Director Workforce Development Disability Services WI (Finance)
Goodwill is seeking a strategic and mission-driven Director of Disability Workforce Development Services - Wisconsin to lead transformative employment initiatives that empower individuals with disabilities. This pivotal role oversees a portfolio of government-funded programs—including Employment Services, Financial Empowerment, and Benefit Counseling—while driving innovation through sector-based training, employer partnerships, and the EmpowerOne initiative. The ideal candidate will bring visionary leadership, operational excellence, and a deep commitment to inclusion, ensuring Goodwill's workforce development efforts deliver measurable impact and sustainable growth across Wisconsin.
The Director Disability Workforce Development Services WI oversees implementation for Goodwill's mission-related workforce development and integration efforts to advance job placement/competitive employment for the individuals with disabilities/ disabilities population . This includes oversight of Goodwill's WI Government Programs, including Employment Services, , Financial Empowerment, Benefit Counseling, , and employer specific programs.
RESPONSIBILITY LEVEL:
Develops long- and short-term business strategies (3-5 years) and oversees implementation for Goodwill's mission-related workforce development and integration efforts to advance job placement/competitive employment for the individuals with disabilities/ disabilities population . This includes oversight of Goodwill's WI Government Programs, including Employment Services, , Financial Empowerment, Benefit Counseling, , and employer specific programs. Position also oversees Goodwill's EmpowerOne operations, training, and placement programs, along with supporting oversight of a variety of sector-based training programs and strategic employer partnerships, and acting as program manager responsible for taking new workforce development opportunities from conception to implementation. Is heavily involved in developing department standard operating procedures. Forecasts and plans annual operating and capital budget, implements cost-savings measures. Responsible for driving program growth through strategic planning and implementation of new initiatives. Maintains and adjusts operating budget, manages expenses based on changes in internal or external factors, and communicates budgetary performance. Typically works on projects and initiatives that span 2-5 years. Responsible for integration of systems, systems metrics and analysis.
PRINCIPAL DUTIES:
1. Direct and monitor the activities of assigned operations ensuring that the mission outcomes, business plans, and financial goals are met or exceeded.
2. Conceive and implement strategies for increasing mission impact, business growth, quality, and increasing margins within assigned projects and service areas.
3. Identify and develop market opportunities, not limited to our geographic boundaries, for assigned service areas, organizational core competencies, and new opportunities within Goodwill's organizational capacity.
4. Manage Workforce Development activities to ensure quality on-time service for internal and external customers, continuous process improvement, enhanced mission impact, and profitable growth for the company.
5. Advocate for the well-being of individuals served and act as an organizational and community change agent to continually evolve services and opportunities for individuals.
6. Conduct regular management audits of performance levels, contract compliance, space and equipment utilization, and budgetary achievement in assigned service areas and projects.
7. Develop and assure the implementation of operational policies necessary for successful operation and administration of assigned service areas and projects.
8. Lead integrated teams, with staff representing various divisions and skill sets to assure effective and timely performance of assigned projects and business development activities.
9. Leading and Developing Talent: Manages organizational design for area of responsibility and directs talent planning, hiring, development and training of staff. May participate in succession planning discussions. Networks and sources for positions throughout the organization.
10. Project and Change Management: Serves as project owner for high complexity department, cross-functional or multi-location projects and improvement initiatives. Set project direction including project scope, timeline and resources. Accountable for making decisions and project success. Manages change through effective planning, communication and coaching. Builds and participates in leadership coalition supporting and implementing organizational change.
11. Community Engagement: Actively engages with community partners and links activities to business performance.
12. Responsible for completing other duties/responsibilities as assigned.
REQUIREMENTS:
1. Bachelor's Degree or experience equivalency, and a minimum of 8 years' experience.
LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES:
1. Business Insight: Demonstrates thorough business/industry knowledge and can synthesize business information and respond to changing market dynamics effectively. Proactively monitors external factors and policies that may affect the organization. Uses knowledge to plan work and guide decision making.
2. Courage: Fosters a culture that supports people taking well-reasoned risks, regardless of outcome and appropriately advocates for decisions that are for the good of the organization. Confronts actions that are inconsistent with the Guiding Principles and demonstrates the ability to provide leadership through high-stakes situations, crises, or conditions of uncertainty.
CORE CULTURAL COMPETENCIES:
1. Customer Focus: Fosters a customer service-focused environment with a sense of urgency and importance of meeting the customer's needs. Establishes organizational partnerships with key customers and ensures resources and support are focused on meeting customer needs.
2. Values Differences: Cultivates an environment that makes all people feel valued and that encourages and supports diversity and inclusion. Sponsors and mentors people from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives. Applies understanding of cultural differences to create value and help meet business goals.
3. Communicates Effectively: Promotes a free flow of information throughout the organization and demonstrates candor and openness when discussing major organizational initiatives. Creates venues for constructive dialogue and ensures organizational information is cascaded to a wide variety of audiences at all levels.
4. Situational Adaptability: Demonstrates flexibility in a changing, competitive environment and initiates change in response to the cues in the external environment. Adapts leadership style in response to a broad range of situations and challenges that ingrains flexibility within the organizations structures, systems and culture.
5. Drives Results: Drives organization to achieve results that have a direct impact on business performance. Pushes the organization to move forward in difficult circumstances and eliminates obstacles that affect organizational performance.
6. Ensures Accountability: ensures the organization meets commitments and holds leaders accountable for team performance. Sets and monitors goals that align with organizational strategy creating an environment of accountability for meeting agreed upon expectations and performance expectations.
PHYSICAL/SENSORY DEMANDS:
Job requires the following: remain stationary for sustained periods of time; ability to move about to accomplish tasks; must be able to operate a computer or similar technology, which typically involves substantial motions of wrist, hands and/or fingers; visual acuity to perform activities such as preparing data, operating equipment or review thoroughness of work; ability to communicate with others and exchange information. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
When determining placement within the salary range for this position Goodwill Greater Milwaukee & Chicago considers education, experience, internal equity, market demands and other qualifying criteria. It is not typical for individuals to be hired at or near the top of the rage for their role and compensation decisions are dependent on facts and circumstances of each case.
Certain roles are eligible to participate in an incentive plan. Participation in this plan does not guarantee an incentive payment and is subject to the terms and conditions of the plan, which are subject to change.
In addition to compensation, we offer a competitive benefit program that may include medical, dental, vision, short and long-term disability, life insurance, retirement plan, paid time off (PTO) and more. The specifics of each benefit package will vary depending on factors such as full or part time jobs, contracted, temporary, or other job categories.
Equal Opportunity Employer
(SEW)
