About Us:

JVS is a non-profit, non-sectarian agency. Our mission is to empower individuals from diverse communities to find employment and build careers; and to partner with employers to hire, develop, and retain productive workforces. JVS provides a broad range of services including adult education, skills training, job readiness training, job placement and support, and access to post-secondary education. JVS assists employers in their search for well-qualified job applicants and their initiatives to upgrade the skills of their incumbent workforce.

About the Opportunity:

The Director of Employer Engagement works functionally across two teams, MassHire Downtown Boston and the JVS Employer Engagement team, providing strategy around employer engagement across the agency. The director is responsible for bringing in new and supporting long-standing employer partners in order to foster connections between job seekers and career opportunities, across sectors. The director equitably contributes to programmatic team performance goals and works to support the agency's overall mission and philosophy and . In collaboration with other Career Center staff and the Commonwealth of MA, the Director will be responsible for educating employers about state services and initiatives and identifying job seekers who express interest in careers, educating them about opportunities, assessing and screening candidates.

The Director, as a member of the agency’s programmatic management team, will participate in strategic planning, be a leader and partner with the Business Relationship Specialist (BRS) team, furthering the mission of developing consistent standards for employer engagement and leveraging employer relationships to better serve clients, staff and the organization as a whole.

The Director’s primary responsibilities are threefold:
1. Ensuring that MassHire Downtown Boston’s career center deliverables around employer engagement/business services are met and overseeing the team that implements them.

2. Overseeing employer engagement efforts across MassHire Downtown Boston and JVS through recruitment of employers, communication with career coaches, planning and executing recruitment sessions and employer events and actively participating in the BRS group.

3. Overseeing the Job Quality Benchmarking Index Initiative, encouraging employers to take the survey, deliver the results and coach them through job redesigns. This includes ensuring that the tool is working properly and oversight of any licensees utilizing the tool nationally.

Essential Functions, Skills, and Knowledge

Building Relationships, Collaboration, and Teamwork:

• Lead Employer strategy to support agency goals for employer focused events (panel, recruitment, and information sessions, in addition to job fairs (virtual and in person), employer services provided, referrals, and ultimately job placements.
• Establish, build, develop, and grow relationships with employers Responsible for employer engagement activities including meetings, follow up and internal agency coordination of communication activities with Key Employers
• Educate employer partners about agency resources and coordinate multi-program employer meetings designed to address multiple needs at employer partners
• Research requirements and certifications for a variety of entry level positions and midlevel career opportunities and assist with the development and maintenance of career maps for entry level and mid-level careers.
• Support and promote the mission and philosophy of the agency both internally and outside the agency
• Participate in the Boston Private Industry Council’s Healthcare Careers Consortium.
• Establish relationships with key stakeholders (clients/students, employers, partner organizations, board members and funders) and work collaboratively in a structured and on-going manner
• Work collaboratively with and encourage collaboration between departments and divisions to ensure agency performance goals are met
• Lead program planning meetings and team-based projects
• Communicate regularly with Supervisor to ensure successful outcomes and deliverables
• Participate in the agency-wide Business Relationship Specialist group, representing staffing solutions and job quality initiative functions

Program Leadership:

• In partnership with the program Senior Vice President and fellow Directors, take the vision for the 3-year strategic plan and create a project plan with realistic goals, milestones and outcomes, including those focused on employer engagement and job quality
• Hire, train, and supervise direct reports
• Model expected behaviors for JVS staff and clients
• Work with agency leadership and generate strategy and solutions in response to unforeseen and planned changes, setbacks and challenges
• Develop new events and services based on employer needs and client feedback
• Assess program success and stakeholder satisfaction, use results to make modifications and enhancements to services
• Develop, market and execute agency wide employer development and engagement strategy through the creation of a marketing and outreach plan based on ROI and successes
• Create a work environment where all staff and clients feel heard, can express ideas, learn, problem solve, and succeed
• Support, coach, and train JVS staff, licensees, and partners about the JVS Job Quality Index

Administrative/Communication

• Provide all supervisees with a written annual evaluation, meeting all agency deadlines for the process
• Contribute to grant proposals and budgets
• Communicate the guidelines and specific parameters of utilizing career center resources.
• Offer industry exploration resources and workshops for youth and adults (workshops, guest speakers, employer panels, tours, etc.).
• Ensure that the team tracks employer engagement efforts in the state database MOSES
• Enter employer information into JVS Salesforce database
• Document services and interactions and report data and metrics on team dashboards
• Ensure program activities are in alignment with agency objectives
• Analyze and report program progress, successes, and challenges to agency leadership, funders, evaluators, and other stakeholders
• Develop and deliver agency-wide employer engagement training to all staff engaged with Key Employer partners as needed
• Support & mentor staff on 1:1 basis regarding employer engagement
• Communicate with job seekers, employers, JVS MassHire colleagues, and external workforce development partners, representing the Career Center and JVS with outside agencies and organizations
• Market the services at the Career Center with other JVS departments and managers to Plan, schedule and track project timelines milestones, and deliverables using appropriate tools
• Participate in personal and professional development
• Perform other duties as requested

Education and Experience Required

• Bachelor’s Degree
• Minimum 3 years of program leadership experience
• 2 years of contract/program management
• 2 years of experience in Business Development or Communications
• Supervisory experience a must
• Program and people management skills
• Strong presentation and facilitation skills
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite
• Interpersonal, communication and organizational skills
• Experience in program development
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Demonstrated success managing large, long-term projects with multiple stakeholders and complex partnerships.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work well with team members and partners from a broad spectrum of disciplines.
• Ability to conform to shifting priorities, demands and timelines through analytical and problem-solving capabilities.

Competencies

• Promotes Agency
• Initiative
• Building Relationships, Collaboration, and Teamwork
• Adapting to Change
• Accountability and Results Focused
• Communication/Presentation Skills
• Cultural Competency and Respect
• Planning/Organizing
• Strategic program planning
• Oversight of multiple programs
• Managing program budgets
• Setting programmatic vision
• Quality Improvement
• Leadership

Supervisory Responsibility

This position is responsible for the supervision of 1 Program Manager, who oversees a Business Development Associate

Work Environment

This job operates in an office and professional environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers and filing cabinets. On occasion the job will require going out in the field, visiting employers and conducting staff training activities.

Physical Demands

• Sitting
• Standing
• Attendance
• Listening

Position Type and Expected Hours of Work

Regular local travel, some occasional evening hours, 1-2 days in the office per week

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

JVS is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. Qualified minorities, women, veterans, sexual orientation and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.