Vice President, Business Partnerships
Mission:
Opportunity Scholars (OS) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to assist high school seniors and young adults to pursue career and technical education. We guide, connect, and finance young adults to achieve career success. Opportunity Scholars does this by creating low-cost career pathways to high paying jobs. By doing so, we build a pipeline of capable, dependable technical workers to grow local businesses.
Role Description:
Opportunity Scholars believes that integrating actual work with training and education is the most effective and efficient method of producing a skilled workforce for low and middle income families. Low and middle income young people have to work to support their families while learning new skills. Also, training undertaken in a real world work setting leads to relevant real world skills, along with strong work habits. This leader creates and manages the relationship between the business partners who offer employment and training and OS scholars and management, staff and board.
Primary Duties:
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Develop relationships with businesses who will provide one of the following - hire scholars, provide job training, provide hands-on employer based apprenticeships, earn and learn opportunities, provide income streams to offset student education and coaching costs, and work readiness support services to young adults.
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Maintain ongoing business relationships including achieving both business volume metrics and relationships targets. Maintain relationships with employers in each of the Opportunity Scholars career pathway categories and locations Opportunity Scholars has scholars.
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Work directly with OS coaches to assist young adults to find employment opportunities while simultaneously working with employers to fill positions. Be the conduit between Opportunity Scholars, young adults and businesses.
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Be the conduit of information flow between employers and Opportunity Scholars coaching team to achieve OS and Employers’ retention goals and ensure scholars are career ready through durable skills training and coaching.
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Initiate, develop and facilitate employer career information visits for young adults and career learning opportunities. Oversee creation and maintenance of a dedicated website segment and other job opportunities available to scholars.
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Create in conjunction with local economic development and local businesses the focal careers to be prioritized in each community to meet the workforce quantity requirements of business partners.
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Communicate with area employers to cooperatively recruit their workers desiring additional skills training or to provide career support for their employees’ children and friends.
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Develop a strategy around maintaining relationships with relevant Career and Technical Teachers and work based learning coordinators in schools.
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Represent Opportunity Scholars at local and regional employment/workforce development groups seeking to foster workforce development.
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Other duties as assigned.
Education and work experiences desired:
Experience in a technical or trades profession is preferred. Experience in relationship building or sales related activities is required. Community college or university education or equivalent work experience is required.
Personal attributes required:
Must enjoy working with businesses, young adults, families, teachers and community organizations. The ideal candidate must have a passion for helping young people access the education gateway to a successful quality of life and a desire to serve others in society.
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Strong organization and polished, positive and professional communication skills are required
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Must have business acumen and be able to overcome objections
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Strong relationship building, communication and strategic thinking skills required
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Ability to work independently and with a team and manage one’s own time
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Outgoing, confident, positive personality is required
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Considerable local travel is required and occasional travel to other areas of Virginia.
Compensation:
This full time position has a salary of $85,000- 105, 000 depending upon experience plus an incentive pay opportunity. A stipend will be paid to partially cover benefits and offset non-reimbursable work expenses.
Location of Work:
The large majority of work will take place in Northern Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley (City of Winchester, Frederick County, Clarke County). Employees are expected to maintain high speed internet connection, cell phone and reliable transportation at their own expense. Some evening and weekend work is vital to the success of this role.
How to Apply:
Submit a resume to Kari@OpportunityScholars.org
