Director, Growth Initiatives (Apply by: Monday, October 28th, 2024)

About JFF

Jobs for the Future (JFF) drives transformation of the U.S. education and workforce systems to achieve equitable economic advancement for all. Seeing that millions of people are unfairly shut out of quality jobs and the chance for a better life, our goal is to align education, workforce, and employment changemakers toward a shared North Star: By 2033, 75 million people facing systemic barriers to advancement will work in quality jobs.  

To achieve that goal, we design solutions, scale best practices, influence policy and action, and invest in innovation. With a staff of more than 300 people across the country working remotely and in offices in Boston (headquarters), Washington, DC, and Oakland, California, we operate at the national, state, and local levels, forging deep partnerships with employers, investors, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and education and workforce development providers to break down barriers and reimagine what’s possible.   

We’re on a path of ongoing growth and expanding impact. We have an operating budget of $105 million, and we’re funded by dozens of leading government agencies, foundations, and corporations. Learn more about JFF and join us as we build a future that works—for everyone.  

DEIBW at JFF 

Diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and well-being (DEIBW) are core to JFF’s North Star and mission. We employ and build diverse teams across race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity and expression, age, and lived experiences and are constantly working toward ensuring these differences are celebrated and included. We aim to cultivate a culture that centers the overall care, well-being, and success of the employee through flexible work hours, balanced workloads, professional development, and equitable career advancement opportunities. Learn more about what DEIBW looks like in practice at JFF. 

We seek to invest in and learn from those who represent the communities we serve, particularly individuals from populations who have been explicitly or implicitly excluded from the workforce. Knowing its importance to the success of our work and the engagement of our staff members, we aspire to attract and retain a diverse team and welcome people of all backgrounds to apply to our open roles. JFF is a fair chance employer and in alignment to our North Star, we strongly encourage individuals whose highest level of education attained is less than a 4-year degree; People of Color; and people with records to apply. 

About the position:  

The Director, Growth Initiatives, will play a significant role in the future and continued success of JFF.  As part of a 7-person team and reporting to the Chief Strategy and Impact Officer (CSIO), the person in this position will work in support of JFF’s efforts to expand its role as an impact platform and establish transformative partnerships, across different sectors, to expand its impact and achieve our North Star. With this team’s support, JFF is poised to bring to life creative thinking and bold actions that transcend the traditional education and workforce space and build bridges to the fields of technology, innovation, and investment. The primary emphasis of this role is to scope, launch, and drive the initial execution of new initiatives and opportunities that require establishing new partnerships with organizations to grow JFF’s impact and expand or enhance our capabilities.  

This person will work closely with the CSIO, the Strategy & Impact team, and other members of the Executive Team to advance JFF’s mission and vision by helping to define and execute the organizational growth strategy. The ideal candidate will have experience in both the private sector and the education and workforce development innovation ecosystem, with a proven ability to deliver high-quality results in a fast-paced environment. This person in this market-facing position will have extraordinary skills in establishing and growing new kinds of partnerships and initiatives as well as managing internal and external relationships and stakeholder engagement. The ideal candidate should also comfortably work across a diverse range of organizations and contexts, including both nonprofit and private sectors. This is a great opportunity for an individual who thrives in an environment of change, approaches tasks with unwavering attention to detail, and exemplifies a strong desire to engage in growth and transformation for an organization. 

What you'll do:  

Provide leadership and guidance with key external and internal stakeholders around organizational growth initiatives   

• Partner with the CSIO, CEO, and other senior leaders to develop, lead, and monitor new initiatives that enable expansion and increased impact platform 

• Lead the development and maintenance of key external partnerships on behalf of and as directed by the CSIO 

• Oversee and ensure the success of complex projects by providing mentorship, direct feedback, thought partnership, and coaching to internal and external stakeholders 

• Contribute to business and external partnership development through design and scoping, proposal development, relationship management, and opportunity pursuit in keeping with JFF’s strategic priorities 

• Lead cross-organizational teams executing multiple, concurrent high-profile, strategic growth initiatives with new partners or coalitions, with accountability for high quality deliverables and timely results 

 Leverage data and trends to support the execution of growth strategy development initiatives   

• Support the CSIO and the executive team to identify trends and best practices using key data points to define the organizational growth strategy, vision, approach, and timeline 

