Executive Director
Open Position
SkillUp Washington

Dear partners and community leaders,

On behalf of the investors of SkillUp WA, we are pleased to announce the job posting for the Executive Director position for SkillUp WA

SkillUp Washington is a pioneering partnership of private foundations, employers, non-profit organizations, community and technical colleges, and public and private agencies working together to help low income working adults and employers meet the demands of a changing economy.

Also known previously as the Seattle-King County Workforce Development Collaborative (or 2ndChance WA), SkillUp WA is focused on increasing the skills of the working poor to boost them out of poverty. Presently, there are over 78,000 residents of King County who have no post-secondary education credential and whose incomes are under 200% of the Federal Poverty Level. By creating career pathways that respond to real needs, SkillUp aims to double and then redouble the number of working poor receiving the post-secondary education that is critical to their future. (For additional information, consult www.skillupwa.org)

SkillUp WA seeks an executive director to develop and coordinate its growing programs, which to date have been bolstered by more than $2 million in partner investments. Candidates seeking to apply should submit a cover letter and resume via email only no later than Sunday, October 11th at 5 p.m. PST to the SkillUp Search Committee through Helena Haas at Helena.Haas@seattle.gov. Inquiries in advance of the deadline date can be submitted to the same address. If chosen for an interview, you will be contacted to do so between October 15th and November 9th, 2009.

Qualifications:

SkillUp is seeking candidates with a proven record of designing and management of education and training and/or social welfare programs in Washington state. Candidates should demonstrate at least five years of senior management experience; considerable knowledge of current federal, state and local workforce programs and private sector initiatives; and extensive background in strengthening public-private partnerships and working with foundation and corporate leaders.

Duties:

The Executive Director will serve as the principal strategist and manager of SkillUp’s initiatives. Among other duties, she or he will:

• Act as the primary strategist and communicator of SkillUp’s mission, seeking continued growth in support and participation in its efforts.
• Organize and support strong working coalitions with service delivery organizations and others to expand SkillUp’s impact in each of its major program areas and to make certain its goals are aggressively pursued. Develop and implement formal working agreements to increase that impact still further.
• Maintain a strong working relationship with each foundation, corporation and agency supporting SkillUp WA, making certain the programs they sponsor are closely aligned with SkillUp’s distinct program and goals.
• Regularly report to the SkillUp WA Executive Committee and the SkillUp Investors Council, which serves as the organization’s Board of Directors.
• Administer the organization’s budget, staffing, and contracting processes.
• The new Executive Director will begin work on January 1, 2010

Salary:

• Negotiable and DOE
• SkillUp WA is an equal opportunity employer

Thank you for your interest and feel free to inform others whom you think may wish to apply.