Career Development Specialist

Position Title

Career Development Specialist

Help shape the future of Montana’s workforce by connecting students with real‑world career opportunities. As a Career Development Specialist, you’ll work directly with schools, employers, and community partners to turn career exploration into meaningful pathways for young people. If you enjoy building relationships, using data to solve problems, and making a visible impact in local communities, this role is a strong next step in your career.

• Lead career development collaboration with schools, helping educators design and improve career exploration, planning, and work‑based learning systems that prepare students for life after graduation.
• Promote awareness of Montana’s four career pathways (college, Registered Apprenticeship, military service, entrepreneurship) to help students explore multiple routes to successful careers.
• Coordinate meaningful work‑based learning opportunities by partnering with Job Service offices, employers, Registered Apprenticeship, and JMG to create registered youth and pre‑apprenticeships and other experiences that connect students to high‑demand careers.
• Use labor‑market and workforce data to guide decisions, working with economists and data specialists to interpret trends and help schools align pathways with high‑growth occupations and real employer needs.
• Leverage workforce and training programs to expand opportunity by connecting education partners to available funding, tools, and resources that help more students access career‑building experiences.
• Evaluate and improve career development efforts by collecting feedback and outcome data, identifying what is working well, and recommending changes that support continuous improvement.
• Build and maintain strong partnerships across the state by serving as a trusted point of contact for schools, DLI divisions, employers, workforce organizations, and community organizations to advance coordinated talent development strategies.
• Provide training and technical assistance by developing and delivering presentations, resources, and one‑on‑one support that help school and community partners confidently implement career development and work‑based learning activities.
• Travel to Montana schools and communities to conduct site visits, attend meetings and events, and support local partners with hands‑on assistance and problem‑solving.
• Champion implementation of Montana’s 406 JOBS initiative by connecting education, workforce, industry, and community partners to expand career pathways and strengthen Montana’s talent pipeline.

• Collaborate with education and workforce partners across Montana to design and deliver high‑quality career development and work‑based learning experiences for youth.
• Use labor‑market and workforce data to align programs with local employer needs, ensuring students gain skills that matter in today’s economy.

• Career development and education practice:
  Apply career development principles and Montana CTE or similar standards to support student exploration, planning, and pathway development.
• Strategic workforce partnership development:
  Build and sustain collaborative relationships among education, employers, workforce organizations, and community partners to develop employer‑driven talent solutions.
• Labor‑market and data literacy:
  Understand and interpret labor‑market data, draw out key insights, and communicate those insights in clear, practical terms to non‑technical audiences.
• Program and partnership coordination:
  Plan, organize, and coordinate projects or initiatives with multiple partners, managing timelines, follow‑through, and shared responsibilities.
• Communication, training, and facilitation:
  Communicate clearly in writing and verbally, lead group discussions or trainings, and adapt messages to different audiences.
• Relationship building and collaboration:
  Build trust, navigate differing perspectives, and work effectively with schools, employers, workforce programs, and community organizations towards common goals.
• Organization and field‑based work:
  Balance multiple priorities, manage schedules and travel,…