The Employment Partnerships Specialist is a contract role that may turn into a full time position with FreeWorld. The Employment Partnerships Specialist is responsible for sourcing high-quality job opportunities for FreeWorld’s graduates through direct engagement with employers in the trucking industry. The Employment Partnerships Specialist directly supports FreeWorld’s mission by ensuring that high-quality jobs are available for FreeWorld's graduates upon completion of FreeWorld’s program.

The ideal candidate will be tenacious and results-driven, with the ability to engage trucking employers, build relationships, overcome concerns, and develop tangible job opportunities for our students. The Employment Partnerships Specialist will collaborate with the Post-Program and Job Placement team and help drive the development and execution of an employer engagement strategy to secure jobs for individuals with criminal backgrounds and histories of incarceration.

You are strategic in your approach, well organized and able to manage multiple stakeholder relationships, and have relevant experience in the trucking, logistics, or recruiting industry.

FreeWorld’s Mission

FreeWorld is a tech nonprofit that aims to end generational poverty and recidivism for 3 million returning citizens by:

• Scaling our direct services program. Today, we train and place returning citizens into $60k+ last-mile trucking careers within 45 days nationally. In the future, we will add additional vocations that pay a living wage in growing industries like geothermal drilling or solar installation.

• Increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of partners in the criminal justice space by sharing our data and technology with them so they can serve more with less.

• Developing a pathway to self-sustainability through government funding, trucking companies paying us for placements, and tuition payments

What you’ll do:

The overall goal and purpose of this role is to identify high-quality job opportunities for FreeWorld’s graduates in the cities where FreeWorld works through direct relationship and engagement with employers.

The Employment Partnerships Specialist will develop strategies, measure their effectiveness, and iterate in their approach as needed.

Key activities include:

• Employer engagement: Use a variety of relationship-building, marketing, and communication techniques to market and represent FreeWorld’s program with employers. The Employment Partnerships Specialist will collaborate with FreeWorld’s marketing function in order to develop materials that can assist in these efforts

• Employer account management: Build and maintain relationships with trucking employers to promote secure commitments to offer employer placements. The Employment Partnerships Specialist should manage a pipeline of employer relationships - identifying employers who might be good employer fits for FreeWorld’s graduates; building relationships; moving employers from awareness through to commitment-to-hire; and supporting actual placement of students

• Collaboration with FreeWorld’s Success Coach (Case Management) team: Connect with FreeWorld’s Post-Program Success Coach team to identify job opportunities for CDL graduates and support the Post-Program team to curate and make these jobs available to candidates, based on candidate abilities and the employer's requirements.

• Ongoing monitoring and data management: Maintain accurate records of job placements, CDL employer contacts, and other relevant information. Use data consistently to assess results and success rates.

• Serve as an ambassador for Second Chance hiring: Overcome employer concerns about hiring individuals with criminal records and develop a range of tactics to address these concerns and ensure fair access to hiring opportunities for our students.

• Stay updated: Stay informed about labor market trends, job market demand, and industry-specific requirements - in order to better assist job seekers and support FreeWorld’s overall strategic evolution.

What you’ll have:

• 3+ years of work experience, ideally in a partnership-, sales-, job-development, account management, or other relevant function.

• Willingness to push past initial barriers and innovate solutions to a range of roadblocks;

• Passion for helping people with criminal backgrounds find high-quality jobs;

• Strong written and oral communication skills, organization, and attention to detail;

• Strong project management skills;

• A criminal record (not required, but preferred).

Where you’ll work

FreeWorld is a 100% US-based remote company. You may work anywhere in the U.S. that offers a great internet connection that is quiet and free from distractions!

Hiring Process

1. Read our FreeWorld Culture FAQ and our FreeWorld Company Values, and if you still think you are a fit…

2. Submit an application and cover letter. Please directly state your precise qualifications in the cover letter. If your qualifications are a match…

3. We have a 15-minute introductory call. If we love each other, then…

4. You complete a brief task related to the role (such as submitting a work sample).

5. You meet 1:1 with a member of management for one hour to discuss your previous experiences and career goals.

6. You meet with a few additional team members for a 30-45 min (each) focused interview.

7. Last but not least, we talk to a few of the folks you worked with, and if all goes well, we agree on terms.

IMPORTANT: Please take a moment to prepare a cover letter that describes why you are excited about this role and your relevant experience in your Cover Letter!