• Monitor trends and events in the broader workforce, education, tech, and corporate spaces 

• Leverage data around market insights to support the identification, exploration, and execution of new business ventures or operating models for the organization, including issues related to structure, funding, and mission-alignment 

• Prepare proposals, reports, and presentations to advance and accelerate JFF’s impact within the workforce development and education ecosystem 

 Foster and build key operational components to ensure the success of different growth initiatives  

• Build JFF’s internal capacity (systems, teams, and skillsets) to institutionalize, sustain and scale growth initiatives, handing off projects and opportunities over time to new leadership within program units or JFFLabs 

• Partner with our finance team, program staff, resource management and people and culture to support the overall alignment of capabilities and capacity to engage with key strategy implementation 

• Collaborate with colleagues to address organizational change management, and key implementation challenges as needed to support successful implementation of new initiatives, including structures, processes, and systems  

• Leverage JFF’s strategic communications and convening power to advance programs and drive impact around key strategic goals 

Who you are: 

• You bring experience and expertise in helping lead, facilitate and build transformative high-level cross-sector strategies to help drive change and growth. The ideal candidate has familiarity with the workforce development and education ecosystems (New hires at the Director I level at JFF typically bring 10+ years of prior professional experience through a combination of full-time, part-time, internship, and/or freelance positions) 

• You have led complex strategic project planning processes including designing, implementing and evaluating new initiatives 

• You have a track record of success with operationalizing systems, teams, and skillsets to help build and scale new and bold growth initiatives 

• You have experience supporting change management efforts, including success in helping teams, functions, and organizations navigate transformative change and growth 

• You bring experience and comfort in exercising influence without authority and know how to effectively engage, motivate, and communicate with cross-organizational teams and external stakeholders 

• You have experience leveraging data to help monitor trends to respond to changing priorities around the identification, exploration, and execution of new business ventures or operating models for the organization, 

• You bring experience in leveraging project management to facilitate best practices in overseeing the implementation of key growth initiatives 

• You have experience preparing proposals, reports, and presentations to help advance impact within an industry   

• You model inclusive leadership, working effectively with diverse staff, and building and stewarding an organizational culture that embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion.  

• You have experience supporting best practices around business development with key external stakeholders to help support and implement key initiatives  

• You possess high energy and passion for JFF’s mission and North Star, and the ability to apply JFF’s core values to all areas of your work    

• You are energized by stewarding JFF’s DEIBW values and practices within your day-to-day work, including embracing the differences and celebrating the diversity that each individual brings to JFF  

• You value building positive and collaborative relationships with others, including people whose identities and backgrounds differ from your own 

• You demonstrate a growth mindset and a desire to continuously improve in your work and approach 

• You are able and willing to travel up to 25%. 

What We Offer 

At JFF, we’re fueled by the desire to create a world where everyone has equal opportunity for economic advancement. Our team works hard to push the boundaries of what is possible, and in return, we provide a gratifying work experience, competitive salaries, and a comprehensive benefits program that includes flexibility and choice as core values in order to support people wherever they are in their lives and careers.  

 JFF has offices in Boston, Oakland, and Washington, DC; employees are welcome to use JFF office space to work in-person or hybrid, or completely remote. To improve the employee experience and promote productivity while working remotely, JFF offers an annual home office stipend to all regular full-time and part-time employees. In addition, new employees receive office equipment as needed.   

The hiring range for this role is $100,000 - $125,000 annually, in alignment to JFF’s Director I salary band and our compensation philosophy. Starting salaries for new hires will be determined based on a combination of the new hire’s relevant experience and market demands. 

To apply:  

As part of your application, please include your resume and a thoughtful cover letter, addressed to Steve Yadzinski, Chief Strategy & Impact Officer outlining how your skills and experience meet the qualifications of the position.

We are accepting applications through October 28th at 12 pm ET. Applications submitted by that date will be reviewed and candidates will receive updates on their candidacy by the week of October 28th, 2024.

At JFF, we’re also committed to accessibility and want to ensure that everyone, including people with disabilities, can fully access and engage with our application and hiring process. If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability and/or have specific access/accommodation needs in order to fully participate in our hiring process, please contact us at [email protected]. 

Positions at JFF are not eligible for employer-visa sponsorship or open to F-1 student visa holders.