Manufacturing Industry Consortium Strategist

Manufacturing Industry Consortium Strategist

Operations & Policy Analyst 3

Hybrid work Permanent, Full-Time

Future Ready Oregon, Office of the Executive Director

Salem, Oregon

REQ - 182670

Do you enjoy strategic, operational and policy challenges? Are you entrepreneurial, collaborative, and a creative problem solver? Do you know how to cultivate and manage relationships that translate to getting results? Do you have an interest in growing and advancing opportunities to recruit and retain a diverse workforce in Oregon's manufacturing sector?

The Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) has an exciting career opportunity as a Manufacturing Industry Consortium Strategist (OPA3). This position will lead the development and implementation of a comprehensive statewide Industry Consortium, engaging employers and industry leaders, education and training providers, and community partners to co-create sector-specific workforce solutions.

Why Join Us

The Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) envisions a future where all people benefit from the economic, civic, and cultural impact of high-quality postsecondary education, training, and workforce development. Come work with a team that values equity, collaboration and empathy within beautiful Salem, Oregon!

Come for a job. | Stay for a career. | Make a difference for a lifetime!

Our amazing benefits include:

• Competitive medical, vision and dental benefits package for the employee and qualified family members.
• Opportunity to participate in a deferred compensation savings program.
• A fabulous retirement program.
• 11 paid holidays per year.
• 3 additional paid "Personal Business Days" per year.
• 8 hours of sick leave accumulated every month.
• Progressive vacation leave accrual, starting at 10 hours per month, with increases every 5 years.
• Hybrid remote work options
• Work-life balance!

What You Will Be Doing

The primary purpose of this highly visible position is to lead the development, implementation, and long-term sustainability of a comprehensive statewide, cross-agency, multi-partner Manufacturing Industry Consortium. This position will be instrumental in supporting and responding to the Consortium's Executive Leadership Team, driving improvement, innovation and promotion of the workforce and talent development strategies, programs, and activities in Oregon's manufacturing sector.

As a critical contributor to the cross-agency, cross-sector Future Ready Oregon initiative, this position will employ strong facilitation skills, provide exceptional workstream management, and broker relationships and collaborate across systems. This position will make strategic recommendations to multiple agency and private sector leaders, advise and advance policy solutions, recommend strategies to achieve workforce and talent development goals, and influence the recruitment, retention, and advancement of a diverse, skilled manufacturing workforce across the state. This position will lead and facilitate engagement of employers, industry leaders and associations, community-based organizations, education and training providers, labor organizations, and workforce development partners for the Manufacturing Industry Consortium.

A key component of this work is to align postsecondary education, training, and workforce development activities to increase participation in workforce programs and prioritize historically underserved populations including communities of color, women, low-income communities, rural communities, members of Oregon's nine federally recognized tribes,, rural and frontier communities, veterans, persons with disabilities, incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals, members of Oregon's tribes, older adults and individuals who identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community.

The Manufacturing Industry Consortium through the leadership of this position will provide a critical table for deeper engagement from the business and employer community, with a keen focus on improving alignment across the broad statewide workforce education and training ecosystem and increasing efficiency and effectiveness in program and service delivery.

This critical role includes establishing strategic partnerships, promoting consensus in decision-making, and collaborating with key representatives from the Governor's Office, the State Workforce and Talent Development Board, the Governor's Racial Justice Council, Future Ready Oregon, the Higher Education Coordinating Commission, agency executive leaders, federal government, national associations, state government, community-based organizations, local workforce development boards, education and training providers, community colleges and universities, the business and employer community, industry associations, labor organizations, regional and local governments and leaders, and others.

