Workforce Development Jobs in Bakersfield, CA (NOW HIRING)

Salary: $110,679.78 - $156,387.63 Annually
Location : District Office, CA
Job Type: Management - Classified Administrator
Job Number: FY25-2600213
College: District Office
Department: California Renewable Energy Laboratory
Opening Date: 02/05/2026
Closing Date: Continuous
Assured Consideration Date: 02/19/2026
Below is our job description for this position. Please also review the Important Instructions & Additional Information section below, which contains valuable information about our application process.
Basic Function
The Program Director is responsible to the assigned Vice President or assigned supervisor, and has broad accountability, within the participatory governance framework, for planning, directing and evaluating assigned functions associated with maintaining quality academic and student services programs.
The California Renewable Energy Laboratory (CREL) is a groundbreaking initiative based at the Kern Community College District that connects community colleges with researchers, employers, and public agencies to catalyze innovation, expand economic opportunity, and strengthen climate and energy resilience statewide. CREL focuses on four core technical areas: Clean Energy and Grid Resilience, Advanced Transportation, High-Performance Buildings, and Carbon Management.
CREL seeks a Program Director with technical expertise and strategic development experience to advance clean energy, climate, and resiliency initiatives with statewide impact. This leadership position is responsible for planning, directing, administering, and evaluating assigned programs and initiatives. The role supports collaborative leadership in experiential learning design, applied research, and technology demonstration projects, while strengthening and expanding partnerships with industry, U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories, and communities.
The position will primarily lead projects and initiatives within CREL's Advanced Transportation and High-Performance Buildings Centers of Excellence, working closely with the CREL team to develop high-impact, innovative programs that support community college faculty and staff, K-12 educational partners, DOE national laboratories, and industry stakeholders.
Representative Duties
1. Interpret and administer District policy regarding assigned program(s).
2. Interpret and administer College policy with respect to student centered educational services. Plan, implement, and evaluate short and long-range strategies, goals, and objectives related to assigned program(s).
3. Review, assess and evaluate assigned programs and services; recommend and implement approved plans and policies to facilitate and improve outcomes, operations and programs within areas of responsibility.
4. Provide leadership in generating staff development opportunities for support staff.
5. Provide assistance in recruitment, selection, orientation, and evaluation of support staff in assigned program(s).
6. Supervise and coordinate department planning and operations; personnel supervision, including development and evaluation of all support staff.
7. Develop, implement, and monitor the annual plans and budgets expenditures.
8. Act as liaison with District, State, and federal governing bodies regarding assigned programs and practices.
9. Market the College and assigned programs to the College community and the general public.
10. Serve on College and District committees as appropriate.
11. Performs other duties as assigned or required.
Minimum Qualifications
• Master's degree in an academic area related to assignment.
• Five years of full-time experience in administration, including at least three years of leadership experience reasonably related to the administrative assignment.
• Demonstrated sensitivity to and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, and disability backgrounds of community college students and employees.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge of:
• State and Federal codes, statutes and regulations that govern California community college student developmental and instructional services (or their equivalents) including:
o Pertinent sections of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations pertaining to student developmental, curriculum and institutional services.
o Pertinent sections of California Education Code.
o California State Chancellor's Office (Systems Office) legal opinions and advisories.
o Federal regulations pertaining to the Family Educational Rights and Protection Act.
• Microsoft Office Word/Excel
• Principles of student development administration at the community college level; leadership and management principles and techniques.
• The mission of the California Community College; community college and instructional programs, regulations and policies; principles of employer employee relations; and principles in the administration of personnel services.
• Computer operations/data processing systems.
• Accounting, budgeting and fiscal reporting.
Ability to:
• Work as part of a management team dedicated to collaboration and the college goal of integrating instruction and/or student services as a way to create and maintain a supportive student-learning environment.
• Exercise group leadership skills, which emphasize collaboration, consensus building, conflict resolution, and problem solving in an environment of shared governance
• Use effective written communication, including reporting and funding proposal reports, etc.
• Effectively interact with persons of diverse socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds.
• Apply legal and policy provisions to various problems consistently and correctly.
• Establish and maintain cooperative and helping working relations with students, staff and community agencies to meet the needs of students.
SALARY RANGE
$ 110,679.78 - $ 156,387.63 annually
Maximum Entry Level Salary: $116,282.94 annually
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS
First Review of Applications: Complete application packets will be accepted until the position is filled; but those received by March 6th, 2026, are assured consideration. The College reserves the right to extend time limits or reinitiate the recruitment/selection process at any point.
Completed application packet MUST include:

