Job Description

Community Advocate

The Community Advocate serves as a key liaison between families, students, and school staff, driving comprehensive family engagement, attendance improvement, and student success initiatives. This role is responsible for cultivating strong, trust-based relationships with families; particularly those identified as at-risk or chronically absent; while strengthening parent capacity, family well-being, and school-home communication. The Community Advocate also leads the coordination and management of the school-based food pantry, ensuring equitable access to essential resources for families, and plays a critical role in the implementation of youth workforce development initiatives. This includes overseeing youth employment worksites, supervising worksite monitors and participants, ensuring compliance with program requirements, and securing and maintaining strategic partnerships with external organizations to expand placement opportunities. Working collaboratively with the Community School team, the Community Advocate advances holistic supports that promote students' academic, social, and emotional development while strengthening community connections and resource accessibility.

Education, Experience and Skill Requirement:

• Bachelor's degree preferred; equivalent experience considered
• Minimum of 2+ years in youth development, family engagement, or community-based programming
• Demonstrated experience in workforce development, worksite coordination, or youth employment programs
• Strong relationship-building skills with diverse and high-need populations
• Excellent written, verbal, and documentation skills
• Ability to motivate and engage youth, families, and community partners
• Knowledge of community resources, benefits access, and crisis support services
• Strong organizational skills with attention to compliance and data tracking
• Bilingual Spanish/English is required

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Family Engagement & Attendance Initiatives:

• Build and sustain meaningful relationships with families to improve attendance, engagement, and overall student well-being
• Conduct outreach and develop individualized family goal plans
• Implement and manage family attendance initiatives, including the Success Mentors program and incentive strategies
• Collaborate with school leadership, PTA, and Parent Coordinator to design and execute family engagement programming and workshops
• Maintain consistent communication with families and school staff to support student success

Food Pantry Management:

• Oversee daily operations of the school food pantry, including inventory management, distribution systems, and resource coordination
• Ensure families have access to food, hygiene, and essential supplies in a dignified and efficient manner
• Develop partnerships to expand pantry resources and sustainability

Employment Support & Engagement:

• Coordinate youth worksite placements, ensuring alignment with student interests and program goals
• Conduct outreach and build strategic partnerships to secure new worksites and employment opportunities (minimum of 3 annually)
• Supervise worksite monitors and support participants to ensure a safe, structured, and developmentally appropriate experience
• Conduct regular site visits to monitor performance, safety, and program quality
• Support onboarding, orientation, and ongoing mentorship of program participants

Compliance, Documentation & Data Management:

• Maintain accurate and timely documentation of family engagement efforts, attendance outreach, worksite visits, and participant progress
• Ensure all program activities meet compliance standards, including incident reporting, attendance tracking, and data entry in required systems (e.g., YEPS portal)
• Support audits, reporting, and program evaluation processes

Collaboration & Resource Coordination:

• Partner with internal staff (social workers, tutors, coordinators) to provide holistic supports to students and families
• Connect families to community resources, including SNAP benefits, counseling, and crisis intervention services
• Participate in community coalitions and advocacy efforts to strengthen program impact and resource access

Additional Responsibilities:

• Attend all required meetings, trainings, and professional development sessions
• Travel between worksites as needed
• Perform additional duties as assigned by leadership

How To Apply:

Please send a cover letter and resume to Quennina Wright, Community School Director at qwright@grandsettlement.org. List "Community Advocate Position" in the subject line. Also provide three professional references that can be contacted (at least one should be a former supervisor). Please no phone calls.

*Community members from East New York and the greater Brooklyn area are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.

Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE)

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