Adult Education and Outreach Strategist

Adult Education and Outreach Strategist, Management Analyst 5 (MA5)
Recruitment #2024-1-A350
Full-time, Permanent, Represented position
Location: Natural Resources Building- Olympia, WA
Location flexibility may be available and considered
Flexible Work Hours and Partial Telework flexibility may be available and considered
Relocation Compensation may be available and considered
Salary: $6,046.00 – $8,133.00 Monthly 

Responsibilities:

• Catalog Current Trends and Practices for Adult Education and Outreach: Conduct research both internally and externally to inform recommendations for additional investments in adult education and workforce training. This research should include exploring existing reports and findings on the natural resource sector workforce identifying existing industry-recognized certifications and the institutions that provide them, and meeting with DNR staff across programs and regions to learn about existing post-secondary training and education efforts, their successes, and failures, and growth opportunities. Research should focus on strategies for increasing diverse representation in the natural resource sector workforce, in coordination with the DEIB and PEAR initiatives at DNR.
• Identify Gaps and Make Recommendations for Adult Education and Outreach: Based on the findings of the research phase and in collaboration with the Department of Commerce, identify key gaps in training opportunities and barriers to successfully begin or progress in a career in natural resources, with a particular emphasis on the careers that impact forest health and wildfire resilience. Identify key strategic approaches to expand forestry and natural resources training opportunities in corps programs, internships, pre-apprenticeship, apprenticeship, and career and technical education.
• Develop the Adult Education and Outreach Strategic Plan: Working in collaboration with the Equity and Environmental Justice Office, Culture and Development Strategist, and Youth Education & Outreach Program, identify a continuous training-to-­career pathway, and develop a strategic plan for DNR’s investments in adult education and workforce training programs with considerations for awareness and engagement, education & job training, recruitment, and retention. Through the drafting of the plan, engage in a process of iterative review with external stakeholders and DNR staff, and when the plan is finalized, communicate the agency’s vision and related metrics.
• Evaluate, Track, and Report Strategic Plan Implementation Successes and Challenges: Plan and monitor program execution, coordinate projects and manage interdependencies, manage resources across projects, identify and mitigate issues and risks, maintain program documentation, produce annual reports of strategic processes, and communicate with stakeholders.
• Develop an Adult Education and Outreach Network: Develop and support collaborations and networks between education institutions, industry, and workforce development programs, including recruiting and building industry awareness and coordinating candidate development, particularly in areas that are traditionally underrepresented in natural resource industries and specifically in forestry. Internally, develop cross-programmatic communications on efforts and initiatives in the adult education and outreach space to keep staff informed of existing opportunities and connect new opportunities with the staff and programs that may be best suited to implement. Represent DNR on statewide workgroups to develop consistent workforce development standards that align with DNR’s efforts with sector-wide initiatives, and participate in and/or coordinate special projects, committees, or task forces.
• Identify Strategic Investments in Adult Education & Outreach: Work with the DNR Grants Manager and other grant applicants across the agency to explore opportunities for grant funding, and coordinate DNR staff to apply for workforce development and training grants or support the grant applications of partner organizations. Coordinate with divisions and regions to explore the potential for new state-registered apprenticeships, internship programs, corps programs, and other workforce training models. Ensure all workforce development and training efforts are integrated with DNR’s Environmental Justice, DEIB, and PEAR work and serve to expand access to natural resource careers for demographic groups that have been historically excluded and/or underrepresented.

Required Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree with emphasis in HR, Organizational Development, Training, Leadership Development, Behavioral Science, Social Science, Education, Public Administration, Environmental Justice, Career Counseling, Adult Education, or other related fields
  OR equivalent combination of education and/or experience.
• Experience in implementing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging; Pro-Equity Anti-Racism; or Environmental Justice focused Initiatives.
• Experience working collaboratively with employees, managers, and supervisors; creating and maintaining relationships, and building trust and rapport with others.
• Strong knowledge and experience with statistics and qualitative methods to build data models and datasets for analysis.
• Experience working with agency leadership to establish programs that contribute to agency-wide workforce development goals.
• Experience working with industry leaders and other state agencies, ensuring compliance with legal and legislative mandates, assessing employee and external partner feedback, and consulting with agency leadership.
• Have an established record of being a PEAR (Pro-Equity, Anti-Racism), Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging (DEIB), and Environmental Justice (EJ) change agent.
• Skills in collaborative leadership including collaborative design and co-facilitation, skilled communication, and experience in building relationships and finding consensus.
• Ability to communicate effectively with individuals and groups from a variety of cultures and backgrounds.
• A working knowledge of Microsoft products.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills; attention to detail.