Job Title: Digital Navigator

Organization: Shaping Our Appalachian Region

Project: EKY Runway Project – Appalachian Digital Career Academy (ADCA)

Position Type: Full-Time, Non-Exempt

Location: Eastern Kentucky (Serving Bell, Floyd, Harlan, Johnson, Knott, Knox, Leslie, Letcher, Magoffin, Martin, Perry, and Pike counties)

Reports To: ADCA Project Manager

Shaping Our Appalachian Region (SOAR) is hiring a full-time Digital Navigator for its Eastern Kentucky Runway project, which connects prime age employment gap (PAEG) individuals to employment opportunities. This role will oversee a pioneering initiative at equipping PAEG clients with essential digital skills to compete for open remote job opportunities offer by employers nationwide. The Digital Navigator will be responsible for overseeing all facets of implementation.

This role will be in office 5 days a week. Satellite offices are located throughout the 54-county service territory.

This position will report to ADCA Project Manager.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Program Development: Lead the design and development of the Appalachian Digital Career Academy curriculum, ensuring alignment with industry trends, employer needs, and participant skill levels.
2. Stakeholder Engagement: Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, including community partners, employers, educational institutions, and funding agencies, to gain support and collaboration for the program.
3. Training Delivery: Oversee the delivery of high-quality training sessions, workshops, and educational resources to participants, ensuring engagement, comprehension, and skill acquisition.
4. Remote Job Placement: Collaborate with employers and job placement agencies to identify open remote job opportunities suitable for program graduates, providing support with job applications, interviews, and onboarding processes.
5. Program Evaluation: Establish and implement robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to assess program effectiveness, gather participant feedback, and identify areas for improvement.
6. Budget Management: Develop and manage the program budget, tracking expenses, allocating resources efficiently, and ensuring financial sustainability through grant funding and revenue generation opportunities.
7. Team Leadership: Supervise and support a team of instructors, facilitators, and administrative staff, fostering a positive and collaborative work environment conducive to achieving program goals.
8. Reporting and Documentation: Prepare regular progress reports, grant proposals, and other documentation required by funding agencies and stakeholders, ensuring transparency and accountability.
9. Continuous Improvement: Stay abreast of emerging trends and best practices in digital skills training and remote work, incorporating feedback from PAEG clients and making adjustments to enhance the effectiveness and relevance of the program.

Expectations

1. Project Management Experience: Proven track record of successfully managing complex projects, including program development, implementation, and evaluation, preferably in the education or workforce development sector.
2. Leadership Skills: Strong leadership and team management abilities, with the capacity to inspire and motivate staff, foster innovation, and drive results in a fast-paced environment.
3. Stakeholder Engagement: Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build and maintain relationships with diverse stakeholders, negotiate partnerships, and advocate for program objectives.
4. Knowledge of Remote Work: Familiarity with remote work trends, digital literacy requirements, and the challenges and opportunities associated with telecommuting and distributed teams.
5. Commitment to Equity: Demonstrated commitment to promoting targeted subpopulations inside the PAEG for program design and implementation, with sensitivity to the needs of underserved communities.
6. Flexibility and Adaptability: Ability to adapt to changing priorities, navigate ambiguity, and solve problems creatively, while maintaining a focus on achieving program goals and outcomes.
7. Tech-Savvy: Proficiency with digital tools and platforms used for project management, communication, and data analysis, such as Microsoft Office, Google Suite, project management software, and learning management systems.
8. 
   Regular and reliable attendance required
9. Ability to function well in a high-paced and at times stressful environment
10. Must be able to handle prolonged periods of sitting at a desk or standing at an event
11. Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at a time when necessary

Culture and Core Values

SOAR’s mission is simple: empower every Eastern Kentuckian to economic self-sufficiency through meaningful employment.

Our team culture is anchored by putting the interests of Eastern Kentucky first in all that we do. We believe treating others the way we want to be treated is always within our control. Our core values include faith, selflessness, grit, integrity, and empathy. We do our best to exemplify these daily in our interactions with each other and with external partners.

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SOAR is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status.