The Work at a Glance

• Lead, coordinate, and facilitate multi-agency, shared leadership Manufacturing Industry Consortium as a statewide forum where leaders share knowledge and best practices, brainstorm opportunities for systems alignment and innovation, uncover root causes to persistent challenges, and collaborate to advanced shared solutions, policy changes, and state investments to advance a diverse, skilled manufacturing workforce.
• Lead efforts to identify statewide manufacturing workforce needs, skills gaps, and high-value credentials; identify, inform, and advance recruitment, retention, and advancement strategies aimed at growing and diversifying Oregon's manufacturing workforce in alignment with talent demand.
• Develop and lead research and analysis to understand manufacturing workforce trends, including assessing supply and demand gaps, and recommending strategies to advance systems alignment, address barriers to access and advancement in education and employment, and address policy-related workforce barriers and bottlenecks.
• Provide ongoing leadership for the Consortium and its Leadership Team, ensuring that analysis and recommendations on strategies, plans, policies, and member development are supported by collaborative cross-agency, cross-sector action teams accountable to implementing agreed to priorities.
• Plan, coordinate, and lead Manufacturing Industry Consortium meetings to develop and formalize expectations, roles and responsibilities, deliverables, timelines, metrics, outcomes, and other operational activities.
• Lead Manufacturing Industry Consortium's development and maintenance of the charter, organizational structure, meeting protocols, culture, and brand.
• Recommend, advise, and consult with executive-level leaders at multiple agencies, the Governor's Office, the HECC, the Workforce and Talent Development Board, businesses and employers, education and training providers, community-based and culturally specific organizations, and many other interested parties and partners on strategy, policy, planning and course of action needed to achieve required results.
• Lead, conceptualize, provide analysis, and make strategic recommendations on the development of a Manufacturing Industry Consortium Strategic Plan that includes a workforce and talent development vision and mission for the manufacturing sector that aligns with the Workforce and Talent Development Board's Strategic Plan and Scorecard, and the HECCs Strategic Roadmap.

This is a full-time, permanent position headquartered at HECC's Salem Office and is management service non-supervisory. This position is required to either possess and maintain a valid driver's license by the state of residence or provide an acceptable mode of alternative transportation, in order to travel to required training and meetings. The successful candidate may be eligible for in-state hybrid work, which consists of performing duties onsite in a standard office environment and working remotely.

What We Need (Minimum Qualifications)

A Bachelor's Degree in Business or Public Administration, Behavioral or Social Sciences, Education, Public Policy, Political Science or any degree demonstrating the capacity for the knowledge and skills; and four years professional-level evaluative, analytical and planning work. OR Any combination of experience and education equivalent to seven years of experience that typically supports the knowledge and skills for the classification.

Desired Attributes/Skills

• Demonstrated skills in leadership, facilitation, relationship management, strategy, planning and implementation.
• Experienced project/program manager, sustaining momentum and keeping people motivated; driving timelines, deliverables and accountability; keeping teams focused, developing networks to sustain efforts, evaluating efforts and tracking results.
• Must possess skills to manage multiple tasks, learn and assimilate complex information quickly.
• Skilled and experienced facilitator that helps groups work together more effectively by pushing for clarity, encouraging full participation, and helping the group come to shared decisions.
• Ability to broker relationships and foster genuine cross-system collaboration, build and cultivate relationships with senior executives from both businesses and public organizations, and foster connections among key leaders.
• Able to build agreement, get appropriate commitments and authorization for the work, and identify existing projects that can be aligned with the efforts.
• Knowledge of or familiarity with the manufacturing sector, or a demonstrated ability to learn the industry, and experience working with urban and rural communities to provide strategic leadership, planning and direction that drives results.
• Results oriented with ability to work productively across agencies and sectors with partners and interested parties including business and industry, community-based and culturally specific organizations, urban and rural communities, economic development partners, labor organizations, legislators, and local/state governments, non-profits, and many others to reach common goals.
• Ability to navigate multiple and diverse programs, identify and leverage relevant resources and programs to support employers' priorities, navigate complex systems to make needed changes or improvements, and think opportunistically and creatively about how to get things done.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills and the ability to guide difficult and sensitive conversations with individuals and groups. Must be adept at public speaking in numerous situations, gatherings, and