Specialization A minimum of five years at a senior-level administrative level in industry, workforce development, career development, or related fields
Hours Per Week 40
Standard Work Week
Job Summary
Chicago State University and the Institute for Solutions of Urban
Populations seek a dynamic and visionary leader to serve as the inaugural
Executive Director for the Center for Workforce Equity. The new director
must be a highly-skilled, experienced, and innovative leader with industry
expertise who will serve as the Center’s chief champion and strategist on
partnerships, projects, and initiatives. The Institute for Solutions of Urban
Populations (ISUP) at CSU is an innovation hub and member of the Illinois
Innovation Network (IIN), a state-wide group of public universities and
community colleges that have committed to working together to improve
the state’s economy through innovation, research, and education.
The director is responsible for developing, executing, and communicating
strategies for the sustainable growth and advancement of projects and
initiatives identified by Institute leadership. The director must possess an
in-depth understanding of emerging workforce research, practices, and
policy trends. The director must have demonstrated knowledge and
practice in successfully developing, implementing, and analyzing
programming and events and working collaboratively with partners and
experts across industries such as education, non-profits, philanthropic,
business/corporate, and community-based organizations.
Job Description Primary Duties and Responsibilities include but are not limited to:
Strategic Planning
● Developing and executing comprehensive implementation plans for
projects and initiatives as identified by ISUP leadership in alignment with
the mission and priorities of the Center
● Incorporating critical reviews and analyses of research and data to inform
strategies
● Identifying target audiences and developing tailored engagement
strategies to achieve project goals
● Bringing innovation, a fresh perspective, and a willingness to engage
beyond traditional approaches to advance projects and initiatives in a
saturated market
● Monitoring and evaluating project development and implementation
efforts
● Optimizing the use of available federal, state, institutional, and private
resources for initiative advancement
Strategy Execution and Implementation
● Providing active oversight and accountability for the progression of
projects and initiatives
● Evaluating and improving practices for seamless project implementation
and overcoming challenges that emerge
● Developing and Integrating coalition building, communication, and policy
enactment plans to achieve implementation of projects and initiatives
Communications
● Creating media toolkits, templates, and other resources to generate
support across industries with coalition partners
● Cultivating and maintaining a network of experts across industries to help
inform efforts
● Connecting with CSU departments and units, such as Academic Affairs or
External Affairs, to fully understand the vision and direction for project
development and implementation
● Drafting collateral and materials, such as talking points and scripts, to
communicate with multiple audiences
Minimum Qualifications
● A graduate degree from an accredited institution is required; a doctoral
degree is preferred.
● A minimum of five years at a senior-level administrative level in industry,
workforce development, career development, or related fields
Preferred Qualifications
● Demonstrated experience leading policy development and
implementation work
● Demonstrated leadership in strategic development and implementation
● Highly efficient, effective, and results-oriented individual with strong
business acumen
● Experience working with governing and advisory boards for alignment of
strategic priorities
● Proven experience leading, motivating, and managing coalitions of
support
● Knowledge of best practices and current trends in workforce development
and fields such as urban studies and economic development
● Excellent interpersonal skills and a communication style that can drive
consensus building
● Outstanding integrity and the ability to collaborate effectively with
internal and external constituents
● Experience in proposal writing (i.e., research or grants)
● Experience in successfully executing workforce development
programming and completing data analysis
