Director, Workforce Policy - The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies
About The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies
The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, America’s Black think tank, provides compelling and actionable policy solutions to eradicate persistent and evolving barriers to the full freedom of Black people in America. It is the trusted forum for leading experts and scholars to participate in major public policy debates and promote ideas that advance Black communities. The Joint Center uses evidence-based research, analysis, convenings, and strategic communications to support Black communities and a network of allies. Currently, the Joint Center focuses on the future of work for Black workers, the impact of economic policies on Black communities, technology policy and Black communities, congressional staff diversity, and Black presidential appointments.
For more information about The Joint Center please visit its website at: https://jointcenter.org/
The Opportunity
The Joint Center’s Director, Workforce Policy will report into the Vice President of Policy and lead a team of two senior analysts as part of the Joint Center’s program on the Future of Black Workers which develops and disseminates data and solutions to mitigate challenges and maximize opportunities for Black Workers.
The Director will be responsible for coordinating activities to examine the changing nature of work for Black worders, including how automation, higher education, and evolving social contracts between employers and employees affect the advancement of Black workers. The Director will work with other members of the Joint Center team to build a research and policymaking agenda that leads to increasing the socioeconomic status of Black workers.
Key Roles and Responsibilities
- Serve as a leader, ensuring that the Joint Center’s work has maximum impact on the service of Black communities;
- Engage in outreach to identify, deepen relationships, and collaborate with community stakeholders, key policymakers, philanthropy, and other national partner organizations;
- Represent the Joint Center in coalitions, with the media, at conferences, and other opportunities for public education on issues related to workforce policy;
- Convene experts to develop research questions and workforce policy solutions for Black communities;
- Commission and manage external experts in producing commentaries, briefs, and reports related to workforce policy;
- Develop, implement, and manage the production and distribution of various written products – such as reports, issue briefs, columns, and op-eds – translating complex issues, policies, and analyses into digestible information for different audiences;
- Follow developments at relevant agencies, relevant congressional committees, national think tanks, and advocacy organizations and participate in the workforce policy debate through op-eds, speaking engagements, meetings, and policy analysis;
- Produce Joint Center policy publications including commentaries/op-eds, blog posts, fact sheets, policy briefs, and reports;
- Build, manage, and grow a team of internal and external experts to support and grow the impact of the Joint Center’s Future of Black Workers Program;
- Work with the Vice President of Development to engage in donor research, relationship management, and solicitation activities to ensure the sustainability and growth of the Future of Black Workers Program;
- Demonstrate the versatility and vision to support the Joint Center’s growth into new areas.
Candidate Profile
The Joint Center has a small team and operates much like a start-up. The ideal candidate for this position should be entrepreneurial, creative, flexible, and comfortable working in a quickly changing environment. The person should also be a critical thinker, a solid communicator, and able to work on a team effectively.
Additionally, the Director will embody The Joint Center’s cultural principles, including a deep commitment to Black communities in the United States with an unapologetic focus on and prioritization of the needs and preferences of Black people and disseminating accurate data, research, and solutions that reflect Black interests.
The ideal candidate will have most, if not all, of the following professional and personal qualities, skills, and characteristics:
- Graduate or Advanced Degree required;
- 7+ years of experience in research or policy on relevant topics;
- Experience completing evidence-based written analysis on topics relevant to the position, including higher education, workforce development, and/or automation and the future of work;Commitment to the Joint Center’s values and cultural principles, including commitments to the Joint Center’s mission, producing rigorous and excellent work that has the most significant positive impact on Black communities, constant feedback and growth, collaboration and respect, and being proactive (reflective, visionary, innovative, calm, strategic, purposeful, organized, and punctual);
- Proven ability to communicate evidence-based policy guidance to key stakeholders, including policymakers, advocates, and the media;
- Demonstrated ability to build and engage a community of experts on various issues and manage internal policy analysts and research assistants as the program grows;
- Previous experience in supervising and growing a team, fundraising, and cultivating funder relationships;
- Established proactive approaches to problem-solving with strong decision-making capability;
- Demonstrated ability to achieve high-performance goals and meet deadlines;
- Highly resourceful team-player;
- Expert-level written and verbal communication skills;
- A forward-looking thinker who actively seeks opportunities and proposes solutions.
Compensation & Benefits
The hiring salary range is $140,000 – $160,000. The Joint Center offers a generous benefits package, including medical/dental/life insurance, annual leave, sick leave, and federal holidays.
The Joint Center is an equal opportunity employer and will not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of age, color, disability, gender, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or veteran status.
Contact
Koya Partners, the executive search firm that specializes in mission-driven search, has been exclusively retained for this engagement. Amber Gomes and Shelby Woods of Koya Partners have been exclusively retained for this search. To express interest in this role please submit your materials here, or email Amber and Shelby directly at agomes@koyapartners.com and swoods@koyapartners.com. All inquiries and discussions will be considered strictly confidential.
Koya Partners is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email NonprofitSearchOps@divsearch.com. If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.
About Koya Partners
Koya Partners, a part of Diversified Search Group, is a leading executive search and strategic advising firm dedicated to connecting exceptionally talented people with mission-driven clients. Our founding philosophy—The Right Person in the Right Place Can Change the World—guides our work as we partner with nonprofits & NGOs, institutions of higher education, responsible businesses, and social enterprises in local communities and around the world.
For more information about Koya Partners, visit www.koyapartners.com.