Position Overview
The Vice President of Postsecondary to Workforce Pathways (VP Pathways) is responsible for setting the strategy and leading the execution of America’s Promise Alliance’s (APA) collective action work in our Postsecondary to Workforce Pathways issue area. APA’s collective action model seeks to identify the most important opportunities in our issue areas that are too big or too complex for any one organization to address on its own, but where a strategic coalition of 20-30 organizations may unlock new possibilities. For the most promising of these ideas, APA funds and launches that work.
The VP Pathways role works in partnership with the CEO and executive leaders of 35+ of the leading national postsecondary and workforce nonprofits. The VP Pathways is responsible for leading community-wide ideation to identify new collective action ideas annually, testing promising ideas with leading experts in the field, crafting broad concepts into actionable initiatives with discrete outcomes, recruiting member organizations to join those coalitions, raising the money to fund the work, and stewarding those coalitions toward their intended outcomes. In order to be successful in this role, the VP Pathways must understand our member organizations and these issue areas deeply, including the field-level dynamics that drive or prevent change, the policy and funding landscapes, and the nonprofit ecosystem working on these outcomes. Candidates will also need strong design instincts, the capacity to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously, and the leadership to work effectively with a broad range of both internal and external stakeholders. This position reports to APA’s CEO and is a member of the organization’s leadership team.
After 25 years of pioneering collective action work, in 2022, America’s Promise Alliance launched a comprehensive next chapter and new strategy. The centerpiece of that new strategy is our reimagined Alliance Community, which now serves 150 member organizations and 600+ executive leaders. This position plays a critical role in the development and success of that strategy. Learn more about our reimagined Alliance community, our 2022-2026 strategic plan, and our collective action work.
Responsibilities
Collective Action Ideation & Vetting
The VP Pathways is responsible for surfacing new ideas for collective action initiatives annually. This includes:
- Design and implementation of an annual process to engage Alliance member organizations in the identification of ideas for new collective action initiatives via in-person and virtual convenings, as well as 1:1 conversations with organizational leadership.
- Testing ideas that come from our membership with external experts to understand relevant field dynamics, the viability of the idea, and key design considerations.
- Running a process with both Alliance members and APA leadership to prioritize and select 2-4 ideas annually that have the potential for the greatest impact.
Multi-Organization Collaboration Design
Once new ideas are identified, the VP Pathways is responsible for designing these collaborations into actionable initiatives, including strong theory of action, intended outcomes, and member and field benefit. This includes:
- Program design for each potential initiative.
- Creation of concept papers used to explore the ideas with both funders and Alliance members.
- Recruitment of member organizations who would join the coalition, if launched.
- Development of multi-year budgets.
Fundraising
Once new ideas are crafted into compelling initiatives and we have reached a critical mass of member organizations who would participate in the initiative when launched, the VP Pathways is responsible for securing the funding needed to launch the work. The VP Pathways works in partnership with APA’s VP of Development to:
- Identify the funders with strategic priorities most aligned to each initiative.
- Crafting and conducting outreach to funders and managing the exploration process with potential investors.
- Securing funding and supporting the reporting and stewardship of investors for each initiative.
Collective Action Initiative Launch & Management
Once our collective action initiatives are funded, the VP Pathways is responsible for successfully launching each initiative and ensuring they meet intended outcomes. The VP Pathways should expect to manage 3-5 large-scale initiatives simultaneously, at any given time. This launch and management work includes:
- Creating a staffing plan and operating model unique to each initiative.
- Hiring and management of the team responsible for implementation.
- Proactive communication on progress to Alliance members, APA leadership, and funders.
- Iterative program design to respond to challenges, take advantage of opportunities, drive continuous improvement, and ensure increasing sustainability over time.
Community Continuity, Growth & Responsive Supports
The VP Pathways is responsible for developing trust, relationships, and the habits of working together among Alliance postsecondary and workforce organizations. It is also responsible for recruiting new organizations to join the Alliance community. This work includes:
- Planning and implementation of an annual in-person convening for Alliance Pathway organizations.
- Deep understanding of member needs and priorities.
- Development of responsive supports to meet the needs of members and new challenges or opportunities that arise in the field.
- Recruitment and cultivation of relationships with key experts outside of the Alliance that can serve as advisors and connectors across a range of initiatives in this issue area.
- Recruitment of new postsecondary and workforce nonprofits to join the Alliance community.
Required Competencies
- Field-recognized leader with 10+ years senior leadership in postsecondary success and/or workforce development organizations.
- Deep knowledge of the field, funders, research, policy landscape, and experts in these issue areas and the ability to utilize that knowledge to inform our work and priorities. Deep knowledge of the operating realities of national nonprofits working in these issue areas.
- Experience in program design, continuous improvement, and program evaluation.
- Established network of partners, funders, and issue areas experts; experience raising funds and sustaining funding relationships.
- Experience facilitating convenings with senior-level leaders, ensuring effective collaboration, engagement, and consensus-building among diverse stakeholders.
- Experience leading collective action and systemic change coalitions.
- Experienced manager and leader, ability to work cross-functionally, strong action-orientation and accountability for results; effective in rapidly growing and evolving environments.
- Effective written and verbal communication, including translating complex issues to multiple audiences internally and externally.
- A leader in building and nurturing positive culture, leading with an equity lens, ability to adapt and persist through challenges, and adaptive learner.
Location, Compensation, & Benefits
- APA’s team is searching for the best talent regardless of location; as such, please note that APA’s team is largely remote, and location is flexible within the United States.
- Salary and benefits will be competitive and commensurate with experience with a range of $180,000 to $195.000.
- America’s Promise Alliance offers a generous benefits package that extends beyond healthcare coverage to help provide team members with a work-life balance that includes professional development, retirement savings, self-managed vacation, and more.
Apply Now: https://americaspromise.org/about-us/careers/
