Youth Program Specialist

Job Overview: The Youth Program Specialist supports refugee youth ages 0-19 and their families in a successful adjustment and transition to school and/or childcare programs. Under the direction of the youth program coordinator, the Specialist assists with program intakes and service planning, school enrollment, childcare enrollment, ongoing case management, school advocacy, parent orientations, and afterschool enrichment programming.

Major Responsibilities:

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Support with school enrollment for all newly arrived refugee youth including collaboration with Federally Qualified Health Clinics (FQHCs) to meet vaccination requirements
• Support with childcare enrollment for all newly arrived refugee youth under 5 years old including collaboration with Federally Qualified Health Clinics (FQHCs) to meet vaccination requirements
• Communicate with schools and families to gather appropriate documents necessary for registration.
• Complete intake with families and gather information about children’s educational histories and needs; distribute this information to educators and school officials at time of enrollment.
• Ensure high quality case management services are provided to families including appropriate follow up and developing strong connections between the family, school, IRC, and relevant community agencies. Ensure all services are appropriately documented in case files.
• Support parent orientations including introduction to the U.S. school system, parent engagement, how to choose a high school in Elizabeth and post-college pathways
• Assess parents’ understanding of information and develop tools to evaluate increases in knowledge
• Ensure program participants are properly enrolled and files are up to date
• Assist as needed with afterschool enrichment and social emotional learning programs
• Provide task supervision and support to interns, in consultation with Youth Program Coordinator.
• Other duties as assigned

Job Requirements:

Education: Bachelor’s degree in social work or related field of study preferred.

Work Experience:

• A minimum of 2 years’ experience working with children and youth, specifically in the context of educational and social programs
• Relevant professional experience working with English Language Learners, refugee and/or immigrant populations
• Relevant professional experience working in New Jersey public schools and afterschool programs preferred
• Organized and flexible: able to maintain responsibility for multiple tasks in the context of a diverse, fast-paced work environment

Demonstrated Skills & Competencies:

• Strong relationship building, diplomacy, and networking skills; ability to effectively build internal and external relationships.
• Demonstrated success working and communicating effectively in a multi-cultural environment.
• Self-starter with excellent problem-solving skills combined with the proven ability to multi-task, prioritize duties, and manage time effectively.
• Attention to detail and accuracy in work product.
• Fluent in English, both spoken and written; proficiency in language(s) spoken by IRC’s clients is desired; including Spanish, Arabic, Dari, Pashto, and Kiswahili.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Outlook); ability to use the internet and other digital tools for data entry, research, and problem-solving purposes.

Working Environment:

• Standard office environment.
• Local travel to client homes, schools and other community-based organizations required.
• May require occasional weekend and/or evening work.

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.