Job Description

ABOUT THE POSITION

This is the ideal position for someone wanting to “upset the set-up”—bringing back power and voice to systems-impacted communities of color, leveraging their lived experience to support community safety, community healing, and community building.

The Life Coach at CURYJ plays a key role in supporting youth and young adults (ages 16-26) through a holistic, leadership-driven, and social justice-centered approach. With a focus on individuals who have been system-involved, life coaches provide comprehensive support that fosters personal and community success. Their work contributes to the well-being and economic vitality of participants by reducing violence, promoting civic engagement and leadership, increasing access to health and mental health resources, supporting educational achievement, expanding career opportunities, and nurturing critical and creative expression—helping individuals reflect on and share their own experiences as well as those of their peers.

In addition to providing holistic life coaching support, this position plays a critical role in CURYJ’s Workforce Development efforts. The Life Coach supports young people in successfully obtaining, maintaining, and advancing in employment by addressing workplace challenges, strengthening professional skills, and serving as a bridge between participants and their employers. This role emphasizes job retention, problem-solving workplace issues, and supporting participants to navigate employment expectations while balancing personal, family, and community responsibilities.

Reporting to the Workforce Development Program Manager, the Life Coach manages a careload of participants, overseeing the full intake process, case management, documentation, data tracking, and quarterly reporting for each individual. Additionally, the Life Coach facilitates referrals and actively encourages participants to engage in CURYJ programs and activities, fostering deeper involvement and support within the organization.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

Support the healthy development of participants through relationship building and resource connection

• Provide resources and services navigation and immediate support to 10-20 participants per year, providing intensive and restorative case management
• Coordinate efforts with other CURYJ staff members to provide the correct constellation of CURYJ programmatic supports to each participant
• Be a positive adult ally and role model to participants
• Participate in weekly case conferencing meetings, developing assessments of social needs, comprehensive plans of care, follow-up, and monitoring of service plan and program goals
• Attend trainings as required
• Coordinate and manage linkages and referrals with services, on-site and offsite.
• Conduct outreach to community partners, local agencies and systems
• Cultivate existing relationships with organizations already providing quality services and create referral processes
• Work closely with program team to identify training and support needs
• Support in data collection and program evaluation efforts by completing required documentation in a timely manner.
• Complete reporting and track attendance and relevant activities in Cityspan and Apricot data management systems in a timely manner
• Plan outings and other activities for groups of program participants, including logistics, content and budget
• Perform other duties as assigned

Workforce & Employment Support

In partnership with CURYJ’s workforce programming, the Life Coach will:

• Support participants to successfully secure, retain, and advance in employment opportunities
• Provide ongoing job coaching to help participants navigate workplace expectations, professionalism, communication, and time management
• Conduct regular check-ins with participants regarding job performance, workplace challenges, and career goals
• Maintain appropriate communication with employment supervisors and worksite partners, when consent is provided, to support job retention and success
• Mediate and problem-solve work-related challenges such as attendance issues, interpersonal conflicts, performance concerns, or barriers related to transportation, mental health, or system involvement
• Support participants in developing employment readiness skills, including conflict resolution, self-advocacy, and workplace accountability
• Assist participants in balancing employment with education, probation/parole requirements, family responsibilities, and wellness needs
• Track employment outcomes, job retention milestones, and workplace progress in required data systems
• Collaborate closely with CURYJ workforce staff to align case management, coaching, and employment goals

Requirements

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree or three years of directly applicable experience with a community organization
• Willingness to engage in continuous learning and training
• Experience in case management and direct service, with a preference for experience working with low-income communities of color and formerly incarcerated people.
• Ability to balance an irregular work schedule with potential evening, weekend, and holiday work, with periods of rest and reflection.
• Exceptional communication skills for working effectively with a variety of staff members and multiple stakeholders, including but not limited to the ability to facilitate and write persuasively and clearly
• Excellent organizational skills
• Desire to work with youth to model leadership, motivation and positive attitude
• Ability to manage multiple tasks in a variety of different areas with ease
• Ability to work well with diverse groups of people and a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace
• Capacity to take initiative, manage multiple tasks simultaneously, work independently and meet deadlines and work in multiple locations
• Deep commitment to elevating the voices of systems-impacted young people
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively, and to shift between those strategies

PREFERRED SKILLS

• Bicultural Competency
• Excellent writing skills, energetic, innovative and motivating
• Political understanding of Oakland and East Bay high risk groups and community dynamics
• Experience working with low-income communities of color and formally incarcerated and impacted by cycles of violence

Benefits

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

• Possession of a valid California driver’s license
• Must pass Department of Justice Fingerprint Screening
• Must be Fully Vaccinated

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

Compensation is between $70,304 and $75,000 and is commensurate with experience of work in the Field. This position is exempt full time with excellent benefits, including 100% coverage of employee’s medical (highest Cal Choice package included), $25,000 life insurance plan, vision and dental; and an option to enroll into a 401(k) plan. In addition to 2 weeks paid vacation per year + a 2 week “office shut down” during the December/January holidays, CURYJ provides the following paid holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President’s Day, Cesar Chavez Day, Memorial Day, July 4th (Independence Day), Labor Day, Indigenous Peoples Day, Veteran’s Day, Thanks”taking” Week, Your Birthday.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER & COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION

CURYJ is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, educational background, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic. We strongly encourage formerly incarcerated and/or those that identify with the LGBTQ+ Community to apply. Please visit our website to learn more about our work:

Interested applicants, please submit your cover letter and resume to search@curyj.org.

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