Vice President of Workforce Development and Apprenticeship
Next-generation 5G networks—100 times faster than current networks—are already reshaping the global economy, ushering in a new era of connected devices, powering smart cities, and enabling driverless cars, enhanced telemedicine, remote surgeries, and advanced manufacturing. While 5G is already coming online in many American cities, in the global competition to build 5G infrastructure, a top obstacle in the U.S. is a shortage of skilled workers. To implement the technology, there is a need to train a large number of workers with the skills to properly lay fiber, install antennas on structures large and small, and identify prime locations to site them, as well as become adept at using complex software.
As Vice President of Workforce Development and Apprenticeship for The Wireless Infrastructure Association (WIA), you will lead the development of a world-class training and apprenticeship program for the telecommunications industry. Reporting to the CEO and Executive Vice President and managing a growing staff (currently a team of two with plans to expand to ten, in addition to some outside contractors), you will identify and build key relationships with association leadership, colleagues, and industry stakeholders to maximize the expansion of WIA training and apprenticeship programs, transforming the wireless workforce so it can better address growing technological and skills needs. Overseeing the curriculum development process with volunteer subject matter experts, you will ensure that training is responsive to employer needs and properly enlists partnerships with academic institutions.
You will conduct research and develop and write federal grant and contract proposals, and oversee and persuasively communicate the missions of the Telecommunication Education Center (TEC) and Telecommunications Industry Registered Apprenticeship Program (TIRAP) to stakeholders and potential funders. While building and maintaining strong collaborative relationships with senior staff, you will fully assess the funding needs of both TEC and TIRAP to strategically prioritize the organization’s approach to customers and funders.
Organization Overview
Through public affairs and advocacy efforts at the local, state, and federal levels, the Wireless Infrastructure Association works to support the widespread deployment of wireless infrastructure. Our members are the companies that make up the wireless infrastructure ecosystem in the United States, including wireless carriers, infrastructure providers, and professional services firms that collectively own and operate more than 135,000 telecommunications facilities around the globe. Our mission is to help members succeed in enabling wireless communications to deliver broadband access to all citizens and communities.
Having recently received a $6 million grant award from the Department of Labor, we now have an increased capability to rapidly expand our internal staffing to meet the needs of the industry. This will enable us to increase the size of our apprenticeship program from 2,000 to 10,000 new apprentices in the next five years.
Responsibilities of the Vice President of Workforce Development
Leadership and strategy: Lead building the training business and apprenticeship initiative into a model trade association workforce development program. Manage and inspire the training and apprenticeship team, providing leadership and direction to WIA’s TEC and TIRAP staff. Prepare and annually update a long-term business plan(s). Facilitate setting project goals, objectives, timelines, budgets, evaluation, and sustainability, and meet the milestones you establish.
Industry relations: Conduct marketing and outreach with employers to determine the effectiveness of current resources in meeting employer needs. Identify industry trends and future training needs. Build relationships with key customers and organizations supporting workforce development within the telecommunications industry. Become a thought leader in the field and conduct nationwide outreach and collaboration with members, employers, and partners. Speak at conferences and other gatherings of industry participants.
Funding development: Direct and manage all aspects of the grant development process from inception to final submission. Manage execution and reporting for existing grants and contracts. Seek out, research, and identify potential new funding opportunities from private sources as well as city, state, and federal government agencies. Write and prepare all related documents for support that respond to the issuing agency's goals, outline, formatting requirements, and evaluation criteria. Establish and maintain linkages to agencies, websites, and publications that provide information regarding available government funding and trends.
Member value: Work with cross-functional teams in developing proposals for new and enhanced programs and services to include program structure, staffing, and budget content. Conduct research and assemble data and reference materials to support proposal development, submission, and follow-up reporting. Monitor market and competitive information to develop strategies that will drive member/customer value, increase profitability, and prompt new revenue streams. Work with board committees of subject matter experts to develop curricula.
