Executive Director - Common Ground Works, Inc

Common Ground is a multi-racial, nonpartisan group of everyday people dedicated to building power to bring about more racial equity and economic justice, to hold elected and corporate officials accountable, and to create positive change in the Greater Milwaukee area. Common Ground’s success is rooted in the commitment of its forty-five member organizations: congregations, neighborhood groups, non-profits, small businesses, unions, and schools. We identify and develop leaders.  

We set daring goals, create savvy strategies, and are willing to stand up to powerful interests. We get results. Common Ground has a 16-year track record of creating meaningful change around foreclosure, education, youth jobs, health care access, voting, safe neighborhoods, and more. 

Common Ground has spent five years researching local and national workforce development programs, seeking to understand the types of programs that are most effective in creating lasting change for under and unemployed individuals. The outcome of that research has resulted in a determination to create our own Workforce Development Program called Common Ground Works (CGW). 

Position overview 

The Executive Director of Common Ground Works (CGW) is responsible for leading the startup and administration of a unique workforce development program in Greater Milwaukee that focuses on the ‘whole individual’ by providing services, training, mentoring, and coaching with the goal of long-term job retention. Services of CGW will include a comprehensive range of training and support for motivated individuals affected by poverty, homelessness and incarceration including life-skills training and personalized career placement services.  CGW will use existing, successful workforce development programs like Cara Collective and Cincinnati Works as a model to build a new program in Milwaukee.  

Key Responsibilities 

Overall: 

• Hire, lead and develop a staff with the goal of helping those who are under or unemployed build the personal and professional skills needed to obtain sustainable employment. This role requires a high level of strategic capabilities, as the Director will be inaugurating, developing, and growing CGW for long term success.  

• Lead initiatives to develop and implement the recruitment of participants, training and placement strategies, as well as building and maintaining relationships with community and political leaders, community service agencies, funding resources, and potential employment and referral partners.   

• Report to the Board of Directors of CGW and will work in conjunction with the Board to establish standards and measures of accountability. 

Executive and Administrative: 

• Engage in strategic planning to set program direction, anticipate challenges, and build sustainability within the program. 

• Formulate, implement, and review short and long-term workforce development program policies, objectives, and goals. 

• Prepare, monitor, and control the budget for both allocated and revenue generated funds. 

• Stay abreast of innovative and successful best practices of workforce development nationwide and establish standards for delivery of services, organizational policies, and procedures. 

• Work closely with the CGW Board of Directors to enhance organizational presence and its brand, including but not limited to online, social media and regional recognition. 

• Establish and implement effective procedures to audit, monitor and evaluate all objectives and provide timely and accurate reporting, analysis, and consultation to the CGW Board of Directors. 

• Identify appropriate staffing configuration to achieve immediate and long-term goals of CGW. 

• Hire, develop, lead, coach, and manage a high performing team of service professionals. 

Program Management: 

• Oversee the workforce development program and delivery of services according to identified standards and deliverables.  

• Develop, recommend, and implement program policies and procedures. 

• Develop, manage, and direct programming pertaining to workforce development. 

• Determine priorities and timelines for implementing various program components and related hiring. 

• Provide direct service, as needed, to establish a new program or method.  

• Ensure the quality and integration of all program components, including education, training, life skills, and career development. 

• Manage team performance through coaching, goal setting and performance reviews.  

• Assure the required data collection systems are in place, secured and maintained for the program.  

Relationship Management: 

• Meet and communicate effectively with local, state and federal programs to ensure adherence to workforce program policies, regulations and practices. 

• Represent CGW and lead efforts for networking and developing positive working relationships with community and government leaders and social service agencies.  

• Nurture strong positive relationships with funding resources and workforce development networks.  

• Develop, expand and maintain relationships with referral and employment partners to build program participation. 

• Ensure effective collaboration of CGW staff with external agencies, referral and employment partners.   

• Establish and maintain a strong working relationship with the CGW Board of Directors. 

• Represent CGW to the community, stakeholders, within professional organizations and the media. 

Qualifications & EXPERIENCE 

A combination of education and training equivalent to the qualifications as stated will be considered. 

• Experience with a start-up; launching new programs or services or entrepreneurship is desired. 

• A bachelor’s degree in business administration, public administration or related field or equivalent experience required. 

• A master’s degree in business administration, public administration or related field is helpful. 

• Five years of experience at a management/leadership level with proven ability to communicate goals and motivate staff toward goal attainment. 

• Strong change-management skills. 

• Experience collaborating with organizations (e.g., non-profit, profit, governmental, social service, etc.) serving vulnerable and under-served populations.  

• Successful fundraising experience is desired. 

• Proven success in leading organizations and programs that deliver services to under or unemployed individuals or those experiencing poverty or homelessness, trauma, social injustice, or incarceration.   

• Knowledge of workforce development programs helpful. 

• Ability to communicate effectively and develop meaningful relationships with individuals and groups from diverse socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. 

• Demonstrated strategic planning skills with the ability to translate goals into program success. 

• Strong business acumen with ability to set and manage budgets. 

Compensation and Benefits: 

• $110-130K based on qualifications and experience (benefits package included) 

• Holidays and Paid Time Off