A best-in-class city that attracts best-in-class talent, Philadelphia is an incredible place to build a career. From our thriving arts scene and rich history to our culture of passion and grit, there are countless reasons to love living and working here. With a workforce of over 30,000 people, and more than 1,000 different job categories, the City of Philadelphia offers boundless opportunities to make an impact.

As an employer, the City of Philadelphia values inclusion, integrity, innovation, empowerment, and hard work above all else. We offer a vibrant work environment, comprehensive health care and benefits, and the experience you need to grow and excel. If you’re interested in working with a passionate team of people who care about the future of Philadelphia, start here.

What we offer

• Impact - The work you do here matters to millions. 
• Growth - Philadelphia is growing, why not grow with it? 
• Diversity & Inclusion - Find a career in a place where everyone belongs.
• Benefits - We care about your well-being.

Agency Description

A division of the Commerce Department, the Workforce Development Office seeks to foster systemic solutions to employers' human capital challenges and strengthen Philadelphia’s workforce development ecosystem.

The Commerce Department is responsible for implementation of the 2018 Fueling Philadelphia’s Talent Engine (FPTE) and the most recently implemented 2021 Respond & Recharge Commitment, a citywide workforce development strategy aimed at addressing employers’ talent needs and preparing residents for careers in family-sustaining jobs and addressing this more aggressively in response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2021 Workforce Respond and Recharge Commitment is guided by three objectives:

1.      Build upon critical work outlined in three previous strategies.

• FPTE (2018)
• Growing with Equity: Philadelphia’s Vision for Inclusive Growth (2019)
• Respond, Restart, Recharge, Reimagine: An Equitable and Inclusive Economic Recovery for Philadelphia (2020)

2.      Refine and reimagine the roles of the Department of Commerce, Philadelphia Works, and PIDC within Philadelphia’s workforce development ecosystem to better connect jobseekers to employers and increase accountability.

3.      Set ambitious, achievable goals that leverage partnerships to help residents prepare and succeed in quality jobs.

Respond and Recharge commitment – developed in partnership with multiple stakeholders from the private, public, non-profit sectors and employers, aims to bring the unemployment rate and the number of jobs back to January 2020 levels, while working to eliminate the racial and ethnic disparities that compose the city-wide unemployment rate and growing sustainable, living wage jobs.

The FPTE strategy has three overarching goals:

1. Prepare Philadelphians with the skills employers need for a world-class workforce.
2. Address the barriers that prevent Philadelphians from accessing meaningful career opportunities.
3. Build a workforce system that is more coordinated, innovative, and effective.

Fueling Philadelphia’s Talent Engine — developed in partnership with stakeholders from the private, public, and nonprofit sectors — will drive workforce development efforts in Philadelphia through 2023 and beyond

The City of Philadelphia’s Commerce Department division of Workforce Development is seeking a Director of Workforce Development, who will play an essential role as the creator, developer, convener and manager of key workforce development -based incentives and initiatives of the Commerce Department.  This role will serve as the primary connection and link between the Workforce Development unit and City departments, key partners and stakeholders and businesses, representing the integral work of employer engagement.  As the Workforce Development division of Commerce is a systems convener, not a practitioner, building cross functional collaborations and working connections and pipelines between systems and on behalf of employers, is a key aspect of this work.  

In addition to initiative/incentive program development and relationship management, a critical responsibility of this role will be to provide supervision and oversight of the Employer Engagement team and ensure the priorities of Workforce Development portfolio, and the priorities of the Commerce Department, are promulgated and continuous and result in high quality outcomes.

A successful candidate for this position must operate effectively in a dynamic, fast paced government department; understands the power of team building internally and with cross sector partners; and has a passion for helping promote and effectuate equity and wealth building and opportunities for Philadelphians. Strong attention to bottom line results and metrics is a must.

The Director of Workforce Development will plan, oversee and be familiar with current workforce development initiatives, locally and regionally, and share information, strategic consultation and support to the Senior Director of Workforce and the other departments in Commerce that intertwine with the Workforce Development team’s work.

Business Development & Incentive Priorities

• Development of needs analyses that influence the creation of training systems that prepare individuals to meet the workforce needs of our employer partners.  This work will include
• Identifying and analyzing employer training needs and matching with the current training programs available.
• Leveraging and coordinating resources from key partners including Philadelphia Works and PIDC (Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation) and assist businesses and entrepreneurs in navigating those systems to meet their business needs.
• Managing and supporting the negotiations of the Employer Engagement Managers with the hiring management of local small, medium and neighborhood employers.
• Supporting the development of curriculum, assessment, completion criteria and program evaluation methods as designed by training partner staff and ancillary professionals identified and resourced by the Workforce Development team.
• Supporting and developing the systems to ensure consistent, high-quality program management and quality outcomes.
• Ensuring ongoing division and programmatic excellence.  Including overseeing implementation of programs, managing timelines and resources to achieve program and organizational goals.

