Education Case Manager/Retention Specialist

Thank you for considering a career with the Research Foundation of The City University of New York (RFCUNY).

The team at RFCUNY is made up of dedicated, talented professionals committed to providing the services that allow CUNY researchers, faculty, and staff to focus on their intellectual curiosity and scientific discoveries.

We are pleased that you are interested in exploring opportunities to join RFCUNY.

Primary Location:

Bargaining Unit:

Yes

Overview:

The Mental Health Peer Specialist training program is an eight-month workforce program that prepares participants with lived experience with mental health and recovery or experience with trauma to work in the peer support sector. Participants will learn the fundamentals of peer support, develop key digital skills, receive support earning their NYS peer specialist certification, participate in internships with employer partners, and receive job placement assistance. Participants receive career development support and connections to the health industry and employment opportunities throughout the program.

The Division of Adult and Continuing Education at LaGuardia Community College is seeking a full-time social work, psychology or human service graduate to play an important role in a community-centered training program.

The Education Case Manager/Retention Specialist (ECM/RS) will be an important contact for participants and candidates during training. The Education Case Manager/Retention Specialist will work under the supervision of the Program Manager for the Mental Health Peer Specialist training program to provide support services to participants to insure successful retention at various points along each step of their chosen healthcare career pathway.

The Education Case Manager/Retention Specialist is responsible for working closely with two cohorts of students until June 2028 to support them throughout the program and ensure they maintain active participation, retention and transition to successfully complete all aspects of the program, including courses, certification exams, internships, and employment. This can be accomplished through case management, coaching, troubleshooting, and connecting participants to resources available at the college and beyond. The Education Case Manager/Retention Specialist is also responsible for assisting with recruiting and managing applicants’ assessments, selection process, coordinating employment services and leading professional development and internship seminars, and other responsibilities as needed.

Under the supervision of the Program Manager, the Education Case Manager/Retention Specialist will have these key responsibilities:

Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

• Participate in the recruitment and assessment of program applicants via information sessions and in-person interviews

• Communicate information to applicants regarding the assessment and intake process

• Support applicants complete human resources requirements such as physicals, drug tests, and others in preparation for internships experiences

• Provide support to participants to aid retention in the program and transition via in-person, phone, email, and slack communications

• Observe classes in order to identify barriers to learning in the classroom, provide feedback to program staff and participants on overcoming these barriers

• Work with participants to trouble-shoot barriers to successful retention, transition and completion and connect participants to resources at the college and beyond that will help them overcome these barriers

• Coach participants through challenges that they face during the course of the program and motivate them to develop creative strategies to overcome barriers

• Provide weekly professional development group check-in during the program training

• Provide weekly support during the internship component through the internship seminar

• Work collaboratively with the CTEA Office to coordinate or provide workshops in resume writing, interview preparation, job retention assistance and other job readiness skills

• Coordinate with the CTEA Office to offer a sequence of job search, resume, and interview workshops throughout the program to best prepare participants for employment after program completion

• Work collaboratively with other departments and partners to ensure retention goals are met

• Collect required data from participants and work with participants to complete administrative requirements such as signing contracts, signing photo release forms, registering for classes in the student information system, and completing Day 1 surveys

• Track, analyze, and report on participants’ outcomes and performance metrics

• Meet regularly with the project team to reflect on progress to date and identify strategies for retention and completion improvement

• Performs other duties as needed and as assigned by the Program Manager

Core Competencies/Qualifications:

• Experience in the social work or psychology fields; experience working with individuals with lived experience with mental health challenges

• Understanding of peer services and familiarity with the field of peer services a plus

• Knowledge with recruitment and assessment for workforce training programs

• Knowledge of resources available to low-income students

• Ability to motivate others to remain engaged, be retained and complete what they started

• Team player who is flexible and takes initiative to solve problems

• Excellent time management and organizational skills including attention to detail

• Excellent oral and written communication skills

• Excellent interpersonal and organizational skills

• Invested in participants’ retention, transition and completion to ensure success throughout all aspects of the program

• Strong technology skills, with a high level of proficiency in Microsoft Office including MSWord and MS Excel

• Demonstrated interest in working with diverse communities and supporting the retention and success of underserved populations

• Ability to travel to Long Island City for in-person class support

Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree required; Bachelor’s degree preferred in social work, psychology or human services 

• Master’s Degree preferred

• Two (2) years’ experience working with unemployed or underemployed New Yorkers in a training, education, or workforce development program

• One (1) year experience providing counseling, coaching, or case management services

This is a grant-funded position, currently funded until June 2028

LaGuardia Community College

Founded in 1971 in Long Island City, Queens, LaGuardia Community College is one of seven community colleges of the City University of New York (CUNY). LaGuardia offers more than sixty associate degree programs and more than fifty workforce training, ESOL, GED, and pre-college programs. In 2023, LaGuardia served approximately 24,000 students. More than one-third of LaGuardia’s degree-seeking students are born outside the United States; they come from 136 countries and speak 43 heritage languages. Sixty percent are first-generation college students.

Virtually all LaGuardia students are ethnic minorities (89 percent), 58 percent are women, 27 percent are over the age of 25. Forty-six percent of associate degree students are Hispanic. Upon graduation most students transfer to four-year colleges, typically in CUNY, to complete their baccalaureate degrees. Graduates of career programs such as Nursing, Computer Technology, and Veterinary Technology enter the workforce. LaGuardia ranked fifth among U.S. community colleges in economic mobility – moving low-income students into the middle class and beyond – in studies by Stanford University (2017) and the Brookings Institution (2020).

Pay Range:

Minimum - Maximum: $67,000

RFCUNY BenefitsRFCUNY Employee Benefits and Accruals (link to https://www.rfcuny.org/RFWebsite)

About the Research FoundationThe Research Foundation of The City University of New York (RFCUNY) is a nonprofit educational corporation founded in 1963 to provide post-award fiscal and administrative support for CUNY’s research and sponsored programs. RFCUNY’s services allow CUNY researchers, faculty, and staff to focus on their intellectual curiosity and scientific discoveries, on projects and programs that serve our local and global communities, proposing concrete solutions to society’s most pressing challenges.RFCUNY serves as a fiscal agent and works closely with all the CUNY campus Grants Offices to perform the core functions of post-award financial management for CUNY research projects and sponsored programs. These functions include legal assessment and signing of agreements where RFCUNY is named as a fiscal agent; setting up award accounts; preparing sub-awards and assisting PIs in monitoring the work of the recipients of sub-awards; supporting project directors with hiring and managing research project and sponsored program staff; supporting the purchasing and paying for goods and services with grant and program funds; managing financial aspects of projects including accounts receivable, financial reporting, invoicing, budget monitoring, and cost compliance with uniform guidance; ensuring that sponsor financial requirements are met; monitoring compliance with applicable project and financial management rules and laws; supporting the management of independent and external audits and financial reviews; and providing data, information, management expertise, and other supports to CUNY’s research and sponsored programs.

Equal Employment Opportunity StatementThe Research Foundation of the City University of New York is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Americans with Disabilities Act/E-Verify Employer. It is the policy of the Research Foundation of CUNY to provide equal employment opportunities free of discrimination based on race, color, age, religion, sex, pregnancy, childbirth, national origin, disability, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, domestic violence victim status, arrest record, criminal conviction history, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.