Deputy Director, Business Engagement

Deputy Director, Business & Industry Engagement

The mission of Communities Foundation of Texas (CFT) is to improve the lives of all people in our community by investing in their health, wealth, living, and learning. CFT works to accomplish this by growing community giving, expanding community impact, and advancing community equity. With a vision of building thriving communities for all, CFT works locally and across the state with many individuals, families, companies, foundations, and nonprofits through a variety of charitable funds and strategic grantmaking initiatives. CFT professionally manages more than 1,300 charitable funds and has awarded more than $2.5 billion in grants since its founding in 1953.

Educate Texas (EDTX), an initiative of Communities Foundation of Texas (CFT), exists to help solve the most significant challenges facing public education. Our vision is for all Texans to have the education they need to earn a thriving, living wage, pursue a purposeful career, and realize their dreams for themselves, their families, and their communities.

Your role

The Deputy Director, Business & Industry Engagement serves as a lead for employer strategy and partnership development across the Postsecondary and Workforce Success portfolio. This role is responsible for engaging business and industry partners to define workforce needs, provide high-quality work-based learning opportunities, collaborate on pathway design, and commit to hiring Opportunity Youth and other priority learners.

What you'll do

Employer & Industry Strategy

• Lead a portfolio-wide employer engagement strategy aligned to Talent Strong Texas priorities.
• Build and sustain relationships with regional, state, and sector-based employers to articulate workforce needs, validate skills and competencies, and support alignment of talent demand.
• Secure formal employer commitments for work-based learning participation.

Pathway & Program Alignment

• Partner with higher education institutions and internal pathway teams to ensure pathways reflect employer-validated competencies, aligned credentials, and embedded work-based learning.
• Use labor market data and employer feedback to inform continuous improvement of pathways and credentials.

Work-Based Learning & Hiring Commitments

• Expand and deepen high-quality work-based learning opportunities including internships, apprenticeships, clinical placements, and mentorships.
• Move employers along a continuum from participation to interview and hiring commitments, particularly for Opportunity Youth and priority populations.

Cross-Portfolio Leadership

• Collaborate across Educate Texas program teams to coordinate employer engagement and avoid duplication.
• Serve as an external representative with employers, intermediaries, and statewide initiatives.
• Partner with Strategy & Insights to manage data related to employer engagement, work-based learning participation, and employment outcomes.

Experience you bring

• Bachelor's degree required; Master's degree preferred.
• 5 or more years of leadership experience in higher education, workforce development, or employer partnerships.
• Experience leading and managing large projects and programs with multiple partners and key stakeholders.
• Knowledge of Texas higher education and workforce systems and initiatives that promote the Tri-Agency Work-Based Learning Continuum and collaboration between business/industry, workforce development, higher education, and ISDs.
• Detail-oriented, self-starter with strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple projects at the same time.
• Proficient or expert skills using PowerPoint, Excel, Word, SharePoint, Outlook.
• Ability to evaluate and communicate program findings.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work collaboratively in a team in a hybrid/field-based role.
• Strong written, presentation and verbal skills, including experience with executive level audiences.
• Work effectively with staff in a team-oriented environment with a positive, can-do attitude.
• Exhibit a high degree of professionalism, business judgment, tact and diplomacy.
• Excellent problem-solving skills.
• Effectively model and demonstrate CFT's core competencies which include Collaboration, Impact and Problem Solving, Integrity and Accountability, Learning, and Internal and External Service

Success in This Role Looks Like

• Contributing to the development and implementation of a sustainable employer engagement strategy with defined growth targets and long-term partnership goals.
• Building and cultivating employer networks that inform pathway design, validated workforce skills, and strengthen alignment between education and industry needs.
• Expand access to high-quality work-based learning opportunities through strategic employer partnerships and cross-sector collaboration.
• Secure measurable employer participation and engagement outcomes, including partnership commitments, experiential learning placements, and industry involvement in program design.
• Demonstration of successful codification of effective models, systems, and practices to scale high-impact initiatives across teams, partners, and regions.
• Contributing to and strengthening a collaborative, high-accountability team culture by communicating proactively, sharing context early, following through on commitments, and offering timely support to colleagues to advance shared priorities.

Disclaimer: The above sections contain representative examples of job duties that might be performed by employees assigned to this classification. CFT is a dynamic organization, and the environment can be fluid. Roles and responsibilities may be altered to accommodate changing conditions and objectives as well as to tap into the skills and experience of its employees. Accordingly, employees may be asked to perform duties that are outside the specific work that is listed. This is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and/or skills required of all employees within this class.

Accommodation: Reasonable a ccommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.