Career Pathway Coach

About Our Organization:

Youth Guidance creates and implements school-based programs that enable children to overcome obstacles, focus on their education, and ultimately, to succeed in school and in life.  We believe that no matter what challenges a young person faces, they are more likely to succeed when they have caring adults in their lives. Our highly trained staff guides kids to overcome the life and academic challenges facing the youth. We meet kids where they are — physically and emotionally — to help them focus on their education, make positive choices, and remain on the right path toward life success.

Founded in 1924 and celebrating 100 years of impact this year, Youth Guidance is a leading provider of outcomes-driven programs serving more than 18,000 youth around the country.  For more information, visit www.youth-guidance.org.

Position Summary: The @Work Career Pathway Coach plays a key role in Youth Guidance’s @Work Program, which provides career readiness, postsecondary exploration, and job training opportunities for high school students engaged in BAM® (Becoming A Man) or WOW® (Working on Womanhood). The coach delivers weekly group curriculum sessions, monthly workshops, provides individualized career coaching, and connects youth to work-based learning experiences. Coaches are embedded across six school sites and collaborate closely with BAM/WOW Counselors and school staff.

Essential Duties/Responsibilities:

Direct Service & Youth Engagement

• Deliver group curriculum sessions and workshops using the provided @Work curriculum focused on job readiness, career exploration, and postsecondary pathways

• Provide 1:1 coaching, goal-setting, and case management for a caseload of high school students

• Track student progress toward individualized career, education, and employment goals

• Support student participation in events including field trips, job shadows, college visits, and career panels

• Facilitate student reflection and learning through career exploration tools

Collaboration & Coordination

• Coordinate weekly visits to schools, building relationships with assigned BAM and WOW counselors

• Co-facilitate curriculum sessions with BAM and WOW counselors

• Collaborate with counselors to identify and support student referrals, track engagement, and share progress updates

• Participate in team meetings, training, and planning sessions with the @Work team and Youth Guidance staff

Program Implementation & Data

• Maintain accurate records of student participation, outcomes, and coaching sessions using Youth Guidance’s data systems

• Support logistics for special events and partner experiences (e.g., guest speakers, workplace visits)

• Ensure program fidelity and continuous improvement through regular documentation and reporting

Summer Program Instruction

• Serve as an instructor for Youth Guidance’s Summer Paid Work Experience Program (June–August), including delivering job skills training and supervising youth interns

Performs other duties as assigned

This full-time position maintains a caseload of students and supports programming during the school year and summer, including the Summer Paid Work Experience Program.

Education/Experience/Training

• Bachelor’s Degree in social work, human services or a related to area from an accredited university program

• 2+ years of experience in youth development, workforce development, or postsecondary advising

• Strong facilitation skills and comfort leading both large and small groups of high school students

• Experience in coaching, goal setting, or case management with youth populations

• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to build relationships with school staff, students, and external partners

• Commitment to equity, youth empowerment, and the mission of Youth Guidance

• Ability to travel to multiple school sites across Chicago weekly

• Flexible schedule to support occasional evening or weekend events as needed

Skills/Abilities

• Demonstrated ability to facilitate engaging, youth-oriented workshops

• Strong interpersonal skills, excelling in relationship building with youth, cultural sensitivity, and motivating and encouraging youth and peers

• Demonstrated ability to deliver/present data and content to stakeholders

• Flexibility to embrace and maximize changing environments

• Collaborate in team settings as well as work independently

• Demonstrated ability to be solutions-focused, self-reflective, and dedicated the continuous improvement of service quality

• Proven project, case and data management skills

• Clear verbal and written communication skills

Core Competencies:

• Communication: Uses effective written and oral communication with internal staff, teams, and community served; demonstrates empathy and listening

• Client orientation: Recognizes needs of diverse stakeholders and approaches relationships with a service orientation, to ultimately maximize impact

• Equity mindset: Understands and is committed to goals of equity, consistently brings an equity mindset to the organization’s work and workplace

• Growth mindset: Views growth as important for personal and professional development; seeks out opportunities to expand skills, even if change is required, demonstrates curiosity and eagerness to learn

• Ownership and quality of work: Effectively manages own work, and work of team to ensure delivery of high-quality work

• Supervisory skills: Effectively manages and develops others

• Mission drive:
  Demonstrates commitment to the missing of the organization as a whole and alignment with organization values

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is to stand for sustained periods of time, frequently talk, hear, use hands and fingers to feel, handle and operate objects or controls, and occasionally stand, bend, stoop, kneel and crouch

• The employee is to have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures, transcribing, and viewing a computer terminal.

• The employee may occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• 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.

• This job also operates in high-school settings. The role must navigate policies and procedures stipulated by Chicago Public Schools.

• Frequent need for travel.

Benefits:

Youth Guidance offers a competitive benefit package for eligible full-time employees including the option to participate in medical, dental, and vision plans as well as short-term disability, life insurance, flex spending accounts, pet insurance, 401k, a wellness program and more. You may also qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF).

Our Values

At Youth Guidance, we believe that creating a welcoming and supportive environment where everyone feels valued and respected is fundamental to realizing our vision of bright and successful futures for all young people. We acknowledge that many systems and institutions intended to support youth do not provide fair treatment or access for everyone. We strive to celebrate the unique qualities of youth and recognize them as empowered leaders, problem-solvers, and experts of their own experiences.

Youth Guidance is an equal opportunity employer. Youth Guidance does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law and is committed to fostering a welcoming and supportive environment where everyone feels valued and respected. People of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.