Career Navigator Specialist (WEI)

Position Title: Career Navigator Specialist (WEI)
Department: Workforce Development (WOD)
Division: Workforce Empowerment initiative (WEI)
Employee Status: Full-time (Grant-Funded through September 30, 2026) with opportunity for renewal)
Business Hours: Monday - Friday, 8 am - 5 pm (Required to work occasional evenings and Saturdays)
Type: Professional Staff Association (PSA)
Grade: K
Salary: (53,459 - $55,500 annually)
FLSA: Exempt
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Reporting Relationships
Reports to: WEI Program Director.
Supervision Exercised: Supervision may be exercised over student workers.

Job Summary
Under the direction of the WEI Program Director, The Career Navigator Specialist is a key workforce liaison within the Workforce Empowerment Initiative (WEI) program, responsible for guiding students from training to employment. This position focuses on job readiness, career coaching, and successful placement into high-demand careers that meet grant outcomes. The Career Navigator Specialist works closely with employer partners to identify hiring opportunities, maintain ongoing relationships, and advocate for student placement. While based on campus, this role requires frequent travel to employer sites and community organizations. The Career Navigator Specialist also ensures accurate documentation of job placements and maintains compliance with all employment-related grant reporting requirements.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Additional related duties may be assigned.
1. Develop and secure strong employer pipelines that provide sustainable job, internship, and externship opportunities aligned with WEI program goals.
2. Establish and maintain close, meaningful partnerships with local employers to increase hiring of WEI participants and support the program’s 70% employment rate target.
3. Organize and facilitate company tours, site visits, internships, and externships to expose students to real-world work environments and build professional connections.
4. Actively market and promote WEI students to employers as qualified candidates for open positions.
5. Coordinate recruitment activities including job fairs, industry panels, and on-campus employer visits to maximize student access to career opportunities.
6. Secure participation of 40+ employers annually for career fairs and related hiring events, ensuring strong employer engagement and diverse opportunities for students.
7. Work closely with the Career Services department to coordinate workshops, job placements, and deliver career readiness workshops and individualized coaching focused on interviewing, resume writing, job search strategies, and professional skills development aligned with Illinois Essential Employability Skills framework.
8. Maintain the employment data Excel sheet to ensure it is accurate, current, and comprehensive, tracking all relevant job placements and opportunities for students.
9. Regularly follow up with student’s post-placement to verify and update employment status and retention information to support program reporting and continuous improvement.
10. Track and report on job placement outcomes and program metrics in partnership with the Program Director to ensure accountability for the grant’s employment benchmarks.
11. Collaborate with faculty, life coaches, and program staff to align student placements with their training and career goals.
12. Utilize social media, cold calls, networking events, and community contacts to continuously expand the employer network and identify new job openings.
13. Support students throughout their job search and placement process, including referrals and follow-up to promote successful job retention.
14. Plan and implement career and internship fairs in coordination with WEI program activities.
15. Attend relevant conferences, workshops, and professional development opportunities to remain current on workforce trends and employer needs.
16. Maintain regular, professional attendance and punctuality.

Qualifications
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and/or abilities required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Minimum Qualifications
1. Bachelor’s degree from a recognized college or university preferably with a major in business administration, public administration, educational administration, student services administration, adult education, or a closely related field.
2. Two years of full-time, paid professional-level experience in related duties and responsibilities.
3. Valid Driver’s License

Work Environment
This position is based on campus with an assigned office; however, frequent travel to employer offices, training sites, and community partner locations is required.

Must be comfortable transitioning between campus, professional workplaces, and hands-on training environments to support student placement and employer engagement efforts.

Physical Demands
Physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to use hands and fingers to handle, feel, or operate objects, tools or controls, and reach with hands and arms. The employee is frequently required to stand, talk and hear.