Executive Director of Workforce Strategy

Compensation
$119,808-$152,693
Limited Term End Date
6-30-2027

Position Summary
Reporting to the Vice President, Workforce & Community Success, the Executive Director of Workforce Strategy provides senior-level leadership for the development, implementation, and scaling of strategic workforce initiatives within the CNM Division of Workforce & Community Success (WCS). The position strengthens the College's ability to anticipate changing workforce needs, translate labor market and industry intelligence into action, coordinate complex cross-functional initiatives, and align education and training investments with regional and statewide economic opportunities.

Serving as a strategic advisor to WCS leadership and the VP of WCS, the Executive Director works across the CNM, CNM Ingenuity (CNMI), and the CNM Foundation, and with employers, industry, education, workforce, economic development, and community partners to move major workforce priorities from concept through implementation, measurement, and sustainable scale.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of CNM's enterprise workforce strategy, aligning institutional priorities, academic programming, employer demand, economic trends, and regional workforce needs.
• Serve as a senior strategic advisor to executive leadership on workforce trends, talent needs, institutional opportunities, and investments that position CNM for future workforce demands.
• Establish and direct a comprehensive workforce strategy and operating framework spanning education and training, employer engagement, career pathways, work-based learning, workforce intelligence, and strategic partnerships.
• Lead high-impact, cross-functional initiatives involving multiple divisions, academic programs, funding sources, institutions, industries, and external stakeholders.
• Shape institutional priorities and investment decisions through analysis of labor market intelligence, employer demand, economic conditions, learner outcomes, and emerging technologies.
• Develop forward-looking workforce intelligence capabilities that anticipate changes in occupations, skills, industries, technology, and employer demand and translate findings into institutional strategy.
• Advise executive leadership on opportunities to launch, expand, redesign, or discontinue programs and workforce initiatives based on market demand, outcomes, and strategic value.
• Establish enterprise-wide approaches for evaluating workforce investments, including impact, scalability, sustainability, risk, and return on investment.
• Lead strategies to secure and leverage significant federal, state, philanthropic, employer, and other investments in support of institutional workforce priorities.
• Direct strategic relationships with employers, industry leaders, government agencies, workforce organizations, economic development entities, and education partners to advance shared workforce objectives.
• Represent CNM in regional and statewide workforce and economic development initiatives and serve as a senior institutional representative with key external stakeholders.
• Establish and influence regional talent strategies that position CNM as a central partner in addressing current and emerging workforce needs.
• Direct the development and scaling of talent pathways connecting short-term training, credentials, certificates, degrees, work-based learning, and career advancement to high-demand occupations.
• Establish enterprise-level performance measures and accountability structures for workforce strategies, investments, partnerships, and outcomes.
• Provide executive-level analysis, dashboards, and recommendations that inform institutional priorities, resource allocation, program investments, and continuous improvement.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

• Bachelor's degree in public administration, business, education, economic development, labor relations, social sciences, or a closely related field
  • AND
• Eight (8) years of progressively responsible professional experience in workforce development, economic development, employer/industry engagement, education and training strategy, public-sector leadership, or a related field.
• Experience must include substantial responsibility for leading complex, cross-functional initiatives; building partnerships; using data to inform strategy; and implementing workforce, education, economic development, or talent initiatives involving multiple stakeholders and funding sources.