DC Director

STEP is the union training fund for UNITE HERE Local 23 and its partner employers. Our mission is to support the growth of sustainable work in the hospitality industry by providing free, excellent classes, and educational benefits to union front line hospitality workers, their families, and communities. Our participants are primarily people of color and/or immigrants, and many speak first languages other than English. STEP’s classes, which range from technical skills in culinary arts, to food safety certifications, ESL, professional development and life skills, are all created to center our learners’ goals.

We are seeking a DC Director who is: mission driven; a strong strategist; excellent at relationship-building; able to communicate diplomatically with a diversity of participants and stakeholders; and, is committed to working with the union and its partner employers to build career pathways for our members.

The DC Director will oversee and continue to develop our DMV programs by driving strategy, supervising and mentoring staff, managing operations and budgets, and, liaising with the union, employers, and community partners.

Essential Skills

• • Strategic thinking: Ensure that the organization’s decision making (from programs to pedagogical approaches) supports STEP’s strategy for supporting union members, employer partners, and UNITE HERE Local 23.
  • Excel at building trusting relationships with key stakeholders: Navigate complex relationships with diplomacy and ensure that STEP delivers against expectations.
  • Leadership: Ability to motivate, mentor, and support staff, employing a consultative approach. Be ready to “pitch in” at all levels of work.
  • Problem solving: Proactive identification of problems and solutions, ability to pivot when external factors necessitate changes.

Core Responsibilities

• • Strategic development: lead program design and implementation that supports the core mission and strategy.
  • Program oversight: ensure that STEP continues to develop high quality curricula, provides excellent instruction using best practices for adult learning, and supports union members and partner employers with relevant job and life skills training.
  • Team Leadership: Mentor and supervise a small and diverse staff, with commitment to providing support and growth opportunities.
  • Operational Oversight: Manage daily operations, coordinating multiple interrelated projects, oversee expenses and budget. Work closely with supporting team (third party administrators, Fund counsel, auditors) to solve problems. Support the organization by identifying and overseeing the creation of SOPs.
  • Stakeholder Communication: Serve as a primary liaison and spokesperson for the program with community, political, union, and employer partners.
  • Evaluation & Reporting: Use and improve existing frameworks to measure program impact and effectiveness through data analysis and progress reports.

Requirements

• • Experience/Education: BA + 10 years of supervisory/leadership or MA/PhD + 7 years of supervisory/ leadership experience.
  • Work experience: Substantial experience in any of the following, or combination of the following: not for profit; job training or workforce development agency; social service program or agency; adult education (including ESL and literacy programs); union or social justice related work; community or grassroots organizing.
  • Leadership experience: have supervised and/or led a team of 5 - 8 staff.
  • Certifications: project management certifications are not required, but familiarity with approaches designed for small teams in changing environments is a plus.

Free single health /affordable family health insurance

Paid vacation and holidays

Paid sick days

401K

Knowledge of additional languages (Spanish, French, Creole) is a plus but not absolutely necessary.