• Completed Online Application for Employment form
• Current resume
• Letter of interest (Cover Letter)
• Copy of legible transcripts
• List of five (5) professional references - Listed on application form

It is the applicant's responsibility to redact (or remove) any personal information from all documents prior to uploading. This includes Social Security Numbers, Date of Birth, and any photos of the applicant.
Foreign Degree: Applicants with foreign degrees from colleges or universities outside of the United States must have their coursework evaluated by a professional association that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or Academic Credentials Evaluation Institute, INC. (ACEI). A copy of the evaluation must be submitted with your on-line application.
Applicants who require reasonable accommodation to participate in the selection process should contact Human Resources to make the necessary arrangements. EEO Plan 2021-2024
Note: The District is strongly committed to achieving staff diversity and the principles of equal employment opportunity. The District encourages a diverse pool of applicants and does not discriminate on the basis of national origin, religion, age, gender, gender identity, gender expression, race or ethnicity, color, medical condition, genetic information, ancestry, sexual orientation, marital status, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, or because he/she is perceived to have one or more of the foregoing characteristics, or based on association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law, in any of its policies, procedures or practices. Discrimination Free Work Environment
The District does not provide sponsorship for authorization to work in the United States. Work authorization should be established at the time of application submission.
Important Instructions & Additional Information
Complete applications received by the "assured consideration date" above are guaranteed to be reviewed by Human Resources. If you apply after this date, there is no guarantee that your application will be reviewed. However, we still recommend that you apply because recruitments remain open until filled. The District and/or College reserves the right to extend time limits and/or repost or restart recruitments at any point.
Completed applications must include the following.

• Completed online application for employment
• Current resume
• Letter of interest (cover letter)
• List of 5 (five) professional references (entered in online application)
• Copy of legible transcripts (if required for the position)

It is your responsibility to redact or remove any personally identifiable information from all documents prior to uploading, including Social Security numbers, date of birth, photos, etc.
Equivalency for Minimum Qualifications
Applicants for faculty and educational administrator positions in California Community Colleges are required to meet certain minimum qualifications as provided by the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office and detailed in the If you do not meet these minimum qualifications, you may still be eligible by completing the KernCCD Application for Equivalence process. Please see our for more information.
International or Foreign Degrees
Applicants with international or foreign degrees from colleges or universities outside of the United States must have their coursework evaluated by a professional association that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or Academic Credentials Evaluation Institute, INC. (ACEI). A copy of the evaluation must be submitted with your online application.
Accommodations
Applicants who require reasonable accommodation to participate in the selection process should contact Human Resources to make the necessary arrangements. (For more information, see our )
Discrimination Free Work Environment
Discrimination based on race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation of any person, military and veteran status, or the perception that a person has one or more of these characteristics is illegal and violates Kern Community College District policy.
The Kern CCD Equal Employment Opportunity Plan guides the development, implementation, and monitoring of the District's efforts to foster equal employment opportunities and workplace diversity.
See our for more information.
Work Authorization
Kern Community College District does not provide sponsorship for authorization to work in the United States. Work authorization should be established at the time of application submission.
E-Verify
The Kern Community College District participates in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's E-Verify program to verify the identity and employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, please visit
Helpful Links
Full-time permanent employees (20+ hours per month) are eligible for health benefits:

• Health
• Dental
• Vision
• Life Insurance
• Long-term Disability

In addition to the above benefits, the District also offers a robust voluntary benefits selection:

• Flex 125
• Additional products and services through American Fidelity
• Supplemental Voluntary Life Insurance
• Tax Shelter Annuities

The District participates in CalPERS Retirement System and Social Security benefits for Classified and Management employees. Employees covered under the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS), are vested 100% after five years of full-time service credit.
The District participates in the State Teacher's Retirement System (STRS) for faculty. Employees covered under the State Teacher's Retirement System (STRS), are vested 100% after five years of full-time service credit.
All coverages begin on the first of the following month after the hire date.
The following classifications are eligible for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) health benefits at the employee expense offered through SISC:

• Permanent Employees (19 hours or less)
• Adjuncts
• Temporary Hourly
• Professional Experts

For additional information, please visit our