A minimum of five years at a senior-level administrative level in industry, workforce development, career development, or related fields

Chicago State University and the Institute for Solutions of Urban Populations seek a dynamic and visionary leader to serve as the inaugural Executive Director for the Center for Workforce Equity. The new director must be a highly-skilled, experienced, and innovative leader with industry expertise who will serve as the Center's chief champion and strategist on partnerships, projects, and initiatives. The Institute for Solutions of Urban Populations (ISUP) at CSU is an innovation hub and member of the Illinois Innovation Network (IIN), a state-wide group of public universities and community colleges that have committed to working together to improve the state's economy through innovation, research, and education.

The director is responsible for developing, executing, and communicating strategies for the sustainable growth and advancement of projects and initiatives identified by Institute leadership. The director must possess an in-depth understanding of emerging workforce research, practices, and policy trends. The director must have demonstrated knowledge and practice in successfully developing, implementing, and analyzing programming and events and working collaboratively with partners and experts across industries such as education, non-profits, philanthropic, business/corporate, and community-based organizations.

* Developing and executing comprehensive implementation plans for projects and initiatives as identified by ISUP leadership in alignment with the mission and priorities of the Center

* Incorporating critical reviews and analyses of research and data to inform strategies

* Identifying target audiences and developing tailored engagement strategies to achieve project goals

* Bringing innovation, a fresh perspective, and a willingness to engage beyond traditional approaches to advance projects and initiatives in a saturated market

* Monitoring and evaluating project development and implementation efforts

* Optimizing the use of available federal, state, institutional, and private resources for initiative advancement

* Providing active oversight and accountability for the progression of projects and initiatives
* Evaluating and improving practices for seamless project implementation and overcoming challenges that emerge

* Developing and Integrating coalition building, communication, and policy enactment plans to achieve implementation of projects and initiatives

* Creating media toolkits, templates, and other resources to generate support across industries with coalition partners

* Cultivating and maintaining a network of experts across industries to help inform efforts

* Connecting with CSU departments and units, such as Academic Affairs or External Affairs, to fully understand the vision and direction for project development and implementation

* Drafting collateral and materials, such as talking points and scripts, to communicate with multiple audiences

* A graduate degree from an accredited institution is required; a doctoral degree is preferred.

* A minimum of five years at a senior-level administrative level in industry, workforce development, career development, or related fields

* Demonstrated experience leading policy development and implementation work
* Demonstrated leadership in strategic development and implementation

* Highly efficient, effective, and results-oriented individual with strong business acumen

* Experience working with governing and advisory boards for alignment of strategic priorities
* Proven experience leading, motivating, and managing coalitions of support

* Knowledge of best practices and current trends in workforce development and fields such as urban studies and economic development

* Excellent interpersonal skills and a communication style that can drive consensus building
* Outstanding integrity and the ability to collaborate effectively with internal and external constituents

* Experience in proposal writing (i.e., research or grants)

* Experience in successfully executing workforce development programming and completing data analysis