JOB CLASSIFICATION: Mentoring and Employer Engagement Specialist

PROGRAM/DEPARTMENT: Employment Services

COMPANY: Skills for Change

LOCATIONS: 1345 St. Clair West, Toronto, ON M6E 1C3 & 65 Overlea Blvd, Suite 260, Toronto, ON M4H1P1

CONTRACT TYPE: Full-Time (Indefinite, Union)- 2 positions

HOURS: 35 hours per week, Hybrid (Monday-Friday with occasional evening and/or weekend hours)

PAY RATE: $28.64

REPORTS TO: Supervisor, Employment Services

START DATE:  Immediately

COMPANY:

Located on the traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples, Skills for Change (SfC) is working towards advancing the Sustainable Development Goals for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. Named Charity Village's Best Non-Profit Employer - Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and winner of the 2021 Canada Volunteer Awards for Innovation, our organization is committed to reducing poverty, improve mental health, eliminating gender-based violence, building community, eradicating systemic racism, and settling and creating sustainable communities for all immigrants, refugees, and underserved communities. Start your career with SfC and join our 43-year history of creating innovative programming to build welcoming and equitable communities.

GENERAL ACCOUNTABILITY:

With over 43 years of operations, Skills for Change is a highly respected non-profit charity with a province wide reputation for pioneering programs that respond to shifting immigration and workplace trends and lead to employment. We offer a range of accelerate d programs including mentoring, employment, settlement, language training together with specialized programs for skilled trades, women, and youth. We have 5 locations across the GTA and serve 16,000 clients annually. We believe we are in the best position to provide thought leadership through evidence-based programming, impact stories and proactive policy advocacy using knowledge mobilization products.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Employer Engagement & Mentoring Specialist will play a pivotal role in developing, managing, and sustaining strong employer relationships to create employment and training opportunities for clients across a diverse portfolio of programs. While secto r-specific knowledge (i.e., trades or sustainability) is considered an asset, this role is designed to support and grow employer and mentoring networks across multiple program areas. This position will focus on employer acquisition and retention, provide strategic support to employers to foster inclusive hiring practices, support the coordination and delivery of employer and mentoring events, and coordinate with internal teams to track outcomes and align services to client and employer needs. It also includes a strong focus on collaboration, communication, and data-informed decision-making.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE HAS:

• A passion for supporting the successful integration of immigrants into the Canadian workforce.

• A strong understanding of workforce development, the labour market and skilled trades pathways, especially in high-demand sectors.

• A track record of building and maintaining strong relationships with employers, industry associations, and community agencies.

• Excellent networking and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage and influence stakeholders at various levels.

• Demonstrated proficiency in client relationship management, employing diverse sales approaches, and implementing successful recruitment strategies.

• Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to effectively convey complex i nformation to diverse audiences.

• Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to multitask, prioritize, and meet deadlines in a fast -paced environment.

• A solid understanding of the current labor market, including employer expectations, in-demand skills, and education requirements.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Contribute to the development and implementation of strategies to enhance the impact of our employer engagement and client mentoring opportunities and initiatives.

• Execute a comprehensive employer engagement strategy to attract a diverse range of employers and mentors and create meaningful opportunities for clients.

• Develop prospecting lists for outreach purposes.

• Engage employers to identify work opportunities and promote job matching and placement support.

• Develop and execute high quality and engaging communications across a variety of partners, such as pitch presentations to secure employer or industry/sector partners. Present Skills for Change’s services to demonstrate value and impact.

• Work closely with program teams to understand the needs of job seekers, identify opportunities for partnerships with employers, and appropriately match clients to opportunities.

• Conduct case conferencing with Employment Counsellors to identify job-ready clients and develop targeted employment strategies.

• Evaluate clients’ employment interests, skills, and job performances in relation to short-and long-term employment goals in a group and/or individual setting.

• Support individuals for disclosure of disabilities that may affect employment participation.

• Build and maintain strong relationships with employers, sector/industry organizations and community partners to secure their interest in providing employment and/or mentoring opportunities for Skills for Change clients of various programs (e.g., skilled trades bridge training program, sustainability-sector, tech-sector).

• Develop and implement strategies to sustain positive relationships with partners, including regular communication (main contact), ongoing support and troubleshooting, collaboration on joint projects, and participation in events and activities.

• Negotiate and Coordinate placement agreements, training plans, contracts, and financial incentives with employers while complying with applicable guidelines and procedures.

• Collaborate with Employment Counsellors to address employment barriers and support client transitions into employment.

• Develop and implement individual employment retention strategies for 3, 6, 12 months and enter all monitoring checkpoints in funder’s database accurately.

• Organize and facilitate employment and mentoring events, information sessions, hiring events, job fairs, networking activities, and special activities (e.g., Trades Expos).

• Consult with employers to co-develop onboarding or retention plans that address equity, access, and inclusive practices.

• Utilize the funder systems, databases and internal systems for tracking clients, conducting follow-up and recording activities.

• Maintain Case Notes and documentation of client engagement, progress of completion of action items from individualized employment action plans and documentation of client progress and results.

• Document employer engagement activities, placements, and service interactions within the funder’s case management system.

• Utilizes funder and internal systems to support accurate tracking of employer engagement and client placement activity.

• Represent the organization at community roundtables, workforce planning sessions, and sector events.

• Contribute to developing and maintaining and up to date database of employer and mentoring partners across a variety of sectors that connect to client interests and needs.

• Manage employer accounts, tracking all employer engagement initiatives and maintaining accurate records.

• Track and monitor employer satisfaction, employment outcomes, and support feedback collection to enhance service delivery.

• Participate in team meetings and contribute to continuous service improvement.

• Share labour market insights and trends with internal teams and contribute to strategic planning and target setting.

QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES:

• Post-secondary degree or diploma in business administration, skilled trades, marketing, sales, or related disciplines.

• Minimum 3 years of experience in relationship management, recruitment and/or marketing to employers.

• Experience working with marginalized populations, particularly newcomers, women, youth, and social assistance recipients.

• Strong knowledge of the skilled trades sector and current labour market demands.

• Demonstrated ability to build employer relationships and support job placements.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and facilitation skills.

• Demonstrated experience in event planning and/or delivery.

• Proficiency in MS Office Suite and presentation tools; experience is an asset.

• Strong organizational and time-management skills.

• Ability to work flexible hours. Some activities are delivered in the evenings and on weekends. Work schedules will be adjusted to accommodate required delivery times.

• A commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion in all aspects of service delivery.

• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a dynamic, client-focused environment.

• A clear, mandatory vulnerable sector check is required.

ABOUT SKILLS FOR CHANGE & ACCESSIBILITY STATEMENT

Skills for Change provides learning and training opportunities for immigrants, refugees and equity seeking groups to access a nd fully participate in the workplace and wider community to persons with disabilities to newcomers to Canada (including refugees) to Indigenous peoples to members of a visible minority to children or youth to women of all ages including seniors to the LGBTQ2 community.

Skills for Change offers accommodation for applicants with disabilities in each stage of the hiring process. If you are contacted regarding a job opportunity, please advise if you require accommodation. This document is available in alternate format on request. We thank all applicants for their interest in this position, however only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

We thank all applicants for their interest in this position, however only those selected for an interview will be contacted .