Required Qualifications of the Vice President of Workforce Development
Bachelor’s degree.
Minimum of ten years of management experience in the workforce development field, including management of a profit center.
Demonstrated experience in building successful workforce development programs, translating employer needs into training content.
Prior experience in vocational training, an apprenticeship program, or a community college program focused on trade crafts.
Experience in the development of a training curriculum.
Solid understanding of budgets, including how they relate to proposals and grants.
Knowledge of local and federal government funding sources.
Superior written and verbal communication skills; ability to produce publishable materials.
Excellent interpersonal skills with demonstrated ability to build and sustain relationships. Experience building relationships with government entities.
Strong management and collaborative teamwork skills. Proven experience cultivating and coaching team members, inspiring their best work by leveraging individual skillsets.
Ability to travel up to 20 percent.
Preferred Qualifications of the Vice President of Workforce Development
Master’s degree.
Knowledge of apprenticeship programming and experience with apprenticeship standards.
Relevant grant writing and editing experience.
Knowledge of the wireless telecommunications industry.
Trade association training experience.
Experience working with board committees, leveraging subject matter expertise.
Attributes of the Vice President of Workforce Development
Team leader. You enjoy leading and building teams and you are good at it. You understand and can help focus the organization’s mission, needs, and direction and you confidently engage with staff at all levels to define expectations and inspire a vision.
Builder. You are a builder with a can-do attitude. You build from the ground up, keeping an eye on the bigger picture as you navigate and innovate through challenges with a sense of fortitude. You figure out what needs to happen to get things done.
Comfortable with ambiguity. You are comfortable with shades of grey. You can look at two opposing points of view and see the merits of both sides but can also take a stand and recommend a solution that fairly meets everyone’s needs. You do not need a rulebook to solve a problem.
Confident. You have a strong sense of self and take part in spirited conversations with leadership and peers alike, including industry partners, employers, and academia.
Persuasive. You have an engaging presentation style. You are confident and influential. People follow your lead.
Rapport builder. You understand how organizations work, where to build relationships, and how to get results through other people. You earn trust by your actions and faithfully keep your promises. People know you have their best interests in mind and are sincere in your communications.
Results-driven. You have the proven ability and experience to bring about change. You see the big picture, monitor your key performance metrics, and take the action necessary to produce results.
What’s Attractive to the Right Vice President of Workforce Development Candidate?
We are the workforce leader in a rapidly growing industry. 5G and rural broadband access will transform every industry of the U.S. economy. Even during economic downturns, the need for wireless infrastructure continues to grow.
We are leading the efforts for an industry that is growing faster than training has kept up. A solid foundation is already in place and you will have the autonomy to take our programs to the next level, leveraging changing needs of the industry and transforming our education offerings to expand our relevance and keep up with demand.
This role is pivotal to our long-term growth strategy and revenue growth. The sky is the limit for growth in these programs and your efforts will be rewarded commensurately.
You will be joining a team of strong, talented, and committed colleagues who are industry leaders dedicated to our mission with strong support from industry employers.
We offer competitive compensation and generous benefits that include vacation, sick, and bereavement leave; volunteer days; parking/Metro allowance; income security options; and health and wellness benefits that include an on-site gym facility.
To Apply for the Vice President of Workforce Development position:
Simply email your resume to Aileen Hedden at resumes@staffingadvisors.com with “WIA – VP of Workforce Development #2020-2571 ASAE” as the subject of the email. Please include your resume as a Word or PDF attachment to the email and paste your cover letter in the body of your email.
Please note: Our practice is to not disclose the salary ranges our clients would consider. Any salary information included in this posting was estimated without our input.
Staffing Advisors has been engaged to find the right candidate and is committed to helping create a diverse work environment for our client. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. This position may require pre-employment screening potentially including a criminal background check, verification of academic credentials, licenses, certifications, and/or verification of work history.
