Director of Education and Training (Remote)

The U. S. Federation of Worker Co-ops (USFWC), the national grassroots membership organization for worker cooperatives and other democratic workplaces, is seeking a Director of Education and Training to lead our our training and technical assistance program (Co-op Clinic) and our consulting program. Our Co-op Clinic provides training and technical assistance to worker cooperatives and democratic workplaces and adjacent organizations through trainings, resources, and a network of peer advisors from the field who provide direct technical assistance. Our fee-for-service consulting program complements and subsidizes our Co-op Clinic by providing training and facilitation to clients outside of our membership, who range from cooperative businesses to mission-aligned nonprofits. This program brings critical income to the USFWC while supporting racial justice and advancing our visions for an expanded solidarity economy.

USFWC’s work in training, technical assistance and consulting is guided by participatory approaches rooted in a robust analysis of justice, restoration, democracy, and collective liberation. Our education and training work has been building for several years, and demand for our services from members and clients continues to grow. The person in this position will have the opportunity to further build out these programs and drive impact for the solidarity economy ecosystem.

This position will provide leadership for the overall business plan and strategy of our Co-op Clinic and consulting programs, while also supporting curriculum and tool development, program staffing, train-the-trainers offerings, and fundraising to make our Co-op Clinic affordable given the legacy of racial capitalism. This person will supervise existing Manager-level staff in our Co-op Clinic Team and the Consulting Team, oversee our work with contractors and Peer Advisers in these programs, and help both teams grow as the need for capacity increases. Additionally, they will oversee our Speakers Bureau, which connects seasoned voices of the worker co-op field to conference and speaking opportunities, primarily centering Black, Indigenous, and other voices of color, as well as immigrant and working class voices from the co-op field. They will work closely with the Executive Director and other director-level staff to shape strategy, program development, and occasionally advise cross-departmental projects including annual conferences, webinars, fellowship programs, and political education.  

Job Description 

Program Strategy and Management (40%)

• Lead and manage the USFWC’s Education & Training teams 
• Shape overall strategy for the Consulting and Technical Assistance teams, including goals, scope, client outreach, proposal drafting, delivery of work, and evaluation
• Develop and maintain a staffing plan for the Consulting and Technical Assistance teams together with the Executive Director, the Managing Director and the Consulting and Technical Assistance teams
• Support hiring and onboarding of Co-op Clinic and Consulting staff and contractors as needed, and supervise core Co-op Clinic and Consulting staff
• Oversee management of the pipeline of consulting and TA requests
• Establish, track and meet earned revenue goals for both the Co-op Clinic and the Consulting work
• Oversee development and use of project management, contract management and administrative systems for the Consulting and TA teams
• Advise the teams in providing exemplary training, facilitation, technical assistance, curriculum design, and consulting appropriate to clients’ needs. (Note: providing client services directly is not a core part of the job description.)
• Oversee quarterly updates to the Board of Directors on consulting and TA activities, and other reporting as needed
• Provide supervisory support to Coordinator- and Manager-level staff within the consulting and technical assistance teams, and support of other staff providing consulting and TA services as needed

Consulting Team Management (25%)

• Support business planning and business plan implementation for USFWC’s consulting work
• Secure a diverse portfolio of consulting clients in support of USFWC budgetary goals
• Oversee meetings with potential fee for service clients and the development of proposals to potential clients
• Supervise the Training and Consulting Manager and other staff engaged in consulting work
• Scope, hire and support contractors where needed to complete Consulting deliverables
• Ensure the consulting team meets or addresses goals and deliverables for clients and related contracts, and maintains positive working relationships with clients
• Support ongoing learning and skill building for the Consulting team, e.g. through coaching, debrief sessions, evaluation and shadowing.

Technical Assistance (Co-op Clinic) Team Management (20%)

• Support next-stage strategy, business planning and business plan implementation for USFWC’s Co-op Clinic as a means of serving our core stakeholders
• Supervise the Co-op Clinic Team including the Training and TA Manager, the Technical Assistance Manager and the Training Administrative Assistant 
• Support the Co-op Clinic Team in scoping and contract negotiation for larger Co-op Clinic clients and partners
• Work with the Co-op Clinic team to oversee the development of train-the-trainer programming for our Peer Advisors in the field, with a focus on supporting BIPOC expertise
• Work with USFWC’s fundraising team to support overall fundraising for affordable technical assistance, with a focus on underserved clients in non-rural areas and on BIPOC co-ops 
• Work with USFWC’s fundraising team in the development of sponsorship packages, grant language and grant proposals to fund the Co-op Clinic

Cross-Team Strategy and Support (15%)

• Collaborate on cross-departmental projects including annual conferences, webinars, fellowship programs, political education, and staff professional development 
• Support the USFWC Speakers Bureau in collaboration with team members who carry out recruitment, selection, training, and evaluation of speakers, and provide guidance on promotion.
• Provide cross-team advice on curriculum and training design for USFWC conferences, events and activities as appropriate
• Contribute to general organizational strategy in areas such as work planning, staffing, staff support, budget and programming, via regular meetings with the staff leadership team

Qualifications

Required Skills and Experience

• Experience working in or with worker (or other) cooperatives, collectives, or democratic workplaces
• Experience with management and team coordination
• Experience with team work planning, time management, project management
• Business management skills (finance, marketing, etc) and experience following a business plan
• Experience developing and designing innovative and engaging curriculum, trainings, and educational resources and/or experience providing direct technical assistance
• Experience with popular education and participatory pedagogy
• Fundraising, development, or grants experience
• Strong communication skills, including:
• written communication skills (can convey complex points concisely, create thorough and engaging reports and resources, compelling prose for grants etc)  
• verbal communication skills (can speak confidently and clearly about our work; navigate challenging interpersonal dynamics in a way that aims for resolution and de-escalation)
• Experience and competency working with communities of color and immigrant communities
• Attention to detail, complemented by the ability to see the big picture

Desired skills / experience

• Experience working remotely and/or with a distributed team
• Outgoing personality, positive attitude and strong social skills 
• Creative problem-solving skills
• Capacity for travel (when travel can be done safely)
• Fluency in Spanish

Though not required, we would be particularly interested in candidates who have experience with democratic decision-making, consulting or freelance work, cooperative development, community organizing, or working with poor and working-class communities.

Details about the position

Location

Our workplace is remote, with many staff residing in Philadelphia, PA and others spread across the U.S. We maintain a flexible work environment, with occasional out of town travel for work as health guidelines allow. Applicants who reside in New York, California, Washington, Massachusetts, Maryland, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, or the District of Columbia are strongly preferred for this position. However, we may consider exceptional applicants in other U.S. states.

About Being on Staff:

U.S. Federation of Worker Cooperatives is a growing organization, currently consisting of 18 staff along with leadership from our nine-member Board of Directors. The USFWC has expanded both its programs and its staff significantly over the last four years. We are dedicated to serving our members and focusing on growing our impact, our value, and our member benefits. Member engagement is a key area of our focus, and also involves strengthening relationships with local and regional networks and exploring new state-level chapters.