Senior Director, Center for Racial Economic Equity (Application Deadline: April 11, 2024)

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
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 $105 million, and we’re funded by dozens of
leading government agencies, foundations, and corporations. Learn
more about JFF and 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. In alignment to JFF’s
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  

JFF’s Center for Racial Economic Equity (CREE) aims to advance
equity in education and the labor market, with an initial focus on
accelerating the advancement of Black learners and workers. We seek
to create a world where race is no longer a determinant of
education and economic outcomes—a world where Black learners and
workers secure quality jobs in high-growth sectors, succeed in
their careers, and experience economic advancement without facing
obstacles based on their race. We aim to identify solutions and
best practices to achieve two foundational priorities: disrupt
occupational segregation and eradicate the Black-white wealth gap.
We do this through research, thought leadership, network building,
and advisory services. In the future, we plan to expand our efforts
to serve additional populations, including Latine, Indigenous, and
AANHPI learners and workers. Check out our impact stories here. 

This is a new position that is focused on designing, managing,
and growing a national Racial Economic Equity Network. Reporting to
the Vice President, CREE, the Senior Director will lead efforts to
bring together a racially diverse group of leaders and
organizations engaged in racial equity work to develop shared goals
and metrics, disseminate best practices, and collaborate on joint
policy, advocacy, media, and fundraising efforts. This will include
iterative and collaborative strategic planning to shape this
Network, ongoing event and convening design and facilitation,
relationship management to recruit and engage members and funders,
and communications and business development efforts to ensure the
reach and sustainability of the Network over time.   

This is an entrepreneurial, hands-on role within JFF to stand up
and secure funding for new bodies of work which center on racial
equity, build upon a successful early-stage Center, and integrate
the Center’s goals and work across the organization. The team
environment is creative, impact-oriented, generative, and highly
collaborative.   

What You’ll Do    

Design, manage, and grow a national Racial Economic Equity
Network 

• Build and develop the
  Network’s vision, strategy, business development, and growth plan
  around developing Racial Economic Equity network
• Partner with colleagues
  in the Center on Racial Economic Equity, other senior leaders
  across JFF, and external subject matter experts (including the
  Center on Racial Economic Equity’s advisory council) to inform the
  Network’s design and implementation
• Integrate diversity,
  equity, and inclusion principles into the Network
  strategy
• Lead evaluation and
  continuous improvement efforts for the Network by creating and
  monitoring progress towards the Network’s key performance
  indicators, both in terms of engagement goals as well as external
  impact measures
• Serve as the
  lead/sponsor of cross-functional project teams across JFF to
  execute Network strategy, including planning and execution of
  creative engagement activities and convenings, development of
  high-quality deliverables, and ensuring strong communication with
  Network members
• Lead business and
  partnership development for the Network through design and scoping,
  proposal development, relationship management, and opportunity
  pursuit in alignment with JFF’s strategic priorities
• Build relationships with
  partners at philanthropies, corporations, postsecondary
  institutions, nonprofits, think tanks, social enterprises, and more
  for both fundraising and to recruit potential Network
  members

Build and strengthen the Center’s thought leadership and
visibility efforts with external events and communication
strategy  

• Partner with JFF’s
  Marketing and Communications team to develop annual strategic
  communications around the goals for the Center
• Build thought leadership
  across the Center on issues relating to racial economic equity by
  representing JFF externally at national conferences, in meetings
  with senior leaders, in newsletters, op-eds, and other published
  products to raise visibility and attention to the
  network
• Author blogs, reports,
  and other communications products that contribute to JFF’s thought
  leadership in the field
• Serve as point for the
  Center’s presence at cross-JFF conferences and summits, including
  Horizons

Oversee and implement operational best practices to enhance
thought leadership and network strategy  

• Collaborate with
  colleagues within the Center to build and create solutions to
  advance our OneJFF philosophy along with the priorities of the
  Center and to create structures, processes, and systems to enable
  successful implementation of thought leadership and network
  initiatives
• Contribute and lead
  fundraising efforts to achieve the Center’s annual goals and
  targets
• Oversee knowledge
  management efforts across the Center to inform and improve
  Network-wide decision-making
• Maintain deep and broad
  knowledge about latest trends and research in education and
  workforce reform, to advance racial equity and economic mobility to
  help guide thought leadership
• Serve as a subject
  matter expert on practices that advance equity in education and the
  labor market by providing guidance and strategic support to
  partners in the field and colleagues at JFF to shape program design
  and development

Who You Are   

• You bring experience in
  leading and advancing racial equity work and have a demonstrated
  track record of deep knowledge of and experience with network
  theory, development, support, and engagement. (New hires at the
  Senior Director level at JFF typically bring 15+ years of prior
  professional experience through a combination of full-time,
  part-time, internship, and/or freelance positions)
• You are a trusted and
  collaborative partner to leaders within the education and workforce
  development ecosystem
• You have a successful
  track record in building new strategies, programs, or initiatives
  from scratch that are grounded in racial and economic
  equity
• You are skilled at
  proposing creative ideas and innovative solutions to advance racial
  equity work, while also ensuring that decisions, teams and
  processes respect individual differences and support DEIBW across
  the organization
• You know how to advance
  a team’s or organization’s influence through thought leadership
  around racial equity best practices, specifically for Black
  Americans, and bring energy for leading strategies to serving other
  populations including Latine, Indigenous, and AANHPI learners and
  workers
• You have experience
  leveraging research and data around best practices from external
  organizations, in creating strategy to inform and continuously
  improve the effectiveness, innovation, and quality of
  cross-organizational project work
• You are a strategic,
  analytical thinker who blends being visionary with operationally
  getting work done; you have experience managing disparate and
  competing priorities with multiple timetables and deliverables,
  while keeping projects and teams on track and on
  budget
• You have demonstrated
  success cultivating and managing relationships with existing and
  new funders, writing or leading the development of concepts and
  proposals, and raising money that advances an organization’s
  work
• You are a strong
  communicator (verbally, in writing, and/or when presenting) and can
  tailor your content and approaches to inform and inspire various
  audiences; you have experience serving as the external face of your
  projects, teams, and/or organization
• You model inclusive
  leadership, working effectively with colleagues from a diverse
  range of backgrounds, and building and stewarding an organizational
  culture that embraces diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and
  wellbeing
• You possess high energy
  and passion for JFF’s mission and the ability to apply JFF’s core
  values to all areas of your work
• You are able and willing
  to travel up to 30% for project support, convenings, conferences,
  and other meetings.

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
program that includes flexibility and choice as core values 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 $140,0000 – $175,000 annually,
in alignment to JFF’s Senior Director salary 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 to Michael Collins, Vice
President for the Center of Racial and Economic Equity, outlining
how your skills and experience meet the qualifications of the
position.  

We are accepting applications through April
11,2024. Applications submitted by that date will be
reviewed and candidates will receive updates on their candidacy by
the week of April 15th. 

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.