Career Coach - (Human Services Specialist II) - County Admin., Office of Workforce Development bei Howard County Government, MD

About the Department

Howard County:
Conveniently located in the heart of central Maryland between Baltimore and Washington, Howard County offers the charm of a historic past mixed with the excitement of a cosmopolitan community.
 
Howard County Government:

Howard County Government is a leader in innovation, sustainability, and consistently ranked as one of the best places to live and work in the country. In 2025, Howard County Government received a record-breaking 85 Achievement Awards from the National Association of Counties (NACo) – the highest number of annual NACo awards achieved in the history of the State of Maryland, and the highest number of awards out of any county in the State of Maryland which received a collective 136 awards. NACo is the leading organization representing county-level government operations. These awards recognize innovative and transformative programs that provide new services for county residents, improve existing programs, upgrade working conditions, and enhance citizen participation and public policymaking.

What are we looking for?
We are looking for outstanding individuals to join our team and contribute to excellence in Howard County operations.
 
What you'll like most about working at Howard County Government:

• We are committed to workplace excellence in every area of County government.  
• We have a highly talented, diverse, and inclusive workplace. Your input will not only be heard, but it will be encouraged!  
• We offer competitive compensation and great benefits including medical, retirement, and wellness programs. 
• As a member of the Howard County Government team, you'll be helping drive our culture and directly impact what makes us an amazing place to work.

POSITION SUMMARY:
The Career Coach II provides guidance and career counseling to middle and high school students to help explore and making informed career decisions. The position coordinates career exploration resources, identifies and collaborates with partners to develop career exploration activities and administers these activities in the middle and high schools. The Career Coaches work with students individually and in groups to assist them in determining their career pathway and matching the post-secondary pathway. The position tracks and reports student progress through data management systems.  

**This is a grant-funded position. It also requires a background check.**  
 
STARTING SALARY HIRING RANGE:
$32.95 - $34.97
$68,542 - $72,742

CLASS DESCRIPTION:
Performs intermediate professional level human services work, which may include supervisory responsibility, under general supervision from an administrative or technical superior.  Work includes administering human service programs or providing specialized health and human services targeted to a special population; assists in formulating policies and developing goals and objectives; and providing a full range of counseling and referral services. Work may also include identifying and investigating complaints of unfair and deceptive practices and violations of local and State laws; and administering criminal justice and alternative sentencing programs.

Position Duties

Include the following.  Other related duties may be assigned.

• Assist in the coordination of career coaching services for various schools and helping middle and high school students within Howard County Public Schools (HCPSS). 
• Administer various career assessments to determine occupational interests and career paths. 
• Provide career coaching services to students while developing their individual career plan.
• Contact local businesses to partner with OWD and HCPSS on student outreach efforts, and address student questions about local and state in-demand career opportunities and necessary skillsets. Identify local industry and business needs.
• Conduct virtual and in-person sessions for students, families, and partner staff to summarize services, facilitate workshops, teach job readiness skills and other group presentations. 
• Work with HCPSS staff to coordinate activities, including guest speakers, field trips to business sites, job shadowing, after-school events, etc. 
• Partner with teachers and administrators to integrate career counseling in existing classes, including business visits and guest speakers. 
• Collaborate with other community partners to develop programming that assists students in career and occupational exploration. 
• Conduct job readiness and training activities. 
• Collaborate with internal and external partners to organize and support job readiness activities including, but not limited to interviewing, career fairs, job shadowing, essential soft skills training, and work experiences. This requires occasional evening and weekend work hours. 
• Develop career resources for students and track the progression of student services. 
• Assist students in using self-service resources to identify opportunities for hands on career exploration and/or on-site work/internship opportunities. 
• Prepare and manage reporting and data collection for the Blueprint for Education for Howard County. 
• May work to increase apprenticeship opportunities for youth.

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's degree and one (1) year of related experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.

PREFERRED EDUCATION, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Good interpersonal skills and the ability to relate well to a diverse youth population, 
• Possess powerful organization, documentation and writing skills. Ability to work both independently and as part of a team member in a customer-driven environment. 
• Knowledge of the Maryland Workforce Exchange system and computerized tools, e.g., accessing Internet-based job search.  
• Experience in conducting assessments using a variety of assessment tools. 
• Workforce development experience, including career coaching/counseling skills, case management, customer service & quality principles. 
• Ability to multi-task, develop priorities and re-prioritize as required. 
• Effective communication skills, including written, oral and public speaking for conducting workshops.  
• Creative thinking, problem-solving, & decision-making skills. 
• Computer literacy in word processing, spreadsheets, internet access & E-mail. 
• Knowledge of professional ethics, including confidentiality policy.  

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT:

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; and use hand to touch, handle, or feel. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, peripheral vision, and depth perception.
 
WORK ENVIRONMENT:
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. Work may be performed in beneficiaries' homes, 50+ centers and other county offices.

LANGUAGE SKILLS, MATHEMATICAL SKILLS AND REASONING ABILITY:
Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations.  Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the public.

Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs. Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.

Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form. Ability to defined problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions regarding insurance and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.

Other Qualifications

Possession of a valid driver’s license.

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