We are embarking upon an ambitious effort to plan for and create a new workforce intermediary, to bridge the needs of employers and those seeking good jobs and careers.

We are on a mission to address the long term structural challenges that have created unmet needs for employers and for those seeking family-sustaining careers, the result of which is workforce misalignment in Racine County and Southeastern Wisconsin. Our vision is a transformed workforce system across the region – one that helps to prepare students, workers, and other job seekers for good job and career opportunities, and assists employers in finding and being properly prepared to attract, hire and retain qualified candidates. Collaboratively, we can become a place of economic opportunity for all by marrying economic growth with economic mobility.

The initiative has evolved from and is an outgrowth of the work of Higher Expectations for Racine County, and is an intentional active effort to develop a new nonprofit entity specific to this work in the next several months.

Higher Expectations has a track record of proven success along the career-to-cradle continuum, and has engaged in and collaborated with previous efforts and pilot programs to train and place underserved residents of Racine County into high-demand positions. We now plan to build upon these initiatives, coordinating the efforts of organizations across the workforce landscape, including employer, education, government, service provider, philanthropic, and community partners and community members. With an initial focus on healthcare, advanced manufacturing, and technology, we will develop talent pipelines of residents ready to meet the dynamic needs of local employers.

This is no small undertaking, but we believe it will be crucial to advance economic growth and also mobility in our region, especially for historically underserved communities and those who have been left behind in our current and dynamic economy. We intend this workforce intermediary, along with the cohort of which we will be a member, to be proof points for similar efforts across the state and nation.

America Achieves is serving as a key partner, providing advisory support and technical assistance, initial investment, and research, and leveraging best practices from other workforce intermediaries across the country.

Key milestones for the workforce intermediary over the next year include:

Assembling a steering committee of leaders across the local workforce landscape, including employers, education and training providers, government agencies, community benefit and support organizations, and also importantly, community members.
Developing a detailed strategic plan, including a mission, vision, governance provisions, and a funding strategy – laying the groundwork to place a significant number of local residents in good jobs and careers.
Engaging employers to build innovative and effective talent pipelines, identifying client needs, drafting statements of work, developing strategies, and implementing solutions.
Co-developing and launching the intermediary, including developing communications and branding and organizing an official launch event.
Supporting workforce policy efforts that advance a shared vision for economic growth and mobility in the region.

The Opportunity

We seek an experienced professional to drive and project manage this initiative. The Director of Workforce Program Management and Innovation plays a leading role in shaping the workforce intermediary and executing our collective vision.

This is a 12-month contract position anticipated to begin in March 2025 and extend through February 2026, with the intention to extend the contract into subsequent years after long-term funding is secured. In year two, our aim is to have this position transition into employee status. The position is 40 or more hours/week; however, we will also consider candidates with part-time availability.

Candidates located in the Racine, Milwaukee, Madison, or Chicago metro areas are preferred. This is a hybrid position but will require in-person meetings in Racine at least twice per week. There may be some weeks that require in-person meetings up to 5 days per week. Limited travel (e.g., 1-2 times per quarter) may be required.

Compensation is anticipated to be at a rate of between $8,000/month and $12,500/month depending on experience, skill level, and prior compensation history.

Key Responsibilities

You will play an integral role to develop the workforce intermediary, working in close partnership with the CEO. Key responsibilities over the next year include:

Leading strategic planning and talent pipeline projects. You will drive the development of the intermediary’s strategy, collaboratively defining objectives, milestones, and outcomes. You will document these strategies in clear, actionable planning documents.
Understanding customer/partner needs. You will work closely with local stakeholders and community members to deeply understand the workforce-related needs of our region and partners. This may include understanding gaps around labor market data and analysis, facilitating conversations with regional stakeholders and community members, conducting site visits, and conducting focus groups.
Producing high-quality, client deliverables. You will oversee the collection and analysis of data, identify gaps, determine additional information needed, and create deliverables including memos, slide decks, communications materials, and statements of work. You will drive the development of templates and resources that might be deployed in more scalable ways.
Driving project execution. In this action-oriented role, you will take ownership of implementation: managing deadlines, setting milestones, and ensuring tasks are completed on schedule. We’re looking for someone willing to roll up their sleeves daily to work effectively in our nimble start-up environment. Responsibilities include coordinating and running meetings, creating stakeholder collateral and deliverables, organizing steering committee activities, and creating and maintaining clear external and internal communication to keep projects on track and moving forward. This role requires someone who thrives on getting things done.
Management. In addition to nurturing effective cross-functional relationships, you will help to build and manage a team of vendors and/or staff members to execute against this work.

Qualifications

We are seeking an experienced leader with at least 8-10 years of experience to drive this effort. The right candidate will have the following skills:

Strategic thinking and facility with data. You can effectively synthesize a range of information sources and viewpoints to drive toward a desired outcome. You are able to effectively leverage quantitative and qualitative data to drive decisions but also can recognize when data is insufficient and other approaches are needed to complement a data-driven approach. You can understand the details while never losing sight of the big picture .
Project management. You have experience building a complex new initiative that involves multiple systems and stakeholders. Bonus points if you’ve done this in a nonprofit or government context.
Excellent written and oral communication skills. You can effectively communicate with a diverse set of stakeholders through a variety of channels (e.g., meetings, memos, decks, social media, online, and phone calls). You can clearly and effectively communicate about sensitive and complex topics.
Cross-functional coordination skills. You have the ability to work effectively within a cross-functional structure, listening, understanding and working with colleagues in other roles and with differing perspectives to bring people together to execute on the mission.
Management experience. You are an effective people manager and have experience hiring and building diverse, inclusive teams of staff and vendors. You are adept at managing teams to achieve high quality results against plans, and communicating about your work to cross-functional stakeholders, community members, and organizational leadership.
Adaptivity and creativity. You can make progress in changing circumstances, especially within a start-up environment. You know when and how to change course, bringing people along with you. You enjoy finding creative solutions to challenging problems and relish the opportunity to learn.
Familiarity with workforce initiatives. You have general knowledge of the workforce landscape in Wisconsin, and understand the key players and initiatives in place.

The Process

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. The deadline to apply is February 12, 2025.

We have a 5-step process:

Apply. Submit your interest using this form. You can expect a response in less than 2 weeks.
First screen. We will conduct a screening interview and answer any questions candidates have.
Panel interview. We will send a short (!~30 minute) assignment; a cross-functional panel of individuals will review that assignment with candidates live and then conduct the in-depth Who Interview.
Focused Interviews. Jeff Neubauer, the CEO, and others will conduct the final focused interviews.
Reference Interviews. Successful candidates will be asked to provide references and set up interviews for Jeff Neubauer with for your references.

Jeff Neubauer will be the initial point of contact for the hiring process.

Please email newwisconsinorg@gmail.com with any questions.

Position: Director of Workforce Program Management and Innovation

Organization: New Wisconsin Org (a new and developing nonprofit workforce organization)

Type: Contract, Full-time

Location: Racine, Wisconsin. Candidates in the surrounding region preferred.

About Us

We are embarking upon an ambitious effort to plan for and create a new workforce intermediary, to bridge the needs of employers and those seeking good jobs and careers.