Financial Empowerment Specialist (Dari- or Pashto-Speaking)

IRC Background: The mission of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) is to help people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover and gain control of their future. Founded in 1933, the IRC has a presence in over 40 countries and 27 offices in the United States; the IRC leads the way from harm to home. The San Jose IRC office serves approximately 700 refugees and asylees annually providing them a fresh start and opportunities to use their greatest resources—their motivation, their skills and their experiences—to become independent and self-sufficient new Americans.​

Job Overview: Under the direct supervision of the Career Development Coordinator, the Financial Empowerment Specialist will work together with the larger San Jose Team through an integrated approach to help refugees to thrive financially in the U.S by providing them access to the Individual Development Account (IDA) savings program, IRC Center for Economic Opportunity (CEO) financial products, microenterprise development, and financial coaching.

The Financial Empowerment Specialist will be responsible for recruiting and working with refugee clients in the Financial Empowerment programs to identify an asset goal and provide access to financial products needed to obtain it. You will guide the refugee saver to progress towards asset acquisition through offering technical support in establishing the IDA at the qualified financial institution, coordinate asset-specific training and technical support, and you will support the client to achieve the savings goal in the agreed upon timeframe.

The Financial Empowerment Specialist will have three primary areas of focus: oversee and instruct classes on financial literacy to newly arrived refugee and asylee clients, provide financial coaching and counseling services to clients on a one-on-one basis, and assist clients in applying for loans through the Center for Economic Opportunity (CEO), the IRC’s subsidiary Community Development Financial Institution.

Working closely with the Early Employment, Career Development, and Youth teams you will provide client services in an integrated, effective and consistent manner.

Major Responsibilities:

Economic Empowerment Service

• Provide ongoing strengths-based financial coaching and/or case management to enrolled clients including to help them set and achieve short-, medium- and long-term financial goals.
• Collect, organize and track client documents to verify program eligibility.
• Complete enrollment documentation and maintain client digital files.
• Collaborate with the IRC San Jose team on internal and external outreach to recruit suitable, eligible participants to the IDA program.
• Provide intake, assessment, and program orientation to clients eligible for employment and asset-building services.
• Develop family budgets and comprehensive economic empowerment service plans for each client, including a baseline financial health assessment including net worth and credit score.
• Package consumer loan applications for participants in support of their individualized service plan (as relevant) and submit electronically to the IRC’s Center for Economic Opportunity; serve as primary point of contact for these borrowers.
• Lead regular (2+/week) client-facing economic empowerment workshops on a variety of topics including Introduction to Credit and How to Read a Paystub.
• Lead occasional staff-facing financial capability training sessions to build program awareness and capacity.
• Advise Economic Empowerment Manager on the design and integration of financial capability and coaching into broader Economic Empowerment programming.
• Serve as key point of contact between IRC San Jose and Economic Empowerment technical advisors on IRC’s Program Quality and Innovation (PQI team).
• Represent IRC San Jose at monthly Financial Coaching Community of Practice (CoP) meetings.
• Liaise with other departments across the office to integrate financial coaching and education into these programs, as appropriate.
• Develop and maintain partnerships with financial institutions and other community stakeholders in the Bay Area economic empowerment and asset-building space.
• Contribute to development of financial capability grant proposals.
• Train and supervise program interns/volunteers as needed.
• Collaborate with the IRC San Jose team on internal and external outreach to recruit suitable, eligible participants for the program.

Financial Coaching

• Lead the implementation of group Financial Education classes, including organizing and adjusting the curriculum as necessary, coordinating logistics such as transportation, interpretation, and volunteer support, teaching classes utilizing adult learning principles appropriate for a multicultural audience; accurately tracking participant attendance, data, and follow-up services.
• Conduct one-on-one financial coaching and counseling with clients, including: using data management system to document and reflect the outcome of clients’ progress in an accurate and timely manner, contribute to quarterly funder reports with program outcomes data and client stories, conduct community-facing workshops for outreach and education. Topics may include budgeting, savings, banking, financial products, credit building, identity theft, and more.
• Maintain and develop new positive relationships with local financial institutions and community organizations as a means of increasing outreach efforts and funding opportunities.
• Administer lending products through IRC’s Center for Economic Empowerment (CEO), including credit building loans, vehicle loans, and education and training loans.
• Monitor loan applications and financial products disbursement information for program participants.
• Track client IDA savings deposits in coordination with the Site and Finance Manager to ensure IDA match and disbursement requirements.
• Ensure clients receiving loans are accessing appropriate coaching and case management services.
• Coordinate with the IRC’s CEO and attend trainings and webinars as required.

Compliance Documentation:

• Monitor and track client financial health indicators including job wage levels, net worth, and credit score.
• Ensure timely and accurate compliance to all reporting requirements, including database management, case noting, and file maintenance.

Team/Office Participation:

• Participate in all program meetings, staff development activities, and other duties as assigned.
• Work as part of a team to provide comprehensive strength-based services to IRC clients through coordination of cases and effective communication between team members and departments.
• Comply with all policies, procedures and protocols of the agency.
• Training and providing guidance to volunteers recruited to support IRC’s mission.
• Other duties as assigned.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: Career Development Coordinator

Position directly supervises: Volunteers and interns

Indirect Reporting: Site Director

Internal: Initial Services, Early Employment, Career Development, and Youth programs.

External: Community partners in financial and economic empowerment programs.

Job Requirements:

• Proficiency in Dari, Farsi, and/or Pashto.
• Undergraduate degree in Business, Finance, or equivalent work experience.
• 2+ years’ experience of client-facing work in the financial services or insurance sectors.
• Demonstrated understanding of personal finances, particularly in the areas of budgeting, asset building, and credit building is required.
• Ability to provide financial coaching services in a culturally sensitive manner is required.
• Experience in a non-profit or social services setting is an advantage, prior experience working with refugee populations preferred.
• Prior experience in IDA savings program management and financial coaching is highly desirable.
• Attention to detail and ability to organize and track large amounts of information efficiently and accurately.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong computer skills, particularly MS Outlook, Teams, Word and Excel and database administration.
• Ability to work independently, be a self-starter and maintain responsibility for multiple tasks.
• Valid driver’s license, reliable vehicle with current insurance, and the ability to travel regularly throughout the service area.

Working Environment:

• Hybrid office work environment, with 3 days per week required in person.
• Regular travel in and around the service delivery area.
• Reoccurring need to provide services outside of traditional work hours (evenings and weekends).

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Posted pay ranges apply to US-based candidates. Ranges are based on various factors including the labor market, job type, internal equity, and budget. Exact offers are calibrated by work location, individual candidate experience and skills relative to the defined job requirements.

COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement: In accordance with IRC’s duty to provide and maintain a workplace that is free of known hazards and our commitment to safeguard the health of our employees, clients, and communities, IRC requires new hires to furnish proof of vaccination against COVID-19 in order to be considered for any in-office or hybrid positions. All IRC US offices require full vaccination to attend any in-office functions (e.g., meetings, trainings).

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusivity: IRC is committed to building a diverse organization and a climate of inclusivity. We strongly encourage applications from candidates who can demonstrate that they can contribute to this goal.

Equal Opportunity Employer: We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

US Benefits: We offer a comprehensive and highly competitive set of benefits. In the US, these include: 10 sick days, 10 US holidays, 20-25 paid time off days depending on role and tenure, medical insurance starting at $120 per month, dental starting at $7 per month, and vision starting at $5 per month, FSA for healthcare and commuter costs, a 403b retirement savings plans with immediately vested matching, disability & life insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support counseling and care in times of crisis and mental health struggles.