Relationship Management

• Initiative and cultivate existing employer relationships and develop new relationships with current and prospective employers in the emerging and high growth sectors to ensure the delivery of high-quality programs aligned with employing more Philadelphia residents.
• Provide on-going support to the development of inter-team communication and cohesiveness, sustaining a can-do culture and supporting staff while working seamlessly with the key anchor partners.

Strategic Coordination

• Conduct basic research into the local and regional landscape of emerging sector jobs to help inform business relationships with workforce training providers.
• Support the development of the necessary employer relationships, processes, and tools to support the facilitation of employer and provider incentive programs.
• Work collaboratively with the Commerce department Directors in the Office of Neighborhood Economic Development, and Business Attraction and Development to implement short- and long-term goals that will help meet the objectives of the City’s Commerce Department and Workforce Development organizational strategy.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Provide integral support and connectivity for the development and execution of the city’s Fueling Philadelphia’s Talent Engine workforce strategy and aligned initiatives
• Provide support and direct oversight for the strategic initiatives of the Employer Engagement Team and related workforce partnership projects and department initiatives
• Support the development of systems to build pipelines of talent for targeted industry sectors and or local employers/employer groups
• Work collaboratively with city partners to develop strategic and coordinated pipelines for employment both within the City of Philadelphia and externally
• Develop and execute strategies to increase participation in growing industries (Advanced Manufacturing, Information Technology, Healthcare, and Life Sciences)
• Coordinate efforts to create pilot programs that embody the Workforce Development and Commerce Department’s goals   
• Support the compliance of contracted partners
• Serve as an active member of the city-wide workforce development sub committees and other advisory groups as designated
• Assist in the coordination and support of the Employer Engagement team and workforce solutions agenda and strategy
• Serve as the content area expert for oversight and alignment of the Workforce Development division’s goals and objectives with the public workforce system as it relates to opportunities for growth with equity for all Philadelphians
• Participate on designated committees to ensure alignment of the workforce development strategies and agendas
• Represent the Senior Director  as needed

Competencies, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

The Office of Workforce Development is looking for a highly motivated individual who possess the following skills and competencies:

• Strong analytical skills, business sensibilities and attention to bottom line results are a must
• Able to operate effectively in a diverse and fast paced work environment
• Committed to strengthening collaboration within the Commerce management team and cross-sector partners
• Strong work ethic and enthusiasm for connecting Philadelphians to quality employment and career opportunities
• Outstanding verbal, written and on-line communication skills
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Demonstrated ability to manage time efficiently and meet deadlines
• Outstanding integrity, positive attitude, and self-direction
• Clearly mission driven, with a specific passion for the work of Commerce and Workforce Development

Education:

• A Bachelor’s degree is the minimum required, preferably in a related discipline (Human Resources, Talent Management, Training and Development, Organizational Development and Design, etc.).
• A Master’s degree is preferred.
   

Experience:

• 5-7 years of experience in private sector or non-profit business development, in a middle-management level role or higher
• Experience supervision of staff /team
•  Experience with developing and managing workforce development, human resources and talent related projects or strategies with a verifiable track record of excellence.
• Experience in marketing or negotiation of services and business products with small and medium businesses
• Familiarity with the public and private sector landscape of employers and business services that spur growth

TO APPLY: Interested candidates must submit a cover letter and resume.

Salary Range: $70,000 - $80,000 

Did you know?

• We are a Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program qualified employer
• 25% tuition discount program for City employees (and sometimes spouses and dependents as well) in partnership with area colleges and universities
• We offer Comprehensive health coverage for employees and their eligible dependents
• Our wellness program offers eligibility into the discounted medical plan
• Employees receive paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays
• Generous retirement savings options are available

*The successful candidate must be a city of Philadelphia resident within six months of hire

Please note that effective September 1, 2021 the City of Philadelphia is requiring all new employees to present proof of vaccination against COVID-19. 

The City of Philadelphia is an Equal Opportunity employer and does not permit discrimination based on race, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, marital status, source of income, familial status, genetic information or domestic or sexual violence victim status. If you believe you were discriminated against, call the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations at 215-686-4670 or send an email to faqpchr@phila.gov.

For more information, go to: Human Relations Website: http://www.phila.gov/humanrelations/Pages/default.aspx