Director, Strategic Engagements

About JFF

Jobs for the Future (JFF) drives transformation of the U.S. education and workforce systems to achieve equitable economic advancement for all. Seeing that millions of people are unfairly shut out of quality jobs and the chance for a better life, our goal is to align education, workforce, and employment changemakers and systems toward a shared North Star: In 10 years, 75 million people facing systemic barriers to advancement will work in quality jobs.

To achieve that goal, we design solutions, scale best practices, influence policy and action, and invest in innovation. With a staff of more than 300 people across the country working remotely and in offices in Boston (headquarters), Washington, DC, and Oakland, California, we operate at the national, state, and local levels, forging deep partnerships with employers, investors, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and education and workforce development providers to break down barriers and reimagine what’s possible.

We’re on a path of ongoing growth and expanding impact. We have an operating budget of more than $105 million, and weare funded by dozens of leading foundations, government agencies, and corporations. Learn moreabout JFFand join us as we build a future that works—for everyone. 

DEIBW at JFF

Diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and well-being (DEIBW) are core to JFF’s North Star and mission. We employ and build diverse teams across race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity and expression, age, and lived experiences, and are constantly working toward ensuring these differences are celebrated and included. We aim to cultivate a culture that centers the overall care, well-being, and success of the employee through flexible work hours, balanced workloads, professional development, and equitable career advancement opportunities. Learn more about what DEIBW looks like in practice at JFF.

We seek to invest and learn from those who represent the communities we serve, particularly individuals from populations who have been explicitly or implicitly excluded from the workforce. Knowing its importance to the success of our work and the engagement of our staff members, we aspire to attract and retain a diverse team and welcome people of all backgrounds to apply to our open roles. JFF is a fair chance employer and in alignment to our North Star, we strongly encourage individuals whose highest level of education attained is less than a 4-year degree; People of Color; and people with records to apply.

About the Position

A critical part of JFF’s mission is to influence the field and drive systems change is convening and inspiring the key leaders of our ecosystem. Our annualHorizons Summit is a two-day event that brings together nearly 2,000 of the most interesting leaders dedicated to transformation in the education and workforce spaces, knowing it takes the engagement of people across education, corporations, policymakers, entrepreneurs, investors, and many others. JFF has begun to build on the foundation of the Horizons Summit to develop a year-long, multi-channel engagement strategy; this position will be a key architect to help us take this work to the next level.

Reporting to the Vice President, Strategic Engagements, the Director will lead the development of the Horizons year-long experience and digital platform, which will support and build on the success of JFF’s annual Horizons Summitand will be a key leader ona growing Strategic Engagements team. The Director will lead the build out of a platform for impact that leverages JFF’s convening power, non-profit and non-partisan reputation, and ability to influence and lead leaders.The Director willbuild collaborative relationships across JFF and lead the implementation fora suite of engagement opportunities, ranging from additionalin-person events to multimedia assets to multi-modal distribution channels highlighting the most innovative ideas and solutions from across the education-to-work ecosystem.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone who is a passionate and driven leader that has worked in organizations dedicated to inspiring and engaging people through big ideas.The Director will leverage their expertise indeveloping andexecutingstrategy to build a scalable and sustainable platform.This role will alsoprovide the opportunity to create impactful experiences,develop and deploynew content, including webcasts, podcasts, webinars, virtual convenings, blogs, infographics, and more.We are excited for you to bring all of these skills and to make an impact in the workforce development and education space.

What You'll Do:

Design and operationalize an innovative new Horizons Platform to drive engagement with leaders across the education and workforce field

• Develop a strategy and operational plan to expand the offerings and branding of the JFF Horizons Platform, to include new in-person engagement opportunities and digital channels, as well as content spanning the media of video, audio, visual assets, etc.
• Develop a financial model and a business development plan to support the creation of the new platform and content
• Collect and use data to evaluate the quality, effectiveness, and impact of new initiatives to measure and benchmark success
• Leverage tools like Asana and Salesforce to build and manage project plans and collect data.

