Senior Director of Career-Connected Learning

Job Title: Senior Director of Career-Connected Learning

Location: Northern CA/Central Valley/Stockton, CA (Hybrid)

The preferred application deadline for this position is July 31, 2023. Please note that we do not guarantee review of applications after this date.

The Organization:

While San Joaquin County is a leading agricultural producer and inland seaport in the US, our diverse population of nearly 800,000 faces daunting and persistent challenges regarding educational attainment and economic prosperity. In our region, the quality of what we cultivate – our grapes, walnuts, cherries, and tomatoes – is known for being among the best in the world. We envision a world where our education system is known for the same high quality, where we cultivate minds as well as we cultivate crops.  

San Joaquin A+ is a group of educators, business leaders, active citizens, and philanthropists that has supported education in Stockton and surrounding areas in San Joaquin County since 1996. We collaborate with local families, educators, and workforce partners to set a vision for how our community can prepare students to be successful and responsible citizens who are doing what they love, earning what they need, in the location they want to live. After a relaunch of the organization in 2019, we have been hard at work to create new opportunities for youth in our region. Some recent initiatives include the launch of a Child Savings Account Program, support of several new Early College and Career High Schools, launch of a community organizing program, and release of a policy brief highlighting local student outcomes during the pandemic. For more information about San Joaquin A+, please visit https://sjaplus.org/. 

The Position: 

To improve outcomes for Black, Latino, and low-income students, we believe that our community needs a greater number of high-quality schools and programs that provide students with the knowledge, skills, credentials, and capital to secure family-sustaining jobs by the age of twenty-six. Preparing students to succeed in a rapidly changing economy will require moving beyond the traditional educational construct of study-then-work to a study-and-work career-connected learning (CCL) approach that combines classroom instruction with relevant, real-world experience. Attaining a four-year college degree immediately after high school will continue to be the right ambition for many young people. But a single-minded pursuit of college, absent related career experiences and a clear view of how that education will be used, is failing too many of our students.

San Joaquin A+ is launching a new initiative in Fall 2023 with a mission to work hand-in-hand with employers and schools to prepare young people from San Joaquin County with career exposure, skills, and experiences to earn family-sustaining incomes by age 26. Centered on year-round internships and apprenticeships, this new initiative will expose high-school students to high-demand jobs, develop their professional skills, provide coaching and mentorship, and offer program management support for students, employers, and schools to ensure robust learning experiences. Our ultimate goal is to establish a thriving community where high school youth are inspired and empowered by supportive coaches, educators, and employers to drive long-term economic growth in our region.   

The Senior Director of Career-Connected Learning reports to the Chief Operating Officer and will lead the design and execution of our CCL strategy. Working alongside educators and employers, this position will play a vital role in the design and launch of new opportunities for students in the region. 

This is a hybrid position, requiring 2 to 3 days in the office and surrounding areas most weeks. The San Joaquin A+ office is located in Stockton, CA.

Responsibilities: 

Program Design and Management

• Design and implement a continuum of CCL experiences for students across grade levels (e.g., career exploration, job shadowing, guest speakers, mentoring, project-based learning, and paid internships).
• Design and implement job readiness programming for students as preparation for internships (e.g., professional skills training, resume and interview prep, internship orientation and onboarding, etc.).
• Design and implement an equitable, scalable student-employer matching system for all CCL opportunities.
• Design and implement a scalable, cost-effective student transportation strategy for off-site CCL opportunities as appropriate.
• Work with A+ finance, legal, and operational support to ensure that all logistical requirements including required paperwork are completed (e.g., employer contracts, student work permits, student payroll/insurance/employment forms, etc.).
• Support professional development efforts for school-based staff (e.g., teachers, counselors, and administrators) on CCL opportunities at Early College and Career High Schools.
• Conduct regular site visits with employers and schools to assess progress and establish a continuous feedback loop between all stakeholders.
• Support the design, planning, and facilitation of regular meetings with industry partners.
• Recruit new school and employer partners.

Community and Stakeholder Engagement

• Build working relationships with key stakeholders, including K-12 educators, Higher Education administrators, local employers, and community-based organizations.
• Cultivate and manage relationships with industry partners to provide students with CCL opportunities that align to program models at Early College and Career High Schools across a continuum of experiences.
• Cultivate and manage relationships with students and parents to ensure they are aware of and have the support they need to succeed in CCL opportunities.
• Design and facilitate regular community engagement and awareness-building events and strategies for parents and students, including parent/family information nights, community events, industry events, and board presentations.

Thought Leadership

• Advocate for policies needed to support high-quality, career-connected learning opportunities.
• Design measurement and evaluation system (e.g., surveys, assessments, etc.) to assess program progress towards objectives.
• Develop written materials that synthesize analyses and progress for a variety of internal and external stakeholders, including donors.
• Write and publish case studies, articles, and media posts to elevate key insights, progress, successes, and challenges.

Skills and Qualifications:

• Minimum of seven years of work experience; client-facing (e.g., strategy consulting), human resources, and youth-facing experience preferred.
• Passionate commitment to the mission of dramatically improving outcomes for youth in San Joaquin County.
• Track record of building relationships and rallying others in pursuit of a common goal.
• Outstanding project management skills: able to organize, prioritize, and direct many parallel projects and tasks; possesses exceptional attention to detail, tenacious follow-through, and a high bar for quality.
• Strong strategic thinker who can address complex problems by designing sustainable, scalable systems.
• General business acumen and comfort with financial concepts.
• Proven ability to develop and present professional materials (e.g., spreadsheets, memos, presentations, articles).
• Excellent team player and enthusiasm for working in a collaborative environment.
• Humble and responsive to feedback, with capacity to learn quickly and continuously.
• Thrives in a fast-paced, dynamic, entrepreneurial start-up environment.

Research has shown that people of color and women are less likely to apply for jobs if they don't believe they meet every one of the qualifications described in a job description. We encourage you to apply, even if you don't believe you meet every one of the above qualifications or you have a less traditional background.

Compensation:

 The salary range for this position is between $125,000 and $150,000 per year. We offer a competitive salary and benefits package, including 100% of health/dental/vision premiums fully covered.

How to Apply:

Please submit your application here. The preferred application deadline for this position is July 31, 2023. Please note that we do not guarantee review of applications after this date.

San Joaquin A+ is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, age, ethnic background, sex, disability, or sexual orientation. People of color, women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and people with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.