Vice President, Workforce and Economic Development

Community College of Philadelphia; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 180,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Community College of Philadelphia seeks a Vice President for Workforce and Economic Development to serve as chief workforce strategist and external leader. The role aligns education and training with regional labor market demand, expanding access to family-sustaining careers through innovative partnerships and programs.

As a Cabinet-level executive, you will oversee workforce training, employer engagement, continuing education, and grant administration, building sector partnerships and measuring

Qualifications

• Earned master's degree required.
• Minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible leadership experience in workforce development, higher education, economic development, or related field.
• Demonstrated success building employer partnerships and workforce pipelines.
• Experience administering grants, contracts, and complex budgets.
• Strong leadership, communication, and management skills.
• Commitment to equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and implementation of the College's Workforce Development Strategy.
• Serve as chief workforce and economic mobility officer.
• Provide strategic leadership for workforce development and employer engagement.
• Advise the President and Cabinet on workforce trends and opportunities.
• Promote alignment between workforce initiatives and the College's strategic plan.
• Lead external partnerships with employers, industry associations, and labor organizations.
• Develop and oversee workforce programs aligned with regional labor market demand.
• Oversee grants, funding, and resource development for workforce initiatives.
• Supervise workforce development personnel and budgets.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Relationship-building

Management

Data-driven

Equity & inclusion

Education

Master's degree

Job description

Success starts at Community College of Philadelphia. Innovators and difference makers work at Community College of Philadelphia. Diversity thrives at Community College of Philadelphia. We are a college that is committed to promoting a work environment that attracts and retains talented and diverse faculty and staff. We challenge each other and ourselves to achieve at the highest level while contributing to the mission of the College and the betterment of Philadelphia. We value and support an intellectually dynamic community to prepare our students for global citizenship. Join us and become a part of a community that has long been and will continue to be generators of generational chance in this city and beyond.

Community College of Philadelphia is an open-admission, associate-degree-granting institution which provides access to higher education for all who may benefit. Its programs of study in the liberal arts and sciences, career technologies, and basic academic skills provide a coherent foundation for college transfer, employment and lifelong learning. The College serves Philadelphia by preparing its students to be informed and concerned citizens, active participants in the cultural life of the city, and enabled to meet the changing needs of business, industry and the professions. To help address broad economic, cultural and political concerns in the city and beyond, the College draws together students from a wide range of ages and backgrounds and seeks to provide the programs and support they need to achieve their goals.

Position Summary

The Vice President for Workforce and Economic Development serves as the College’s chief workforce strategist and external workforce leader. As a member of the President’s Cabinet, the Vice President provides vision, leadership, and oversight for the College’s workforce development, employer engagement, economic mobility, and talent pipeline initiatives. The Vice President is responsible for advancing Community College of Philadelphia’s role as Philadelphia’s workforce engine by aligning education and training with regional labor market demand, expanding access to high-quality employment opportunities, and strengthening pathways that lead students and community members to family-sustaining careers and economic mobility. The Vice President leads the development and implementation of workforce strategies that respond to emerging industry needs, support employer growth, and contribute to the economic vitality of Philadelphia and the region. This role oversees workforce training, corporate solutions, continuing education, contract training, apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship initiatives, small business development programming, employer engagement, workforce grants, and strategic industry partnerships. The Vice President serves as the College’s primary representative to business, industry, labor, government agencies, workforce boards, chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, foundations, and community partners. The Vice President collaborates closely with academic leadership to ensure strong connections between credit and noncredit programs and the development of stackable credentials and workforce pathways.

Executive Leadership

• Lead the development and implementation of the College’s Workforce Development and Economic Development Strategy.
• Serve as the College’s chief workforce and economic mobility officer.
• Provide strategic leadership for workforce development, workforce readiness, economic innovation, and employer engagement initiatives.
• Advise the President and Cabinet on workforce trends, labor market demands, economic development opportunities, and workforce policy.
• Promote alignment between workforce initiatives and the College’s strategic plan, enrollment goals, and student success priorities.
• Serve as the executive lead for workforce-related Board of Trustee presentations, reports, and strategic initiatives.

