Career Development Coordinator

Montana State University; Town of Montana (WI); On-site; USD 30,000 - 39,000; Part time

Job summary

Montana State University seeks a Career Development Coordinator for the LIFE Scholars program. You will lead student employment, internship development, and career preparation, helping students obtain part-time work, secure internships, and build strong employer relationships.

Reporting to the LIFE Scholars Director, you will assess student skills, expand on-campus and community opportunities, and collaborate with families, employers, and faculty to promote meaningful, integrated employment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Special Education, Rehabilitation, Human Services, Education, Social Work, Psychology, or related field, or equivalent combo.
• Experience with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
• Experience supporting employment, internships, career development, or transition services.
• Experience building collaborative relationships with students, families, employers, faculty, staff, and community partners.
• Experience managing multiple projects and priorities.

Responsibilities

• Provide individualized employment support to LIFE Scholars students, including sourcing employment opportunities and assisting with resumes and applications.
• Collaborate with employer supervisors to identify and implement workplace supports.
• Document student skills, strengths, interests, and work experiences for profiles and resumes.
• Identify and develop internship opportunities on campus and in the community.
• Develop student career profiles with evaluations, skills, and letters of recommendation.
• Collaborate with outside job developers and community partners to support employment.
• Prepare supervisors and mentors for student onboarding and support.
• Establish a systematic process for site observations, task analysis, mentor identification, and student matching.
• Develop orientation activities for second-year students preparing for internships.
• Host informational meetings connecting students and families with post-graduation resources.
• Develop relationships with employers across Montana.

Skills

Employment support

Resume assistance

Employer partnerships

Project management

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent

Master’s degree (preferred)

Job description

Please see Special Instructions for more details.

*This position is not eligible for sponsorship.*

Position Information

Announcement Number

Announcement Number STAFF - VA - 27076

For questions regarding this position, please contact:

The Career Development Coordinator oversees all activities related to career development within the LIFE Scholars program and works as an active member of the team to contribute to the overall mission of preparing graduates for meaningful, competitive, integrated employment.

Position Number

Position Number 4N0690

Department

Department Dean Educ/HHD

Division

Division College of Education, Health & Human Development

Appointment Type

Appointment Type Classified

Contract Term

Contract Term Fiscal Year

Semester

If other, specify From date

If other, specify End date

FLSA

FLSA Non-Exempt

Union Affiliation

Union Affiliation FOCUS-MFPE

FTE

FTE 1.0 during academic year, 0.2 during the summer

Benefits Eligible

Salary $24.388 per hour, commensurate with experience, education, and qualifications

Contract Type

Contract Type Classified Hourly

If other, please specify

Recruitment Type

Recruitment Type Open

General Statement

The Career Development Coordinator leads all student employment, internship development, and career preparation activities within the LIFE Scholars program. The position is responsible for supporting students in obtaining and maintaining part-time employment, preparing students for internship experiences, developing internship placements, and building relationships with employers that result in meaningful, competitive, integrated employment opportunities.

The Career Development Coordinator serves as a direct support professional, instructor, advocate, and employment specialist who works alongside students, employers, faculty, staff, families, and community partners. The position prioritizes individual student success and recognizes that meaningful employment outcomes are achieved through proactive planning, consistent instruction, strong employer partnerships, and high expectations.

The Career Development Coordinator works closely with the Director of LIFE Scholars to advance the program’s mission of preparing graduates for meaningful employment and independent adult lives.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide individualized employment support to LIFE Scholars students, including: sourcing employment opportunities, assisting with resumes, job applications, and other employment paperwork
• Communicating and collaborating with employer supervisors to identify and implement workplace supports.
• Documenting student skills, strengths, interests, and work experiences to contribute to career profiles and resumes.
• Identifying and developing internship opportunities on campus and in the community.
• Facilitating the development of student career profiles that document work experiences, evaluations, skills acquired, and letters of recommendation.
• Collaborating with outside job developers and community partners to support post-graduation employment.
• Prepare supervisors and mentors for student onboarding and support.
• Establish a systematic process for site observations, task analysis, mentor identification, and student matching that can be replicated by future staff and program personnel.
• Develop and implement orientation activities that prepare second-year students for internship experiences.
• Host informational meetings that connect students and families with post-graduation resources.
• Developing relationships with employers across Montana.

Required Qualifications – Experience, Education, Knowledge & Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Special Education, Rehabilitation, Human Services, Education, Social Work, Psychology, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Demonstrated experience working with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
• Demonstrated experience supporting employment, internships, career development, or transition services.
• Demonstrated experience in building collaborative relationships with students, families, employers, faculty, staff, and community partners.
• Demonstrated experience managing multiple projects and priorities.

Preferred Qualifications – Experience, Education, Knowledge & Skills

• Master’s degree in Special Education, Rehabilitation Counseling, Transition Services, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience providing job coaching or employment support.
• Demonstrated experience conducting workplace assessments, task analyses, or vocational evaluations.
• Demonstrated experience developing employer partnerships.
• Demonstrated experience creating training materials or facilitating professional development.
• Knowledge of employment practices and transition-to-employment programming.

The Successful Candidate Will

• Patience and consistency in teaching and supporting students.
• Strong observation and problem-solving skills.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Commitment to student-centered decision making.
• Ability to anticipate challenges and proactively plan supports.Flexibility and responsiveness when student needs arise.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills.
• Initiative in creating systems and processes that can be sustained over time.
• Commitment to inclusive employment and high expectations for all students.

Position Special Requirements/Additional Information

Continuation of employment is contingent upon availability of funding.

This job description should not be construed as an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities or requirements, but a general description of the job. Nothing contained herein restricts Montana State University’s rights to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.

Physical Demands

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily with or without reasonable accommodations. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

This position has supervisory duties?

This position has supervisory duties? No

Number of Vacancies

Number of Vacancies 1

Desired Start Date

Desired Start Date At the conclusion of a successful search

Position End Date (if temporary)

Open Date

Close Date

Applications will be:

Screening of applications will begin on September 16, 2026; however, applications will continue to be accepted until an adequate applicant pool has been established.

Special Instructions

This position is not eligible for sponsorship.

EEO Statement

Montana State University is an equal opportunity employer. MSU does not discriminate against any applicant on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, political ideas, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, national origin, physical or mental disability, or any other protected class status in violation of any applicable law.

In compliance with the Montana Veteran’s Employment Preference Act, MSU provides preference in employment to veterans, disabled veterans, and certain eligible relatives of veterans. To claim veteran’s preference, please complete the veteran’s preference information located in the Demographics section of your profile.

Required Documents

• Resume
• Cover Letter

Optional Documents

Supplemental Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).