Director, Strategic Partnerships and Engagement (Executive Office Research)
Full Time
Washington, DC 20036
Posted
Job description
About Urban Institute:
At the Urban Institute, we believe in the power of evidence to improve lives and strengthen communities. As a nonprofit focusing on social and economic policy, our researchers and policy entrepreneurs open minds, shape decisions, and identify transformative solutions to the most pressing issues of our time.
Our Mission
To open minds, shape decisions, and offer solutions through economic and social policy research.
Our Values
Collaboration, Equity, Inclusivity, Independence, and Integrity
For more information on the Urban Institute, please visit
https://www.urban.org
.
The Opportunity:
Urban recently launched
WorkRise
, a major, multi-year initiative focused on jobs, workers, and mobility. The director of strategic partnerships and engagement will join WorkRise’s senior leadership team to conceive of and drive the “action” component of the bold “research-to-action: WorkRise platform.
The director will ensure that WorkRise’s research and evidence reach those who influence the practices, policies, and programs that strengthen economic security and accelerate economic mobility for low-wage workers. The director will develop, implement, and assess comprehensive plans for engaging WorkRise’s stakeholders and stakeholder networks across the employer, advocacy, practitioner, and policy communities, and will play a pivotal role in ensuring that WorkRise creates a productive feedback loop between research, policy, and practice.
The director will forge and prioritize new strategic partnerships with leading and influential organizations as well as lead WorkRise’s engagement with federal, state, and local government officials and policymakers. Given the WorkRise mission of developing a robust and diverse network of labor market stakeholders, the director will Foster collaboration by proactively identifying opportunities that support the needs and ideas of external stakeholders and seek connecting opportunities when possible with Urban scholars housed within various Urban Centers.
What You’ll Do:
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Identify and engage a cross-sector network of labor market stakeholders, with a focus on research consumers (employers, small business, workers and worker advocates, practitioners, and policymakers at the local, state, and federal level), especially those rooted in Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities.
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Develop, activate, and deepen strategic partnerships between WorkRise and key stakeholders in applied policy and practice, including employers, worker advocates, and government at the local, state, and federal levels.
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Facilitate partner engagement in the development of research, including surfacing priority questions and cultivating participation in research design and implementation.
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Work with the Research team to strengthen connections between WorkRise and BIPOC scholars, especially those at Minority-Serving Institutions.
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In conjunction with members of the Executive, Research, and Communications teams, develop and implement partner-informed dissemination strategies for research findings, including both WorkRise-funded insights and WorkRise-curated evidence from other sources, in order to ensure that actionable evidence is in the right hands at the right time.
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Develop and manage partner agreements, including reporting on strategic partnership activities.
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Serve as a liaison between WorkRise and other Urban research initiatives on economic mobility, racial equity, and labor market outcomes (e.g. the Mobility Alliance, Building America’s Workforce, the Racial Equity Analytics Lab, the CTE CoLab), in service of expanding opportunities for deeper impact across institutional priorities.
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Manage, lead, coach, guide, and supervise staff and consultants on projects and programs across various teams and provides membership to junior staff.
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Meaningfully engage with Funders Advisory Council and Leadership Board to optimize external engagement approaches.
Who You Are:
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Post-graduate degree in public policy, economics, or sociology or a related-field required. (Required education and experience may be substituted by equivalent combination of education and experience deemed sufficient for qualification in the position).
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A minimum of ten years of demonstrated leadership experience, developing, implementing, and managing high-impact cross-sector partnership strategies.
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Experience working as part of a senior management team and leading organizational strategy in a fast-paced, high-growth, mission-driven environment.
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A strong track record of negotiating and collaborating with senior-level thought leaders, preferably those with a focus on labor market policy and/or improving the economic well-being of low-wage workers.
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Fluency in policy and/or applied evidence pertaining to labor market challenges facing low-wage workers.
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Strong management skills, including a demonstrated ability to guide both people and projects in results-oriented work.
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Exceptional communication skills, including written and oral presentations of ideas to both internal and external audiences in a variety of settings to a range of audiences, from grassroots community organizations to global executives.
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Demonstrated commitment to the role of evidence in informing policy and practice.
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A flexible, can-do attitude and a willingness to stretch in all-hands-on-deck situations.
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Substantial public presentation skills targeted to professional associations, practitioner organizations, technical working groups funders, or policymakers and/or blog posts.
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Recognize expertise in one more key US labor market issues.
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Strong understanding of and highly-developed professional networks centered around one or more WorkRise topical issue area
What You’ll Experience:
No matter your role with Urban, you will contribute to meaningful work that makes a difference for people and communities across the country. And whether you call the Washington, DC area or elsewhere home, you can expect to be part of a welcoming and hybrid workplace. We are committed to cultivating a community and working in a manner defined by collaboration, equity, inclusivity, independence, and integrity.
Urban’s greatest asset is our people.
Urban is committed to supporting our staff’s physical, emotional, and financial well-being through a robust benefits package for yourself, eligible dependents, and domestic partners. It includes generous paid time off, including nine federal holidays, medical (including prescription), dental and vision insurance, and transit benefits. Urban is unique in that we offer 403(b) retirement plan participation immediately after you’re hired and a generous employer contribution after five months of service and 1,000 hours, with immediate vesting. You’ll also have access to a health advocate, personal finance coaching, an Employee Assistance Program, and educational assistance for undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
As a federal contractor, Urban will comply with Executive Order (EO) 14042 that requires federal contractors, subcontractors, and their respective employees to comply with Covid-19 vaccinations. All Urban Institute employees must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and comply with masking and distancing requirements, regardless of responsibilities or work location. New hires must also be fully vaccinated before starting work. Employees may request exemption from vaccination against COVID-19 based on either a medical condition or a sincerely held religious belief that prevents them from being vaccinated. Where such an exemption is approved, Urban will discuss with each employee potential accommodation.
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by the people assigned. This posting is not an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and requirements. Urban management reserves the right to amend and change duties, responsibilities, and requirements to meet business and organizational needs as necessary.
The Urban Institute is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. All qualified candidates will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender or gender identity, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, veteran status, pregnancy or family responsibilities, matriculation, disability, political affiliation, or any other protected status under applicable law.
We are committed to equal employment opportunity and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with physical and/or mental disabilities. If you have a physical and/or mental disability and are interested in applying for employment and need special accommodations to use our website to apply for a position, please contact Human Resources at
humanresources@urban.org
. Reasonable accommodation requests are considered on a case-by-case basis.
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