College and Career Readiness Specialist

Position Type:Qualified StaffDate Posted:3/13/2026Location:DistrictClosing Date:Until FilledPosition: College and Career Readiness SpecialistReports to: Director of Teaching and LearningEmployment Status: Regular/Full-timeStatus: QualifiedDescription:The College and Career Readiness Specialist supports students in preparing for postsecondary education, technical training, and career pathways. This role connects K 12 education, Career & Technical Education (CTE), and workforce opportunities to ensure students graduate with clear, actionable plans for college and career success. This position reports to the Director of Teaching and Learning.The specialist serves as the district's direct contact and program coordinator for all students attending Cuyahoga Valley Career Center (CVCC). In this capacity, the role manages communication, coordination, and support between the district, CVCC staff, students, and families to ensure student success in career and technical programs.This position collaborates with counselors, administrators, faculty, and community partners to promote student achievement, career readiness, and successful transitions to postsecondary education and employment.NOTE: The lists below are not ranked in order of importanceEssential Functions:Key ResponsibilitiesCollege & Career PlanningDeliver structured career exploration and planning lessons aligned with district and state standards.Support students in developing individualized academic and career plans aligned with graduation pathways.Guide students through college applications, financial aid processes, scholarship searches, and workforce entry preparation.Provide support related to credentialing opportunities, career pathway selection, and postsecondary planning.CVCC Coordination & Student SupportServe as the district liaison and primary point of contact with Cuyahoga Valley Career Center (CVCC).Coordinate enrollment, scheduling, and program participation for district students attending CVCC programs.Monitor student progress, attendance, and program completion for CVCC participants and accurately report data in EMIS.Communicate regularly with CVCC staff, district administration, counselors, students, and families to support student success.Support students in navigating career technical pathways and transition planning related to CVCC programming.Instruction & Program DeliveryTeach or support career readiness and workforce development programming in secondary settings.Integrate employability skills, financial literacy, digital literacy, and professional competencies into programming.Design and adapt learning experiences to support diverse student needs and career interests.Use student data to monitor progress and support postsecondary readiness.Workforce & Community PartnershipsBuild partnerships with local businesses, workforce agencies, and postsecondary institutions.Coordinate job shadowing, internships, career fairs, and credentialing opportunities.Align career readiness programming with regional workforce trends and labor market demands.Collaboration & Program SupportCollaborate with school counselors, administrators, faculty, and community stakeholders to support student pathways.Support district initiatives related to graduation pathways, career pathways, and workforce readiness.Maintain accurate records and documentation related to student participation, credential attainment, and program outcomes.QualificationsBachelor's or Master's degree in Counseling, Curriculum and Instruction, Career Development, Education, or a related field.Minimum of 3 5 years of experience in education, career services, workforce development, or a related field.Demonstrated experience supporting college and career readiness programming.Strong communication, organizational, and collaboration skills.Knowledge of postsecondary pathways, workforce systems, and career planning frameworks.Experience working with Career & Technical Education programs or career centers preferred.About Our District:The Garfield Heights City Schools collaboratively and cooperatively serve students and families of the City of Garfield Heights. Located in Cuyahoga County and bordered on the north by the City of Cleveland proper, and on all other sides by the first ring communities of Northeast Ohio. Our District proudly serves approximately 3,500 students in three Kindergarten through Grade 5 schools, one middle school, and one high school. The district also provides an award-winning Preschool program to educate the youngest students in our community at William Foster Elementary. All those who seek academic, co-curricular, student leadership, diversity, and community engagement success, can find these things and more in the Garfield Heights City Schools.As a product of our community-based strategic planning process completed in 2021, our district's mission is: As the heart of the community, Garfield Heights City Schools fully prepares students to pursue their dreams and give back as engaged citizens and future leaders. Our vision is: to become a premier educational institution, recognized throughout Ohio as fully preparing students to be leaders equipped with real-world skills to contribute to a global society.The Garfield Heights City School prides itself on providing a rigorous and comprehensive pre-k through 12th-grade educational curriculum that clearly focuses on student success through college and career readiness. To that end, Garfield Heights High School offers a variety of Advanced Placement courses, including AP English, AP Government, AP American History, Honors Chemistry, Honors Calculus, Honors Physical Science, and more. While the District offers these high-level academic courses, the GHCS also proudly sends more than 225 students on an annual basis to the Cuyahoga Valley Career Center for those individuals deeply interested in learning a skilled profession or hands-on expertise in one of the trades. Middle School students have increasingly greater opportunities to prepare themselves for high school and parents are readily encouraged to be involved. Elementary School students in the GHCS also participate in such valuable literacy programs as LETRs and social/emotional initiatives as the Zones of Regulation. The GHCS places a great deal of emphasis at all levels of education on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (P.B.I.S.) and each school has won awards from the State of Ohio for encouraging and promoting positive behavior.A wide variety of co-curricular offerings are available to students of all ages in the Garfield Heights City Schools as well. Such opportunities include more than 18 varsity sports, the district's show choir, Music Express, Marching Band, Theater, A ?Capella Choir, National Honor Society, Student Council, Glass Ceiling, Future Engineers, and more. These co-curricular offerings are award-winning on the state, regional and local levels. Students can expect success when they become involved in the various academic, co-curricular, and student leadership organizations in this District.Garfield Heights City Schools is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of sex, genetic information, race, color, age, religion, disabilities, military status, sexual orientation, or national origin in its programs and activities, including employment opportunities.Application Deadline: Until position has been filled.