National Skills Coalition (NSC)
seeks a Manager of Business Leaders United for Workforce
Partnerships (BLU) to
join the national network team at a dynamic and growing national
non-partisan policy organization which advocates for bipartisan skills
solutions.
Through BLU, NSC has built a leading national platform for small
and mid-sized businesses to inform and advance skills policies that work for
both industries and workers. BLU coalesces employers from a range of industries
across the nation who are concerned about our nation’s skills gap, who are
working with local partners to train and hire community residents for skilled
jobs, and who want our country’s policymakers to follow suit and invest -
aggressively and effectively - in the skills of America’s workers. BLU provides
a common platform from which these diverse business leaders can jointly
communicate to national policymakers, the press, and the American public about
the effective industry-based strategies they’ve developed which could serve as
models for a more comprehensive national skills policy.
The BLU manager will be responsible for developing, implementing, and supporting organizing and recruitment
strategies to maintain and grow,
engage, and promote the coalition’s BLU initiative, which includes building and leveraging our national network
of businesses and industry associations, and staffing our BLU state
affiliate network. This position requires collaboration with policy and other network staff to bring the business perspective
and voice to NSC’s state and
federal policy campaigns, as well as with communications staff
to ensure that BLU is seen as the premiere advocacy organization for small and
mid-sized businesses who want to address the skills mismatch in their industry. This position reports to the
Managing Director of National Network.
We are looking for a proven
leader to provide:
Network development and maintenance
- Stakeholders: Develop
and lead the implementation of strategies to grow the BLU network of business
leaders through partnerships with national and local business associations and
by developing and implementing BLU list-building activities.
- State
Affiliate Network: Develop new - and support the growth of existing - BLU state
affiliates by providing organizing and outreach strategy technical assistance
to BLU state leads.
- National
Partnerships: Collaborate with NSC leadership to increase the number of
national business associations advocating for BLU/NSC policy positions.
- Marketing: In
consultation with communications staff, develop and implement strategies that
build BLU’s external profile through events, online and social media, and other
strategies.
- Network
Measurement and Evaluation: Use NSC’s contact database to
consistently track and assess BLU’s network growth and progress in meeting
engagement metrics.
A business lens to
skills policy
- Development: Work
with policy staff to engage BLU members and partners in developing and/or
vetting state and federal policy proposals as needed.
- Translation: In
collaboration with policy and communications staff, maintain a toolbox of
business-facing state and federal policy materials that can be used directly
with business leaders and by national network partners.
A platform for industry skills advocacy
- Federal
Campaigns: Support continuous improvement of BLU engagement with federal policymakers and the press in coordination with policy
and communications staff.
- State
Campaigns: Foster
alignment between NSC’s two affiliate networks, BLU and SkillSPAN, and
support increased engagement of BLU business leaders in NSC-assisted state
policy campaigns.
- Fly-Ins
and other events: Manage outreach and logistics
for Washington and state-based fly-ins,
and other related events.
- Communications: Support
BLU engagement in strategic communications campaigns.
Fundraising support to build out BLU
efforts
- Foundations:
Assist in relationship-building, proposal writing and reporting, and other
foundation fundraising efforts.
- Donors:
Assist in the development and implementation of individual donor fundraising
campaigns led by NSC’s development team.
Candidate Qualifications:
·
Knowledge
of business association landscape and players
·
Knowledge
of postsecondary and workforce development policy and
policy making
·
Knowledge
of postsecondary and workforce development field, practitioners
·
Written
communication (ability to effectively communicate to target audiences)
·
Public
speaking (ability to effectively engage and communicate with target audiences)
·
Strong
interpersonal, collaborative skills
·
Proactive,
problem solving orientation
·
Ability
to manage tasks and projects and meet deadlines
·
Attention
to detail
·
Effectively
use technology to communicate/collaborate with colleagues and manage work
·
Minimum
of 3 years relevant experience
Location: Washington,
DC. This position will be based at NSC’s main office in Washington, DC with up
to 30% monthly travel required.
Compensation: $70,000.
Excellent benefits package, including employer‐paid health and dental, retirement plan, life and disability
insurance, and generous vacation policy.
National
Skills Coalition is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Women and people of color
are strongly encouraged to apply.
More about NSC: National Skills Coalition is a broad‐based coalition of
small businesses, labor affiliates, community organizations, community
colleges, workforce boards and grassroots advocates who have joined together to
change how America invests in its people, so that every worker and every
industry has the skills to compete and prosper. We want to restore the profile
of the middle‐skilled careers that once built America’s middle class, and which
continue to represent the majority of good jobs in the U.S. economy. We organize
policy campaigns, analyze policies through a variety of publications, provide
technical assistance to policymakers, communicate to the press, and advocate
with our grassroots members and allies for state and federal policy reforms. We
have a 15‐year track record of success—having been twice named the most
impactful national organization in the workforce development field—informing
policies that have changed the lives of millions of individuals and thousands
of businesses.
Candidate Qualifications:
· Knowledge of business association landscape and players
· Knowledge of post secondary and workforce development policy and policy making
· Knowledge of post secondary and workforce development field, practitioners
· Written communication (ability to effectively communicate to target audiences)
· Public speaking (ability to effectively engage and communicate with target audiences)
· Strong interpersonal, collaborative skills
· Proactive, problem solving orientation
· Ability to manage tasks and projects and meet deadlines
· Attention to detail
· Effectively uses technology to communicate/collaborate with colleagues and manage work
· Minimum of 3 years relevant experience