Senior Work Ready Community Development Manager - Western

ACT, Inc.; Iowa City (IA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company paid life insurance

Medical, dental, vision coverage

401(k) with company match

Paid holidays and PTO

Job summary

ACT, Inc. is seeking a Senior Work Ready Community Development Manager to grow employer relationships and expand the ACT WorkKeys WRC framework across U.S. communities.

This growth role focuses on partnerships with chambers of commerce and economic development organizations to advance certification and licensing opportunities. The role drives product adoption, coordinates with sales on contracts, and navigates federal/state funding to sustain investments in workforce development.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in account management, business development, or economic development.
• Experience managing a portfolio of accounts or government partnerships.
• Track record selling workforce, education, or credentialing solutions.
• CRM proficiency and strong pipeline management.
• Excellent presentation and communication skills across audiences.
• Willingness to travel 30-50% within assigned region.
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Economic Development, Workforce Development or related field.

Responsibilities

• Build and manage an active pipeline of employer relationships within assigned communities, driving recognition of the ACT WorkKeys NCRC and adoption of WorkKeys workforce tools.
• Establish working relationships with chambers of commerce and economic development organizations to position WRC certification as a workforce and talent attraction asset.
• Own a portfolio of WRC communities, tracking progress, identifying advancement opportunities, and driving the actions needed to move communities forward in the program.
• Drive expansion of WorkKeys curriculum licenses, assessments, and credentials within your portfolio and coordinate with ACT Sales on contract execution.
• Connect communities to federal and state workforce funding streams to sustain their investment in workforce development.
• Facilitate introductions and partnerships across employers, training providers, workforce boards, and education partners.
• Maintain CRM pipeline records and provide regular reporting on employer acquisition, community progression, and product expansion.

Skills

Account management

Business development

Economic development

CRM proficiency

Communication skills

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business / Marketing / Economic Development / Workforce Development

Tools

CRM software

Job description

At ACT, Your Work Makes a Difference

Education has power - a power that changes lives forever. It creates opportunities that lift up individuals, their families, and sparks societal change that echoes through generations to come. From our grassroots we have fought the good fight for equity in education, and we remain devoted to helping anyone who struggles to access that power. This is what matters to us and we must do better -- we've never been more sure of our purpose.

ACT team members are part of an organization dedicated to a mission that has never been more important: Helping people achieve education and workplace success. Advancing that mission within our organization, by helping our team members achieve education and workplace success of their own, is core to our values. ACT values a diverse workplace and is committed to fostering an inclusive, equitable environment in which every team member has an opportunity to grow.

We want our team members to have the well‑being and confidence they need to do their best work, in an environment where both they and ACT thrive. To support this, our total rewards include company paid life insurance, medical, dental, vision, flexible health and dependent spending accounts, 401(k) retirement savings with company match, paid holidays, paid time off, and so much more. You can find a comprehensive list of our benefits here.

We are seeking a Senior Work Ready Community Development Manager, with at least 5 years of experience to help us fulfill that mission.

The finalist will be hired at the salary and level commensurate with their qualifications. For this position, we anticipate offering an annual salary in the range of $100,000 to $120,000. ACT manages salaries within the range based on relevant factors including, skills, experience, and internal equity. This position is incentive eligible.

Location: This is a remote position, based in the United States.

Visa: Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. without the need for visa sponsorship.

What you will be working on

ACT's Work Ready Communities program helps states, regions, and communities build a certified, competitive workforce by connecting employers, educators, economic developers, and policymakers around shared workforce readiness standards. With more than 580 participating communities and nearly 30,000 supporting employers nationwide, WRC is one of the most impactful workforce development programs in the country.

The WRC Development Manager is a growth role. You will build employer relationships, partner with chambers of commerce and economic development organizations, help communities advance through the WRC certification framework, and drive adoption of ACT WorkKeys products and credentials. You will also connect communities to funding resources and broker partnerships across the ecosystem.

This role is for someone who is energized by building relationships, comfortable at the executive level, and motivated by seeing real economic impact from their work.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Build and manage an active pipeline of employer relationships within assigned communities, driving recognition of the ACT WorkKeys NCRC and adoption of WorkKeys workforce tools
• Establish working relationships with chambers of commerce and economic development organizations to position WRC certification as a workforce and talent attraction asset
• Own a portfolio of WRC communities, tracking progress, identifying advancement opportunities, and driving the actions needed to move communities forward in the program
• Drive expansion of WorkKeys curriculum licenses, assessments, and credentials within your portfolio and coordinate with ACT Sales on contract execution
• Connect communities to federal and state workforce funding streams to sustain their investment in workforce development
• Facilitate introductions and partnerships across employers, training providers, workforce boards, and education partners
• Maintain CRM pipeline records and provide regular reporting on employer acquisition, community progression, and product expansion

Role Progression

Within 3 Months: Complete structured onboarding of the WRC six‑level framework and WorkKeys product suite. Gain fluency in your assigned economic zone portfolio, establish initial relationships with key community contacts and chamber partners, and begin building your employer outreach pipeline in CRM.

Within 6 Months: Actively managing your full portfolio with a clear view of each community's certification level and progression trajectory. Driving new employer recognitions, generating first WorkKeys curriculum license conversations, and identifying near‑term level advancement opportunities. Established relationships with chamber and EDOs partners in each economic zone.

Within 9 Months: Demonstrating measurable commercial outcomes with employer recognitions added, communities advanced to the next certification level, and product revenue generated or expanded. Operating with autonomy across your portfolio, leveraging funding navigation to sustain community investment, and actively contributing to the broader WRC team's strategic goals.

This could be the job for you if you have these minimum requirements

• 5+ years in account management, business development, or economic development with demonstrated growth outcomes
• Experience managing a portfolio of accounts or community/government partnerships
• Track record selling or positioning workforce, education, or credentialing solutions to employers or workforce organizations
• CRM proficiency and strong pipeline management habits
• Excellent presentation and communication skills across internal and external audiences at all organizational levels
• Willingness to travel 30-50% within assigned region, Candidates located in Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, California and Colorado preferred.
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Economic Development, Workforce Development or a related field of study, or an equivalent combination of education and experience from which comparable knowledge and abilities can be acquired.

It's a plus if you have (preferred)

• Master's degree in business, economic development, workforce development, or related field
• Familiarity with federal workforce funding programs such as WIOA or Perkins
• Experience working with chambers of commerce, economic development corporations, or workforce investment boards
• Background in consultative or solution selling in a B2B or government-adjacent context
• Familiarity with ACT WorkKeys products and the NCRC credentialing ecosystem

About ACT

When ACT was founded in 1959, it disrupted the assessment industry with a new approach to helping students better understand their readiness so they could take steps to improve it. By leveraging our expertise and authority in assessment and research, we will again disrupt the industry-helping more people learn, better measure their progress, and improve their navigation through life's transitions.

More than ever before, ACT is fulfilling its mission of helping people achieve education and workplace success. We're doing it by pushing the boundaries of learning innovation through the work of our people, who we call team members because we're all in this together.

We know transformation does not come without challenge. That's why ACT invests in a variety of experiences for team members to strengthen their connections, explore ideas, learn from customers, and celebrate success.

Learn more about working at ACT at act.org!

ACT is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. ACT participates in E-verify. ACT's online position announcements are intended only to provide general descriptions of employment opportunities; none of the information provided for any position should be interpreted as a commitment by ACT to specific terms and conditions for employment.

Completion of the ACT National Career Readiness Certificate is recommended. Find a testing site near you to register for the WorkKeys assessments. Finalists for this position will be subject to a criminal background check as a condition of employment.