Director Of Workforce

Job Title: Director of Workforce

Full Time, 12 Month, Role Level 5

Reports To: Principal

Supervisory Responsibilities: Yes

Who We Are:

YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School is a tuition-free, public charter high school, with a singular focus on supporting youth aged 17-20 who have been pushed out of traditional schools. During our 1-year alternative program, Youthbuild facilitates a warm, loving culture that uses a variety of structures to build community, such as a restorative-justice approach to discipline, weekly community meetings, and school-wide service projects. Students are empowered to attain their high school diploma and vocational certifications, while receiving unconditional support by the staff around them. At YouthBuild, we work intentionally to disrupt the cycle of poverty and support our students to achieve post-secondary success (4-year college, 2-year college, vocational training program, or liveable wage job). Visit https://www.youthbuildphilly.org/ to learn more.

The Opportunity:

The Director of Workforce leads the strategic development of YB’s workforce programming in the Building Trades, Healthcare, and Culinary fields, ensuring alignment with evolving industry trends and employer needs. This role manages all of the logistical elements of workforce programming from worksite safety to supply ordering and partnership agreement management. A member of the School Leadership Team, the Director of Workforce is a strategic connector and systems-builder, collaborating with staff members and leaders across departments to ensure students have access to meaningful experiences and industry certifications that set them up for career success. The ideal candidate is a proven, equity-focused leader, with experience in programmatic leadership, building industry connections, operationalizing bold visions, managing complex logistics and competing priorities, and creating transformative workforce pathways for young people.

Who You Are:

You are/have…

Passionate about workforce development and postsecondary success, with deep expertise in vocational education, career pathways and readiness, real-world skill development, industry certifications, and postsecondary transition strategies

A strategic leader who can evolve and modernize YouthBuild’s 32-year-old workforce model to reflect industry trends and best practices.

An operational problem-solver who can oversee complex logistics, manage multiple programs, and ensure seamless execution of vocational programming.

Strong partnership-building skills, with the ability to engage employers, unions, industry leaders, postsecondary institutions, and community organizations.

Exceptional communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.

Ability to analyze data and use insights to drive programmatic decisions.

A deep commitment to educational equity and youth development with a strong understanding of how systemic barriers impact employment and education access.

5+ years of experience in workforce development, vocational education, postsecondary counseling, or related fields.

2+ years of leadership experience, preferably in a school, workforce development, or nonprofit setting.

Bachelor's Degree required, Master’s Degree from an accredited college or university is preferred.

Requirements

What You’ll Do:

You will…

Lead the strategic development of YB’s workforce programming in the Building Trades, Healthcare, and Culinary fields

Cultivate strong relationships with industry partners and sector experts and monitor local and national industry trends

Drive the ongoing evolution of workforce programming at YB, revising curriculum and programming to align with changing industry standards, emerging trends, and employer expectations to maximize student employability.

Lead the strategic development and expansion of YouthBuild’s social enterprise initiatives, ensuring alignment with organizational goals

Implement effective data collection, analysis, and reporting to monitor program outcomes, identify gaps, and inform strategic improvements.

Manage all logistical components of YB’s vocational programming

Oversee all worksite operations, including planning, staffing, supervision, quality control, and ensuring safe, effective workforce training environments that provide significant career exposure opportunities for students.

Manage procurement and inventory, including ordering supplies, tools, equipment, and materials needed for workforce training, enterprise projects, and student certifications.

Develop and maintain MOUs and relationships with partner organizations providing programmatic support, including those providing additional healthcare certifications to healthcare students.

Collaborate with the Director of Compliance & Implementation to ensure that workforce programming meets all grant requirements including contributing to grant reporting

Oversee the coordination and delivery of industry-recognized certifications, ensuring students have access to high-quality training that meets credentialing standards and ultimately earn industry certifications.

Directly manage the Partnership Coordinator, supporting them in creating and managing robust internship programming.

Collaborate with other school leaders

Collaborate closely with the Director of Academics, who manages workforce instructors and provides instructional feedback and support, to ensure alignment between instructional feedback and curriculum and programmatic priorities including supporting leading staff professional development.

Serve as a member of the School Leadership Team and Extended Leadership Team, contributing to organizational initiatives and collaborating across departments.

Collaborate with the Postsecondary team to ensure alignment between workforce programming, internship programming, and postsecondary exposure and placement activities.

Collaborate with the Principal and other members of the Leadership Team including the CEO, CFO, and Chief of Staff and Strategy to align the evolution of workforce programming to organizational goals and priorities.

Directly manage the Associate Director of Building Trades.

Other duties as assigned by the Principal.

What We Offer You:

Generous time off

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Flexible spending accounts

401(k) savings plan with an employer match

Employer-paid life insurance, short-term disability, and long-term disability

Educational assistance and professional development opportunities to enhance skills and career growth

Supportive and collaborative work environment, strong community support and involvement

Salary Range:

New YouthBuild staff can expect a starting salary of between $80,000 - $95,000 based on years of experience, education, and certifications, if applicable.

Applicants will have the opportunity to discuss our employee total rewards package and additional benefits during the application process.

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by this employee.

All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to their race, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, marital status, medical condition, veteran status, or any other basis as protected by federal, state, or local law.