Organization Overview:
The Empowerment Plan is a holistic workforce development organization addressing homelessness in
two critical ways. First, we provide full-time employment and services for individuals recovering from
homelessness in Detroit. Second, we produce innovative sleeping bag coats, which are distributed to
those who are unsheltered globally. As we continue to grow and evolve, we seek someone to join our
team to lead, deepen, and evolve our program to serve our community and beyond.
The goal of our program is to help those we employ to achieve stability. We want to prepare the
people we serve for long-term success by giving them the tools, skills, and support system needed to
navigate life events. Through the distribution of our EMPWR Sleeping Bag Coats, we provide a key
resource to individuals and organizations offering supportive services and unsheltered outreach,
helping them build trust and relationships with those they serve.
Empowerment Plan’s Values:
● People come first
● Everyone’s voice has value
● Strive for making the greatest impact
● Success looks different for everyone
● Our work is hard and we have fun doing it
The ideal candidate will:
● Enjoy creating, planning, organizing and evaluating initiatives;
● Possess a diplomatic demeanor - focused on people and relationships;
● Be data driven-enjoy learning new things and staying knowledgeable of the industry,
trends and opportunities;
● Be able to self-manage and prioritize to achieve goals;
● Demonstrate efficiency with all resources including time, effort, and finances;
● Be open to other’s perspectives and sensitive to their individual situations;
● Be able to switch gears effectively;
● Be innovative, competent, effective, and efficient;
● Be a proactive and collaborative co-worker;
● Enjoy developing and supporting others;
● Experience with the population we serve - knowledge of local homelessness and housing
ecosystem
● Be open to feedback and personal/professional growth.
Essential Functions and Responsibilities
● Craft the future of EP’s program structure and build their own vision for the work;
● Drive and manage workforce programs and content;
● Identify trends, gaps, and areas for growth;
● Conduct regular feedback opportunities with program participants to improve our work;
● Stay abreast of workforce development landscape and best practices;
● Establish and execute overall program strategies and objectives;
● Implement, document, and oversee all aspects of programming and workforce
development;
● Participate in efforts to secure funding support and additional resources with the
development team;
● Serve as staff liaison to Board Program Committee;
● Build rapport with Board members, staff, partners, community and potential employers;
● Develop and manage relationships with partner organizations;
● Develop and maintain deep understanding of the major issues serving job seekers
experiencing or recovering from homlessness and housing insecurity;
● Manage, track, analyze and report on program data and effectiveness;
● Develop and monitor programming budget with finance team;
● Continuously improve systems to monitor and track outcomes;
● Recommend changes to CEO and proactively bring challenges and opportunities to their
attention;
● Oversee assessments conducted by program team;
● Lead and manage the Program Team;
● Provide training and guidance to the entire team on best practices with who we serve
● Live Empowerment Plan values;
● Support the overall Empowerment Plan Team and organizational goals.
Requirements
Qualifications:
● 5+ years managing workforce development programs;
● 10+ years industry experience;
● BSW or BA/BS in a related field;
● 5+ years experience in a non-profit setting;
● Proficient in Microsoft Office and Google Suites;
● Prior experience directly leading others;
● Public speaking and facilitation skills;
● Critical thinking and problem solving skills;
● Strong feedback and listening skills;
● Ability to manage people with different learning styles;
● Ability to create a cohesive team and set the tone/culture;
● Ability to gather multiple types of data and identify themes.
Highly Preferred Qualifications:
● MSW, MPA, MBA or other related human service degree;
● Experience working with communities in Detroit;
● Established relationships in the workforce development community;
● Experience working with the social enterprise workforce;
