Workforce Development Manager

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Workforce Development Manager to lead our efforts in designing, implementing, and evaluating workforce development initiatives aimed at enhancing the employability and career advancement of young Black professionals. CEE’s Workforce Development Team aligns with a people-first approach to upskilling workers for long-term success. The aim of workforce development is to foster prosperity for individuals, communities, and businesses.

About CEE:

CEE Centre for Young Black Professionals(CEE) is dedicated to addressing economic issues effecting Black youth. Our vision is to help Black youth who face multiple barriers achieve financial stability for themselves and their families, helping to strengthen the communities in which they live. Our mission is to increase economic opportunities for Black youth living in Toronto’s priority neighborhoods, supporting them in the areas of employability, social enterprise and entrepreneurship. CEE works to ensure that our programming reaches and is accessible to youth who face multiple barriers, such as: unemployment, underemployment, conflict with law, being young parents, poverty and lack of secondary or post-secondary education. .

Main Purpose of the Job:

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Workforce Development Manager to lead our efforts in designing, implementing, and evaluating workforce development initiatives aimed at enhancing the employability and career advancement of young Black professionals. CEE’s Workforce Development Team aligns with a people-first approach to upskilling workers for long-term success. The aim of workforce development is to foster prosperity for individuals, communities, and businesses.

The ideal candidate will have a strong background in workforce development, program management, and a passion for addressing systemic barriers to employment and economic opportunity. The Workforce Development Manager, reporting to the Director of Programs & Service Delivery, will lead the development, delivery and expansion of the Workforce Development Team to provide Black youth with culturally relevant, trauma-informed, and holistic employment services.

This position requires an in-depth understanding of Black youth facing multiple barriers to employment, combined with a thorough knowledge of youth workforce development sector and emerging trends in the job market. In collaboration with the Director of Programs & Service Delivery and CEE’s Management Team, the role will assure the effective development and implementation of CEE’s unique youth workforce development model and the achievement of desired program outcomes.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Service Delivery & Management

• Developing and overseeing the delivery of the workforce development team’s services/programs that are culturally relevant, trauma-informed, and holistic

• Development and leadership of the workforce development strategy designed to align and integrate into the Programs Department’s overall services investing in Black youth career development.

• Leading and implementing employer/industry engagement and partnership development strategies to increase the number of CEE program participants’ job placement/employment outcomes

• Work alongside the Director of Programs & Service Delivery and wider CEE teams to design and implement an annual operational plan for the Workforce Development team that aligns with the strategic vision of CEE.

• Develops and manages service quality assurance for both youth participants and employer/industry partners.

• Develops and manages protocols to support youth in crisis in partnership with Programs Department Leadership, working in tandem with the full Programs Department to support Black youth in any barriers or challenges faced in pathways of career development.

• Develop and ensure the integrity of partnership agreements aligned with Workforce Development deliverables.

• Monitoring, evaluating and reporting on team performance and staff portfolio management

• Overseeing financial management, administration and stakeholder relations

• Contributing to the CEE’s strategic direction, future growth and visibility in the sector as part of CEE’s Management Team

• Work in collaboration with the Director of Programs and Service Delivery and the Director of communication and Development to develop funding proposals in collaboration with the Director of Programs & Service Delivery and/or CEE Management team.

• Development of team talent and scope of resources providing ongoing supervision, coaching and performance management of staff. Additionally, the recruitment of new talent when needed.

• Provide the team with required tools, support and directions to ensure service/program compliance in the areas of evaluation, foreseen/unforeseen risk, funder deliverables and all other policies and procedures.

• Guide team through implementation of KPI’s into lifecycles and workplans. Additionally, the development of team-wide data collection for program reporting and evaluation purposes.

• Plan and implement staff wellness strategies to ensure staff support in a high-needs environment.

• Identify staff training and professional development needs, create training plans and procures, and implement training support as required.

• Supervise placement students and/or volunteers as required.

Employer Engagement & Partnership Development

• Identify and cultivate partnerships with employers, educational institutions, government agencies, and community organizations to create pathways to employment and career advancement for program participants.

• Gather labour market information, talent demand and skills requirements, and translate data into employer engagement strategies.

• Develop and implement industry-specific employer engagement strategies, tactics and relevant resources (I.e. communication materials)

• Engage in CEE’s targeted industries including Tech, Film, Finance, Hospitality, and Trades, and build relationships with potential employer/industry/business partners.

• Maintain productive and meaningful relationships with employer’s/industry partners, and create industry-specific career pathways and various opportunities for CEE youth, including apprenticeships, internships, job shadowing, and/or work-based learnings.

• Provide oversight and management of CEE’s targeted industry partnership “clusters” and outputs that result from “cluster” input.

• Develop and manage a database of employers/industry partners, and maintain regular communication through appropriate channels.

• In partnership with the Director of Programs & Service Delivery, develop strong partnerships with economic development entities and key players in the youth workforce development sector to ensure alignment and execution of collaborative CEE’s Workforce Development strategies.

Qualifications:

Skills Knowledge & Experience Required

• Bachelor's degree in social work, business administration, public administration, or a related field; Master's degree preferred.

• Minimum of 3-5 years of experience in workforce development, career counselling, or related fields, with a demonstrated track record of success in program management and implementation.

• A thorough understanding of challenges, needs and realities of Black youth in Toronto’s priority neighbourhoods

• At least five years of professional experience working with Black/racialized youth. Direct experience in social service delivery to youth facing multiple barriers including but not limited to: conflict with the law, substance abuse, mental health, insecure housing, trauma, childcare challenges, etc.

• At least three years of demonstrated track record of planning, delivering and reporting on youth employment services/programs

• At least two years of staff supervision and team management experience in a related environment

• Demonstrated exceptional initiative and problem-solving, prioritizing, and multi-tasking skills to operationalize all aspects of service delivery/programming within a cross-functional team environment

• Strong stakeholder engagement and relationship-building skills at all levels, including youth, employers, business leaders, community partners, etc.

• Experience implementing program data collection and evaluation processes

• Understanding of the values and mission of CEE

• Bilingualism is an asset to this position

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