Junior Vocational Counselor

Next Step - Varick Street Headquarters, 200 Varick St, New York, New York, United States of America

Posted Monday, September 8, 2025 at 4:00 AM

Title: Junior Vocational Counselor

Program: Next Step ACE

Salary Range: $45,000 to $50,000 per year

Program

Description:

Next Step ACE is an Assisted Competitive Employment program for individuals with serious mental illness who seek meaningful jobs in the competitive employment market. ACE provides supported employment services delivered through the evidence-based model of Individual Placement and Support (IPS). ACE serves approximately 175 clients annually and is part of Project Renewal’s Next Step Employment Program. Next Step provides job readiness training, job placement, and retention services.

Overall Responsibilities:

The Junior Vocational Counselor will assist with outreach, enrollment, intakes, assessments, and provide job readiness and retention services, and document client activities in required databases. The Junior Vocational Counselor will also be responsible for coordination with referral sources, and other providers to document client eligibility and progress in city and internal systems. The Junior Vocational Counselor will coordinate with the broader Next Step team on activities that benefit the ACE clients.

In addition, the Junior Vocational Counselor will serve as a backup to the Vocational Counselor and provide support and facilitate referrals from other Project Renewal sites.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Reporting to the Assistant Director of Next Step ACE, duties include but are not limited to:

• Conduct outreach/recruitment activities and process referrals
• Coordinate with referral partners to obtain the proper documentation for intakes.
• Schedule intakes with the appropriate vocational counselor and within designated time frames.
• Conduct intakes and assessments and develop employment plans in conjunction with team members.
• Complete all client documentation, including weekly and monthly case notes that record services provided and outstanding issues to be addressed.
• Enter client information and progress into various databases including Salesforce, NYESS, NYC Med Portal, and others as required.
• Prepare clients for the world of work through individualized or group activities including resume and cover letter development, assistance with applications, interview preparation, and resource referrals.
• Facilitate workshops to support client’s successful participation in the workforce.
• Manage a caseload of employed participants and provide ongoing job retention services that meet program goals.
• Obtain job placement and retention milestone documentation including pay stubs and employment verification forms.
• Communicate with employed participants on job functions and help navigate any barriers to sustained employment.
• Coordinate with other team members to advise on participants' status and assist participants with career advancement goals.
• Maintain employment data such as wage increases, promotions, resignations, and terminations in various systems.
• Junior Vocational Counselor will also have a reduced case load.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree preferred or 1-3 years of commensurate experience.
• Previous experience in vocational counseling and/or working with individuals with serious mental illness or similar population is essential.
• 1-2 years previous vocational experience required.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint)
• Knowledge of virtual platforms (Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Slack, Google Classroom, etc.)
• Preferred:
  Good working knowledge of Salesforce or other CRM databases