Vice President, Initiatives

Summary

Join CAEL, a national nonprofit, as their Vice President of Initiatives! This full-time, remote position leads the Initiatives Team in delivering high-quality client projects, overseeing daily service delivery, and managing budgets. You will mentor and coach the team, build stakeholder relationships, and collaborate across departments. The ideal candidate possesses a Bachelor's degree (Master's preferred), 7-10 years of relevant experience, and superior communication and leadership skills. This role requires significant travel (25-50%). CAEL offers a competitive salary ($130,000-$140,000) and a comprehensive benefits package. Note that this position is remote, but applicants residing in certain states are ineligible.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in a related field required
• Minimum of 7 – 10 years of related and progressively responsible work experience in some combination of: higher education; workforce development programming or leadership; coalition building and partnership development; federal, state, and regional government relations; consulting; local and regional economic development; and education or training
• Knowledge and experience collaborating with higher education institutions, education providers, industry, and labor to meet workforce and economic development needs
• Ability to communicate and develop rapport with high-level leaders and stakeholders in workforce development, economic development, and allied areas such as community colleges, chambers of commerce, industry associations, and employers
• Ability to build bridges between these leaders and Senior Directors and Directors on the Initiatives Team to maintain strong relationships and rapport with these stakeholders during project delivery
• Create and implement a project management program
• Ability to coach, lead, and manage a team
• Superior written and oral presentation skills
• Superior client relationship and organizational skills
• Strong listening skills and the ability to identify a range of client needs and synthesize targeted and multi-pronged solutions
• Ability to create and manage project budgets and plans
• Attention to detail and ability to guide a project from inception to conclusion, including timely submission of final reports
• Desire to exceed expectations and show initiative and creativity
• Ability to collaborate and work as part of a team including teams comprised of various combinations of CAEL staff, consultants, and client representatives
• Ability to innovate, drive change, and lead teams through the change management process
• Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with customers and stakeholders
• Superior knowledge of public workforce investment systems, economic development, higher education, and public sector investment in education and training
• Excellent time management skills and ability to balance multiple projects in a fast-paced environment
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Proficiency in Gmail, Google Suite Docs, Sheets, and Presentations
• Excellent online presentation skills using web conferencing platforms
• Proficiency with CRM platforms
• Ability to quickly learn new technology platforms

Responsibilities

• Drive team success by focusing on our mission, impact, and sustainability
• Collaborate with team members to ensure progress toward departmental, organizational, and strategic goals
• Provide a high-quality experience for CAEL’s clients and partners while continuously monitoring client satisfaction to improve our services
• Work with the team to develop, implement, and document processes and metrics that contribute to client success
• Mentor, lead, and coach the Initiatives team while managing distribution projects and workload among team members
• Ensure that the Initiatives team can deliver CAEL consulting services in various formats—including on-site sessions, workshops, webinars, and individual consultations—efficiently, on schedule, and within budget
• Collaborate with team members to enhance client service, cross-train staff to expand capacity, identify delivery efficiencies, monitor budgets and project scopes, and improve products and services
• Lead the development and implementation of processes, training programs, and tools to empower staff to confidently and effectively deliver products and services
• Oversee and manage project budgets and internal budget and progress reporting
• Oversee the capacity and staffing of the initiatives team for both contracted and grant-related projects
• Demonstrated ability to create and implement new products and services, including consultative, research, and technical assistance offerings
• Proven track record as an inspiring and galvanizing leader who fosters a positive culture, engages employees, and collaborates effectively with other teams at CAEL
• Tracks time and expenses meticulously to manage project costs while overseeing the Support Operations budget, staffing, and resource allocation
• Demonstrated ability to devise innovative solutions that meet client needs and interests through consultative, research, and technical assistance offerings
• Proven track record of supporting teams with customer service and problem-solving, effectively addressing issues to reach satisfactory resolutions, and delivering complex services to clients whenever possible
• Meticulously track time and expenses to manage all project aspects: time, staff, and materials
• Coordinate interactions among all CAEL departments as needed to ensure that Initiatives projects meet client expectations
• Assist in the development of concepts, products, and services including corresponding quotes and estimates
• Review draft contracts from the Partnerships and Strategy teams
• Support Senior Directors in determining staffing needs and project timelines to deliver high-quality services
• Create and deliver presentations at local, regional, and national conferences, as well as other meetings
• Contribute to thought leadership through internal/external opportunities, blogs, articles, marketing, and sales strategies
• Support the creation of job aids, toolkits, and resources
• Support research and measurement of the impact of CAEL’s initiatives
• Perform additional duties, assignments, and projects as required and projects as required
• Manage complex, multiple projects/priorities at a time including high-profile and time-sensitive issues/items

Preferred Qualifications

Master's Degree preferred

Benefits

• $130,000 - $140,000 a year
• Comprehensive employee benefits package