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National Labor Exchange (NLx) Program Manager (REMOTE) Background The National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA) is the national organization representing all 50 state workforce agencies, D.C., and U.S. territories. These agencies deliver training, employment, career, and business services, in addition to administering unemployment insurance, veteran reemployment, and labor market information programs. NASWA provides policy expertise, shares promising state practices, and promotes state innovation and leadership in workforce development. The National Labor Exchange (NLx) is a public workforce system tool and the trusted source for job postings in the United States. Administered and operated through a unique public-private partnership between NASWA and DirectEmployers Association (DE)— the NLx provides real, online job postings from vetted employers at no cost to state workforce agencies, jobseekers, and employers across the country. All 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands participate in the NLx, with hundreds of thousands of employers and millions of jobseekers benefitting from its offerings every day. The NLx is governed by a steering committee consisting of employers and state workforce agencies and leverages its public-interest technology, data, expertise, and networks to operationalize its vision of improving the understanding the current labor market and the efficiency of labor exchange to better serve the country’s diverse workforce. Overview of Position The NLx is seeking a full-time Program Manager to support the delivery, continuous improvement, and quality control efforts of NLx Services as determined by the NLx Director and in coordination with the cross-organizational (NASWA and DE) NLx Team. NLx Services offerings currently include NLx job feed delivery and receipt, job indexing, job microsites, hosted job banks, labor exchange policy support, training, and technical assistance. The selected candidate will report to and support the NLx Director and function as a key member of the NLx Team to accomplish a broad range of activities and areas of responsibility such as operations management of NLx Services, NLx Steering Committee support, stakeholder engagement, communications, policy analysis, project management, and troubleshooting issues related to NLx Services. This individual will develop a mastery of all operational aspects of NLx Services and demonstrate a deep understanding of online recruitment and job search; labor exchange technology and policy; and the needs of NLx audiences. The Program Manager will deliver NLx Services strategic communication, quality training, and effective member engagement to help grow the value provided by the NLx to its stakeholders. The selected candidate will leverage their project management experience to implement internal processes improvement and quality control efforts to increase collaboration, transparency, and consistency in NLx Services operations. These efforts will include contributing to program evaluation and strategy development; maintaining state information about the implementation of NLx Services, monthly job metrics, and other analytics; and conducting assessment activities to understand current state labor exchange activities, prepare presentations and reports to communicate findings, and draft recommendations to the NLx Director. In addition to NLx Services operations, the Program Manager will coordinate internal and manage external resources to support special projects and the development of shareable resources that benefit NASWA members and partners.Roles and Responsibilities General Supports the NLx Director in efforts toward establishing goals, executing plans, and facilitating a culture within the NLx team that both reflects NASWA values and is centered on the needs of key NLx beneficiaries.Completes assigned deliverables and participates as a key member of the cross-organizational NLx Team (consisting of both NASWA and DE personnel). Participates in short-term and long-term NLx planning and operational activities.Provides subject matter expertise on workforce system operations and administration with special regard for labor exchange program, data, and technology policy and processes.Serves as a liaison to NLx-managed partnerships, a public speaker and promoter of the NLx at events, and a lead for special projects sponsored by and/or delivered through the NLx.CommunicationDelivers strategic communication, quality training, and effective member engagement. Engages in and coordinates operational communications and interactions with state workforce agencies, other government agency personnel, and public sector stakeholders. Creates strategies, develops educational materials, and conducts outreach activities to target audiences.Facilitates focus groups, interviews, surveys, and other interactions with stakeholders to collect feedback on NLx offerings, understand needs, and design user-centered solutions. Leverages enterprise technology tools and resources for information sharing, organization, and documentation purposes. Maintains internal file system and processes for storing documents.Supports the NLx Steering Committee responsibilities including correspondence, processes, meeting planning and coordination, and agenda development.In concert with vendor and/or internal personnel, coordinates the development and implementation of the NLx communication plan and activities. Identifies and reviews professional publications from various sources to extract and summarize information relevant to current labor exchange systems and future projects or use cases. Prepares internal briefs and research summaries to provide overview of specific policy areas, including background information, trends, and policy proposals. Manages the development of use cases, issue papers, case studies, policy briefs, research/reports, and promotional materials.Manages the delivery and quality of content on NASWA-hosted NLx webpages and newsletters as well as information shared through any additional channels. Works with other NASWA business areas and committees. Develops and provides presentations and other promotional materials via established NASWA channels and syndicated network of partners. Represents NASWA and the NLx at meetings, events, and conferences. Daily Operations Provides daily NLx Services operational support and manages quality control efforts.Serves as the lead on daily NLx operations and annual operations planning. Manages the implementation of operational plans under the guidance of the NLx Director.Elicits feedback