Executive Leadership SME / Lead Facilitator 2026P-0394

Part-Time

Annapolis Junction, MD

Posted 3 weeks ago

Protect our Land, Ascend with Us!

Ascension LLC is seeking an experienced Executive Leadership SME / Lead Facilitator to support a leadership development engagement for the Maryland Department of Veterans & Military Families. This role is designed for a seasoned leadership development professional who can conduct and interpret behavioral or leadership style assessments, facilitate small-group executive leadership workshops, provide performance coaching, and guide participants in developing practical leadership action plans.

The ideal candidate will bring a strong blend of executive facilitation, leadership coaching, organizational development, and public sector consulting experience. This role is central to helping DVMF strengthen management capabilities, improve team alignment, reduce operational friction, and support successful strategic execution across small, high-impact leadership cohorts. The solicitation requires targeted executive leadership training for small groups, including leadership assessments, customized curriculum, cohort facilitation, structured coaching, action planning, strategic roadmap support, and post-training evaluation.

This position is best suited for a confident, highly organized facilitator who can engage senior professionals, read group dynamics, adapt quickly during live sessions, and translate leadership concepts into practical behaviors, tools, and commitments that participants can apply immediately.

Summary of the Contractor Role

The Executive Leadership SME / Lead Facilitator will serve as the primary delivery lead for Ascension’s executive leadership training support. The contractor will be responsible for helping participants understand their leadership styles, identify professional strengths and growth areas, strengthen communication and delegation practices, and apply structured feedback to improve individual and team performance.

The role requires a professional who can work with minimal direction, manage ambiguity, and maintain a high level of credibility with department leaders. The successful candidate should be comfortable facilitating virtual, in-person, or hybrid sessions and should be able to customize materials to reflect the client’s culture, mission environment, and operational priorities. DVMF’s stated objective is to deliver actionable leadership training tailored to small department cohorts and prepare participants to navigate complex operational environments.

The contractor will support the full training lifecycle, including assessment administration or interpretation, workshop facilitation, coaching and feedback, action plan development, and inputs to the final post-training evaluation and organizational impact report.

Position’s Day-to-Day Activities

The Executive Leadership SME / Lead Facilitator will be expected to:

Conduct behavioral, communication, or leadership style assessments to identify participant strengths, developmental needs, and leadership patterns.
Interpret assessment results and translate findings into practical coaching themes and participant-specific development insights.
Facilitate interactive small cohort leadership workshops focused on communication, delegation, evaluation, accountability, team alignment, and leadership effectiveness.
Customize workshop content, exercises, discussion guides, and examples to reflect DVMF’s organizational culture, leadership environment, and operational realities.
Deliver structured performance coaching and feedback during or after training sessions to reinforce leadership behaviors and continuous improvement.
Guide participants in developing individual leadership action plans that connect assessment insights, workshop concepts, performance goals, and measurable outcomes.
Support development of a strategic plan framework or leadership roadmap that DVMF can use for internal implementation after the training engagement.
Develop or refine training materials, facilitator guides, participant handouts, discussion prompts, exercises, and presentation decks.
Document participant themes, leadership development observations, facilitation outcomes, and recommendations for inclusion in the organizational impact summary.
Coordinate with Ascension’s project lead to confirm training schedules, participant logistics, deliverable timelines, and client expectations.
Apply adult learning principles and executive facilitation techniques to maintain engagement, encourage reflection, and promote practical application.
Support post-training evaluation by contributing observations, participant feedback themes, recommended next steps, and impact reporting inputs.

How to Apply

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Job Features

Job Category	Training
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS	Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Organizational Development, Industrial / Organizational Psychology, Human Resources, Public Administration, Leadership Studies, Education, or a related field. \| Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare polished training materials, summaries, and leadership development products. \| Ability to manage multiple priorities, work independently, and meet deliverable deadlines within a short-duration engagement.
REQUIRED SKILLS	Minimum of 5 years of experience designing, facilitating, or supporting executive leadership development programs.\| Demonstrated experience facilitating leadership workshops, coaching sessions, or professional development programs for managers, executives, or senior staff.
TECHNICAL SKILLS	Certification or demonstrated proficiency in one or more leadership or behavioral assessment tools such as DISC, MBTI, CliftonStrengths, Hogan, EQ-i 2.0, Leadership Circle, 360-degree feedback tools, or comparable instruments. \| Proficiency with Microsoft PowerPoint, Word, Teams, Outlook, and virtual meeting platforms.
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS	Master’s degree in Organizational Development, Leadership, Human Capital Management, Public Administration, Psychology, Education, Business, or a related field. \| 7 or more years of experience delivering leadership development, executive coaching, organizational development, or management training services. \| Experience supporting state, local, federal, nonprofit, veteran-serving, military-affiliated, or mission-driven organizations. \| Professional coaching credential such as ICF ACC, PCC, or MCC. \| Certification in 360-degree feedback facilitation, emotional intelligence coaching, executive coaching, or organizational development. \| Experience developing leadership action plans, strategic roadmaps, performance goals, or organizational improvement frameworks. \| Experience designing adult learning curricula, facilitator guides, workshops, surveys, and post-training evaluations. \| Familiarity with public sector operating environments, chain-of-command dynamics, organizational accountability, and cross-functional leadership challenges. \| Ability to synthesize participant feedback into concise findings, recommendations, and organizational impact themes. \| Strong emotional intelligence, discretion, confidentiality, and professionalism when working with leadership assessment results and coaching discussions.
SUITABILITY/SECURITY REQUIREMENT	No active security clearance is anticipated based on the solicitation. \| Candidate must be able to pass standard background, reference, and eligibility checks required by Ascension LLC and the client. \| Candidate must maintain confidentiality of participant assessment results, coaching conversations, internal client discussions, and all non-public training materials. \| Candidate must comply with all client facility access, virtual meeting, data handling, and professional conduct requirements.