Career Navigator - Economic Advancement Program

About YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish

With a legacy exceeding 130 years, YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish leads local initiatives promoting racial and gender equity, supporting individuals, families, and communities through a variety of programs focused on housing, economic empowerment, health and safety, and services for survivors. The organization emphasizes the importance of stable employment as foundational to long-term financial and housing stability.

Within the Economic Empowerment department, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) program offers targeted assistance helping people remov systemic barriers in pursuit of meaningful careers and housing security.

Position Overview

The Career Navigator role is dedicated to supporting individuals experiencing homelessness and severe barriers to employment. By providing career coaching, workforce development, individualized guidance, and placement assistance, the position aims to foster participants’ stable employment, increased earnings, and housing stability.

Operating primarily on-site at YWCA Opportunity Place in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood, this role requires regular in-person presence to provide direct participant support and collaborate closely with workforce partners, community organizations, housing providers, employers, and internal teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Recruit and screen participants from the community to determine eligibility for program services.
• Build trusting, respectful relationships with individuals experiencing homelessness and significant barriers.
• Utilize strength-based assessments to identify employment needs, goals, and resource gaps.
• Deliver culturally relevant career counseling and workforce development support tailored to participant needs.
• Develop individualized employment plans with SMART goals tailored to participants' strengths and challenges.
• Help participants recognize dependable strengths while addressing barriers rooted in systemic racism and other factors.
• Guide job seekers through workforce and housing systems, application processes, and interview preparation.
• Assist participants in overcoming institutional obstacles such as lack of education, childcare, transportation, healthcare, and housing resources.
• Maintain comprehensive, accurate participant records and enter data into required databases including HMIS and Efforts to Outcomes (ETO).
• Compile regular data and narrative reports detailing program performance and participant outcomes.
• Develop and sustain collaborative relationships with employers, workforce partners, housing providers, and other community stakeholders to expand employment opportunities.
• Represent YWCA at community events, outreach activities, job fairs, and workforce development meetings.
• Maintain consistent onsite attendance to deliver services and support program operations.

Qualifications and Experience

• One to two years of relevant experience with participant recruitment, assessment, workforce development, client data management, and reporting.
• Understanding of challenges associated with racism, poverty, homelessness, and systems impacting low-income communities of color.
• Sensitivity to diverse participant needs including those affected by housing instability, domestic violence, immigration, disability, substance dependency, and justice system involvement.
• Ability to work autonomously and collaboratively, making informed decisions with minimal supervision.
• Strong interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Commitment to confidentiality and ethical handling of participant information.
• Proficiency with Windows OS, Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and database management.
• Willingness and ability to travel independently within King County to attend program-related activities.
• Recognition that diverse professional, educational, volunteer, or lived experiences that align with the mission are valued.

Physical Requirements

• Position entails regular communication, standing, walking, sitting, and some lifting of materials up to 40 pounds.
• Requires frequent use of office equipment and periodic bending, kneeling, and reaching activities.
• Working closely with individuals impacted by trauma requires self-care and resilience practices to mitigate secondary trauma.

Compensation and Benefits

• Hourly wage starting at $28.00 with a 40 hour work week and occasional overtime.
• Non-exempt status under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
• Comprehensive benefits including medical insurance, retirement plans with employer contributions after two years, and generous leave policies.

Work Environment and Diversity Commitment

YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion, aiming to create a healthy community transformed by racial and gender equity. The organization celebrates and supports diversity among employees, clients, and community partners.