Career Coach and Weld County Program Coordinator (Greeley)
About Forward Steps At Forward Steps, we believe all youth and young adults deserve the confidence and freedom to pursue a fulfilling future. Our evidence-based programs provide individualized support, meaningful relationships, and resources to young people facing adversity throughout their educational and career journeys. We do this through two programs: Guardian Scholars (GS), which supports current and former foster youth pursuing postsecondary education, and Realizing Aptitudes (RA), which provides career and postsecondary readiness coaching to youth and young adults. Both programs promote a multiple-pathway approach and provide individualized support designed to help young people recognize their strengths, explore possibilities, build skills, and take meaningful steps toward their futures. Realizing Aptitudes partners with schools, nonprofits, workforce organizations, and community partners to provide individualized career coaching, career exploration, work-based learning navigation, workforce readiness programming, and connections to education, training, employment, and apprenticeship pathways. We are a small, collaborative team passionate about helping young people recognize their potential and build fulfilling futures. We would love to have you join us! Job Summary The Part-Time Career Coach will work within Forward Steps’ Realizing Aptitudes program to provide direct career and postsecondary readiness services to youth and young adults throughout Weld County while also supporting the program’s expanding apprenticeship and work-based learning initiatives. This is a Weld County-based position, and candidates must reside in Weld County. Required Competencies Occupational Competencies Experience facilitating one-on-one and small-group coaching, advising, education, workforce development, or youth-development services Experience working with youth and young adults, particularly those who have experienced barriers or difficult life circumstances Knowledge of career development, workforce development, postsecondary pathways, work-based learning, or related fields Ability to build professional relationships with employers, schools, community organizations, workforce partners, and other external stakeholders Strong facilitation and communication skills with both youth and adult audiences Ability to maintain accurate coaching and program records and appropriate levels of confidentiality Ability to manage multiple partner relationships, student needs, and program activities with strong follow-through Foundational Competencies Local presence: Must reside in Weld County and be able to travel regularly to partner schools, community organizations, employers, and other program locations throughout the county Relationship building: Develop authentic, trusting relationships with young people, partners, employers, and community stakeholders Active listening: Listen attentively, understand and respond to individual needs, and retain key information to inform coaching and follow-up Cultural competence: Demonstrate the ability to understand, appreciate, and interact effectively with people from different cultures, backgrounds, identities, and lived experiences Initiative: Comfortable with independently conducting outreach, following up with partners and employers, and moving projects forward Adaptability: Adjust coaching and programming to meet the needs of individual students and partner environments Critical thinking: Analyze challenges, identify potential solutions, and make thoughtful decisions Preferred Competencies Occupational Competencies Relevant education, training, and/or professional experience in education, counseling, human services, workforce development, youth development, or a related field Familiarity with Weld County schools, employers, workforce organizations, community organizations, and/or postsecondary institutions Experience with employer engagement, business outreach, workforce partnerships, or relationship management Knowledge of Registered Apprenticeships, pre-apprenticeships, internships, job shadows, or other work-based learning models Experience administering and interpreting career assessments Experience developing or facilitating career-readiness or workforce-readiness curriculum Familiarity with youth-centered and trauma-informed approaches Experience collecting program data and documenting participant outcomes Foundational Competencies Spanish language proficiency preferred, but not required Expected Activities Career Coaching & Youth Programming – Approximately 55% Provide individualized and small-group career and postsecondary readiness coaching to youth and young adults at partner sites throughout Weld County Facilitate career exploration, workforce readiness, professional communication, career planning, and other Realizing Aptitudes programming Support youth in identifying their interests, strengths, goals, and potential career and postsecondary pathways Administer career-readiness and career-exploration tools and use results to inform individualized coaching Help youth develop concrete next steps toward education, training, employment, internships, apprenticeships, and other work-based learning opportunities Provide work-based learning navigation, including helping students identify opportunities, prepare for employer interactions, develop outreach strategies, and navigate application or participation processes Provide follow-up coaching to support students as they move from career exploration into education, training, employment, or work-based learning opportunities Collaborate with school and community partners to adapt programming to student needs and complement existing career-readiness services Maintain coaching notes, participation records, and other required program documentation Apprenticeship, Employer & Workforce Engagement – Approximately 20% Support Forward Steps’ expansion of apprenticeship pathways in Weld County Conduct outreach to Weld County employers, Registered Apprenticeship Programs, training providers, workforce organizations, and other potential partners Develop and maintain relationships withindustry partners interested in engaging young people through career exposure, work-based learning, pre-apprenticeship, apprenticeship, and employment opportunities Help identify career pathways and opportunities aligned with youth interests and local workforce needs Coordinate employer-connected activities such as career conversations, workplace visits, informational interviews, job shadows, and other work-based learning experiences Support the development and implementation of pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programming, including participant recruitment, student preparation, partner coordination, and implementation logistics Help connect interested youth to apprenticeship sponsors, training programs, employers, and other workforce opportunities Participate in meetings and convenings with employers, apprenticeship partners, workforce organizations, schools, and community partners Track employer outreach, partnership development, apprenticeship connections, and student participation and outcomes Program Coordination, Development & Evaluation – Approximately 25% Support coordination of Weld County programming, including scheduling, student follow-up, partner communication, and implementation of services across school and community partner sites. Participate in Realizing Aptitudes program planning and strategy meetings Assist with program data collection and evaluation, including participant surveys and outcome tracking Provide feedback on emerging student, employer, and partner needs to inform program development Assist with curriculum and resource development as needed Participate in select community outreach, partner, and Forward Steps fundraising events Job Details Reports to: Realizing Aptitudes Program Director Location: Weld County, Colorado. Candidates must reside in Weld County. This is a hybrid position with remote administrative work and regular in-person programming. Local travel within the county is a regular part of the position. Employment status: Part-time, non-exempt Schedule: 20–25 hours per week, primarily during weekday school and business hours. Specific days and hours may vary based on program and partner needs. Occasional evening or weekend activities may be required. Compensation: $24-$28 per hour, depending on experience Mileage reimbursement provided for approved program-related travel Reliable personal transportation and a valid driver’s license required Must be able to pass a background check This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or
