Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) – Director of Workforce Development

Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)

DIRECTOR OF WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT/ADULT & POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION

ABOUT CLASP

Founded almost 50 years ago in Washington, D.C., the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, anti-poverty organization advancing federal, state, and local policy solutions for low-income people. We advocate for public policies and programs at the federal, state, and local levels that reduce poverty, improve low-income people’s lives, and create ladders to economic security. We use a racial equity framework, developing solutions that address racial, ethnic, income, and immigration status barriers.

Threats to low-income people are greater than at any time in CLASP’s history. Our work is more important, urgent, and in demand than ever. We are a growing organization that brings a distinguished history and the capacity for innovation and change. In that dynamic context, we are seeking a deeply committed, strategic, and creative leader with a respectful, collaborative management style to direct CLASP’s Center for Postsecondary and Economic Success (C-PES), our policy team for workforce development and postsecondary education.

Across decades, we have kept our vision alive in a wide range of political and policy contexts by providing trusted expertise, a deeply knowledgeable staff, and a commitment to practical yet forward-looking approaches to achieving opportunity for all. We lift up the voices of poor and low-income children, families, and individuals, equip advocates with strategies that work, and help public officials put good ideas into practice.

Within this broad anti-poverty mission, CLASP is organized around five policy teams: Child Care and Early Education, Youth Policy, Center for Postsecondary and Economic Success, Income and Work Supports, and Job Quality.  Over the past several years, we have integrated our work more extensively across teams, providing depth on crosscutting issues like immigration and immigrant families, criminal justice reform, and mental health.

ABOUT C-PES

In 2010, CLASP launched the Center for Postsecondary and Economic Success (C-PES) to complement our long-standing commitment to workforce development and basic skills development for low-income adults and youth with limited skills and barriers to employment. This includes a strong focus on postsecondary access and success. Recently, this expanded to include justice reform work.

This team plays an important bridging role, improving alignment between postsecondary education, workforce development, and adult education. C-PES also works closely with other CLASP teams to offer deep expertise on the connections between basic needs programs (e.g., Medicaid, SNAP, child care) and education and workforce systems.

Recognizing that federal, state, and local/institutional work is mutually reinforcing, C-PES works across levels of government. Our federal policy work is informed by our technical assistance to states and local areas/institutions. And our ability to provide technical assistance is enhanced by our knowledge of the intricacies of federal policy.

POSITION SUMMARY

Our ideal candidate brings significant leadership experience and a broad knowledge of C-PES policy areas. S/he is a recognized expert in one or more of these fields. The successful candidate will have the ability to strategically leverage a diverse team of experts in postsecondary education, workforce development, and adult education (currently 8 members) as well as creatively partner with experts from our income and work supports, youth, child care, and job quality teams. The successful candidate will also bring passion for CLASP’s anti-poverty and racial equity mission and strong relationships with key external partners and stakeholders.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Strategic leadership and vision: Develop, articulate, and implement a strategic vision for the C-PES team in partnership with team members as well as CLASP colleagues. This will be achieved in the context of CLASP’s organizational mission and the rapidly changing policy and budget environment.
• Inclusive supervision and effective team building: Encourage team collaboration, professional development, and input from all team members, including remote staff; communicate effectively and listen actively, with a respect for diverse perspectives and healthy team debate; provide thought leadership and support in the design of advocacy strategies; leverage the expertise and deep knowledge base of a team of experts; and continue to forge connections between this team and others at CLASP.
• Communications, technical assistance, and external engagement: Continue to strengthen CLASP’s role as a strong voice for lower-skilled, low-income adults and youth in workforce and postsecondary policy; strengthen our ability to effectively frame and communicate the importance of these issues; speak directly to our vision and practical next steps through speaking, writing, and direct partnership with policymakers, advocates, and other stakeholders.
• Fundraising and funder relations: Lead the team’s fundraising efforts and effectively engage with funders.
• CLASP-wide leadership and collaboration:  Participate with CLASP colleagues in strategic thinking about: 1) opportunities and risks for low-income people, people of color, and immigrants in setting priorities for CLASP’s work as a whole; and 2) in creating an organization-wide atmosphere that supports CLASP’s values of diversity, inclusion, and effectiveness.

IDEAL QUALIFICATIONS

• Demonstrated commitment to improving the circumstances of vulnerable and low-income people, immigrants, and communities of color.
• Leadership experience in at least one of the areas addressed by C-PES (postsecondary education, workforce development, or adult education), including a proven ability to develop, articulate, and execute a vision and lead a staff of policy experts.
• Deep understanding of policy and practice in at least one of these areas. This could have been gained, for example, through substantial experience in a public-sector policymaking role, in a nonprofit advocacy organization, as a legislative staffer, through leadership on these issues with an employer, or several of the above. Ideally, this experience will include knowledge of both policy and practice spanning multiple levels of government (federal, state, and local) as well as an understanding of the community, policy, operational, and political context for the issues.
• In addition to depth in at least one C-PES area, the successful candidate should have some familiarity with the others. Ideally, this will include experience in advocacy, policy, or implementation relevant to building connections across the areas.
• Strong reputation and visibility in the field; strong communicator, including experience successfully interacting with news media as a content expert and proven ability to write and speak to a variety of audiences; ability to distill the technical details of public policy into language that is easily accessible to wider audiences.
• Demonstrated capacity to supervise and mentor both junior and senior staff, with a respectful and collaborative management style, and demonstrated capacity to build a highly effective and mutually supportive team.
• Proven ability to identify and develop innovative policies and/or practices; creative; and entrepreneurial.
• Demonstrated capacity to bring a racial equity lens to policy development and implementation.
• Strong project management skills; demonstrated ability to effectively manage multiple initiatives from multiple funders; and experience overseeing grant and contract deliverables.
• Demonstrated success in fundraising as well as developing and managing funder relationships.
• Successful record of initiating and cultivating relationships with partners, both mainstream and nontraditional; and proven ability to collaborate.
• Advanced degree in relevant field, such as Master’s or J.D., is strongly preferred.

Salary is commensurate with experience. CLASP offers exceptional benefits, including health insurance, dental insurance, life and long-term disability insurance, long-term care insurance, a 403(b)-retirement program, flexible spending accounts and generous vacation, sick leave, and holiday schedules.

To apply: please send a cover letter, salary requirements, and resume to: settleson@gmail.com, subject line, CLASP – C-PES. (NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE.)

The Center for Law and Social Policy is an equal opportunity employer, and people of color are encouraged to apply. Resumes will be accepted until position is filled.