Refugee Student Support Specialist (Alabama)

Refugee Student Support Specialist (Alabama)

Classification: Non-Exempt

Salary Grade/Level/Family/Range: $35,000 - $40,000

Reports to: Youth Services Coordinator

Date: 9/21/2022

JOB DESCRIPTION

Summary

Under the supervision of the Youth Services Coordinator and the Youth Program Manager, the Refugee Student Support Specialist will support refugee (including certain Humanitarian Parolee) students and their families with a number of services that work to increase parental engagement, support local school systems that work with refugees, assist families with navigating the school system and accessing educational resources, and facilitate academic enrichment tutoring and mentoring for refugee students throughout the state of Alabama. The Specialist is responsible for supporting families through the school enrollment process, advocating with and providing technical assistance to local schools on best practices to support refugee students, and empowering parents to support their students’ academic progress through facilitating parent-teacher conferences and other connections with the school. The Specialist will also support refugee students’ success by connecting them to needed resources inside and outside the local school(s), including identifying, training, and supervising volunteer tutors/mentors for students in need of one-on-one support.  The Specialist will be responsible for developing and maintaining a network of community resources, stakeholders, and partner organizations throughout the state in order to best meet the needs of refugee students and support their success and acculturation in the larger school system.

Essential Functions

1. Serves as a liaison between local schools and refugee families.
2. Conducts American school orientation for newcomers.
3. Supports families with registering current youth program participants and newly arrived refugee students for school.
4. Establishes and maintains a statewide network of community partners, stakeholders, and community resources for collaboration and program support.
5. Organizes and coordinates program activities in compliance with all contract and regulatory requirements.
6. Ensures all documentation and client case files are accurately prepared for clients by program staff.
7. Cultivates strong, purposeful relationships with stakeholders to better leverage influence and support the program.
8. Work closely with teachers to identify low-performing students and align activities to be sure they are different from the regular school day and discuss evaluation and eligibility criteria.
9. Attends meetings, training, workshops and conferences as appropriate to enhance job knowledge and skills.
10. Ensures the goals and objectives of the program are accomplished within the prescribed time frame and within budgets.
11. Works collaboratively with local school district, spends time in the school and remains in regular communication with teachers, administrators and social workers.
12. Keeps the Youth Services Coordinator apprised of issues or challenges.
13. Helps respond to monitoring and audit reports and implements required changes.
14. Creates and manages partnerships and relationships with service providers, partner agencies, public systems, and community volunteers.
15. Maintains personal and professional boundaries in the performance of the job.
16. Forges mutually respectful partnerships with clients, co-workers, and volunteers.
17. Assists in securing funding for current and new programs.
18. Participates in Inspiritus functions and public relations activities.
19. Participates in training and professional conferences to keep abreast of current trends.
20. Conforms with and abides by all regulations, policies, work procedures and instructions.

Competencies

1. Leadership
2. Teamwork & Collaboration
3. Problem Solving & Critical Thinking
4. Cultural Competence
5. Demonstrate Ethical & Professional Behavior
6. Advance Human Rights and Social and Economic Justice
7. Initiative
8. Stress Tolerance
9. Adaptability & Flexibility
10. Partnership & Relationship Management

Supervisory Responsibility

NONE

Work Environment
This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines.

Physical Demands
This is largely a sedentary role; however, some filing is required. This would require the ability to lift files, open filing cabinets and bend or stand as necessary. 

Position Type and Expected Hours of Work
This is a full-time position. Days and hours of work are Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm.

Travel: Up to 50% local travel

Required Education and Experience

1. Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree or international equivalent in education or human services-related or education field and minimum of two years of previous direct work experience in youth and/or human services, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
2. Excellent oral and written communication skills in English.
3. Experience working in a culturally diverse environment and high level of cultural competence Conviction about the capacity of people to grow and change.
4. Ability to set limits and maintain the helping role of the practitioner.
5. Excellent computer skills, accurate typing, and knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook.
6. Must have the ability to communicate with all persons in a culturally competent manner.
7. Must be sensitive to the service population’s cultural and socioeconomic characteristics.
8. Must own a personal multi-passenger vehicle, hold a valid Georgia Driver’s license, have a good driving record, and have appropriate personal auto insurance

Preferred Education and Experience

1. Experience coordinating diverse teams of volunteers and/or interns.
2. Familiarity with Alabama public school system, social services programs, public transportation, employers, and neighborhoods.
3. Experience with human services programs.
4. Reads, writes, and speaks a relevant foreign language.

Additional Eligibility Qualifications
None required for this position. 

Work Authorization/Security Clearance (if applicable)
N/A

AAP/EEO Statement 
N/A

Other Duties
Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.