Summary
Company: YWCA
Job Title: Career Advisor
Program: Higher Ground Program for Women in Trades,
Location: YWCA Cause We Care House, 720 E. Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC
Position Type: Regular Full Time (35 hours per week) until March 2030
Compensation: Pay Rate: $31.16
Under the supervision of the Program Manager, the Career Advisor will be responsible for providing support for self-identifying women in YWCA Metro Vancouver’s Higher Ground Program.
Higher Ground empowers women to pursue rewarding careers in the trades by addressing systemic barriers like financial constraints, gender-based discrimination, and underrepresentation through a comprehensive approach. With tailored programming, it supports women facing additional challenges, including poverty, single parenthood, Indigenous heritage, and trauma from gender-based violence. The program’s cohort-based model fosters community and mutual support. Participants begin with a two-week pre-training and exploration phase, followed by personalized action planning with Career Advisors. From there, they choose their path: enrolling in a Trades Discovery program, transitioning directly to employment, or continuing support through YWCA Case Management.
The Career Advisor will play a key role in guiding and coaching participants through individualized career planning, employment readiness, and job placement support within a trauma-informed, equity-focused framework. They work closely with participants to create action plans aligned with their career goals in both one-on-one and group formats.
Additionally, the Career Advisor will assist participants in navigating opportunities such as direct-to-employment pathways and referrals to trades foundation training and wraparound support services. They also foster partnerships with employers, training institutions, and support services to ensure participants are set up for long-term success.
What you’ll be doing:
- Provide guidance and coaching to participants to connect them with industry-specific resources, mentorship opportunities, community referrals
- Facilitate engaging employability and job search workshops using hybrid technology, in person and virtually
- Support and coach participants through program components with regular on-site coaching and scheduled check-ins
- Assist and coach participants with job search tools, including resumes and cover letter development, interview preparation and job search strategies
- Co-develop individualized action plans and assist participants in identifying and working toward short and long-term career goals
- Maintain timely, accurate action plans and progress notes
- Regular reporting on participant progress to the Program Manager, including employment status, training, connections, mentorship matches and job shadowing opportunities.
- Contribute to project outcomes and improvement through participant surveys and success stories
- Assist in curriculum development and workshop design, seeking regular feedback through participant surveys to improve services.
- Maintain and submit accurate monthly participant attendance reports to WorkBC Case Managers as required
- Promote a safe, inclusive, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed environment in all participant interactions
- Conduct outreach activities, e.g., community information sessions, participant intakes
- Work collaboratively within the YWCA and external community and industry networks for participant referrals, program recruitment, and service coordination
- Stay current on labour market trends in the skilled trades and share relevant information with participants and staff
- Attend staff meetings to discuss program updates and participant needs, and contribute to continuous program improvement
- Maintain strict confidentiality in all aspects of participant records and program data
- Complete administrative tasks and other duties as required to support the delivery and success of the program
What you’ll need:
- Passion for working with self-identifying women entering a male dominated industry
- Relevant post-secondary education and/or a combination of relevant education and work experience
- CCDP (Career Development Practitioner) certification or willingness to pursue it is an asset
- Experience working with equity-deserving populations, such as survivors of violence, self-identified women with complex needs, and single mothers, with an understanding of systemic barriers to employment
- Experience developing and delivering workshops and group sessions focused on employability and life skills
- Excellent facilitation skills and comfort with hybrid delivery platforms (e.g., MS Teams, Zoom)
- Experience developing, documenting, and monitoring individualized career action plans using internal case management systems or databases
- Knowledge of community resources and ability to make appropriate referrals for wraparound support
- Experience working in a labour market training or government-funded program environment, such as WorkBC or similar, is an asset
- Ability to support employment transitions, liaise with employers, and provide job search assistance, including resumes, interview preparation, and job maintenance support
- Strong communication, interpersonal, team collaboration, and problem-solving skills
- Excellent organizational and time management abilities; ability to manage multiple priorities and maintain accurate documentation
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, SharePoint, OneDrive, Teams, and Zoom
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively as part of a supportive team
- Ability to travel across the Lower Mainland to support job shadows, mentorships, training etc; access to a vehicle is an asset
- Must be able to work at the program’s physical office location and deliver in-person services as required
- Flexibility to work on and off-site; evening and weekend hours when required
- A valid and clear criminal record check (including vulnerable sector) is required
What we offer: We offer our eligible employees the following benefits as part of their total compensation package:
- Extended medical and dental benefits
- A defined benefit pension plan
- Flexible working arrangements for applicable positions
- Employee Family Assistance Program, a confidential and voluntary support service for employees and their eligible family members
- Free staff membership to our Health + Fitness Centre, discounts at our YWCA Hotel and priority in YWCA Child Care centres
- A workplace that prioritizes employee health, safety and wellbeing, including many learning and growth opportunities such as our staff mentorship program and three equity committees who help to support our goals towards achieving meaningful equity and inclusion.