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Peer Workforce Navigator

Updated August 5, 2024

The Peer Workforce Navigator will coordinate our work to connect people with good jobs, registered apprenticeship and training programs, unemployment benefits and support services. The Peer Workforce Navigator will actively reach out to connect workers with these opportunities. The Navigator will coordinate outreach, develop expertise in job placement, unemployment insurance and other support services, and work to develop the leadership of workers to address any systemic issues. This position is based in Brewer, Maine. The Peer Workforce Navigator is an integral part of our small staff team, and reports to the Executive Director. 

Background:  For the past four years of the pandemic, community, labor and immigrant organizations have worked together to help workers access unemployment insurance, other critical services and good quality jobs and apprenticeship programs. Out of that work, we passed legislation to establish and fund Peer Workforce Navigators rooted in community, labor and immigrant organizations. Six organizations, including Food AND Medicine, have hired workforce navigators and are working together on a shared work plan to organize and connect Maine workers with good jobs, training opportunities, unemployment benefits and support services, while also working to identify and solve systemic problems and barriers that prevent workers from gaining dignity and economic security.  

Overview of Job Responsibilities

The Food AND Medicine Peer Workforce Navigator will coordinate our work to connect workers with good jobs, registered apprenticeship and training programs, unemployment benefits and support services. The Navigator will be responsible for internal and external outreach, directly supporting workers accessing programs and opportunities and developing people’s leadership. The Navigator will work as part of a broader team of navigators working across multiple organizations.  

Description of Duties

  • Coordinate outreach through members, organizational relationships and the broader community to connect workers with good quality jobs, registered apprenticeship and training opportunities, unemployment benefits and other social supports (childcare, housing, healthcare, transportation, etc).  The Navigator will actively do 1 on 1 meetings with people to connect them with these opportunities and develop a comprehensive outreach plan to engage as many people as possible.
  • Develop strong understanding of workforce development, registered apprenticeship and job placement opportunities as well as unemployment insurance and other important services to help people access these programs and opportunities.
  • Participate in and lead a variety of outreach and organizing strategies including door-to-door canvassing, text-banking, phone banking, events, digital outreach and more.
  • Build relationships with key stakeholders in their region – career center staff, workforce development organizations, key people at state or local agencies, social service providers, apprenticeship directors, union leaders, organizations working with directly impacted populations and lots more.
  • Recruit people we support to become active participants in our navigator network and to refer others who can benefit from our support. 
  • Build an active network of volunteer navigators. Develop good systems for training and onboarding new volunteer navigators. These volunteer navigators will be a core part of FAM program and leadership, so the navigator should actively partner with FAM to develop, support, and recognize volunteer navigators as a core part of FAM. 
  • Work to develop the leadership of people and to bring them into the broader work we are doing, specifically FAM programs and campaigns.
  • Support communications efforts to share information about the peer workforce navigator program, highlight success stories, educate people about opportunities and supports, and support people in sharing their stories to encourage others to be involved.
  • Rigorous tracking and entering of data.
  • Work together with other peer workforce navigators on all aspects of this project – training, data entry, leadership development, communications, meetings, special projects and more.

Qualifications and Skills

  • Organizing experience working with people and moving them to action. Experience working with community, immigrant and labor organizations. Strong relational organizing skills.
  • Ability to understand key programs – workforce, apprenticeship, unemployment, support services – and help people successfully access and navigate these programs.
  • Ability to do effective one on one training with members, train groups of people and develop trainings and curriculum.
  • Demonstrated ability to build teams and work effectively in a team environment in both a lead and a support role. 
  • Ability to identify systemic or pattern problems and work with people to address them.
  • Commitment to Food AND Medicine’s mission, and to social, economic and racial justice generally.
  • Demonstrated leadership, collaboration and relationship-building skills inside organizations and externally with partners, stakeholders and state agency staff.
  • Ability to work independently within the context of a plan.  Effective time management skills, including prioritizing and managing multiple tasks, and demonstrated experience in developing personal work plans and goals. 
  • Computer proficiency is required:  Database/spreadsheet, email, internet, word processing, social media platforms, etc.
  • Ability to attend meetings or events on occasional nights or weekends; willingness and ability to travel to other parts of Maine on occasion.

Job Details:

The Peer Workforce Navigator works under the direct supervision of FAM’s Executive Director and works in close collaboration with the Peer Workforce Navigator Project Director at Maine Equal Justice. 

Compensation:

This is a full time position based on a 40 hour work week, with competitive salary for the region, ranging from $45,000 - $48,000 per year, depending on experience. Benefits include 100% employer paid health, dental and vision insurance paid for the individual; retirement plan with match; generous holidays and paid time off. Food AND Medicine employees work under a union collective bargaining agreement with UAW.