Employment Counselor
About This Position
The Employment Counselor provides individualized employment and career advancement services to refugees, asylees, and other eligible immigrants participating in the Employment and Career Services (ECS) and EARN programs. This role supports clients in securing permanent employment in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area—often their first job in the United States—and in advancing along career pathways to increase wages, stability, and long-term economic mobility.
The Employment Counselor works closely with clients shortly after arrival to support rapid job placement and continues to engage with previously employed clients to support job upgrades, retention, and transitions into career pathway training. Clients in these programs also receive coordinated financial, housing, and transportation supports, requiring close collaboration with internal teams and community partners. A key emphasis of this position is providing ongoing job upgrade and career advancement support to clients already placed in employment.
DEPARTMENT: Employment Counselor
REPORTS TO: Senior Director of Workforce Development
Salary range: $52,000-$55,000
FLSA Status: 1.0 FTE
Closing Date: Open until filled
Former refugees, New Americans and people of color are highly encouraged to apply.
Primary Duties and Responsibilities
Client Services & Career Counseling
- Provide culturally responsive, strengths-based employment counseling to newly arrived and established immigrant clients
- Support employable adults in identifying employment goals, addressing barriers to employment, and accessing appropriate community resources
- Deliver intensive orientation to U.S. workplace culture, expectations, and norms
- Support job retention, wage progression, and transitions into career pathway or training programs for employed clients
- Assist clients with financial orientation, including opening bank accounts and understanding payroll and benefits
Employer Engagement & Job Placement
- Build and maintain relationships with local employers to create employment opportunities for immigrant clients
- Match client skills, experience, and interests with appropriate job opportunities
- Support clients in navigating job applications, interviews, hiring processes, and onboarding
- Ensure clients have reliable transportation plans and are able to arrive at work independently and on time
Program Coordination & Documentation
- Maintain accurate and timely case notes, service records, and outcomes in the CRM/database system
- Coordinate and participate in bi-monthly Institute employment team meetings
- Attend required weekly, monthly, and quarterly staff meetings
- Collaborate with internal teams providing housing, transportation, and financial assistance
- Perform other duties as assigned to support program goal
Experience and Qualifications
- Commitment to the human rights, dignity, and economic well-being of refugees and immigrants
- Bachelor’s degree preferred; equivalent relevant experience will be considered
- Strong interpersonal, communication, and relationship-building skills
- Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, multicultural environment; take initiative; work independently; and manage multiple priorities
- Problem-solving skills and the ability to independently address client and employer-related challenges
- Knowledge of or ability to quickly learn the Twin Cities labor market, hiring practices, and application procedures
- Experience working with immigrants, refugees, or diverse populations preferred
- Bilingual proficiency in English and one or more of the following languages preferred: Amharic, Arabic, French, Karen, Kiswahili, Oromo, Somali, or Spanish
- Experience using Microsoft Office and database/CRM systems
Additional Requirements
- Valid driver’s license, proof of insurance, and access to a reliable vehicle
- Willingness to transport clients as part of service delivery
- Employer or human resources contacts are a plus
International Institute of Minnesota values a diverse workplace and strongly encourages women, people of color, LGBT individuals, New Americans apply. The Institute is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will not be discriminated against because of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, religion, national origin, citizenship status, disability, or any protected category prohibited by local, state, or federal laws.
- Use of manual dexterity, tactile, visual, and audio acuity
- Use of repetitive motion, prolonged periods of sitting, and sustained visual and mental applications and demands
- Driving as required for client services and employer engagement
About Us
The International Institute of Minnesota is a dynamic organization that provides services to maximize the talents and opportunities New Americans bring to our state. The Institute assists low income New Americans in their transition to a new homeland by providing comprehensive services for successful integration. The Institute serves more than 4,000 New Americans annually with new arrival social services to employment placement and advancement through to U.S. Citizenship attainment. Programs are divided into three primary areas: Refugee Services, Education and Employment Training Services, and Immigration Services. The Institute also provides advocacy for policy reforms and supports systems change that improve opportunities for New Americans to move their lives forward.
Contact Us
Please call or email us if you have a question or need help with your employment application.
Dana Onato-Pannkuk
Human Resources Generalist
(651) 377-8614
donato-pannkuk@iimn.org
Job Application: Employment Counselor 2026
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