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New Search: Vice President of Academic Services at JVS

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JVS has partnered with Pillar Search & HR Consulting on the Vice President of Academic Services search. Interested candidates are encouraged to submit their resume to Cindy Joyce at cindy@pillarsearch.com. This is an ideal role for a seasoned educational leader with experience in nontraditional/alternative education.

ABOUT JVS: JVS is a non-profit, non-sectarian agency. Our mission is to empower individuals from diverse communities to find employment and build careers; and to partner with employers to hire, develop, and retain productive workforces.

JVS provides a broad range of workforce development services including adult education, skills training, job readiness training, job placement, and support, and access to post-secondary education. JVS assists employers in their search for well-qualified job applicants and their initiatives to upgrade the skills of their incumbent workforce. JVS’s unique education and career pathway model has been widely recognized by funders, policy makers, and practitioners in Massachusetts and nationally.

POSITION SUMMARY: Under the leadership of the Chief Operating Officer, the Vice President of Academic Services is charged with developing and leading agency Academic services based on identified needs of clients, employers, funders, and other stakeholders.

The Vice President of Academic Services is responsible for the following key initiatives:

  • Adult Diploma Pathway, which helps participants earn a free high school diploma from Boston Central Adult High School in 18 months to three years
  • Bridges to College and Career, a program that builds participants’ academic skills, apply for college, and kickstart their career after graduation

In collaboration with agency senior leadership, the Vice President sets the vision, goals, and performance expectations of Academic Services programs, teams, and staff. The Vice President is responsible for the fiscal health of Academic Services programs, program budgets, and budget modifications, as well as annual revenue and expenditure projections and assisting with development efforts to support academic services.

The Vice President is part of a larger JVS team, all of whom are supporting the education, training, and employment needs of clients and employers. The Vice President serves as an active member of senior leadership team, thereby equitably contributing to agency performance goals and working to support the overall mission and philosophy of JVS and its programs.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS: 

Agency Leadership

  • Execute agency strategic plan for Academic Services
  • Develop long-range plans and strategies to ensure the agency’s continued success in fulfilling its mission and achieving short- and long-term goals for Academic Services
  • Ensure all contract requirements are met
  • Generate strategy and solutions in response to unforeseen and planned changes, setbacks, and challenges
  • Expand scope and impact of program services, and develop new services based on partner organizations’ and client feedback
  • Ensure JVS Academic Services are accessible, customer-centered, and providing options
  • Communicate and provide program updates, reports, and metrics
  • Increase internal and external visibility of Academic Services programs
  • Hire, train, supervise, develop, and set performance expectations for Academic Services leadership team
  • Provide oversight and leadership of Academic Services
  • Set an example and inspire staff, colleagues, and other members of leadership to excel in their roles
  • Provide management support to other areas when needed

Build Relationships, Collaboration, and Teamwork

  • Ensure programmatic alignment across JVS programs
  • Manage agency level external relationships relevant to Academic Services (BPS, DESE, colleges. philanthropy, state, federal)
  • Support and promote the mission and philosophy of JVS both internally and outside the agency
  • Establish relationships with key stakeholders (clients/students, employers, partner organizations, funders) and work collaboratively in a structured and on-going manner
  • Work collaboratively with and encourage collaboration between JVS departments and divisions to ensure agency performance goals are met
  • Represent JVS at stakeholder and other professional events
  • Collaborate with Development staff on grant proposal activities
  • Engage with the JVS Board of Directors including regular Board meetings, sub-committee(s) and Board member requests
  • Provide leadership and support to all JVS departments when needed

Administration/Communication

  • Manage and oversee full, timely contract implementation including staffing, systems design, and development
  • Ensure JVS programs operate in compliance with applicable local, state, and federal statutes, regulations, policies, and procedures
  • Manage budget of nearly $3 million. Monitor and control budgetary expenses and revenue performance.
  • Manage contract reporting, ensuring that reports are accurate and submitted in a timely fashion
  • Oversee grant application and management. Partner with Chief Development Officer to identify and cultivate funders to ensure current and future philanthropic support for Academic Services programs.
  • Oversee customer satisfaction surveying and evaluation system; serve as a liaison with clients, including hearing and resolving complaints or grievances
  • Analyze and report program progress, successes, and challenges to JVS leadership, funders, evaluators, and other stakeholders
  • Implement agency contracts including oversight, reporting and invoicing
  • Prepare and monitor program work plans, in support of JVS and contractual obligations
  • Perform other duties as requested

