{"schemaVersion":"jobsearcher.job.v1","id":"323a501081d25cad2a13873d","url":"https://jobsearcher.com/jobs/323a501081d25cad2a13873d","canonicalUrl":"https://jobsearcher.com/jobs/323a501081d25cad2a13873d","title":"Workforce Development Specialist","description":"*Position Summary:*\nPODER’s WFD Program Specialist will play a central role in delivering high-quality workforce programming for adults and young adult participants. This role supports the full participant journey from recruitment and intake coordination through training, advising, job placement, and follow-up. The Specialist provides classroom instruction, individualized participant support, employer engagement, and program reporting to help participants build skills, explore career pathways, and move toward employment and economic mobility.\n\nThe WFD Program Coordinator is a full-time, salaried position and reports to the IE & WFD Manager.\n\n*Primary Responsibilities:*\n\n* Schedule and coordinate all program classes and cohort timelines across program stages (recruitment, intake, training, placement, and follow-up)\n* Collaborate with Enrollment and WFD teams to support all aspects and stages of the program\n* Monitor day-to-day program operations and resolve scheduling, staffing, or logistical issues as they arise\n* Collaborate closely with Enrollment Specialists on participant intake, enrollment targets, and case coordination by providing information and supporting the orientation process\n* Deliver instruction as sole teacher or in team teaching formats depending on cohort schedule\n* Facilitate instruction across core content areas, including digital skills and technology use, financial literacy and money management, career exploration and workplace readiness, and customer service training\n* Create an engaging, supportive, and structured classroom environment that promotes participation and skill-building\n* Incorporate interactive activities, real-world scenarios, and project-based learning into instruction\n* Lead employer relations and engagement efforts to build a pipeline of job opportunities for program participants\n* Track job openings and opportunities relevant to program graduates\n* Oversee job placement efforts, connecting graduates with employer partners and monitoring placement outcomes\n* Build and maintain relationships with employer partners, industry contacts, and referral sites to support ongoing placement\n* Coordinate with employer partners on job fairs, hiring events, and guest speaker opportunities\n* Report program progress, outcomes, and evaluation data to the funder and to internal PODER management on a regular basis\n* Track program metrics — enrollment, completion, job placement, retention, and wage outcomes — and prepare related reports\n* Collaborate with Grants and Data staff to compile data for funder compliance reports\n* Submit periodic and annual reports summarizing program results, key takeaways, and recommendations\n\n*Qualifications and Skills: *\n\n· Experience working with youth and/or adult participants in an educational, workforce, or community-based setting\n\n· Experience with employer engagement, business development, or partnership building\n\n· Strong instructional and facilitation skills\n\n· Strong data tracking, program evaluation, and reporting skills\n\n· Strong organizational and time management skills to oversee multiple program stages simultaneously\n\n· Ability to build rapport and trust with participants from diverse backgrounds\n\n· Experience with career coaching, advising, or mentoring preferred\n\n· Strong communication and organizational skills\n\n· Bilingual in Spanish a plus\n\n· Commitment to equity, inclusion, and culturally responsive practice\n\n*Competencies: *\n\n· Customer focused\n\n· Instills trust\n\n· Communicates effectively\n\n· Values differences\n\n· Develops talent\n\n· Builds networks\n\n*Physical Requirements:*\n\n· Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.\n\nSalary commensurate with experience. Benefit package includes health insurance subsidy and simple 401(k) company match. Generous holiday schedule and flexible accrued PTO for vacation, personal and sick days.\n\nPay: From $50,000.00 per year\n\nBenefits:\n* 403(b)\n* Health insurance\n* Paid time off\n\nExperience:\n* Working with students: 1 year (Required)\n\nAbility to Commute:\n* Chicago, IL 60632 (Required)\n\nWork Location: In person","company":"Poder","rawCompany":"poder","city":"Chicago","state":"IL","isRemote":false,"isActive":false,"createdAt":"2026-09-23T09:47:33.301Z","occupations":[{"code":"13-1151.00","title":"Training and Development Specialists","slug":"training-and-development-specialists"},{"code":"21-1099.00","title":"Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other","slug":"community-and-social-service-specialists-all-other"},{"code":"11-9151.00","title":"Social and Community Service Managers","slug":"social-and-community-service-managers"}],"industries":[{"code":"624110","title":"Child and Youth Services","slug":"child-and-youth-services"},{"code":"611699","title":"All