As the VetNet Outreach Specialist, your mission will be to identify and recruit veterans who are unemployed or underemployed; evaluate their employability for our programs; and enroll them in Vet Net, our premier veteran’s employment program. The ultimate goal is to connect clients to full-time employment with long-term job retention, thereby leading to permanent housing and self-sufficiency. The VetNet Community Outreach Specialist will fully support the VetNet team by developing positive relationships throughout the community that will continue to provide veteran referrals to Working Wardrobes.
This role will have direct client contact as well as responsibility for furthering the reputation and awareness of the VetNet program and Working Wardrobes so that we can serve even more individuals in our community. Primary duties will include:
Community Outreach
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- Recruit veteran clients to achieve the metrics of several federal grants. All metrics will be developed for monthly, quarterly and annual goals
- Develop and maintain relationships with community resource partners that can provide valuable resources to our enrolled clients
- Coordinate Job Fairs, Stand Down events and represent Working Wardrobes in the community
- Make referrals to, and maintain relationships with support services, additional training programs, and outside agencies as based on participant needs
- Participate in partner meetings
- Participate in the Orange County Veterans Collaborative to keep our profile high in the community
- Assist with workforce development workshops and training programs
Program Administration
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- Participate in staff meetings, required training and other programs as requested
- Assist with program evaluation
- Participate in development and coordination of special assignments and programs
- Maintain a professional attitude, confidentiality, and respect for cultural differences
- Ability to work with clients and peers in a respectful, professional and motivational manner
- Commitment to maintaining scheduled appointments with clients, peers and specialists
Technological Competencies
Be proficient with MS Office and all client software within 30 days and become a strong user of the system.
Other Duties As Assigned
Keys to Success
- To excel in this role, you will need to exercise flexibility in the face of numerous ad-hoc requests and demonstrate an ability to prioritize and re-prioritize on a moment’s notice to serve diverse stakeholders with differing needs.
- This is an extremely relationship-focused position that requires a polished representative for the organization. Expect active engagement in the following areas:
- Direct military community outreach, including weekly visits to Camp Pendleton and Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base
- Outreach with community organizations, veteran service programs, the VA, colleges and other veteran resource groups to connect at-risk veterans with our extensive career development services program
- Representing Working Wardrobes at job fairs, community events and informational workshops in order to attract organizations that can refer more veteran clients to VetNet.
- Thorough attention to detail is required as you will collaborate with partner agencies to meet the goals of all grants, with a goal of stable employment and job retention leading to permanent housing for our clients.
- An engaged and kind client focus is required to ensure that we have adequate numbers of prospective clients to meet our grant metrics and ensure we are serving the veteran population with all the services Working Wardrobes can provide.
If this sounds like the right environment and opportunity for you, we look forward to hearing from you!
Professional Requirements:
- Reliable transportation and a valid CA Driver’s License required.
- United States military veteran strongly
- Experience working with military veterans and individuals with diverse ethnic backgrounds along with a strong foundational understanding of military culture, rank structure and organizational structure, as well as a strong understanding of the deployment and re-integration cycle.
- Familiarity with Uniformed Services Employment and Re-Employment Rights Act (USERRA).
- Minimum of one year of professional experience in community outreach, nonprofits, community social services agencies, or health organizations.
- The ability to work at client service and fundraising events on evenings/weekends, as needed.
- Experience finding referral services, understanding the career/job search process, building resumes, and embracing the value of vocational rehabilitation programs.
- A drive to assist veterans by providing excellent customer service skills and working collaboratively with partner agencies and our internal team.
- Superior multi-tasking capabilities with the ability to work well under pressure in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment.
- Strong interpersonal, writing and verbal skills along with excellent telephone etiquette and a friendly, yet professional demeanor.
- A proven ability to work well both independently and as part of a team, and to rely on experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals.
- A strong sense of discretion and confidentiality.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint).
- Bilingual English/Spanish a plus.
Physical Requirements:
- Able to remain in a stationary position (both sitting and standing) 50% of the time.
- Able to move about inside the Career Center to access file cabinets, volunteers, corporate contacts, etc.
- Able to operate office equipment such as a computer, calculator, copy machine and fax machine
- Able to move equipment and supplies weighing up to 25 pounds for various events.
- Able to move, traverse – move to access documents, files, supplies, etc.
- Able to clearly communicate with clients, partners, donors, and volunteers who have inquiries about the organization’s mission and services. Must be able to exchange accurate information in these situations.
Why Working Wardrobes?
Unlike a big corporation that might pigeonhole you, frustrate you with bureaucracy, or just simply treat you like a number, we know that every employee plays an essential role in our success. We’ve fostered an energetic and open environment peopled by results-oriented professionals with the intellect to achieve results and the humor to enjoy the process. In spite of our continued growth, we’ve maintained enough of a “small” agency feel that your individual contributions can make a difference, and you can feel the “heart-beat” of the company. You’ll be working alongside like-minded peers who are fully aligned with our mission of transforming our clients’ lives by providing career development tools to achieve self -sufficiency. In fact, since 1990, we’ve served nearly 90,000 adults navigate through a variety of life crises--including homelessness, catastrophic illness, alcohol/substance abuse, and traumatic financial losses—and successfully reenter the workforce, with confidence and in style!
Apply on line at www.workingwardrobes.org