Career Services Program Manager Central Office

The work we do matters!

Hiring Agency:

Correctional Services - Agency 46

Location:

Lincoln NE

Hiring Rate:

$37.065

Job Posting:

JR2026- Career Services Program Manager - Central Office (Open)

Applications No Longer Accepted On (If no date is displayed job is posted as open until closed):

0

Job Description:

Meaningful employment changes lives lead the team making that possible.

The Nebraska Department of Correctional Services (NDCS) seeks a transformational Career Services Manager to lead innovative workforce development efforts that prepare justice-involved individuals for meaningful employment and long-term success after incarceration. This role leads a dedicated team delivering career coaching workforce readiness and employment pathway development while building strong partnerships with employers workforce systems and community stakeholders.

NDCS recognizes that lived experience can be a powerful asset in reentry work. Individuals with prior justice involvement who meet position qualifications are welcome to apply consistent with applicable employment policies and requirements.

Information about the Department can be found at: . For more information call . For Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accommodations please contact Megan Jones at

DUTIES:

• Design and implement workforce development strategies that prepare justice-involved individuals for successful employment and long-term economic stability.
• Develop and maintain strong employer partnerships that create direct hiring pipelines transitional employment opportunities apprenticeships and industry-aligned workforce pathways.
• Serve as NDCS key employer engagement liaison cultivating relationships with business leaders chambers workforce boards American Job Centers training providers unions educational institutions and community partners.
• Lead strategic special projects pilot initiatives and innovative workforce development opportunities that expand participant access to meaningful employment.
• Identify labor market trends and align career programming credential opportunities and training pathways with high-demand occupations.
• Oversee performance metrics reporting outcome tracking and quality assurance efforts to ensure program effectiveness and measurable employment outcomes.
• Ensure compliance with operational standards documentation expectations grants workforce partnership requirements and applicable policies.
• Lead employer-facing recruitment initiatives including hiring events employer engagement activities mock interviews talent pipeline development and partnership-building efforts that expand employment opportunities for participants.

Requirements / Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications: A bachelors degree in criminal justice behavioral sciences human services or a related field and one year of corrections experience including supervisory experience; OR associates degree in criminal justice behavioral sciences human services or related field and three years of corrections experience including supervisory experience; OR five years of corrections experience including supervisory experience.

Legal Requirements:Must be at least 18 years of age. No felony or domestic abuse related convictions.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Demonstrated experience with workforce development initiatives or grant programs employment-focused programming or services talent pipeline strategies or workforce readiness programs.
• Demonstrated experience developing and maintaining partnerships with employers workforce boards economic development organizations apprenticeship programs educational institutions or community-based service providers.
• Demonstrated experience working with justice-involved individuals reentry populations probation/parole populations behavioral health populations or other complex service populations facing barriers to employment.
• Experience supervising coaching mentoring and developing professional staff in a performance-driven service environment.
• Experience using performance metrics program outcomes quality improvement methods or data-informed decision-making to evaluate program effectiveness and drive operational improvement.

Other: Transcripts required prior to appointment. Valid drivers license is required. Applicants accepting a job offer must pass the following pre-employment exams in this order: medical exam and at a randomly announced time pass a drug test. Once at the Staff Training Academy must successfully complete the fully paid NE Corrections Training Program.

Knowledge Skills and Abilities:

Knowledge of: workforce development systems employment pathway design and strategies that connect individuals to meaningful career opportunities aligned with labor market demand; career coaching methodologies workforce readiness principles trauma-informed practices and participant-centered approaches that support long-term employment success; reentry best practices barriers to employment for justice-involved individuals and strategies that promote successful community reintegration and equitable access to opportunity; organizational leadership principles team development practices and performance-driven service delivery models.

Skill in: coaching mentoring and developing staff to achieve high performance accountability continuous improvement and professional growth; building collaborative relationships with employers workforce partners educational institutions community organizations and internal stakeholders to strengthen service coordination and employment pathways; skill in cross-system collaboration partnership development and navigating complex human service or justice-related environments to improve participant outcomes.

Ability to: lead mission-driven teams translate strategic vision into operational practice and drive measurable outcomes in complex service delivery environments; foster innovation accountability and a culture of excellence while balancing strategic leadership with operational oversight; Ability to communicate effectively with diverse audiences and build credibility with business leaders community partners internal leadership and justice-involved individuals.

If youre currently employed by the State of Nebraska please dont apply through this external career site. Instead log in to Workday and open the Jobs Hub - Internal Apply app from your home landing page. You can access Workday anytime through the Link web page: offer a comprehensive package of pay benefits paid time off retirement and professional development opportunities to help you get the most out of your career and life. Your paycheck is just part of your total compensation.

Check out all that the State of Nebraska has to offer! Benefit eligibility may vary by position agency and employment status. For more information on benefits please visit: Opportunity Statement

The State of Nebraska values our teammates as well as a supportive environment that strives to promote diversity inclusion and belonging. We recruit hire train and promote in all job classifications and at all levels without regard to race color religion sex. age national origin disability marital status or genetics.