Associate Director for Employer & Community Engagement

University of Washington•Seattle, WA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Information School’s Institute for Neurodiversity & Employment (INE) has an outstanding opportunity for an Associate Director of Employer and Community Engagement to join their team. This opportunity is a direct hire via the search waiver process. Reporting to the Director of the Institute for Neurodiversity and Employment (INE), the Associate Director of Employer and Community Engagement provides leadership for the Institute’s employer and community-facing strategy. This role leads INE's employer and community engagement, overseeing a complex partnership portfolio that spans employers, neurodivergent advocate communities, educators, families, schools, community organizations, workforce partners, and UW collaborators. This is a hybrid position with an expectation to work on-site at the UW Seattle campus at least three days per week; the remaining days may be worked remotely, with supervisor approval.

Requirements

Master’s degree in management, human resources, public affairs, disability studies, human services, education, organizational development, or other relevant field.
3 years of progressively responsible experience in program operations, project management, organizational change, process improvement, service design, program evaluation, HR program implementation, workforce development, or related work requiring independent judgment.
Demonstrated ability to lead complex projects with multiple stakeholders, manage timelines and deliverables, and communicate effectively across roles and levels.
Demonstrated experience providing supervision, staff leadership, or functional leadership for professional staff, project teams, or cross-functional workstreams.
Demonstrated experience facilitating cross-functional stakeholders to define requirements, assess needs, and implement changes.
Demonstrated experience producing written recommendations for leadership, such as options analyses, findings summaries, implementation roadmaps, or decision briefs.
Demonstrated ability to use quantitative and/or qualitative data and stakeholder feedback to assess effectiveness and recommend improvements.
Demonstrated ability to exercise independent judgment in ambiguous, high-visibility, or non-routine situations.
Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, including leaders, managers, HR professionals, employees, community partners, and employer partners.

Nice To Haves

Experience in HR, talent development, organizational development, workforce development, or related employment systems work within higher education and/or complex organizations.
Applied experience in neuroinclusion, disability inclusion, accessibility, or inclusive workplace practices.
Experience designing and delivering training for leaders/managers and facilitating communities of practice.
Experience with evaluation design and measurement, such as survey design/administration, focus groups/interviews, logic models, or dashboards.
Experience working with external employers across sectors, including adapting consultation or training to organizational context and readiness.

Responsibilities

Shape the Institute's strategic direction as a member of its Executive Committee, co-leading annual priorities, resource planning, and organization-wide integration.
Own the Institute's employer engagement strategy and education portfolio—building employer partnerships and designing workshops, certificate programs, and training resources grounded in accessibility and neurodiversity-affirming principles.
Build and lead a high-performing team that activates employers as partners in career exposure, mentoring, workplace learning, and pathway development.
Drive growth of revenue-generating offerings—including consulting, executive education, and certificate programs—owning financial planning and revenue targets for this portfolio.
Serve as a senior spokesperson for the Institute, strengthening visibility, trust, and credibility with community, employer, and advocacy audiences, while supporting fundraising efforts and establishing key external partnership agreements.
Lead the Founding Employers Group, a strategic advisory body of partner organization leaders shaping the Institute's employer-facing work.
Partner with executive-level stakeholders to assess workforce trends and organizational readiness for neuroinclusive hiring, accommodations, and advancement.
Represent the Institute with executive leaders, HR and talent leaders, and corporate relations partners, directing cross-functional initiatives with clear goals and deliverables.
Build and sustain trusted relationships with neurodivergent communities, advocacy groups, schools, and families, setting the strategic direction for the Neurodivergent Community Forum.
Ensure community voice and lived experience shape employer engagement, program design, and career readiness pathways for teens, young adults, educators, and families.
Set the vision and content priorities for employer and community training on neuroinclusive hiring, workplace culture, and advancement.
Lead cross-campus partnerships to deliver high-quality, practical learning experiences, and oversee evaluation to continuously refine offerings.
Partner with Institute leadership to translate research into practical tools, training content, and resources that drive real-world impact.
Define success metrics and oversee data-driven continuous improvement across employer and community engagement programs.
Engage actively in iSchool and University-wide initiatives, events, and professional development to stay current on emerging trends in the field.
Directly supervise a team of professional staff, overseeing hiring, onboarding, coaching, and performance management to build a thriving, high-impact team.