Workforce Development Specialist

Company Description

A best-in-class city that attracts best-in-class talent, Philadelphia is an incredible place to build a career. From our thriving arts scene and rich history to our culture of passion and grit, there are countless reasons to love living and working here. With a workforce of over 30,000 people, and more than 1,000 different job categories, the City of Philadelphia offers boundless opportunities to make an impact.

As an employer, the City of Philadelphia values inclusion, integrity, innovation, empowerment, and hard work above all else. We offer a vibrant work environment, comprehensive health care and benefits, and the experience you need to grow and excel. If you’re interested in working with a passionate team of people who care about the future of Philadelphia, start here.

What we offer

• Impact - The work you do here matters to millions. 
• Growth - Philadelphia is growing, why not grow with it? 
• Diversity & Inclusion - Find a career in a place where everyone belongs.
• Benefits - We care about your well-being.

Agency Description

The Office of Public Safety (OPS) was launched in 2024 to make communities safer, improve public perceptions of safety, and help communities heal from the traumas of violence. In pursuit of those goals, OPS coordinates multi-disciplinary public safety efforts across City government and with community and institutional stakeholders. Currently, OPS has over 100 staff and is home to seven individual offices:

Office of Criminal Justice, Office of Safe Neighborhoods, Office of Reentry Partnerships, Office of the Victim Advocate, Town Watch Integrated Services, Opioid Response Unit, and Office of Community Partnerships.

The Office of Reentry Partnerships (ORP) focuses on supporting individuals transitioning from incarceration back into society. Its core mission is to provide comprehensive services that reduce recidivism, promote community reintegration, and enhance opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals to succeed in their personal, professional, and social lives.

Job Description

Position Summary

The Workforce Development Specialist will support ORP’s efforts to increase access to and impact of economic and career pathway opportunities for currently & formerly incarcerated Philadelphians. Career pathway opportunities include all education, training, employment, workforce development, and other economic opportunity-related services, programs, and initiatives. Through research, analysis, project management, partnership development, and other activities, the Workforce Development Specialist will build ORP’s capacity to sustain cross-agency partnerships and develop and scale solutions to often-identified barriers.

The Workforce Development Specialist position works to expose justice involved participants to learning processes and educational experiences that will give the skill set and tools to find sustainable employment and/or continued education to achieve personal success and productivity. ORP is committed to and expects the Workforce Development Specialist to work to develop working relationships with industry training partners/employers and education institutions geared toward creating opportunities for Returning Citizens.

Essential Functions

• Research and identify prospective employers, training partners, apprenticeships, and so on to describe ORP’s program’s objectives and solicit cooperation in providing employment and training opportunities.
• Create, establish and maintain temporary, full-time and part-time job banks; tracks and follows updates on job fairs and internet resources.
• Coordinate and facilitate employer/training information sessions, recruitment days and targeted job fairs.
• Develop services to address gaps (social, emotional, basic skills) to prepare individuals for referrals into job readiness programs; development of a referral system to track programs, identify opportunities, and connect participants to appropriate workforce programs.
• Develop new retention supports for transitional jobs, career training, and permanent employment.
• Responsible for actively providing soft skills training to participants in both group and individual settings, providing coaching in areas such as interview skills, corporate attire, and professional etiquette and documenting all client progress.
• Contact and coordinate guest speakers from various professional fields to share career and training experiences with participants.
• Work closely with the Director of Reentry Services to coordinate career plans by matching job skills with applicant qualifications.