Community Wellness Specialist

This job posting was opened on May 12, 2025. Please note that we will be prioritizing candidates who are current IRC (and recently employed by IRC) staff before other applicants. If necessary, we will extend the opportunity to external candidates.

Job Overview:The Community Wellness Specialist will address barriers to safety and wellness for vulnerable clients. This role requires providing strength-based, client-centered case management and follow-up on health-related needs for a variety of populations, including single-headed refugees, humanitarian parolees, and asylum households experiencing mental health or psychological difficulties, refugees and humanitarian parolees with physical disabilities or medical conditions.

Additionally, the Community Wellness Specialist will provide essential case management, social adjustment, outreach and education, and other allowable services for Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) eligible Ukrainian newcomers in Sacramento and surrounding counties where a significant number of these newcomers have arrived.

The Community Wellness Specialist will work closely with clients, colleagues, and external partners to develop individualized service plans that meet client needs and preferences. In addition to providing direct case management services and follow-up, the Community Wellness Specialist will be responsible for connecting and referring Ukrainian humanitarian parolees to community resources and acting as the primary point of coordination for referrals.

Major Responsibilities:

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Provide case management and targeted support to refugees and immigrants, including individual coaching, health navigation, benefits assistance, care coordination, and connecting clients to appropriate services.
• Assist clients with navigating the health care system, including scheduling appointments (e.g., Refugee Health Clinic, OB-GYN, dental, and mental health), ensuring follow-up care, and connecting them to appropriate services.
• Conduct needs assessments, develop individualized care plans, and support insurance enrollment, transportation, and interpretation services.
• Offer bilingual and culturally congruent services to ensure language access for non-English speaking clients.
• Provide psychosocial support through wellness activities, such as client support groups, screening tools, brief interventions, and Mental Health First Aid trainings.
• Create and maintain safe, trauma-informed spaces for open dialogue on mental health, wellbeing, victimization (including gender-based violence), and challenges related to forced displacement.
• Advocate for client wellbeing by addressing the intersection of mental health, trauma, and immigration experiences with a focus on inclusivity.
• Facilitate community education initiatives, including cultural orientation, wellness workshops, disease prevention, safety education, and local outreach.
• Translate written materials and resources to ensure accessibility for diverse linguistic communities.
• Develop and maintain partnerships with community organizations to connect clients to critical services, including housing, food, and legal aid.
• Accurately document services, screenings, referrals, and outcomes in both client files and IRC's database (Efforts to Outcomes/ETO).
• Oversee and support volunteers and interns engaged in program activities.
• Participate in all program meetings, staff development activities, and trauma-informed care training as an engaged team member.
• Provide timely referrals and information on community resources as needed.
• Use personal and insured vehicles for transporting clients and materials within the service delivery area.
• Comply with IRC policies, procedures, and protocols.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: Program Manager

Position directly supervises:N/A

Indirect Reporting:N/A
Other Internal and/or external contacts:

Internal:The Community Wellness Specialist will work as a member of the Community and Wellness team. This position will also develop collaborative relationships with staff from other departments at IRC Sacramento and will work closely with internal programs to support the achievement of program goals.

External:The Community Wellness Specialist will develop working relationships and support referrals systems with community service providers under the topic areas of health, mental health, benefits assistance, and community services. This includes, but is not limited to, insurance providers, the Department of Human Assistance, local healthcare clinics, and mental health providers.

Job Requirements:

Education: Bachelor's degree required, with an emphasis in social work, psychology, public health, or related field of study.

Language: Fluency in Ukrainian, and in spoken and written English is required.

Work Experience:

• Minimum of 2 years of related experience required, preferably with refugee populations, low-income individuals, homeless individuals, hard-to-reach communities, and minority groups.
• Previous experience in multicultural settings and demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with individuals from diverse backgrounds.
• A background in health or mental health services is required, focusing on providing non-clinical support and services.
• Proven experience in case management, community outreach, and connecting individuals to essential health and social resources.
• Ability to assess client needs, offer guidance, and provide referrals to appropriate services, including counseling and social support.
• In-depth knowledge of community resources and support networks, particularly for underserved populations such as immigrants, refugees, and minority groups.
• Proven experience advocating for clients' needs within health and social service systems to ensure access to care and services.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present in both English and Ukrainian.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; experience with data tracking systems is highly preferred.
• Exceptional organizational skills with attention to detail, including maintaining case files (electronic and physical) and meeting reporting requirements within established timelines.
• Highly motivated, with the ability to work independently, develop new programs, and handle multiple tasks efficiently.

Demonstrated Skills & Competencies:

• Strong relationship building, diplomacy, and networking skills; ability to effectively build internal and external relationships.
• Demonstrated success working and communicating effectively in a multi-cultural environment.
• Self-starter with excellent problem-solving skills combined with the proven ability to prioritize and manage time effectively.
• Attention to detail and accuracy in work product.
• Fluent in English required, both spoken and written; proficiency in Ukrainian and/or Russian is desired.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, Outlook); ability to use the internet and other digital tools for data entry, research, and problem-solving purposes.
• Valid driver's license and access to a personal, insured vehicle.

Working Environment:

• A combination of standard office environment, remote work, and 'field' time within the service delivery area to perform the above outlined responsibilities.
• May require occasional weekend and/or evening work.
• This position will work from the IRC office in Sacramento.
• Offices hours are scheduled as Monday-Friday, 9:00am-5pm.

Compensation: 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.

Equal Opportunity Employer: IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

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 $143 per month, dental starting at $6.50 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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