Director, Center of Excellence on the Nonprofit Workforce

Independent Sector

Washington, DC, USA

Published: 6/14/2022

Full Time

Job Description

About us

Independent Sector (IS) is the nation's membership organization for nonprofits and philanthropy. Our vision is for a charitable sector that is healthy, trusted, and equitable and helps all people in the United States thrive in a vibrant civil society and just democracy. We unite nonprofits and philanthropy to strengthen the charitable sector, identifying structural challenges and mobilizing around policy and practice solutions. Independent Sector aims for a sector where charitable organizations are financially robust; powered by a thriving workforce that reflects the communities they serve; trusted, well-governed, and effective; and informed and active advocates.

Driven by the deep recognition of our impact, our organization is growing to meet the need for our services. At IS, we are seeking passionate individuals with a deep understanding of the social sector and a commitment to strengthening nonprofit institutions that, in turn, strengthen our nation. We deeply value diversity, equity, and inclusion, and we welcome those who bring their whole selves to our work. In this role, you will have a unique opportunity to shape the future of our team and our sector. If you are ready to make a meaningful impact, drive transformative change, and lead with purpose and passion, we invite you to join us in advancing this critical mission.

IS operates a hybrid model with 3 days in office/2 days remote.

Summary

The Director, Center of Excellence on the Nonprofit Workforce, leads the development, integration, and stewardship of Independent Sector's national workforce infrastructure, ensuring the Center functions as a backbone institution that builds the systems the charitable sector relies on to strengthen job quality, well‑being, retention, and organizational health. This includes leading the development, governance, and evolution of workforce standards, indicators, the Workforce Health Assessment Tool, longitudinal workforce data systems, adoption pathways, Knowledge Hub resources, Innovation & AI Lab outputs, and policy‑aligned infrastructure.

The Center functions as a backbone institution rather than a direct service provider. In this capacity, the Director leads the design, integration, and adoption of national workforce systems-including standards, indicators, assessment tools, and data infrastructure-that equip organizations and partners to act in alignment and drive measurable improvement across the field.

Grounded in the findings of Independent Sector's landscape analysis and informed by field intelligence, the Director ensures that all components of the Center's work are evidence-based, equity-centered, and designed for scalable adoption through partners and networks.

Essential Job Functions

Building and scaling the nonprofit workforce infrastructure: The Director leads the strategy for building and scaling Independent Sector's national workforce infrastructure to include:

Direct and develop Independent Sector's national workforce infrastructure agenda, ensuring alignment with IS' leadership.
Build familiarity with IS' nonprofit workforce research and labor market data to inform the Center's strategic direction and initiatives.
Determine where and how IS members, partners, state associations, funders, and intermediaries can best be mobilized to adopt and integrate workforce standards into practice.
Ensure mobilization strategies reflect best practices in workforce systems, organizational health, and equity‑centered design, with a focus on partner led implementation rather than direct service delivery.

Cross‑Organizational Coordination & Collaboration: The Director ensures coherence and alignment across Independent Sector's workforce-related initiatives and leads the development of outputs through collaboration with the research, programs, policy, and communications teams.

Collaborate with the Research team and the Programs team to translate research and insights into standards, tools, dashboards and workforce frameworks that meet member and sector needs.
Collaborate with the Policy team to ensure alignment between workforce standards and system‑level reforms in workforce policy.
In partnership with the Impact & Knowledge Management team, lead the development, testing, and ongoing refinement of workforce health standards and related indicators.
In partnership with the Programming team, lead the design of the workforce health assessment tools, diagnostics and learning resources. Oversee curation and continuous improvement of the Knowledge Hub's equity‑reviewed workforce resources.
Collaborate with the Communications team to ensure all workforce infrastructure-including standards, indicators, dashboards, assessment tools, narratives, and Knowledge Hub resources-is communicated with clear, accessible, and actionable language.

Coalition & Stakeholder Engagement: The Director ensures that the Center's infrastructure is used across the nonprofit ecosystem through strategies that engage the field via convenings, networks, and targeted activation efforts to include:

Lead and manage workforce‑related coalitions, advisory groups, and communities of practice that reinforce shared workforce norms and accelerate adoption
Oversee the National Advisory Board and its subcommittees, and governance standards including review processes and equity safeguards.
Support leadership ecosystems such as Communities of Practice to strengthen shared workforce standards and sector alignment.
Design and evaluate opportunities to engage and grow the national workforce practice community, partnering with Convening Operations & Logistics on implementation.
Lead workforce‑related activation at IS convenings, including Summit release gates, adopter clinics, funder co‑investment forums, and policy roundtables.
Use coalition and convening engagements to strengthen IS membership value, participation, and alignment around workforce infrastructure.

Special Projects

The Director will be responsible for leading special projects that advance the Center's goals and priorities as it evolves.
Performs other duties as assigned.

Education & Experience

Bachelor's degree in Human Resources, Organizational Development, Public Administration, Nonprofit Management, Business Administration, or a related field required. Master's degree in a related field preferred.
Minimum of 8–10 years of progressive professional experience in workforce development, human resources, nonprofit leadership, systems change, collective impact initiatives, or a related field.
Experience leading complex, cross-functional initiatives that require collaboration across multiple stakeholders, teams, and sectors.
Demonstrated experience translating research, data, and field insights into practical tools, frameworks, standards, or programs that drive systems-level change.
Experience working with nonprofit organizations, philanthropy, associations, coalitions, networks, or other mission-driven organizations.
Experience managing advisory bodies, steering committees, communities of practice, coalitions, or multi-stakeholder initiatives.
Familiarity with workforce trends, labor market dynamics, organizational health, or related workforce issues.
Experience leading initiatives focused on equity, inclusion, and systems change.

Supervisory Responsibilities

None at this time. Supervisory responsibilities may be assigned as additional team capacity is added.

Qualifications

Strong understanding of workforce strategies, and/or nonprofit sector challenges and opportunities. Familiarity with national workforce trends.
Ability to think strategically while also driving implementation and operational execution.
Demonstrated ability to build alignment and influence stakeholders without direct authority.
Exceptional relationship-building skills with the ability to engage diverse stakeholders, including nonprofit leaders, funders, researchers and policymakers, associations, and practitioners.
Strong facilitation and convening skills, including experience leading discussions, advisory groups, coalitions, and learning communities.
Ability to synthesize complex information, research findings, and data into clear, actionable recommendations and tools.
Excellent written, verbal, and presentation communication skills.
Strong project management skills, including the ability to manage multiple priorities, timelines, and cross-functional initiatives simultaneously.
Experience using data and evaluation findings to inform decision-making, continuous improvement, and strategy development.
Demonstrated commitment to equity-centered practices and inclusive stakeholder engagement.
Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, evolving environment and navigate ambiguity with sound judgment and initiative.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and experience using collaboration, project management, and data visualization tools.
Demonstrated ability to serve as a credible spokesperson, thought leader, and representative of IS in professional, public, and stakeholder-facing settings.

Work Environment

The work environment is a typical office environment. The noise level is usually quiet. Up to 30% of travel is required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Physical Demands

Remaining in a stationary position, often sitting for prolonged periods.
Communicating with others to exchange information.
Repeating motions, such as typing or answering a phone, that may include the wrists, hands, and/or fingers.
Assessing the accuracy, neatness, and thoroughness of work.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The selected candidate will be required to successfully pass a background check.

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