Jobs for the Future (JFF) invites applications and nominations for the new position of Associate Vice President for Higher Education. A national leader in the development of policy and programs supporting the advancement of economic and educational opportunity for underserved populations in the United States, JFF seeks an exceptional individual with a strong record of accomplishment, skills, and understanding to provide leadership for its expanding role in higher education. The successful candidate for this new position will be a member of the JFF strategy team and will lead several project teams within this dynamic, Boston-based, nonprofit organization.
JFF: A Brief Overview
Jobs for the Future has earned a national reputation for accelerating opportunities for people to advance in education and careers. Its extensive agenda includes research, analysis, and policy development, practical, on-the ground-projects, and advocacy, communications, and peer learning. JFF works to better understand the challenges and barriers that keep people from participating fully in education and the economy; to help youth and adults attain postsecondary credentials that enable full engagement in the global economy; and to influence and improve the state and national policies that drive our country's educational and training systems.
JFF’s Vision
- All young people make a successful transition to adulthood. By age 26, they obtain a strong high school education and an advanced educational credential.
- All adults have the education and skills they need to get and keep a job—and to advance in a family-supporting career.
- The nation has a workforce that meets the demands of a changing global economy.
JFF has pursued diverse and complementary strategies to further its vision and goals, including developing major research studies and policy reports, convening policymakers, employers, educators, and community representatives, directly assisting state governments in the design of workforce development systems, and assisting colleges and universities in the design of improvement initiatives, and organizing and supporting networks of communities in testing and refining new educational and workforce solutions. JFF’s particular expertise lies in working with states, and the organization currently has projects in over 25 states.
JFF has established the new Associate Vice President (AVP) position to respond to its expanding role and initiatives in the higher education sector. In particular, JFF managed the design phase of the Lumina Foundation’s Making Opportunity Affordable (MOA) initiative, and currently collaborates with other partners in the build out of this extensive state policy initiative. MOA works with states and higher education systems to change policies so as to increase the productivity of higher education. The goal is to graduate (as opposed to enroll) larger numbers of students within the realities of constrained resources. In addition, JFF leads the state policy and cross state data groups of Lumina’s five-year-old initiative, Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count. Achieving the Dream aims to bring about change within community colleges and in state and federal policy. Now operating in 15 states with participation from 83 community colleges, this initiative is entering a new phase with multiple funders. JFF’s work in higher education also includes Investing in Student Success, funded by Wal-Mart Foundation, an initiative that ties program-level cost data to student outcomes and is generating new tools for analyzing that relationship. JFF also has a number of national initiatives intended to strengthen the high school-college transition through the establishment of early college high schools, dual enrollment, and improved school-workplace transition. The new AVP should have particular expertise and interest in the progress of low-income and first-generation students through the first two years of postsecondary education. A working knowledge of career and technical education is also an asset.
Since its founding in 1983, JFF has grown to 90 employees with a budget of $27 million. JFF is headquartered in Boston, with additional offices in Worcester, Massachusetts and Washington, DC. The programs are divided into three clusters, with the AVP for Higher Education reporting to the Vice President of Cluster One—the team focused on improving outcomes for young people in secondary and postsecondary education. JFF initiatives and projects are supported by major national and local foundations including the Lumina Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and by federal and state agencies.
Interested individuals are encouraged to visit JFF’s website at: www.jff.org; for further information on MOA, please consult: www.makingopportunityaffordable.org.
Position and Qualifications
Throughout its history, JFF has proven to be a flexible and dynamic organization, responding forcefully and creatively to new opportunities and changing conditions to strengthen economic and educational opportunities. Although its programs have modified and diversified over time, they have enabled JFF to consistently pursue its goals to improve and strengthen educational and economic opportunities for those with the greatest need. Within JFF’s initiatives in higher education, the new Associate Vice President for Higher Education (AVP) will have an exceptional opportunity to further advance and extend JFF’s vision.
The AVP will lead JFF’s higher education work including Making Opportunity Affordable, Investing in Student Success, and Achieving the Dream; additionally, the AVP will work JFF’s leadership team to build JFF’s point of view, strengths, and reputation in higher education; developing and guiding programs and staff; representing JFF with the full range of external audiences; and linking these initiatives with the organization’s broader mission and strategy.
- Working with the MOA, ISS, and AtD teams, the AVP will have the following responsibilities:
- Maintain and refine the vision, goals, theory of change, strategy, focus, and timelines of funded initiatives;
- Oversee the implementation of all aspects of these initiatives, with particular attention to the 11 state grants of Making Opportunity Affordable;
- Serve as liaison to senior level funders and key partners in the initiatives;
- Ensure that JFF collaborates well with partner organizations and builds relationships of mutual benefit;
- Broaden awareness, and gain acceptance, of the goals of MOA and AtD among constituent groups, sectors of higher education, policy audiences, and the public; and
- Provide quality control and ensure that results are tracked and analyzed.
Additionally, to develop JFF’s work in higher education more broadly, the AVP will have the following responsibilities:
- Connect and integrate where appropriate JFF’s work in higher education across the full range of program areas;
- Represent JFF’s higher education portfolio at the national and state levels–for example, speaking in appropriate forums and seeking opportunities to extend the reach of the work among educators, policymakers, and business leaders;
- Ensure the participation of diverse stakeholders and experts in all of JFF’s higher education work;
- Write briefs and analyses for the field, manage research, and provide feedback on the clarity and focus of written products;
- Identify new opportunities and generate funding for additional work in higher education; and
- Maintain relationships and build JFF’s reputation in the field with higher education leaders, policymakers, and funders.
Reporting to the Vice President for Cluster One, the AVP also will serve as a member of the JFF strategy team, provide leadership in shaping and implementing JFF’s strategic goals, assist in policy development for the cluster, communicate effectively in multiple forums about JFF’s goals and organizational strategy, supervise and manage direct reports and build staff capacity, and reinforce the principles of high performance organizations.
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The Associate Vice President for Higher Education must be an individual with the experience, commitment, entrepreneurism, values, skills, and capabilities to effectively share leadership responsibilities at JFF–its mission, its programs, and its people.
The ideal candidate for the AVP position will have the following characteristics:
- Leadership experience in higher education;
- Knowledge of and experience with state higher education policy and practice including finance, institutional and instructional improvement strategies, and planning;
- The capacity to design, implement, and manage large-scale, multi-year initiatives (e.g., foundation projects, higher education strategic plans);
- The skills to lead and facilitate the work of high level stakeholder groups, executive leaders, and educators;
- The capacity to lead and be a member of a team in a diverse, collaborative work setting;
- Commitment to, and support of, JFF’s vision and mission;
- The capacity to effectively represent JFF’s mission, programs, and other interests with external groups and audiences within higher and adult education, foundations and agencies, and with other communities;
- Demonstrated commitment to enhancing diversity in the workplace and workforce;
- Knowledge of and experience with key national and regional postsecondary advocacy and support organizations; and
- Excellent writing and speaking skills, preferably with experience addressing or advocating public policy goals and issues.
Information for Applicants
Review of applications and nominations will continue until an appointment is made. Interested candidates should submit a letter of application, a current resume, and the names and telephone numbers of five references. Applicants and nominators are strongly encouraged to submit their materials by email and Word attachments. All nominations and applications shall be confidential.
Please send all inquiries, nominations, and applications to:
AVP Search
Jobs for the Future
88 Broad Street, 8th Floor
Boston, Massachusetts 02110
JFF is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer