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

  • Seven years of program management and supervisory experience, with extensive experience in nontraditional/alternative education
  • Proven program development
  • Experience leading and managing high-performing teams
  • Proven financial management skills
  • Knowledge of DESE ACLS contracting preferred
  • Presentation and facilitation skills
  • Experience in grant and proposal writing and grant management
  • Experience in preparation of budgets, forecasting expenses
  • Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite
  • Interpersonal, communication and organizational skills
  • Ability to work as part of a team
  • Demonstrated ability to work independently
  • Negotiation skills

EDUCATION REQUIRED:

  • BA/BS or equivalent

KEY COMPETENCIES: 

  • Promotes agency
  • Initiative
  • Building relationships, collaboration and teamwork
  • Adapts to change
  • Accountability and results-focued
  • Communication Skills
  • Cultural competency and respect
  • Planning/organizing

JOB COMPETENCIES: 

  • Leadership across departments and services
  • Setting and communicating strategy and vision
  • Strategic program planning
  • Oversight of multiple departments
  • Managing department budgets
  • Grant writing
  • Grant management
  • Quality improvement

WORKING CONDITIONS:

  • Regular local travel, evening hours and some weekend availability required
  • Please note that, due to COVID, this position will be remote until further notice

JVS CULTURE:

JVS is strongly committed to diversity and a workplace environment that respects, appreciates and values employee differences and similarities. By providing and supporting a work culture that fosters and builds upon diversity and its strengths, JVS will better serve our local communities and continue to provide quality services.

APPLICATION:

JVS has partnered with Pillar Search & HR Consulting on the Vice President of Academic Services search. Please submit your cover letter and resume to Cindy Joyce at cindy@pillarsearch.com.

People with disabilities, people of color, women, veterans, Hispanic/Latino/Latina and LGBTQ candidates are encouraged to apply.

AA/ EOE

About Pillar Search & HR Consulting:

A woman-owned business founded in Boston in 2015, Pillar Search & HR Consulting provides executive search/recruiting and human resources consulting expertise to nonprofit and mission-driven organizations, working with senior leaders and boards of directors to hire and develop the very best talent across all functional areas of the organization.

COVID business best practices, executive search nonprofit, Talent Acquisition in the New Normal

Talent Acquisition in the New Normal: 10 Ways to Position Your Organization for Success

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It seems counterintuitive. How can you recruit if you have no open positions? What if you are in an industry or organization that is experiencing layoffs, furloughs, or a hiring freeze? The truth is a downturn can be an ideal time to time to assess and enhance your organization’s hiring efforts. After all, finding top talent is not a finite task, but rather an ongoing effort that requires time, energy and effort, even during a downturn.

I have been in recruiting and human resources since the mid-90’s, and have been through a few downturns, such as the dotcom bubble bursting, post-9/11, and the financial crisis of the late 2000’s.  While I was working in the investment industry during those, and now work with nonprofit and mission-driven organizations, the same principles hold true regardless of industry or sector.

Here are ten ways you can enhance recruiting now:

  1. Build a pipeline. When hiring is moving fast and furiously, it can be quite a challenge to find the time to look around and figure who at your competitors and other organizations you would LOVE to hire. Now is the time to do that. Who are the stars that you should proactively reach out to the next time a role is open?
    • Look on LinkedIn. Check in with those you know and connect with those you do not
    • Think of amazing speakers and attendees you have met at conferences and/or industry-related events, or those who write articles/white papers that have impressed you
    • Former employees who were top performers. They may be open to a return for the right opportunity
  2. Research ways to build diverse candidate pools. It is easy to post in the same places, but those same places will likely produce the same candidates. There are tons of organizations specific to people of color and women, those who are differently abled, LGBTQ, veterans, etc. In addition, there are job boards that are focused on diversity within certain areas of expertise, such as fundraising, IT, or marketing. Find the ones that work for the jobs your organization hires for so that you have that list at the ready when a job opens.
  3. Be focused with postings when a position does open. Just a few short months ago, it was a candidate’s market. Job postings may have only produced a handful of candidates. That has changed – big time – and while at first you will feel like you have your choice of candidates, you may realize that in this “new normal” you are spending an inordinate amount of time sifting through resumes and fielding endless calls from candidates, which will significantly extend your time to fill metrics. Rather than using the big, broad job boards, focus on the ones specific to your industry and the role, use LinkedIn to proactively reach out to candidates, and tap into your network.
  4. Revisit finalists from other searches. I am going to let you in on a little secret: at the end of each search, I make a list of the top candidates. I did this when I was recruiting in-house, and I do it now that I am an external search consultant. While we all hope that the person hired will stay in the role forever, things change. People get promoted, move, decide that it is not the right role for them, or perhaps your organization expands and decides that they need more people in that same role. Why reinvent the wheel when you already know great candidates? If you loved the finalists in your search, keep them in mind and reach back out if you are hiring for that role or a similar one in the future.
  5. Reach out to the ones that got away. Whether the candidate you made an offer to opted to accept a role elsewhere or received a counteroffer from their existing employer, it is never easy to lose out on your dream candidate. Stay in touch. You never know when the time will be right for them to make a move to your organization, and anyone that makes it that far in the search most likely got to know your hiring team and the organization and at the very least could be a great source of candidate referrals.
  6. Train your interviewers. When hiring moves at lightning speed, it is easy to let training go by the wayside. It should always be a priority, as you want to ensure that all interviewers are trained to avoid potentially unlawful and discriminatory interview questions, as well as how to avoid unconscious bias. Training also helps interviewers understand how to use the interview times wisely, how to create a positive experience for the candidate, and how to assess each candidate’s strengths and opportunities.
  7. Look at your careers/jobs page. Okay, I get it. There may not be a job posted right now, so it may seem like a pointless exercise. However, eventually candidates will look at the page. Be sure that the message of your careers page is on brand, explains how candidates should apply, shares information on things that will appeal to potential candidates such as training and advancement opportunities, what benefits you offer, what onboarding looks like, and what differentiates your organization as an employer. If you have no current openings, invite those interested in applying to submit a resume for future opportunities. This can help build out your pipeline for the future. Ask recent hires what they think about the career page, and what information would have been helpful to them.
  8. Streamline your process. Have you ever started the hiring process and find that you are adding more and more steps and interviewers as you go? That may cost you top candidates, as they will feel that the process is confusing or excessively long. Take the time now to look at how many interview rounds there will be, how many interviewers are needed, and who is involved in each step, making sure that each interviewer is essential and not just a “nice to have”. At the start of each search, recommit to those steps and be transparent with candidates about the recruiting process during your first interview.
  9. Review job descriptions. In the heat of the moment, it is easy to glance at your existing job descriptions in a rush to post. Look at the duties and responsibilities. Jobs evolve with time, technology, and changes to your organizational structure; make sure that the job description is relevant to the current role. In addition, take the particularly important step of reviewing job descriptions to ensure that you are not using biased language, as this could be discouraging diverse candidates from applying.
  10. Succession planning. If succession planning is something your organization does, or if you need to get started, now is the time to pay attention to it. When there is an economic crisis due to an extraordinary event, such as COVID-19, it is called a Black Swan. Black Swans often cause people to assess their life and work, and whether this is what they genuinely want to do. It happened to me – as the recession of the late 2000’s started to improve, I realized that I wanted to do something different and left the investment industry to work in the nonprofit sector. Others I know opted to retire, start their own business, stay home with children, or go back to school full-time. Having a succession plan in place will ensure continuity of leadership and productivity.

While the above tips are focused on your employees, many can also be applied to your board positions!

Remember, this too shall pass. If you do a thorough assessment of your talent acquisition efforts and take the steps to enhance it now, your organization will be in a much better position when hiring picks up again.

