Start where you are. Build where you want to go. At Black Hills Works, your career path is as unique as you are.
For over 65 years, Black Hills Works has been building pathways that allow individuals to explore, discover, and grow into careers that align with their passions, skills, and aspirations.
Beyond Traditional Career Ladders
Unlike organizations with rigid, linear career structures, Black Hills Works offers something far more dynamic: the opportunity to shape your own professional journey. The organization recognizes that career growth isn’t always about climbing a ladder—sometimes it’s about discovering the right fit, exploring new interests, or building expertise in areas you never knew existed.
As one team leader describes it: “We have so many options and career paths that you can really just find your niche.” This philosophy of career exploration means employees aren’t locked into predetermined trajectories. Instead, they’re encouraged to discover where their unique talents and interests intersect with meaningful work.
Multiple Entry Points, Multiple Directions
Career paths at Black Hills Works begin from various entry points, each offering its own set of opportunities for growth and development. Some individuals start in direct support roles, working hands-on with the people the organization serves. Others enter through specialized technical positions, healthcare roles, or operational functions. Still others bring professional credentials that place them in case management, nursing, or coordination positions from the start.
What makes us unique is that regardless of where you begin, multiple pathways open before you. You might start in one area and discover a passion that leads you in an entirely different direction. Our organizational structure supports this exploration, offering diverse experiences across residential support, employment services, community engagement, healthcare coordination, behavioral support, transportation, facilities management, and specialized programs.
The Foundation: Comprehensive Development
At the heart of every career path is our commitment to employee development. Black Hills Works doesn’t simply hire people and hope they figure things out—we deliberately invest in building capabilities, strengthening skills, and expanding knowledge. Through extensive training programs, mentorship relationships, and ongoing professional development, employees gain the tools they need to pursue their career aspirations.
Lateral Exploration: Finding Your Passion
A distinctive feature of career development at Black Hills Works is the emphasis on lateral movement and exploration. We understand that not everyone’s goal is to move into management, and that career satisfaction often comes from finding work that resonates with your values and strengths rather than simply moving up an organizational chart.
Employees can explore different aspects of disability services, trying their hand at various specializations to discover where they excel and find fulfillment. Someone might start in residential support and discover a passion for employment coaching. Another might begin in general support roles and find their calling in behavioral health. Still another might move from direct care into healthcare coordination or community integration.
This exploratory approach means your career can evolve organically as you learn more about yourself and the diverse needs of the people you support. The breadth of services offered—spanning residential, vocational, healthcare, behavioral, recreational, artistic, and community-based programming—creates natural opportunities to experience different facets of disability services without leaving the organization.