School Navigation Specialist (Part-Time 20-hours with benefits)

Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Mandarin Chinese, or Vietnamese

Our Mission: The Federation for Children with Special Needs provides information, support, and assistance to all families, especially those with children with disabilities, their professional partners, and their communities. We are committed to listening to and learning from families and encouraging full participation in community life by all people, especially those with disabilities.

Statewide Family Engagement Initiatives at FCSN: FCSN works to build an equity-driven culture of family engagement, seeking family-led and co-created solutions to the challenges faced by historically marginalized children and youth. Our programs strengthen the capacities of families, educators, healthcare providers and child development professionals to build layers of support that help young people thrive.

Job Summary: School Navigators answer a statewide hotline and perform outreach aimed at increasing parent/caregiver awareness of educational options including career and technical education, particularly among families with first language other than English.

Essential Job Functions:

  • Answer calls to the School Navigation hotline during established hours (10 hours per week) speaking one of the following languages: Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Mandarin Chinese, or Vietnamese. Hotline hours will include evening hours and may include weekend hours.
  • Return calls and respond to emails about educational options including career and technical education within 1 business day, making referrals to other resources as appropriate.
  • Contribute to the team’s response to calls and emails from English-speaking families.
  • Attend family-facing meetings and events to share information about educational options and school navigation resources, using materials developed by the Some events will require in-person attendance.
  • Perform data entry to document presentations and direct communication with families.
  • Attend required supervision and staff meetings and participate on One Federation team.
  • Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

  • Must be bilingual in English and one of the following languages: Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Mandarin Chinese, or Vietnamese.
  • Ability to work a consistent schedule that includes early evenings and may include some weekend hours.
  • Existing connections within diverse language communities, particularly outside of the City of Boston; and ability to build new connections with prioritized communities.
  • Ability to work from home in a dedicated workspace using FCSN-provided equipment.
  • Access to transportation and ability to travel for some in-person meetings including an annual School Navigation staff retreat, select in-person Open House or Outreach events, among others.
  • Experience providing information and support for families.
  • Strong communication, interpersonal and presentation skills.
  • Ability to navigate computer technologies including database, videoconferencing, email and Microsoft Word.
  • Basic knowledge of public education and willingness to learn more.

*Please Note: This is part-time position, 20 hours per week, and is eligible for employee benefits as outlined in FCSN personnel policies. A 15 hour-per-week schedule (not benefits eligible) will be considered for speakers of lower-incidence languages (Mandarin, Vietnamese). This program is grant funded and continuation of the program will be dependent on continuation of our 1-year grant.

To Apply:

Send your resume and cover letter by email to: fcsnjobs@fcsn.org; or by mail to: Federation for Children with Special Needs, Attn: HR, 529 Main Street, Suite 1M3, Boston, MA 02129

The Federation for Children with Special Needs (FCSN) embraces the diversity of our staff and is committed to increasing the diversity of our organization.  As an EEO employer, FCSN is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and candidates for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, sex, pregnancy, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other legally protected status or designation.   Also, we welcome parents of children with special needs or those with a disability to apply!