Title: Manager of Workforce Development

Unit: Employment Services

Reports to: Senior Director of Employment Services

Status: Full-Time; Regular, Exempt

Location: Long Island City, NY 11101

Position Summary:

The Manager of Workforce Development (MWD) is one of several mid-level Managers in the Education and Employment Services Department (EES). Under the supervision of the Senior Director of Employment Services (SD), the MWD will grow Fortune’s employer base and expand employment, fellowship, and training opportunities for our participants, in the sectors and industries that match their skills, talents, and abilities.

The MWD is responsible for the oversight of Employment Specialists, Transitional Work Coordinator, fellowship placement, job placement, and, in collaboration with the Manager of Career Advisement, job and fellowship retention. Oversight includes supervision of staff, onboarding and trainings, data and outcome/performance management, program design/refinement, relevant fiscal reporting, and contract compliance (e.g. management of wage subsidy contract). The MWD works closely with other ES Managers and Senior Leadership to ensure continuity of services, clarity of workflow, and collaboration among relevant staff in Employment Services, Education, ICAN, and other Fortune programs.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Work with Employment Services team to develop work plans to test/evaluate strategies and insights to improve and refine ongoing employer engagement efforts for the Department;
• Develop and oversee the implementation of innovative strategies and opportunities to engage members in the full continuum of services leading to employment outcomes within targeted sectors and based on funding requirements;
• Maintaining regular communication with all relevant staff on participant progress and engage in case conferencing with individual participants as needed;
• In coordination with colleagues from EES, develop and refine marketing and outreach materials for the ongoing targeting of potential employers;
• Negotiate job placement and large hiring pipelines with corporate partners through networking, cold calling, individual meetings with potential employers, interfacing with Fortune Society Senior Leadership and other business development efforts;
• Negotiate job placement and large hiring pipelines to support employment of participants across industries and based on targeted sector strategies as derived by the Department;
• Build on existing and establish new partnerships with community based organizations (CBOs), Faith Based Organizations (FBO’s), corporate partners, small businesses and educational institutions to enhance participant’s employment and fellowship opportunities within the various business sectors; with focus on sectors that support the array of Fortune Society’s hard skills, social services, culinary and other training offerings; (eg. Security)
• Oversee the fellowship component of ES and ensure that fellowship opportunities are matched with participant’s interest and expected training outcomes, conduct site visits and host site evaluations;
• Implement and manage a process to vet client resumes prior to sharing with employers;
• Monitor job bank, referrals and placement tracker to ensure timely revisions and progress;
• Ensure all follow up and follow through of partnerships, referrals and outcomes are in a timely manner;
• Conduct internal audits to ensure documents, notes and outcomes are of quality and completed in a timely manner;
• Ensure all resumes are uploaded in the appropriate sector folder to retrieve in a timely manner;
• Organize job/career fairs at Fortune or its partner agencies that expose Fortune participants to viable employment opportunities;
• Develop, implement and facilitate onboarding and in-service trainings;
• Manage staff performance to ensure contractual goals are met;
• Attend trainings, meetings, and networking events to remain abreast of labor market (Microeconomics & Macroeconomics);
• Identify and use tools to support with keeping up to date with employment opportunities- (O*NET resource center, OOH – Occupational Outlook Handbook) etc.;
• Manage and monitor KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators), trends, metrics to enhance performance;
• Support with reporting information such as CI’s to include confirming accuracy of information; closely monitoring weekly performance of Employment Specialist and Transitional Workers reviewing Daily Tracking Sheets (DTS); (referrals, placements, business development, support)
• In consultation with Senior Leadership, reconstruct Fortune’s Business Advisory Council to ensure ongoing structural connections between the organization and critical external business partners.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

Directly supervises program staff, including Employment Specialist, Transitional Work Coordinator, and indirectly supervise Transitional Work Specialist and other relevant staff/fellows as needed in order to ensure the effective operations of the Employment Specialist Suite. Communicates vision to direct reports and ensures that the team understands and strives towards defined performance goals of at least 8 placement per month for each Employment Specialist, and 2 new partners per month for each Employment Specialist. The MWD carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization’s policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding, coaching, and mentoring employees; addressing employee relations and resolving problems. In coordination with the Manager of Career Advisement, the MWD also ensures the effective implementation of employment retention strategies and services.

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Management/Social Work Administration or other life/professional experience equivalent to a Bachelor’s degree;
• A minimum of five years of experience in management capacity, with at least five years working in education or workforce programming;
• Knowledge of local, state, and federal labor laws and hiring practices specific to persons with criminal records;
• Experience working with distressed families and individuals, and notably those adversely impacted by the criminal justice system;
• Strong documentation and analytical skills;
• Strong verbal and written communication skills;
• Ability to be a team player and work independently;
• Strong computer skills and knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite;
• Fully vaccinated against COVID-19 with a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) or World Health Organization (WHO) authorized vaccine (or approved for an exemption as a reasonable accommodation due to a qualified disability or sincerely held religious belief or other legal basis). Applicants should not provide medical or genetic information in their applications; and
• We seek talented, dedicated individuals from all walks of life who possess a strong commitment to this mission. Individuals with lived experience are encouraged to apply.

Travel Requirements – The Manager of Workforce Development supports the Employment Specialist Team in pursuit of employer relationships and job development, and as such has travel responsibilities in the role as this pertains to visiting with and engaging local businesses within the greater New York City area. The majority of administrative and supervisory responsibilities are fulfilled at our Long Island City location.

Physical Demands:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The responsibilities and requirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skills, minimum education, training, licensing, experience and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

The Fortune Society is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will be afforded equal employment opportunities without discrimination because of conviction history, race, religion/creed, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, military status, predisposing genetic characteristics, victim of domestic violence status or marital status.