Oversees a critical unit with responsibility for the strategic direction of the Foundation’s workforce programs, including oversight of its long-standing administration of the Senior Community Service Employment Programs (SCSEP), a federally-funded program through the Department of Labor (DOL). Develops new programs and solutions that help the Foundation achieve scale for its workforce programs. Ensures that low income older adults have the skills, education, support, and connections needed to continue to generate income through accessing good jobs in their communities. Supports the Foundation’s vision, mission, strategic plan, and goals of increasing economic opportunity and social connections for low income older adults. Provides strategic direction, inspiration, and innovation to a team of high-performing staff and will work in concert with the leads for other program areas and across the Foundation to identify and integrate solutions to the biggest challenges facing the low income 50+ and their families as it relates to employment and income generation.
Directs a team of people and business units that have primary responsibility for the achievement of the Foundation’s three-year objectives. Work is focused on a complex portfolio of work from new ideas to multi-million dollar programs in multiple states and involving multiple partners, including government, for-profit, and non-profit stakeholders. Requires a commitment to the Foundation's strategy of continuously developing social innovations that increase the ability to provide practical and scalable solutions to the needs of the low-income 50+. Exercises a strong degree of autonomy.
Embraces a mission to create and sustain social value and commitment to building solutions for low income older adults and the power of innovation to drive social impact. Recognizes and relentlessly pursues new opportunities to serve that mission. Engages in the process of continuous innovation, adaptation, and learning. Acts boldly without being limited by resources currently in hand. Exhibits a heightened sense of accountability to the constituencies served and for the outcomes created. Understands the poverty space to drive strategic differentiation and partnerships. Works in cross-functional teams with the goal of engaging different units across the Foundation and AARP enterprise to drive innovation to achieve AARP Foundation’s mission. Focuses on building a high-performing team. Requires a strong ability to work well at an interpersonal level in order to champion the needs of low income older workers in the enterprise and with other stakeholders. Role involves a strong analytical component, requiring the ability to repeatedly review, critique, upgrade, and provide constructive feedback on initiatives and opportunities. Serves as a member of the leadership team. Will have a very high impact on AARP Foundation’s ability to execute its strategy and reach both its short- and long-term goals.
- Achieves large-scale systemic and sustainable social change through new innovations in workforce development at the national, state, and local levels.
- Oversees federal and state SCSEP grants with a total budget of approximately $100 million, including ensuring achievement of the highest level of performance.
- Ensures that all grant contractual and audit requirements, federal regulations, and AARP Foundation and SCSEP policies are understood and implemented by staff.
- Facilitates and maintains close relationships with the DOL, other SCSEP national and state sponsors, national organizations, employers, etc. to achieve the Foundation’s objective related to income generation, continuously refining and adapting approaches in response to feedback, research, and insights.
- Manages enterprise assets and budgets.
- MBA or related degree preferred
- 10 + years of as a highly experienced leader of people and operations of large scale, administratively complex programs/initiatives with increasing levels of responsibility.
- Deep experience of managing relationships in and across complex organizations.
- Knowledge of and experience in developing shared value and collective impact with multiple stakeholders.
- Experience in managing complex federal and state grants.
- Experience in scaling solutions through various pathways, particularly related to economic and workforce development.
- Excellent business judgment, a familiarity with a wide variety of business models both in the for-profit and non-profit sectors, and the ability to see the potential application of these models in the context of program development and implementation.
- Demonstrated experience and excellence at leading teams and ability to lead, coach, inspire, and grow the team as resources allow.
- Excellent communication skills, both oral and written and the ability to produce high-quality reports and presentations.
- Well-networked in the workforce development, economic development, and/or education fields, with an ability to engage these resources to assist the Foundation in its mission.
- Strong familiarity with both quantitative and qualitative research and analysis, as well as quantifying return on investment.
- A preference to take responsibility, manage multiple projects at once, and deliver professional work product promptly and on-deadline.
- Highly self-motivated.
AARP offers competitive benefits with a 401K, 100% company funded pension plan, health, dental, vision and life insurance, STD/LTD, paid vacation and sick, and other benefits.