Workforce Development Career Coach

The Horticultural Society of New York (The Hort) seeks a proactive, empathetic, and relationship-driven Workforce Development Career Coach to support trainees in our growing workforce development programs. As a key member of both the Human Resources and Workforce Development teams, the Career Coach plays a dual role—supporting trainees in building the navigational and workplace skills needed to thrive, while connecting them with meaningful employment opportunities in horticulture, urban greening, and caring for public spaces. The ideal candidate is innovative and naturally creates a supportive environment where trainees feel seen, heard, and motivated to grow. They are a strong facilitator who can lead engaging workshops on core skills and career readiness, while also being a trusted, encouraging presence for operations teams onsite.

The mission of The Horticultural Society of New York is to improve human lives through horticulture. Our social service and public programs create green spaces in all neighborhoods as a vital part of social infrastructure, train people for jobs that grow and sustain green communities, and develop fresh approaches to improve New Yorkers’ health, well-being, and environment through horticulture.

Responsibilities

Career Placement + Partnership Management

• Cultivate and maintain relationships with horticulture employers, parks departments, community-based organizations, and other nature-based green industry partners to secure job, internship, and mentorship opportunities for trainees
• Promote program services, highlight trainee achievements, and represent The Hort at coalition meetings, networking events, tabling opportunities, and community presentations
• Connect trainees to relevant employment and training resources aligned with their goals and current industry needs, maintaining accurate placement and progress data for internal and external stakeholders
• Track job placement outcomes, referral activity, and partnership engagement; share updates and trends to inform workforce development strategy
• Participate in workforce development networks to stay informed of emerging best practices in career coaching and nature-based workforce trends
  
  

Career Coaching + Trainee Support

• Build trusting relationships with trainees to support confidence, skill development, and career readiness
• Provide 1:1 and group coaching on résumés, cover letters, interview skills, goal-setting, and professional workplace expectations
• Develop and facilitate workshops, industry networking events, and employer-facing events to prepare trainees for the local green industry and nature-based sector
• Collaborate with program facilitators to ensure training content reflects employer expectations and emerging industry standards
• Maintain and analyze trainee data (attendance, skills development, certifications, work hours, and placement outcomes) to support program evaluation and continuous improvement
• Conduct worksite visits to provide field support and strengthen trainee-employer relationships
• Support development of an alumni network that promotes ongoing career advancement and resource sharing
  
  

Program Completion + Retention

• Coordinate referral and placement support for program graduates, including post-program communication and retention follow-up for up to two years
• Maintain relationships with partner organizations to support continued career pathways for alumni
• Identify and share professional development opportunities that promote long-term advancement in green careers
• Perform other duties as assigned
  
  

Human Resources + Recruitment

• Partner with HR to support orientations, onboarding, organization-wide training, exit interviews, and performance conversations for trainees
• Assist with full-cycle recruitment for HORTNYC programs, including outreach, screening, interviewing, offers, and onboarding
• Represent The Hort at recruitment, presentation, and community engagement events to generate interest in the program and expand applicant pipelines
• Collaborate with HR to support internal communications (newsletter, roundups, shared updates) and redirect inquiries as appropriate
• Work collaboratively across multiple internal units to align communication, training, and recruitment efforts with organizational goals
  
  

Required Qualifications

• 2+ years professional work experience in related or adjacent work to career coaching
• 1+ year Experience as a Career Coach, Employment Counselor, or experience in career development
• Proven ability to develop and maintain strong professional networks that lead to job placements or industry partnerships
• Experience working with individuals who have faced barriers to employment, with a demonstrated commitment to equity and accessibility
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal and a demonstrated ability to effectively communicate across departments to drive project or task success
• Ability to handle sensitive information with the highest level of confidentiality
• Strong commitment to accessibility and equity, particularly for underserved and under-resourced populations
• Highly organized and able to work independently while managing multiple projects at once
• Comfort traveling throughout NYC via public transportation
• Proficient in Microsoft Office suite or similar platform
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Bilingual English/Spanish
• Background in workforce development or nature-based green careers
• A degree in social work or related fields, such as psychology, vocational rehabilitation, or occupational rehabilitation from an accredited institution required or 2-4 years of related experience
  
  

Physical Requirements

• Comfort working on a computer for prolonged periods of time
• Comfort traveling across NYC using public transportation
  
  

Other Information

Salary Range: $58,000 to $62,000 annually

Schedule: Saturday through Wednesday (April- January); Monday- Friday (February and March)

Employment Classification: Full-Time Regular

Positions Available: 1

Reports to: Director of People & Culture

Benefits

The Hort offers all Full-Time regular employees a generous Paid Time Off package, term life insurance policy, and Employee Assistance Program. Pre-tax benefits include transit, Flexible Spending Account, medical, dental, and vision insurance. A 401(k)-retirement plan is available after one year of service.

How To Apply

To be considered, submit your application, resume, and a brief cover letter detailing your interests. Only complete applications will be reviewed. No phone calls.

Please be advised that due to the high volume of applicants, we can only contact candidates whose skills and background best fit the needs of the open positions. We appreciate your interest in employment opportunities at The Horticultural Society of New York.

The Hort is committed to workplace diversity and inclusion. It is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, age, religion, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status, political orientation, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

We provide reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities to enable them to perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations are also available for these individuals during the hiring process. Please email [email protected] should you require reasonable accommodation during the hiring process.