Employer and Industry Partnerships

• Develop and sustain strategic partnerships with employers, industry associations, labor unions, chambers of commerce, governmental agencies, workforce development boards, and economic development organizations.
• Expand customized employer training, contract training, incumbent worker training, and workforce consulting services.
• Lead efforts to create industry-responsive programs that address high-growth and high-demand sectors.
• Serve as the College’s primary external ambassador for workforce development initiatives.
• Promote workforce opportunities through regional, state, and national partnerships.
• Establish sector partnerships and employer advisory councils in key industries to ensure continuous workforce alignment and curriculum responsiveness

Workforce Pathways and Economic Development

• Expand pathways that connect students and residents to family-sustaining careers and opportunities for advancement.
• Collaborate with the Academic Success areas to create seamless pathways between credit and noncredit programs.
• Promote and expand stackable credentials, apprenticeships, internships, externships, and work-based learning opportunities.
• Align workforce programs with employer demand and emerging occupations.
• Collaborate with Career Connections and employer partners to increase job placement, retention, and career advancement outcomes.
• Lead institutional efforts focused on employment outcomes, wage progression, and economic development metrics.
• Develop and oversee workforce pathways that support reskilling, upskilling, lifelong learning, and career advancement for adult learners.
• Develop and oversee small business development programs to support businesses locally and regionally.

Workforce Innovation and Program Development

• Lead workforce program development and innovation.
• Identify emerging workforce opportunities and new areas for growth.
• Support development of programs in advanced manufacturing, healthcare, technology, maritime, life sciences, logistics, and other priority sectors in response to regional market demands.
• Evaluate the effectiveness and outcomes of workforce programs and services.
• Establish performance metrics for workforce initiatives and monitor progress toward workforce-related goals.
• Use labor market intelligence, employer input, and economic forecasts to identify emerging occupations and guide program creation, expansion, or sunset decisions.

Grants, Funding, and Resource Development

• Lead workforce-related grant development and administration.
• Pursue federal, state, local, and private funding opportunities.
• Collaborate with Institutional Advancement in securing philanthropic and workforce investments.
• Oversee WEDnetPA, Department of Labor, apprenticeship, and other workforce funding initiatives.
• Ensure compliance with all workforce-related grants and contracts.
• Develop sustainable revenue-generating workforce and continuing education initiatives that diversify institutional funding streams.

Supervision and Administration

• Provide leadership and supervision for workforce development personnel, workforce centers, corporate training operations, contract training, continuing education, and related initiatives.
• Develop and administer workforce development budgets.
• Ensure accountability for workforce outcomes, compliance, and performance management.
• Build a culture of innovation, collaboration, responsiveness, and customer service.

Data, Outcomes, and Accountability

• Establish systems to measure workforce participation, credential attainment, employment outcomes, wage gains, and employer engagement.
• Utilize workforce data to inform planning, resource allocation, and continuous improvement.
• Report workforce outcomes regularly to internal and external stakeholders.
• Lead the development of comprehensive dashboards that monitor employment outcomes, wage progression, employer engagement, apprenticeship participation, work-based learning participation, and return on investment.

College Leadership

• Serve as a member of the President’s Cabinet.
• Participate in institutional planning, accreditation activities, and strategic initiatives.
• Represent the President and College in external meetings and forums when designated.
• Promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging across workforce initiatives.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Earned master's degree required.
• Minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible leadership experience in workforce development, higher education, economic development, business development, government relations, or a related field.
• Demonstrated success building employer partnerships and workforce pipelines.
• Demonstrated experience leading workforce development initiatives and economic mobility programs.
• Experience administering grants, contracts, and complex budgets.
• Demonstrated success collaborating with business, industry, labor, government, philanthropic, and educational partners.
• Strong leadership, communication, relationship-building, and management skills.
• Proven ability to use data to drive strategy and decision making.
• Commitment to student success, economic mobility, and equitable workforce outcomes.
• Knowledge of workforce development systems, labor market trends, apprenticeship models, workforce funding streams, and employer engagement best practices.
• Demonstrated commitment to equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Preferred Qualifications

• Doctorate degree in a related field preferred.
• Experience serving as a Chief Workforce Officer, workforce executive, economic development leader, or equivalent senior leadership role preferred.
• Experience working in an urban community college environment preferred.
• Experience working with diverse student populations preferred.
• Demonstrated experience developing regional talent strategies and sector-based workforce partnerships preferred.

If you are required to submit references in your application, please provide your current supervisor and two previous supervisor's contact information.

Please note - CCP will not contact your references until a contingent offer has been made. You will have the opportunity to alert your references and current employer prior to the reference check process beginning.