Director, Workforce Development

## Description

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| **Mission Statement:** Homeboy Industries provides hope, training, and support to formerly gang-involved and recently incarcerated people, allowing them to redirect their lives and become contributing members of our community. |

# Position Summary

The Director of Workforce Development provides strategic leadership, oversight, and management of Homeboy Industries' Workforce Development Department. This position is responsible for designing, implementing, evaluating, and continuously improving workforce development programs that prepare participants for sustainable employment, career advancement, and economic self-sufficiency.

The Director oversees workforce development staff, employment counselors, job developers, workforce training initiatives, employer engagement strategies, grant performance, participant outcomes, and departmental operations. The position ensures exceptional service delivery to Homeboy participants while cultivating partnerships with employers, community organizations, educational institutions, public agencies, and workforce system partners throughout Los Angeles County and the Southern California region.

The Director serves as a key organizational leader, ensuring that all workforce programs align with Homeboy Industries' mission, strategic goals, grant requirements, funder expectations, and best practices in trauma-informed, participant-centered workforce development.

# Essential Duties and Responsibilities

## Department Leadership & Strategic Planning

• Provide overall leadership, direction, and accountability for all Workforce Development programs and initiatives.
• Develop and implement departmental goals, performance metrics, strategic priorities, and annual work plans.
• Create innovative workforce development strategies that increase participant employment outcomes, job retention, credential attainment, and career pathway opportunities.
• Lead department-wide planning, evaluation, and continuous improvement efforts to strengthen service delivery and participant engagement.
• Develop systems, processes, and tools that improve coordination across Workforce Development, Programs, Partnerships, Grants, Finance, and other internal departments.
• Prepare reports, updates, and presentations for executive leadership, board committees, funders, and external stakeholders.

## Program Oversight & Participant Service Delivery

• Oversee employment services, job readiness workshops, career coaching, job placement, job retention services, digital literacy supports, apprenticeship pathways, sector-based training programs, and workforce-related grant initiatives.
• Ensure high-quality case management, employment planning, follow-up, and supportive services are delivered consistently across all workforce programs.
• Establish and monitor standards for participant engagement, service delivery, documentation, attendance tracking, follow-up services, and outcome verification.
• Ensure participants receive meaningful support with resumes, applications, mock interviews, employment referrals, school or training enrollment, and career navigation.
• Evaluate program effectiveness and implement improvements based on data, participant needs, employer feedback, staff input, and labor market trends.
• Promote accessible, in-person, and hands-on services for participants who need additional support with technology, digital literacy, employment navigation, and workforce readiness.

## Staff Leadership & Supervision

• Directly supervise Workforce Development managers and other assigned staff; provide oversight to employment counselors, job developers, program support staff, interns, and related team members as appropriate.
• Provide coaching, mentoring, professional development, supervision, and performance management in alignment with Homeboy Industries policies and values.
• Establish clear expectations, accountability standards, and measurable goals for staff and program teams.
• Lead regular department meetings, case conferencing sessions, supervision meetings, workflow planning, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Support recruitment, hiring, onboarding, training, and retention of workforce development staff.
• Foster a collaborative, trauma-informed, mission-driven workplace culture that emphasizes professionalism, accountability, teamwork, and participant-centered service.

## Employer Engagement & Business Partnerships

• Develop, expand, and maintain strategic relationships with employers throughout Los Angeles County and the Southern California region.
• Create employment pipelines that lead to quality jobs, career advancement, apprenticeships, on-the-job training, industry-recognized credentials, and living-wage career opportunities.
• Oversee employer outreach, hiring events, job fairs, business services, direct placement strategies, targeted local hire opportunities, and employer referral processes.
• Represent Homeboy Industries with chambers of commerce, workforce boards, employer collaboratives, business councils, industry associations, community roundtables, and sector partnerships.
• Promote Homeboy participants as a skilled, resilient, and work-ready talent pipeline while maintaining strong relationships with hiring partners.
• Identify employment opportunities in high-growth sectors such as construction, transportation and logistics, hospitality, healthcare, information technology, clean energy, manufacturing, public sector careers, social services, and the creative economy.

## Grant Management, Compliance & Reporting

• Ensure compliance with all workforce-related grant, contract, and funding requirements.
• Monitor performance outcomes, deliverables, documentation standards, participant eligibility, service records, and outcome verification across multiple funding streams.
• Collaborate with Development, Finance, Grants, Program Leadership, and Executive Leadership on grant proposals, budgets, reporting, forecasting, and program sustainability.
• Review and approve required reports for funders, public agencies, government partners, and organizational leadership.
• Ensure case notes, participant files, employer files, referral records, supportive service documentation, job placement records, and retention outcomes are accurate, complete, timely, and audit-ready.
• Prepare for audits, monitoring visits, funder reviews, program evaluations, and internal quality assurance processes.

## Workforce Systems & Community Partnerships

• Build and maintain strong relationships with workforce development boards, American Job Centers of California, educational institutions, training providers, community-based organizations, government agencies, philanthropic partners, and reentry-focused service providers.
• Develop educational, vocational, certification, and occupational training pathways for participants.
• Establish referral agreements and collaborative partnerships that improve participant access to supportive services, education, transportation, housing resources, digital literacy, and employment opportunities.
• Participate in regional workforce initiatives, community coalitions, partner convenings, employer workgroups, and sector-based planning efforts.
• Ensure the department stays informed of labor market trends, public workforce priorities, and emerging career pathway opportunities.

## Data, Systems & Performance Management

• Develop, maintain, and improve systems to monitor workforce program performance, service delivery, and participant outcomes.
• Use Care4, Excel, shared databases, case management tools, and other reporting systems to track participant progress, services, employer engagement, placements, retention, and grant outcomes.
• Analyze labor market data, employment trends, participant feedback, and outcome metrics to guide planning and program improvement.
• Ensure timely and accurate collection, review, and reporting of participant and employer data.
• Provide regular outcome updates and recommendations to executive leadership.

## Financial & Budget Management

• Develop, manage, and monitor departmental budgets in partnership with Finance and Executive Leadership.
• Ensure responsible stewardship of departmental, grant, and restricted resources.