Senior Director, Employer Engagement

Strada Education Foundation’s Employer Alignment pillar is driven by the belief that all individuals should have access to postsecondary programs that lead to quality jobs and mobility. The Senior Director of Employer Engagement is a vital operational role designed to execute on Strada’s strategic employer facing partnerships. Reporting to the VP of Employer Alignment, the Senior Director will act as the operational engine for the team. The Senior Director will be instrumental in executing, managing, and administering the projects and a number of day-to-day activities that advance Strada’s Employer Alignment strategy. The ideal candidate is a meticulous project manager, a strong communicator, and a self-starter who thrives in a task-oriented environment. You will be given clear objectives and the autonomy to figure out how to best execute them. If you love building systems, managing internal and external projects and programs, drafting actionable resources, and nurturing relationships with stakeholders, this role is for you. Context Strada Education Foundation supports programs, policies, and organizations that strengthen connections between postsecondary education and employment in the U.S., with a focus on helping those who face the greatest challenges. Our strategic plan centers on five keys to strengthen the link between education and opportunity: Clear Outcomes, Quality Coaching, Affordability, Work-Based Learning, and Employer Alignment. We leverage several impact lever teams to advance our work, including actionable research, catalytic grantmaking, nonpartisan policy solutions, strategic communications, strategic investments, and affiliates (e.g., CredLens). We work collaboratively with hundreds of partners across the U.S., including educators, employers, policymakers, learners, and other nonprofits and trade associations. Strada offers a dynamic, collaborative professional environment that provides many learning and professional development opportunities. Key Responsibilities 1. Partnership Management & Execution (45%) ● Take ownership of the day-to-day management of relationships with business intermediaries, including state chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, and trade associations. ● Serve as the primary point of contact for ongoing partner needs, ensuring relationships are nurtured, responsive, and aligned with Strada’s mission. ● Work independently to identify opportunities to improve the efficiency and impact of our partner interactions. 2. Content Creation, Playbooks & Tools (30%) ● Transform high-level strategies and data insights into tangible, actionable tools for the field. ● Draft, edit, and project-manage the creation of playbooks, toolkits, and best-practice guides for scaling data work across states and regions. ● Ensure all resources are highly accessible and tailored to the needs of state and regional talent-focused organizations. 3. Project Management & Administrative Operations (25%) ● Own the administrative lifecycle of strategic partnerships, including managing contracts, tracking deliverables, and processing grants to partner states and organizations. ● Build and maintain organized systems to track project progress, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks. ● Provide regular, straightforward, and real-time updates on project statuses, escalating roadblocks before they become larger issues. The Person: Qualifications ● Execution-Focused: You are a "doer" who takes pride in crossing things off the list. You are highly organized, process-oriented, and enjoy the administrative and project management tasks that keep an initiative running smoothly. ● Relationship Builder: You have experience working with employer-oriented organizations or state agencies. You possess strong communication skills and are skilled at managing stakeholder relationships deferentially and effectively. ● Collaborative & Direct: You enjoy working in a highly collaborative environment. You are comfortable sharing ideas and engaging in healthy, respectful debate. You communicate updates straightforwardly and in real-time. ● Self-Directed: While this is a highly tactical role, your day will not be micro-managed. You have the critical thinking skills to understand your role's value to the mission and the independence to execute your tasks without needing a rigid roadmap. ● Strong Writer: Demonstrated ability to draft playbooks, reports, and clear correspondence for public audiences. Skills and Experience Experience working with chambers of commerce, industry associations, and economic development partners, to manage project operations, drive execution, and develop public-facing resources to advance talent development efforts. Years of experience: 8+ years of professional experience in program/project management, partnership management, or a related field, ideally within education, workforce development, or economic development sectors. Contract & grant administration: Demonstrated experience managing contracts, tracking deliverables, and administering grant funding to external partners or subgrantees. Project management tools: Proficiency with project management and CRM platforms (e.g., Asana, Salesforce, Monday.com , Givingdata or similar) to track deliverables and partner relationships at scale. Presentation fluency: Advanced ability to craft high-quality, compelling presentations (PowerPoint) paired with a solid working comfort in Excel, effectively organizing information and translating it into highly polished visual narratives for key stakeholders (leadership teams, external partners, boards, etc.). AI integration: Comfort working with generative AI tools to accelerate workflows and elevate output quality, leveraging them as a strategic co-pilot rather than a substitute for critical thinking and original execution. Cross-functional collaboration: Experience working across internal teams (e.g., research, communications, policy) to synthesize inputs into unified external-facing resources. Multi-stakeholder juggling: Proven ability to manage multiple concurrent partnerships or projects with competing deadlines, without close supervision. Public-facing writing samples: Portfolio or writing samples demonstrating ability to produce polished playbooks, toolkits, or reports for external, non-academic audiences. Personal Attributes & Values Passion for Strada’s mission of connecting education with opportunity, especially for those who face the greatest challenges Comfort and alignment with Strada’s values Friendly, collaborative, and inclusive approach Comfort juggling and executing a diverse variety of projects, often with tight time constraints Grace and kindness even under pressure – maintaining composure, steadiness, and empathy in moments of urgency or conflict Strong sense of curiosity, as well as commitment to read broadly to stay on top of important developments in our space Travel Requirements: 10% - 15% Location: This is a hybrid position requiring two days a week working from either our Washington DC or Indianapolis office. Reports To: Vice President, Employer Alignment Strada welcomes diverse candidates and values a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. Bringing together people with a variety of personal, educational, and professional experiences strengthens our understanding of the learners we serve, leads to better decisions, and enhances our mission impact. We encourage applicants who will enrich our workplace through their knowledge, skills, perspectives, and expertise. By submitting this application, I certify that the information provided is accurate and complete to the best of my knowledge. I understand that any false statement, misrepresentation, or omission may disqualify me from consideration or result in termination if discovered after employment begins. Candidates who receive an offer of employment will be required to provide professional references and successfully complete a background check and education verification as a condition of employment.