OVERVIEW

The Economic Mobility Practice Area is seeking a Director to support the practice and its future growth, including collaborating with the Managing Director (MD) of Economic Mobility on practice area strategy, project and partnership development opportunities (business development), and communications strategy. We are looking for highly driven, entrepreneurial, and equity-focused professionals who are deeply passionate about working with government and communities to create a more just and inclusive society. You will lead client engagements focused on using public funding and data as levers to enable government agencies and community-based organizations to improve the lives of the people they serve. As a leader of project teams and within the Economic Mobility practice area, you will drive innovative problem-solving for clients, manage complex client and stakeholder interactions, and ensure excellence of client deliverables. 

The Director will bring thought leadership on economic mobility programs and systems, experience implementing workforce development and training, government-funded public assistance, and/or higher education programs, and a network of government and community relationships to guide the practice area’s vision to eliminate racial wealth gaps by building multi-sector partnerships that promote everyone’s well-being and ensure everyone has the resources they need to thrive.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provide oversight and lead teams in delivering technical assistance to government and/or philanthropic clients
• Lead partnership and project development opportunities, and identify and secure proposals with governments and/or philanthropy to implement Third Sector’s Economic Mobility technical assistance for regional and state employment and training agencies, workforce development boards, and institutions of higher education, among others
• Demonstrate thought leadership in the community and among government, philanthropic, and academic peers to showcase and learn from initiatives that the Economic Mobility Practice Area seeks to support in current and future work
• Guide the Economic Mobility Practice Area’s technical assistance delivery efforts to strengthen project work and team experiences, including onboarding and training, knowledge management, strategic communication, and coaching and mentorship

All of these efforts will build on your current network of economic mobility government agencies and new relationships you seek to develop for yourself, the practice area, and your project teams. 

Note: This listing represents the majority of day-to-day responsibilities in this role but other duties may be assigned as needed.

We are seeking someone with 5+ years of professional experience in a Director-level role that includes many of the following:

• Subject Matter Expertise: Experience working within or with state, county, or federal government departments in the United States, their contracted service providers, and/or their community stakeholders. For the role, Third Sector seeks specific expertise and experience (professional and/or lived) in the economic mobility system, including working within and coordination between government-funded public assistance and training programs (e.g., TANF, SNAP, SNAP E&T, WIOA), state and regional workforce development and equitable economic recovery initiatives, and institutions of higher education. For this role, we will prioritize candidates with a proven track record of designing and implementing education, training, and wraparound support for residents with legal system involvement (previously, currently, or at risk) with the juvenile or adult systems (e.g., Probation Departments, District Attorney, courts, Public Defender, and other legal system stakeholders). 
• Partnerships & Project Development: Development and management of partnerships with employment, training, and education agencies, governments, philanthropy, and subject matter experts that results in earned revenue. The Economic Mobility Practice Area is currently prioritizing partnership development with state-level agencies across the country, but seeks to expand relationships to federal and local/place-based efforts. Candidates with a network of government and philanthropic relationships focused on economic mobility systems change will be prioritized.
• People Management: A proven track record of building and leading high-performing and satisfied teams, leading multiple projects with diverse stakeholders, and authoring and managing collaborative drafting of deliverables that lead to decision-making and action. Essential in this work is successfully mentoring and coaching team members and fueling their professional growth in ways that align with Third Sector’s anti-racism efforts.

VALUES AND COMPETENCIES

Our team of 50 employees is united by our mission and commitment to becoming an anti-racist organization. We have been working to acknowledge, understand, and dismantle the white dominant structures we uphold internally and with our partners. We are identifying and implementing strategies to change our organizational culture and external relationships, including creating space for both multi-racial and affinity-based conversations about our journey and the work ahead. 

A successful Director is an entrepreneurial leader who co-designs and implements solutions for various project and organizational opportunities and challenges while upholding Third Sector's values, and pursues new project and partnership opportunities that support Third Sector's mission. You will apply your passion for social change and your unique lived experiences to the advancement of our mission. 

All team members utilize a competency model that reflects our values of Results, Racial Equity, Relationships, Respect, and Reflection to guide our development and assess our performance. A snapshot of the core competencies that drive the success of our team is in the job description PDF on our website. Candidates who are invited to the interview stage of the recruitment process will be given a detailed version of our competency model to review.