Other Miscellaneous Schools and Instruction","slug":"all-other-miscellaneous-schools-and-instruction"},{"code":"624190","title":"Other Individual and Family Services","slug":"other-individual-and-family-services"}],"jobPosting":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"JobPosting","title":"Workforce Development Specialist","description":"*Position Summary:*\nPODER’s WFD Program Specialist will play a central role in delivering high-quality workforce programming for adults and young adult participants. This role supports the full participant journey from recruitment and intake coordination through training, advising, job placement, and follow-up. The Specialist provides classroom instruction, individualized participant support, employer engagement, and program reporting to help participants build skills, explore career pathways, and move toward employment and economic mobility.\n\nThe WFD Program Coordinator is a full-time, salaried position and reports to the IE & WFD Manager.\n\n*Primary Responsibilities:*\n\n* Schedule and coordinate all program classes and cohort timelines across program stages (recruitment, intake, training, placement, and follow-up)\n* Collaborate with Enrollment and WFD teams to support all aspects and stages of the program\n* Monitor day-to-day program operations and resolve scheduling, staffing, or logistical issues as they arise\n* Collaborate closely with Enrollment Specialists on participant intake, enrollment targets, and case coordination by providing information and supporting the orientation process\n* Deliver instruction as sole teacher or in team teaching formats depending on cohort schedule\n* Facilitate instruction across core content areas, including digital skills and technology use, financial literacy and money management, career exploration and workplace readiness, and customer service training\n* Create an engaging, supportive, and structured classroom environment that promotes participation and skill-building\n* Incorporate interactive activities, real-world scenarios, and project-based learning into instruction\n* Lead employer relations and engagement efforts to build a pipeline of job opportunities for program participants\n* Track job openings and opportunities relevant to program graduates\n* Oversee job placement efforts, connecting graduates with employer partners and monitoring placement outcomes\n* Build and maintain relationships with employer partners, industry contacts, and referral sites to support ongoing placement\n* Coordinate with employer partners on job fairs, hiring events, and guest speaker opportunities\n* Report program progress, outcomes, and evaluation data to the funder and to internal PODER management on a regular basis\n* Track program metrics — enrollment, completion, job placement, retention, and wage outcomes — and prepare related reports\n* Collaborate with Grants and Data staff to compile data for funder compliance reports\n* Submit periodic and annual reports summarizing program results, key takeaways, and recommendations\n\n*Qualifications and Skills: *\n\n· Experience working with youth and/or adult participants in an educational, workforce, or community-based setting\n\n· Experience with employer engagement, business development, or partnership building\n\n· Strong instructional and facilitation skills\n\n· Strong data tracking, program evaluation, and reporting skills\n\n· Strong organizational and time management skills to oversee multiple program stages simultaneously\n\n· Ability to build rapport and trust with participants from diverse backgrounds\n\n· Experience with career coaching, advising, or mentoring preferred\n\n· Strong communication and organizational skills\n\n· Bilingual in Spanish a plus\n\n· Commitment to equity, inclusion, and culturally responsive practice\n\n*Competencies: *\n\n· Customer focused\n\n· Instills trust\n\n· Communicates effectively\n\n· Values differences\n\n· Develops talent\n\n· Builds networks\n\n*Physical Requirements:*\n\n· Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.\n\nSalary commensurate with experience. Benefit package includes health insurance subsidy and simple 401(k) company match. Generous holiday schedule and flexible accrued PTO for vacation, personal and sick days.\n\nPay: From $50,000.00 per year\n\nBenefits:\n* 403(b)\n* Health insurance\n* Paid time off\n\nExperience:\n* Working with students: 1 year (Required)\n\nAbility to Commute:\n* Chicago, IL 60632 (Required)\n\nWork Location: In person","datePosted":"2026-09-23T09:47:33.301Z","dateModified":"2026-09-23T09:47:33.301Z","hiringOrganization":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Poder","sameAs":"https://jobsearcher.com"},"jobLocation":{"@type":"Place","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","addressLocality":"Chicago","addressRegion":"IL","addressCountry":"US"}},"identifier":{"@type":"PropertyValue","name":"JobSearcher","value":"323a501081d25cad2a13873d"},"url":"https://jobsearcher.com/jobs/323a501081d25cad2a13873d"}}