Director of Workforce Development, Philadelphia Commerce Department

Posted by City of Philadelphia on July 19, 2022

The City of Philadelphia’s Commerce Department division of Workforce Development is seeking a Director of Workforce Development, who will play an essential role as the creator, developer, convener and manager of key workforce development -based incentives and initiatives of the Commerce Department. This role will serve as the primary connection and link between the Workforce Development unit and City departments, key partners and stakeholders and businesses, representing the integral work of employer engagement. As the Workforce Development division of Commerce is a systems convener, not a practitioner, building cross functional collaborations and working connections and pipelines between systems and on behalf of employers, is a key aspect of this work.

In addition to initiative/incentive program development and relationship management, a critical responsibility of this role will be to provide supervision and oversight of the Employer Engagement team and ensure the priorities of Workforce Development portfolio, and the priorities of the Commerce Department, are promulgated and continuous and result in high quality outcomes.

A successful candidate for this position must operate effectively in a dynamic, fast paced government department; understands the power of team building internally and with cross sector partners; and has a passion for helping promote and effectuate equity and wealth building and opportunities for Philadelphians. Strong attention to bottom line results and metrics is a must.

The Director of Workforce Development will plan, oversee and be familiar with current workforce development initiatives, locally and regionally, and share information, strategic consultation and support to the Senior Director of Workforce and the other departments in Commerce that intertwine with the Workforce Development team’s work.

Business Development & Incentive Priorities

• Development of needs analyses that influence the creation of training systems that prepare individuals to meet the workforce needs of our employer partners. This work will include
• Identifying and analyzing employer training needs and matching with the current training programs available.
• Leveraging and coordinating resources from key partners including Philadelphia Works and PIDC (Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation) and assist businesses and entrepreneurs in navigating those systems to meet their business needs.
• Managing and supporting the negotiations of the Employer Engagement Managers with the hiring management of local small, medium and neighborhood employers.
• Supporting the development of curriculum, assessment, completion criteria and program evaluation methods as designed by training partner staff and ancillary professionals identified and resourced by the Workforce Development team.
• Supporting and developing the systems to ensure consistent, high-quality program management and quality outcomes.
• Ensuring ongoing division and programmatic excellence. Including overseeing implementation of programs, managing timelines and resources to achieve program and organizational goals.

Relationship Management

• Initiative and cultivate existing employer relationships and develop new relationships with current and prospective employers in the emerging and high growth sectors to ensure the delivery of high-quality programs aligned with employing more Philadelphia residents.
• Provide on-going support to the development of inter-team communication and cohesiveness, sustaining a can-do culture and supporting staff while working seamlessly with the key anchor partners.

Strategic Coordination

• Conduct basic research into the local and regional landscape of emerging sector jobs to help inform business relationships with workforce training providers.
• Support the development of the necessary employer relationships, processes, and tools to support the facilitation of employer and provider incentive programs.
• Work collaboratively with the Commerce department Directors in the Office of Neighborhood Economic Development, and Business Attraction and Development to implement short- and long-term goals that will help meet the objectives of the City’s Commerce Department and Workforce Development organizational strategy.

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