from stakeholders. Identifies, vets, and proposes opportunities for improving and scaling the value provided through the NLx. Engages NASWA members and other NLx audiences to deliver and enhance NLx Services. Contributes to the creation of surveys, issue papers, and reports relevant to the NLx. Conducts and coordinates NLx activities and events including webinars, joint projects, etc.Coordinates NLx Services technical support to state workforce agencies.Identifies and escalates emerging issues to the NLx Director. Develops recommendations and action plans. Implements solutions.Conducts and coordinates the development and delivery of NLx sponsored educational resources and activities.Maintains and improves NLx processes, offerings, and the experience of NLx members, stakeholders, and users in collaboration with the NLx Director.Special ProjectsManages and executes special projects.Proposes and/or initiates projects and plans sponsored by senior management.Supports project design, implementation, and value delivery in collaboration with senior management and stakeholders. Creates all types of project management documentation.Estimates the resources and participants needed to achieve project goals. Makes recommendations and elevates capacity-related needs to the NLx Director. Coordinates resources to execute special projects.Tracks project milestones and deliverables. Proactively manages changes in project scope through established change management protocols, identifies potential risks, and devises contingency plans. Conducts project postmortems, documents lessons learned, and makes recommendations for improvements. Effectively communicates project expectations to team members and stakeholders in a timely and clear fashion. Liaises with project stakeholders including but not limited technical and/or contracted personnel on an ongoing basis. Facilitates meetings with project teams and stakeholders. Competencies Strong communication skills (writing, presentation, facilitation, and public speaking). Solid organizational and time/task management skills including attention to detail, the ability to multi-task, meet critical deadlines, and be flexible with changing priorities. Self-starter, with strong execution capabilities, comfortable working independently and collaboratively in a virtual setting. Applies critical analysis, synthesizes information, and crafts recommendations.Problem-solver, able to develop strategies and solutions to emergent issues.Process-oriented with the ability to complete short-term tasks while making progress on longer-term projects.Strong relationship management skills demonstrated by an ability to follow through with commitments, maintain confidentiality, and interact in a consistently professional demeanor with colleagues, members, partners, vendors, and other stakeholders. Ability to communicate business needs and processes to technical personnel.Understands the public workforce system, the workforce system technology and business processes supporting the system as well as the current business needs of workforce system customers (employers and jobseekers) related to online job search and recruitment. Knowledge of federal and state employment and training programs as well as employer and worker related policy and regulation relevant to the NLx such as Wagner-Peyser Act, Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act, Jobs for Veterans State Grant, and Apprenticeship.Experience Required Minimum five years working in or with the public sector specifically in workforce development, human service, economic development, education, or technology. Minimum of three years effectively managing programs, products, projects, or operations.Experience cultivating collaborative relationships with internal colleagues and partnerships with external stakeholders. Experience developing or delivering communication plans and products.Experience using project management tools and managing all projects life cycle phases. Preferred Subject matter expertise in Labor Exchange/Wagner Peyser, WIOA, Jobs for Veterans State Grant, and Apprenticeship with detailed knowledge of relevant policy and regulations.Experience in a state workforce agency or working with employers to support compliance and talent recruitment, development, and management activities.Experience with business analysis, public policy, change management, and/or business development. Experience creating and implementing work and/or business plans.Experience managing grants, vendors and/or subcontractors. Experience with grant writing and proposal development.Knowledge and experience with IT project design, development, and implementation. Management experience in a remote and matrixed organization. Education Preferred Degree in business administration, economics, education, political science, public policy/administration, social work, sociology, communication or a related field from an accredited college or university. Certifications or credentials in project management, product management, business analysis/intelligence, data analytics, organizational management/leadership, lean/six sigma, change management, human resources, human centered design, or public management. Applied on-the-job training will also be considered. Job Details Location: Remote/Telework position Title: NLx Program Manager Report to: Director, National Labor Exchange Term: Full-Time Salary Range: $85,000-$105,000, commensurate with education and experience Benefits: NASWA offers competitive benefits including a generous health care package, 401(k), telecommuting, education assistance and other great options. Travel: 10% - 15% (approximately 5-8 times) annually How to Apply: Interested applicants should submit a resume and a cover letter that describes how the applicant meets the competencies and experiences listed above. Applicants selected for an interview may be asked to submit a writing sample. Cover letter and resume should be sent to recruiting@naswa.org no later than June 28, 2024. This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change, or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice. NASWA is an equal opportunity employer. NASWA does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, military status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, family responsibilities, genetic information, disability, matriculation, political affiliation, or any other characteristic protected by federal or District of Columbia law. Our non- discrimination policy applies to all facets of employment, including recruiting, hiring, employment, promotion, demotion, dismissal, compensation, and training opportunities.