A woman-owned company based in Boston, Pillar Search & HR Consulting provides executive search and human resources consulting expertise to nonprofit and mission-driven organizations, working with senior leaders and boards of directors to hire and develop the very best talent across all functional areas of the organization. For more information, please contact Cindy Joyce at cindy@pillarsearch.com.

human resources boston, NEHRA, Northeast Human Resources Association, pillar search boston, pillar search cindy joyce

From a Whisper to a Roar: Handling Workplace Sexual Harassment in 2018

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Note: This article was a collaboration with my former colleague and favorite “sisterpreneur”, Tamara Gardner, Founder of Becoming Boldacious and Tamara Gardner Coaching & Consulting, and was recently published in the Northeast Human Resources Association (NEHRA) publication “Insights”.
 
It is an understatement that the last year has been one of radical change in the United States. For Human Resources practitioners, perhaps the most impactful and talked about was the “Weinstein effect”. When media outlets reported on numerous sexual abuse allegations against film producer Harvey Weinstein, it was described as a “tipping point“, and precipitated a “national reckoning” against sexual harassment.
 
It was a shocking transition from what had become the norm – victims feeling worse for having reported incidents due to how they were handled, overt and subtle retaliation, or simply because the victim did not see a clear path to address the behavior, and was left feeling exposed and vulnerable. That being said, even prior to Weinstein’s “outing” and the #metoo movement, sexual harassment was evolving right in front of us.
 
For example, it became more than a two-gender problem. Today, there are a whole host of genders in the mix, including but not limited to woman, man, trans-woman, trans-man, gender-fluid, questioning, and unsure. Any and all of these genders can harass or be harassed. Historically, it was men who were viewed as the more likely perpetrators of harassment and as having less of a stake in helping to solve the problem. However, with the recent explosion of high-profile cases, more and more men are asking questions, expressing genuine concern, and inquiring about how they can play a role in eradicating this behavior in the workplace. We are witnessing a seismic shift in how sexual harassment is being discussed. Inclusion, equality, and diversity have started to mean something different, and the words have become more prevailing than ever.
 
So, what does this mean for HR practitioners in 2018? Simply said, we have an opportunity to change the narrative and elevate the way it’s being addressed. Discussing sexual harassment is no longer an obligatory training, it is an imperative discussion. HR has been presented with an opportunity to demonstrate strategic leadership, to partner and have meaningful dialogue with colleagues, and together, truly affect the change needed to ensure every employee is supported and treated with respect.
 
We’d like to offer that it’s time to be innovative and engaging about how we address this issue, and get downright strategic about how we prevent it. It’s time to toss out the standard annual sexual harassment PowerPoint presentation and/or email reminder of what not to do. After all, how much personal understanding and commitment is someone demonstrating by clicking a box to indicate they have read and agreed?
 
While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to navigate this new landscape, perhaps the resources have been right in front of us all along. Maybe it’s time to actively engage employees in becoming part of the solution. What we’ve found is that when employees have a safe forum to share their thoughts and learn from each other, it becomes a powerful and educational conversation. Furthermore, when you engage someone not associated with your organization to facilitate, the dialogue becomes much more fluid and enlightening. As a result, you receive an honest assessment of what your employees are dealing with, which can be invaluable and inform how you can better address the issue going forward.
 
It is also time to galvanize your employee resource groups and supercharge your efforts around making them impactful. Typically, employees with passion for (or at least a strong interest in) equality and inclusion self-select to join an ERG. If you have ERG’s that are established, there is likely already trust and open communication. Talk to them. Learn more about their personal perspective, pilot your new and improved anti-harassment education approach with them first to get their feedback, and remind the entire population that these ERG’s exist, and why. You may find that you have an uptick in new members given all that is going on. On the other hand, if you do not currently have employee resource groups, the timing may be right to create them.
 
No matter what approach you choose, getting a realistic understanding of what your employees concerns are and what may be impacting their performance and engagement can be crucial in creating an inclusive environment. It’s high time that we let the whispers to turn into a roar, and to let that roar inspire positive actions that result in actively preventing sexual harassment in the workplace instead of merely addressing it.