Alumni Specialist

Our vision is that every person has the opportunity to learn, work, and thrive in all aspects of life.  

To achieve our vision, we are committed to dismantling racism and advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion so we can help people reach their fullest potential through our education, job placement, and career pathway services. We do our work with great gratitude for the community donations, purchases, and partnerships that make our mission possible.   

Position Summary: The Alumni Specialist supports participants after job placement by providing ongoing engagement, career advancement resources, and retention services that promote long-term employment success. This role is responsible for maintaining strong relationships with program graduates, supporting retention outcomes, and building an engaged alumni network that connects participants to continued education, training, employment, and career advancement opportunities. 

Working closely with Career Navigators, Training Coordinators, Business Development staff, employers, and community partners, the Retention Specialist ensures participants remain connected to Goodwill services and have access to resources that support continued growth and stability in their careers. 

This position works collaboratively across Goodwill teams to provide client-centered services that support successful transitions from training to employment to alumni engagement. The role maintains a strong commitment to anti-racism, equity, diversity, and inclusion, ensuring equitable access to opportunities and improved long-term employment outcomes for all participants. 

Hourly Rate: $20.98 - $22.80 per hour

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: The Alumni Specialist responsibilities include the following and other duties as assigned: 

Post-Placement Support 

• Provide ongoing follow-up and support to participants after job placement. 

• Monitor participant progress, employment stability, and workplace satisfaction. 

• Develop and implement strategies to effectively reconnect with disengaged participants and alumni. 

• Support re-engagement in Goodwill services when participants experience employment challenges or barriers to retention. 

• Facilitate participant access to community resources, supportive services, education, and training programs. 

• Coordinate with Career Navigators, case management, and workforce development teams to deliver comprehensive, individualized participant support. 

• Promote a participant-centered approach focused on long-term employment success and career growth. 

Retention Coordination and Career Advancement 

• Conduct regular participant check-ins at designated retention milestones. 

• Collaborate with employers to monitor participant retention and performance, identify workplace success factors, and collect feedback to support ongoing participant development. 

• Support the resolution of workplace concerns when appropriate and consistent with program guidelines. 

• Partner with training teams to share participant retention feedback and identify opportunities for program improvement. 

• Partner with Business Development staff to address retention challenges and improve employment outcomes. 

• Monitor and track alumni employment outcomes, including retention, wage progression, career advancement, and engagement metrics. 

• Maintain data quality and prepare reports to support grant, contract, and program performance requirements, identifying and escalating trends or concerns that may impact retention outcomes. 

• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives by identifying employer trends and opportunities to enhance equitable access, participant preparation, retention, career advancement, and overall success 

• Facilitate career development workshops and alumni-focused employment readiness activities. 

• Guide alumni in achieving career advancement goals through access to employment opportunities, career pathways, workforce services, credential attainment, apprenticeships, and advanced training programs. 

• Collaborate with the Business Development team to expand alumni access to employer-sponsored advancement opportunities and promote continuous learning and professional growth. 

Alumni Engagement & Network Development 

• Build and maintain strong relationships with program alumni. 

• Support a seamless participant transition from training to employment and ongoing alumni engagement. 

• Develop, coordinate, and implement an alumni engagement strategy designed to strengthen ongoing participant connections with Goodwill. 

• Plan and support alumni events, networking opportunities, recognition programs, and engagement activities that foster ongoing community involvement and professional connections. 

• Promote alumni and participant success stories through testimonials, program highlights, and outreach efforts, while creating opportunities for alumni to serve as mentors, guest speakers, volunteers, and program ambassadors 

• Maintain alumni records and oversee communication platforms and outreach initiatives, including newsletters, email campaigns, social media, and other engagement activities that support ongoing alumni participation. 

• Represent Goodwill at participant, alumni, employer, and community engagement activities. 

• Promote continued engagement with Goodwill's workforce development programs and services. 

Qualifications/Basic Job Requirements 

• Associate degree in human services, public relations, communications, education or a related field. 

• 2+ years of equivalent experience in community outreach, workforce development, case management, customer service, human services, education, or a related field. 

• Experience working with various communities and providing supportive services. 

• Ability to establish and maintain ongoing participant and alumni relationships. 

• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment, building effective partnerships and influencing outcomes across teams without direct authority 

• Strong interpersonal, communication, customer service, and relationship-building skills. 

• Strong organizational, time management, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to coordinate multiple projects, initiatives, and stakeholders simultaneously. 

• Exceptional communication, facilitation, and relationship-building skills, with demonstrated experience presenting information and engaging effectively with community organizations, stakeholders, and various audiences 

• Ability to identify barriers to employment retention and connect participants to appropriate resources. 

• Experience utilizing databases, case management systems, and reporting tools 

• Exceptional analytical, problem-solving, judgment, decision-making, and communication skills. 

• This position requires local travel, must have valid driver’s license, and insured personal vehicle.

We Have You Covered! Benefits Offered:  

• Medical, Vision, and Dental (M/V/D) insurance coverage for employees.  

• We provide coverage for you, with a portion of the employee premium paid by Goodwill.  

• Dependent coverage is available, with the cost being the responsibility of the employee   

• Accident & Life insurance options to ensure financial protection.   

• 401(k) Retirement Plan  

• Vacation (1-4 Years: 80 hours annually)  

• 10 paid Holidays annually  

• 8 days prorated sick leave annually  

• Access to Childcare Benefits through Upwards  

• Parental leave covered by sick/vacation hours  

• All employees receive merchandise discounts  

• We strongly believe in promoting from within, and have multiple avenues for career growth  

Supervisory Responsibilities: May coordinate and provide guidance to volunteers, interns, alumni ambassadors, or participant mentors in support of engagement activities; Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization’s policies and applicable laws.   

Language Skills: Ability to read and interpret hard data and metrics. Ability to write creatively and articulately with an emphasis on tact and diplomacy. Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of the organization.  

Mathematical Skills: Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as:  addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, percentages, and average. Ability to apply concepts of basic algebra when working on spreadsheets. Ability to create and manage departmental budget.  

Computer Skills: To perform this job successfully, an individual should have knowledge of Microsoft Office products, specifically Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.  

Other Skills and Abilities: Comprehensive understanding of all aspects of the Alumni Specialist 

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations: Washington State Driver’s License required  

Other Qualifications: Self-motivated; resourceful, creative; high integrity; problem solver; looks to resolve issues; positive can-do approach; and ability to build effective working relationships.  

Physical Demands: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, talk, hear and type. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision.  

Work Environment: The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.  

Employees must be able to perform the essential functions of this position with or without reasonable accommodation.    

Goodwill gladly considers requests for accommodation and, if the requested accommodation is reasonable, will make such reasonable accommodations as will enable an otherwise qualified person with a disability to perform the essential functions of this position.  

At Goodwill we are committed to creating and sustaining a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion. We embrace our employees' differences, and believe in meeting the members of our workforce and their communities where they are. Since our doors first opened in 1921, we have been changing lives by offering a hand up, not a hand out. We invite you to join us for our next 100 years of service to our neighbors. 

Our Mission is to help people reach their fullest potential through individual education, job placement and career pathway services made possible by community donations, purchases and partnerships. 

At Goodwill, we welcome people with diverse backgrounds, including persons with disabilities or other disadvantages. In fact, a substantial portion of our employees have a disability and/or economic disadvantage and we strongly encourage such persons to apply. 

This organization participates in E-Verify. E-Verify is a service that verifies authorization to work in the U.S. through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Department of Social Security (SSA). For further information on E-Verify contact DHS at 1-888-464-4218.