Financial Empowerment Center (FEC) Counseling Specialist

Position Summary:  The FEC Counselor contributes to the efforts of United Way of Metropolitan Nashville (UWMN) by providing high-quality, one-on-one financial counseling to individuals engaged in the Family Empowerment Program, funded by United Way of Metropolitan Nashville, the Tennessee Department of Human Services (DHS) and the Siemer Institute. This position is responsible for advising clients how to experience financial freedom, empowerment, and security.  Because the Family Empowerment Program is a Two Generation case management model, this position will also develop  modules/curriculum that engages the child/youth in activities that encourage financial stability, and will participate in team meetings to ensure continuity of care and progress toward holistic family outcomes.  This position helps families move closer to the UWMN Mission:  to create a community where individuals, families, and neighborhoods thrive.

Essential Functions:  The following are indicative of the essential functions required to perform this job successfully.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  This profile is not intended to be all inclusive of tasks and responsibilities required; it provides a description of the critical responsibilities associated with this position.

FEC Counselor Tasks

• Conducts one-on-one financial counseling sessions to empower individuals to manage their income and experience financial independence
• Documents and follows up with counseling sessions to track individual progress in order to help the individual meet his/her financial goal as well as demonstrate FEC program success to increase funds sponsoring the program
• Builds rapport with clients to cultivate trust and engagement in counseling sessions
• Communicates with third parties including collection agencies, lawyers, and lenders on behalf of clients to verify or resolve billing or collection errors, disputes, and negotiations
• Promotes and conducts outreach workshops and events to obtain new clients and grow financial stability knowledge in the community
• Refers clients to community resources to allow the individual to obtain the additional help needed
• Develop modules/curriculum that can be used across the FEC network that specifically engages children/youth in understanding financial stability and developing healthy habits to ensure a positive financial trajectory

Qualifications

• Education:
  • Bachelor’s Degree in social work, business, finance, or related field; or 5 years relevant experience
  • Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education (AFCPE) Certification must be obtained within 6 months of hire. 
  • Continuing Education requirements must be maintained once certification is obtained.
• Experience:
  • Preferred: Financial counseling
  • Professional experience in one or more of the following: banking, social work, home ownership education, credit counseling
• Knowledge:
  • Budget creation and management
  • Working with diverse populations
  • Financial services and management
  • Credit Bureau Reporting System
• Skills:
  • Negotiation
  • Bicultural
  • Research
  • Ability to multi-task
  • Navigating community resources
  • Written, oral, and technological communication
  • Ability to relate to people of varied economic, racial, ethnic & religious backgrounds
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office products, especially Outlook, Word, and Excel
• Miscellaneous:

• A valid Driver’s License & proof of insurance
• Preferred: Bilingual

Competencies:

• Mission Driven: Focuses on needs and aspirations of the community
• Effective Communication: Ability to collaborate and effectively communicate through oral, written and technological means; active listening, collaborating and expressing oneself clearly, to ensure those that need specific information acquire it

• Relationship Management:  Builds relationships internally and externally through communication efforts with external funders, corporate partners, individual donors, community members, and organizational stakeholders in efforts to generate enthusiasm of UWMN’s work; demonstrates credibility in all interactions; and demonstrates the ability to effectively build a network of contacts by
• Outcome Motivated: Creates and maintains high performance standards that capitalize on opportunities to build support for the community  by developing relationships that drive results
• Problem Solving/Critical Thinking: Differentiates between when supervisory input is needed and when it is not; identifies opportunities and develops plans to execute; Identifies problems, gathers facts and appropriate resources to resolve issues
• Brand Advocate: Conducts themselves in a manner that promotes integrity, trust and strong ethics, in order to protect the reputation and results of UWMN
• Initiative and Creativity: Plans work and carries out tasks without detailed instructions; makes constructive suggestions; prepares for problems in advance; undertakes additional responsibilities; responds to situations as they arise with minimal supervision

• Stress Tolerance: Ability to manage stress levels while under strict deadlines by preparing for problems and opportunities in advance; ensure all programs have the materials and volunteers that are needed to ensure the program runs smoothly; ability to remain flexible.
• Team Player: Works cooperatively and collaboratively with others to achieve collective goals; shows commitment to the team’s purpose and goals by providing  critical information that helps drive success; works effectively with different personalities across a variety of social and professional situations 
• Time Management: manages own time, priorities, and resources to achieve goals.  Prioritizes tasks by importance and deadline; adjusts priorities as situations change.  Easily transitions between tasks and picks up where left off when interrupted.  Makes reasonable estimates of resource needs to achieve goals or complete projects.  Uses sound methods to plan and track work, appointments, and commitments.
• Mental Resilience: Ability to properly adapt to stress and adversity.  This position will come across sensitive situations that can be trying mentally.  This position needs to demonstrate mental resilience by determining strategies to tackle tough situations, adjust strategies throughout the process, collaborate with team members to ensure best practices are being followed, and remain engaged, alive and connected with the situation when under pressure.

Environmental Conditions and Physical Demands:

• Is required to work nights and some Saturdays according to schedule set by manager and the needs of the community.
• Employee spends a lot of time seated; working at a desk in front of a computer monitor.  Manual dexterity sufficient to reach/handle items and work with the fingers.
• Employee will be required to stand for long periods of time during outreach and trainings.
• Requires the employee to work externally in the community.  This may require the picking up, transporting, and delivering supplies throughout Middle TN.  This requires the employee to be able to travel to different locations. 
• Employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds.  The employee is required to stand, walk, climb, and balance.
• Manual dexterity sufficient to reach/handle items and work with the fingers and perform repetitive hand/wrist motions. 
• Well-lighted, heated, and/or air-conditioned indoor office setting with adequate ventilation.