experience in community outreach, client engagement, group facilitation, life skills coaching, employment counselling, or job coaching is required.
• Life Skills Coaching or ICF Certification is considered an asset.
• Knowledge of the Ontario Works program, community resources, support available to job seekers, and current labour market conditions.
• Exceptional relationship development skills and the ability to develop rapport with people in all stakeholder groups, including team members, community partners, funders, program participants, and employers.
• Demonstrated experience supervising staff and providing quality feedback and coaching, leading to improved outcomes.
• Experience managing program budgets effectively.
• Must be results-driven in nature with a demonstrated ability to achieve targets.
• Demonstrated organizational skills, effective time management, and ability to multi-task to meet deadlines and achieve objectives.
• Skilled at identifying systems and practices for operational effectiveness and efficiency.
• Excellent verbal and written English communication skills with experience writing high-quality reports. Bilingualism in French or other languages is considered an asset.
• A university degree is preferred, or an equivalent combination of education and experience is required.
• Exceptional customer service skills and the ability to uphold the organization's service standards, policies, and core values.
• A professional and courteous approach to client service with a high level of respect for the diversity of the people served.
• High ethics with a proven ability to maintain sensitive information, uphold confidentiality standards, and exhibit tact, diplomacy, and good judgment.
• Capable of working under pressure and meeting deadlines.
• Willingness to step in to assist team members when needed to ensure that program goals are achieved.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) and Outlook 365 applications, including Teams and SharePoint.
• Must possess the aptitude and willingness to learn and work with new online systems and technologies.
• Willingness and flexibility to occasionally work outside regular business hours when required to ensure the team meets all objectives.
• An encouraging team player with a positive attitude who leads by example and takes initiative when needed to ensure that objectives are achieved.

The Career Foundation's Commitment:

The Career Foundation is committed to diversity and inclusion and aims to create a healthy and rewarding environment for all. We welcome applications from qualified individuals who represent the diversity of the people we proudly serve, including, but not limited to, visible minorities, women, persons with disabilities, Indigenous peoples, and individuals of all genders and sexual orientation. The Career Foundation, in accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), is also committed to accommodating applicants with disabilities throughout the recruitment process. We will work with candidates requesting accommodation at any stage of the hiring process.