Career Coach (Human Services Specialist II) County Admin., Office of Workforce Development

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 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.

• 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 youll be helping drive our culture and directly impact what makes us an amazing place to work.

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.

Bachelors 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.

Possession of a valid drivers license.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

TO APPLY:You must complete an employment application online to be considered for this recruitment. Resumes cannot be substituted for completion of the job application work history. No paper applications will be accepted.

Selected candidates may be subject to drug screening background screening and reference checks.

At time of application please submit a copy of any college degree coursework licenses or certifications that you have referenced on your who have education obtained outside of the U.S. may need to provide proof of the equivalent U.S. education as determined by a foreign credential evaluation service such as the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services () or World Education Services: International Credential Evaluation ( County Government is not sponsoring employees in application of the H-1B Visa or providing an extension of an existing H-1B Visa. All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.

Howard Countyis an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and we are committed to a workplace that values diversity equity and inclusion. The County prohibits discrimination on the basis of race color religion age sex ancestry creed national origin disability status genetics marital statusmilitary service sexual orientation gender identity/expression or any other characteristic protected by federal state or local laws. Applicants requiring accommodations during the hiring process should contact the Office of Human Resources directly at .Requests for accommodations should not be attached to the application.