Create a strategy to cultivate diverse and inclusive relationships and leverage stakeholder expertise to build the new Horizon’s platform

• Cultivate and develop your network of key thought leaders and experts across the education and workforce development systems that center DEIBW and continue to grow our reach and help JFF execute new initiatives that will expand the reach of JFF’s mission
• Leverage and build on your knowledge of the education-to-work ecosystem—including key issues, major players, and trends—to support the development of content across the Horizons Platform
• Collaborate with other members of the Strategic Engagements team, JFF’s Executive Team, including the CEO, in addition to programmatic leaders and Marketing and Communications, to align and differentiate the Horizons Platform
• Collaborate with colleagues to expand and uplevel JFF’s presence at external events (e.g., SXSW, ASU+GSV, Reagan Institute Summit on Education (RISE))

Who You Are

The qualifications listed within the job description are intended as a guide and we do not expect candidates to bring all experiences and skills listed. Research supports that self-selecting out of potential professional opportunities is particularly common among individuals with identities that are marginalized in professional spaces. So, if you believe that you can meet the overall expectations of the position, we encourage you to apply so that we have an opportunity to learn more about you and the unique strengths you would bring to the work.

• You bring experience developing, executing and operationalizing strategies to engage thinkers, innovators, and leaders passionate about the education-to-work ecosystem through digital and in-person platforms. New hires at the Director II level at JFF typically bring 12+ years of prior professional experience through a combination of full-time, part-time, internship, and/or freelance positions
• You demonstrate good judgement and clear analytical thinking in gathering and leveraging useful data to build and inform strategies for a new platform and digital content

• You have experience increasing brand recognition for a platform, event, or major initiative that has supported the mission of an organization
• You engage stakeholders in sharing their collective knowledge and expertise to deliver valuable contributions and can build relationships with, and proactively include people whose identities and backgrounds differ from your own
• You seek out opportunities to identify and implement initiatives to increase effectiveness across teams or projects
• You have experience with financial planning and business development to support the creation and growth of this new platform, content, and other new initiatives connected to this work
• You feel confident managing projects with multiple workstreams, and aligning teams on goals and objectives, while using software tools (such as Asana and Salesforce) to organize your work
• You have experience in establishing and building an organizational presence at external events and conferences
• You are knowledgeable aboutthe education and workforce ecosystemand canbuild on this experience to develop the platform
• You possess high energy and passion for JFF’s mission and North Star, and the ability to apply JFF’s core values to all areas of your work 
• You are energized by stewarding JFF’s DEIBW values and practices within your day-to-day work, including embracing the differences and celebrating the diversity that each individual brings to JFF
• You value building positive and collaborative relationships with others, including people whose identities and backgrounds differ from your own
• You are able and willing to travel up to 25%. This includes traveling to the Boston office up to 3 times per year to participate in bothStrategic Engagement team and organizational retreats, as needed. This also includes traveling to JFF’s Horizons annual summit every summer along with travel to other events as needed

What We Offer

At JFF, we’re fueled by the desire to create a world where everyone has equal opportunity for economic advancement. Our team works hard to push the boundaries of what is possible, and in return, we provide a gratifying work experience, competitive salaries, and a comprehensive benefits programthat includes flexibility and choice as core values in order to support people wherever they are in their lives and careers.

JFF has offices in Boston, Oakland, and Washington, DC; employees are welcome to use JFF office space to work in-person or hybrid, or completely remote. To improve the employee experience and promote productivity while working remotely, JFF offers an annual home office stipend to all regular full-time and part-time employees. In addition, new employees receive office equipment as needed.

The hiring range for this role is $120,000 - $140,000annually, in alignment to JFF’sDirector IIsalary band and our compensation philosophy. Starting salaries for new hires will be determined based on a combination of the new hire’s relevant experience and market demands.

To Apply

As part of your application, please include your resume and a thoughtful cover letter, addressed toDavid Soo, Vice President for Strategic Engagementsoutlining how your skills and experience meet the qualifications of the position.

At JFF, we’re also committed to accessibility and want to ensure that everyone, including people with disabilities, can fully access and engage with our application and hiring process.

If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability and/or have specific access/accommodation needs in order to fully participate in our hiring process, please contact us at hiringaccommodations@jff.org.

Positions at JFF are not eligible for employer-visa sponsorship or open to F-1 student visa holders.