Requisition ID: req40123

Job Title: Community Wellness Specialist (Spanish Speaking)

Sector: Community Development

Employment Category: Regular

Employment Type: Full-Time

Compensation: USD 25.50 - 26.30 Hourly

Location: Sacramento, CA USA

Job Description

IRC Background: The mission of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) is to help people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their future. Founded in 1933, the IRC has a presence in over 40 countries and 27 offices in the United States; the IRC leads the way from harm to home. Domestically, our offices across the U.S. ensure new arrivals have food, shelter, and clothing, and work with refugees to help them gain self-sufficiency.

Job Overview: The Community Wellness Specialist (Spanish Speaking) will assist in implementing the Sacramento office’s Protection and Wellness programs, providing targeted mental health/wellness support services and assistance to newcomers, refugees, and asylees who have mental health and psychosocial support needs. The Community Wellness Specialist will work as part of a dynamic mental health team to address barriers and ongoing needs of Protection and Wellness clients through community engagement, direct service, individual and group psychosocial support activities, and client education. This position will also assist in community engagement activities including workshops, coordination with partners, and occasional outreach. The Community Wellness Specialist (Spanish Speaking) acts as a crucial link between IRC’s mental health support services and the communities we serve through cohesive, bilingual services and support. This position reports to the Mental Health Coordinator.

Major Responsibilities:

• Provide targeted mental health / wellness support services to humanitarian parolees, refugees, and immigrants including individual and group coaching, health navigation, benefits assistance, access to community services, and ongoing care coordination.
• Coordinate with Reception and Placement Caseworkers to ensure new arrivals are aware of and have supported access to vital Mental Health and Wellness services.
• With supervision, provide psychosocial support to individuals, families, and the community through wellness activities including implementation of screening tools, facilitation of client support groups, brief client interventions, and Mental Health First Aid Trainings.
• Provide comprehensive language access to clients through bilingual and culturally congruent services.
• Offer clients timely information on and referral to community service providers and resources, as needed.
• Address barriers faced by clients in accessing health, mental health, and victim services through advocacy and service coordination.
• Promote safe spaces for disclosure and conversations around mental health, wellbeing, and experiences of victimization including gender-based violence.
• Facilitate community education activities including, but not limited to, presentations in Cultural Orientation, Safety and Crime Prevention Workshops, Wellness Workshops, and presentations for the local community.
• Assist in overall client wellness activities within the Sacramento office.
• Ensure accurate case notes and tracking of screenings, services, referrals, and outcomes; assist in reporting for relevant grants.
• Provide training and presentations on cultural competency and best practices in the community.
• Develop and maintain partnerships with internal and external stakeholders to ensure clients have access to services that meet their individual needs including, but not limited to safe housing, food and basic needs, and legal services.
• Oversee volunteers and interns involved, assigned to the projects.
• Participate in all program meetings, staff development activities, and fully engage as a member of the team.
• Other related duties as assigned.

Key Working Relationships:

Position reports to: Mental Health Coordinator

Position directly supervises: N/A

Indirect reporting: N/A
Other internal and/or external contacts:

• Internal: The Community Wellness Specialist (Spanish Speaking) will work as a member of the Community Wellness team and broadly within the Protection and Wellness team. This position will also develop working relationships with Resettlement and other department staff and will collaborate with internal programming to support achievement of program goals.
• External: The Community Wellness Specialist (Spanish Speaking) will develop working relationships and support referrals systems with community service providers under the topic areas of heath, mental health, benefits assistance, and victim services. This includes, but is not limited to, insurance providers, the Department of Human Assistance, local healthcare clinics, law enforcement, housing providers, mental health providers, legal service providers, and domestic violence shelters.

Job Requirements:

• Proficiency in Spanish language required;
• Associates degree with an emphasis in Social Work, Public Health, International Studies or an equivalent field of study required; Bachelor’s degree preferred;
• 3+ years of related professional experience required. Case management, support group, community outreach, or experience serving refugee populations preferred;
• Previous multi-cultural experience and demonstrated ability to communicate well with people of varied backgrounds strongly preferred;
• Thorough knowledge and comfort supporting others in crisis situations is an asset;
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to make presentations is required;
• Strong computer skills, particularly Word and Excel is required. Prior experience using data and tracking systems strongly preferred.
• Attention to detail and ability to organize and track large amounts of information efficiently and accurately.
• Commitment to teamwork and collaboration across all of IRC’s programs.
• Highly motivated with an ability to work independently, develop new classes and programming, and be a self-starter, maintaining responsibility for multiple tasks.

Working Environment:

• Standard office work environment coupled with regular travel in and around the service delivery area.
• Reoccurring need to provide services outside of traditional work hours (evenings and weekends).

Posted pay ranges apply to US-based candidates. Ranges are based on various factors including the labor market, job type, internal equity, and budget. Exact offers are calibrated by work location, individual candidate experience and skills relative to the defined job requirements.

COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement: In accordance with IRC’s duty to provide and maintain a workplace that is free of known hazards and our commitment to safeguard the health of our employees, clients, and communities, IRC requires new hires to furnish proof of vaccination against COVID-19 in order to be considered for any in-office or hybrid positions. All IRC US offices require full vaccination to attend any in-office functions (e.g., meetings, trainings).

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusivity: IRC is committed to building a diverse organization and a climate of inclusivity. We strongly encourage applications from candidates who can demonstrate that they can contribute to this goal.

Equal Opportunity Employer: We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

US Benefits: We offer a comprehensive and highly competitive set of benefits. In the US, these include: 10 sick days, 10 US holidays, 20-25 paid time off days depending on role and tenure, medical insurance starting at $120 per month, dental starting at $7 per month, and vision starting at $5 per month, FSA for healthcare and commuter costs, a 403b retirement savings plans with immediately vested matching, disability & life insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support counseling and care in times of crisis and mental health struggles.

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