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Job description
Outreach & Employment Specialist
3rd Street Youth Center & Clinic is a community-based nonprofit serving youth and young adults throughout San Francisco, with deep roots in the Bayview Hunters Point community. Since 2005, we have provided integrated health, behavioral health, housing, workforce development, and leadership opportunities that empower young people to make healthy, safe decisions and build successful futures.
Today, 3rd Street operates one of San Francisco's few Youth Access Points, manages multiple Transitional Age Youth (TAY) housing programs, and provides workforce pathways that connect young adults to meaningful education and employment opportunities.
The program provides career counseling and planning, job readiness training, employment placement, and retention services, with the Job Centers serving as the hub that coordinates and delivers this support across the organization.
The Outreach & Employment Specialist is the primary point of contact for young people entering the Young Adult Job Centers, and the person who walks alongside them from first contact through a job that lasts.
This role has two halves. 1) Outreach means actively getting in front of young people at our housing sites, across our programs and in the community, bringing them into employment services. It is not a passive, wait-for-referrals role. 2) Employment services means career counseling, job readiness training, coaching, placement, and retention support for the young people who engage.
Performance context: This program carries defined contractual targets, including an annual enrollment goal and a placement rate at exit into unsubsidized employment, education, or training. This role directly drives both. We are looking for someone who can build genuine trust with young people who have been failed by systems before and who can also deliver on real numbers.
Duties & Responsibilities
Outreach & Engagement
Conduct proactive, consistent outreach to young people across 3rd Street's programs: housing, behavioral health, health, education, and youth development, and in the surrounding community.
Build visibility and trust through regular presence where young people already are, rather than waiting for them to come to you.
Develop and maintain referral relationships with internal program teams, community organizations, schools, and partner agencies.
Staff and animate the drop-in resource centers, creating a welcoming, low-barrier front door into employment services.
Re-engage young people who disengage, treating return as a warm re-entry rather than a lockout.
Career Counseling, Planning & Enrollment
Conduct career counseling and planning sessions with real conversations about a young person's goals, interests, and job search strategy.
Complete intake, eligibility verification, assessment, and enrollment documentation.
Develop Individual Service Plans with each participant and update them as progress is made.
Conduct regular one-on-one coaching to monitor progress, remove barriers, and keep momentum.
Job Readiness Training
Facilitate workshops and group sessions, open to any young person, covering:
Resume and cover letter development; interview preparation; mock interviews
Professional communication and workplace expectations
Job search strategies and digital literacy
Financial literacy and career exploration
Prepare participants for employment through coaching, practice, and skill-building.
Job Placement & Retention
Identify employment, internship, apprenticeship, and training opportunities aligned with participants' goals.
Match participants to opportunities, coordinate interviews, and make warm introductions to employers.
Support participants through hiring and onboarding.
Maintain regular contact after placement, providing coaching and problem-solving to support job retention.
Conduct required follow-up contacts and document employment status in accordance with OEWD standards.
Coordinate supportive services to help participants stay employed.
Documentation & Collaboration
Document all services accurately and on time in WorkforceCentral and Apricot, meeting monthly data deadlines.
Work with 3rd Street's compliance and reporting partner to ensure data is complete and accurate.
Maintain confidential participant records.
Collaborate with Housing, Behavioral Health, Youth Development, Education, and Case Management teams to coordinate wraparound support and surface youth for employment services.
Participate in staff meetings, trainings, case conferences, and community events.
About You
Skills, Knowledge & Abilities
Genuine ability to build trust with young people who may be testing whether you're for real
Comfort with proactive outreach initiating contact, showing up consistently, and bringing people in
Knowledge of workforce development and employment readiness practices
Strong coaching, mentoring, and relationship-building skills
Workshop facilitation and group work abilities
Knowledge of trauma-informed and culturally responsive service delivery
Strong organizational skills and reliable documentation habits
Ability to manage a caseload and deliver on performance goals
Proficiency with Microsoft Office and cloud-based case management systems
Education & Experience
Associate's degree in Human Services, Social Work, Workforce Development, Education, Business, or a related field; or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Relevant lived experience is valued and may substitute for formal education.
Minimum two years of experience providing direct services to youth or young adults.
Experience in workforce development, employment services, career coaching, education, or case management.
Ability to travel between program sites and throughout San Francisco.
Preferred
Lived experience reflective of the young people and communities we serve
Experience working with Transitional Age Youth, including justice-involved and formerly homeless young people
Experience conducting outreach and community engagement
Familiarity with OEWD, WIOA, or similar workforce programs
Familiarity with WorkforceCentral, Apricot, Salesforce, or similar data systems
Bilingual or multilingual abilities
Physical demands & availability:
Frequent sitting, standing, walking, and computer use
Ability to facilitate workshops and group activities
Ability to travel throughout San Francisco for outreach, employer visits, and participant support
Ability to occasionally lift up to 25 pounds
Full-time position; some evenings and occasional weekends to support programming, employer events, and outreach
General info:
This position is a salary exempt and full time role.
This position is based at our TAY Navigation Center in San Francisco and will travel to 3900 3rd Street and community partner locations throughout San Francisco
This position reports to the Job Center Manager.
Compensation & benefits:
This position has an annual salary of $75,000.
3rd Street Youth Center & Clinic offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, retirement benefits, paid holidays, vacation, sick leave, professional development opportunities, and employee wellness resources.
EEOC statement:
3rd Street Youth Center & Clinic is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE). Qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, partnership status, gender identity or expression, marital status, familial status, national origin, ethnicity, citizenship, veteran status, disability, age, or any other legally protected characteristic. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records will be considered for employment.
Worksite address
san francisco, CA, 94199, US
Who can apply
Review the original listing for work authorization, qualifications and employer requirements.