Salary : $69,913.00 - $134,588.00 Annually
Location : 9755 Patuxent Woods Dr, Columbia, Maryland 21046, MD
Job Type: Full Time
Job Number: 26-00562
Department: County Administration
Division: County Admin - Workforce Employment
Opening Date: 07/28/2026
Closing Date: 8/11/2026 11:59 PM Eastern

POSITION SUMMARY/CLASS DESCRIPTION

POSITION SUMMARY:
The Career Coach II provides guidance and career counseling to middle and high school students to help them 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. Career Coaches work with students individually and in groups to assist them in determining their career pathway and matching the post-CCR pathway. The position tracks and reports student progress through data management systems.

STARTING SALARY HIRING RANGE:
$33.61 - $37.88
$69,913 - $78,784

*This is the anticipated starting salary range for this position. Please note that the final salary will be determined by the Office of Human Resources, commensurate with experience and aligned to ensure internal equity with similarly situated roles.*
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.

*This position is grant funded. Individuals selected for the position will serve at the pleasure of the appointing authority and may also be terminated if the grant funding for the position ends.*
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Student Career Coaching and Advising:

• Administer career assessments to identify occupational interests and career paths.
• Provide career coaching to students and support development of individual career plans.
• Assist students in using self-service resources to find hands-on career exploration and internship/work opportunities.
• Conduct job readiness and training activities.
• Address student questions about local and state in-demand career opportunities and required skillsets.

School and Program Coordination:

• Assist in coordinating career coaching services across middle and high schools in HCPSS.
• Work with school staff to coordinate activities such as guest speakers, field trips, job shadowing, and after-school events.
• Partner with teachers and administrators to integrate career counseling into existing classes.
• Develop career resources for students and track progression of student services.
• Prepare and manage reporting and data collection for the Blueprint for Education for Howard County.

Community and Business Partnerships:

• Contact local businesses to build partnerships for student outreach efforts.
• Identify local industry and business needs to inform programming.
• Collaborate with community partners to develop programs supporting student career exploration.
• Support efforts to increase youth apprenticeship opportunities.

Workshops, Presentations & Events:

• Conduct virtual and in-person sessions for students, families, and partner staff at schools and designated work sites.
• Facilitate workshops, teach job-readiness skills, and lead group presentations.
• Collaborate with internal and external partners to plan and support job-readiness activities such as interviews, career fairs, job shadowing, soft-skills training, and work experiences.
• Requires occasional evening and weekend hours and travel between multiple work sites.

Other Duties:

• Perform other related duties as assigned.

MINIMUM REQUIRED EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE

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

REQUIRED CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, AND REGISTRATIONS:

• Possession of a valid driver's license.

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, and quality principles.
• Proven 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, and decision-making skills.
• Computer literacy in word processing, spreadsheets, internet access and 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 define 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.
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 application. Applicants 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 (http://www.naces.org) or World Education Services: International Credential Evaluation (https://www.wes.org/).

Howard 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.

The following is a summary of the benefits available to Howard County employees who hold full-time benefit-eligible positions. Employees in positions covered by a bargaining agreement should consult their union contract for other specific benefits. Additional details are also available in the Employee Manual and in summary plan descriptions which are available in the Office of Human Resources or at

FLEXIBLE BENEFITS PLAN: Under the County's flexible benefits plan called CountyFlex, employees may elect to enroll in medical insurance plans, dental insurance plans, optional life insurance, dependent life insurance, and healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts. Employee contributions to these benefits are made on a pre-tax basis. Information concerning enrollment options, plan rates and a benefits comparison chart are available in the Office of Human Resources.

GROUP TERM LIFE INSURANCE: Employees receive a group term life insurance benefit equal to 2 times their annual salary at no cost. Accidental death and dismemberment coverage is included. The County pays the entire cost for this benefit. Employees may purchase additional coverage under the CountyFlex benefits plan.
PAID LEAVE BENEFITS: Annual and Disability Leaves are accrued over 24 pay periods each year. Personal leave is credited on January 1st each year. Use of Annual, Disability and/or Personal Leave requires supervisory approval.

ANNUAL LEAVE: During the first 5 years of employment, employees accrue the equivalent of 13 days per year. From years 6 through 10, the accrual is the equivalent of 16 days per year. From years 11 through 20, the accrual is the equivalent of 19 days per year. From year 21 on, the accrual is the equivalent of 21 days per year. Annual leave may not be used during the first 6 months of employment. A maximum of 40 days may be carried over from one fiscal year to the next.
DISABILITY LEAVE: Employees accrue the equivalent of 1 day per month (12 days per year). There is no maximum accrual. This leave may be used for the disabling illness/injury of the employee, spouse or minor child or for a serious medical condition approved under F.M.L.A. Absences of over 3 days must be substantiated by a physician's certificate.

PERSONAL LEAVE: Employees receive 6 personal leave days each calendar year to be taken during the calendar year. Employees hired after April 30th receive 4 days of personal leave that year; those hired after August 31st receive 2 days; and those hired after November 30th receive no personal leave for that year. Personal leave may not be carried over