Foundation Senior Fellow, New England Vocational ESOL Resource Center

Foundation Senior Fellow, New England Vocational ESOL Resource Center

The Commonwealth Corporation Foundation is seeking a Senior Foundation Fellow - New England VESOL Resource Center to support the launch of the New England Vocational ESOL Resource Center. This initiative, supported by the Eastern Bank Foundation, will strengthen Massachusetts' career-focused English training ecosystem by building centralized resources, delivering technical assistance, and implementing a rigorous research and evaluation strategy to identify and scale high-impact vocational ESOL (VESOL) models. The work will focus on the creation of a centralized resource center that will accelerate provider capacity, improve employment and wage outcomes for English learners, and create a scalable, evidence backed infrastructure for career connected English instruction across Massachusetts and, ultimately, New England.

Position Overview

The Senior Fellow will lead the design and launch of New England VESOL Resource Center during its initial 12-month implementation phase. The Senior Fellow will serve as the initiative's primary project manager and strategic lead, overseeing centralized resource development, technical assistance design, stakeholder engagement, and cross partner coordination. This is an innovative and entrepreneurial role suited for someone with strong project management skills, workforce development experience, interested in systems change, and the ability to translate strategy into execution. The Senior Fellow will collaborate closely with Eastern Bank Foundation as a strategic partner throughout the fellowship on the following key deliverables:

Strategic Leadership & Project Management

• Develop and manage a detailed 12-month workplan aligned to initiative goals and deliverables.
• Coordinate and facilitate Steering Committee meetings (every 6 weeks), including agenda-setting, materials preparation, and follow-up actions.
• Recruit and engage a statewide network of vocational ESOL advisors and stakeholders.
• Oversee timelines, budgets, consultants, and cross-functional collaboration with CommCorp staff and EBF partners.

Centralized Resources & Technical Assistance

• Conduct focus groups, interviews, and landscape research with VESOL providers, employers, workforce boards, and partners.
• Develop service roadmaps across core pillars, including:
• Strategic growth and business development for providers
• Professional development and mentorship models
• Industry-aligned curricula and instructional tools
• Employer engagement and regional coordination strategies
• Design and launch priority pilot initiatives (e.g., provider mentorship, shared curriculum pilots, communities of practice).
• Build and curate an initial centralized resource library of curricula, tools, and best practices.
• Support development of the Resource Center's branding, communications, and web presence.

Cross-System Coordination

• Strengthen alignment among EBF funded providers, CommCorp RISE grantees, employers, and regional workforce boards.
• Identify opportunities to integrate skilled immigrant recredentialing efforts into resource center activities.
• Coordinate external consultants and subject matter experts as needed.

Research & Evaluation Collaboration

• Partner closely with CommCorp's Research, Data, and Evaluation team to support development of the research and evaluation framework.
• Ensure grant reporting and evaluation expectations are embedded into provider engagement.
• Support onboarding of grantees into data collection systems and evaluation protocols.

Qualifications

CommCorp Foundation is seeking a dynamic, innovative, professional with demonstrated experience (5+ years) in a combination of adult education, workforce development, ESOL/ELL programming, vocational ESOL (i.e. contextualized language instruction for work), immigrant workforce integration, grant funded initiatives, program development and management. Other qualifications include:

• Knowledge of adult ESOL systems, contextualized instruction models, workforce pathway programming, and employer-connected English language training preferred.
• Self-starter with the ability to manage multiple projects and work independently.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to engage diverse stakeholders.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex, multi-stakeholder projects, particularly across varied government entities.
• Strong qualitative research skills, including conducting interviews and synthesizing findings into clear, actionable written products.
• Excellent facilitation, communication, and writing skills, with the ability to translate complex systems into practical strategies.
• Ability to work independently, manage competing priorities, and meet deadlines in a time-limited Senior Fellowship setting.
• Familiarity with Massachusetts state government, public agencies, or quasi-public entities
• Familiarity with Massachusetts workforce systems and workforce boards.
• Experience supporting cross-agency or cross-sector initiatives.
• By the end of the Fellowship, the Senior Fellow will have:
• Designed and launched a functioning centralized VESOL resource hub.
• Deployed, or fully prepared to deploy, 1–2 priority pilot initiatives.
• Established a statewide community of practice and advisory structure.
• Embedded a research and evaluation framework aligned with employment and wage outcomes.
• Positioned the New England VESOL Resource Center for long-term sustainability and potential regional expansion.

Benefits

• Professional Development: Opportunities to work closely with leaders in vocational ESOL policy and philanthropy, gain exposure to system-level strategy, and build a robust professional network.
• Excellent benefits package, including medical insurance(Health Reimbursement Account) (Employer pays first 75% of participant deductible expenses);Dental insurance (80% employer / 20% employee), vision, 13 paid holidays, 3 weeks accrued paid vacation per year, generous paid sick time, paid time off, Short-Term, Long-Term and AD&D Insurance, Life insurance up to 250k, Pre-tax parking and commuter benefits (debit card) and Health Flexible Spending Account (debit card). Eligible employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF)

EEOC statement Equal Employment Opportunity: Commonwealth Corporation is committed to building a culturally diverse workforce. We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Research suggests that qualified women and Black & Indigenous POC may self-select out of opportunities if they don't meet 100% of the job requirements. We encourage individuals who believe they have the skills necessary to thrive at CommCorp to apply for this role. Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging As a leader in workforce development, CommCorp is committed to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB). We strive to center DEIB in every facet of our work. This commitment requires us to identify and dismantle historical and existing barriers within systems, policies, and practices to create long-term economic opportunities and access for all. The successful candidate is required to complete CORI background checks.