Senior Director, Employer Engagement

Strada Education Foundation’s Employer Alignment pillar is driven by the belief that all individuals should have access to postsecondary programs that lead to quality jobs and mobility.

The Senior Director of Employer Engagement is a vital operational role designed to execute on Strada’s strategic employer-facing partnerships. Reporting to the VP of Employer Alignment, the Senior Director will act as the operational engine for the team, executing, managing, and administering the projects and day-to-day activities that advance Strada’s Employer Alignment strategy.

The ideal candidate is a meticulous project manager, a strong communicator, and a self-starter who thrives in a task-oriented environment. If you love building systems, managing internal and external projects and programs, drafting actionable resources, and nurturing relationships with stakeholders, this role is for you.

Context

Strada Education Foundation supports programs, policies, and organizations that strengthen connections between postsecondary education and employment in the U.S., with a focus on helping those who face the greatest challenges. Our strategic plan centers on five keys to strengthen the link between education and opportunity: Clear Outcomes, Quality Coaching, Affordability, Work-Based Learning, and Employer Alignment. We work collaboratively with hundreds of partners across the U.S., including educators, employers, policymakers, learners, and other nonprofits and trade associations.

Key Responsibilities

1. Partnership Management & Execution (45%)

• Take ownership of the day-to-day management of relationships with business intermediaries, including state chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, and trade associations.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for ongoing partner needs, ensuring relationships are nurtured, responsive, and aligned with Strada’s mission.
• Work independently to identify opportunities to improve the efficiency and impact of our partner interactions.

2. Content Creation, Playbooks & Tools (30%)

• Transform high-level strategies and data insights into tangible, actionable tools for the field.
• Draft, edit, and project-manage the creation of playbooks, toolkits, and best-practice guides for scaling data work across states and regions.
• Ensure all resources are highly accessible and tailored to the needs of state and regional talent-focused organizations.

3. Project Management & Administrative Operations (25%)

• Own the administrative lifecycle of strategic partnerships, including managing contracts, tracking deliverables, and processing grants to partner states and organizations.
• Build and maintain organized systems to track project progress, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks.
• Provide regular, straightforward, and real-time updates on project statuses, escalating roadblocks before they become larger issues.

Qualifications

• Execution-Focused: You are a “doer” who is highly organized, process-oriented, and enjoys the administrative and project management tasks that keep an initiative running smoothly.
• Relationship Builder: You have experience working with employer-oriented organizations or state agencies, with strong communication skills.
• Collaborative & Direct: You enjoy a highly collaborative environment and communicate updates straightforwardly and in real-time.
• Self-Directed: You have the critical thinking skills and independence to execute your tasks without a rigid roadmap.
• Strong Writer: Demonstrated ability to draft playbooks, reports, and clear correspondence for public audiences.

Skills and Experience

• Years of experience: 8+ years of professional experience in program/project management, partnership management, or a related field, ideally within education, workforce development, or economic development sectors.
• Contract & grant administration: Demonstrated experience managing contracts, tracking deliverables, and administering grant funding to external partners or subgrantees.
• Project management tools: Proficiency with project management and CRM platforms (e.g., Asana, Salesforce, Monday.com, Givingdata or similar).
• Presentation fluency: Advanced ability to craft high-quality presentations (PowerPoint) with solid comfort in Excel.
• AI integration: Comfort working with generative AI tools to accelerate workflows and elevate output quality.
• Cross-functional collaboration: Experience working across internal teams (research, communications, policy) to synthesize inputs into unified external-facing resources.
• Multi-stakeholder juggling: Proven ability to manage multiple concurrent partnerships or projects with competing deadlines.

Compensation: $143,500 - $161,300 a year, plus bonus. Beyond base salary, Strada offers all full-time employees a comprehensive employee benefit package.

Travel Requirements: 10% - 15%

Location: This is a hybrid position requiring two days a week working from either the Washington, DC or Indianapolis office.

Reports To: Vice President, Employer Alignment

Strada welcomes diverse candidates and values a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives.