Director of Career Launch

ReadyCT•Hartford, CT

5h•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Career Launch provides strategic leadership and oversight for ReadyCT’s most critical bridge initiatives, including the Student 5.0 postsecondary transition program and the high-impact Submarine Workforce Career Bridge. This role will lead a dedicated Career Launch team, fostering a high-performance culture focused on transitioning recent high school graduates into high-demand sector training and direct employment. It is a high-visibility role for a proactive leader passionate about creating systemic pathways from high school to career.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in education or a related field.
7+ years of progressive leadership in workforce development, education, or nonprofit management with a track record of managing high-performing teams.
Expertise in designing and scaling programs that support postsecondary planning, credentialing, and direct entry into the workforce.
Proven ability to use data systems to track student progress, evaluate program efficacy, and drive organizational learning.
Proven experience in the lifecycle of grant management, including preparing detailed program reports, inclusive of budget updates and accurate tracking of expenditures to ensure fiscal alignment.
Exceptional ability to build and maintain strategic partnerships with industry leaders, state agencies, and workforce development boards.
Ability to travel frequently across Connecticut for meetings and events.
Proficiency in Google Workspace and Microsoft Office Suite.

Nice To Haves

A master's degree is a plus.
Experience with Salesforce or a related CRM system.
Experience with Jira and other Atlassian products (preferred).

Responsibilities

Provide strategic direction for ReadyCT’s career launch programs, ensuring 100% alignment with organizational goals and employer needs.
Drive the development and refinement of career launch models that equip students with coaching, sector-based training, credentialing, and professional learning experiences.
Inform the overall strategy for participant recruitment, enrollment, and retention, prioritizing students from Connecticut’s Alliance Districts.
Identify and sustain key client relationships.
Directly manage, coach, and mentor the Career Launch team, fostering a collaborative, results-oriented, and mission-driven team culture.
Provide ongoing professional development on data-informed case management and outreach strategies.
Establish and oversee rigorous data collection protocols to track student persistence, credential attainment, and employment outcomes across all postsecondary programs.
Lead the preparation of comprehensive impact reports for the Board of Directors, grantors, and state partners, translating raw data into compelling narratives of student success.
Regularly analyze program data to identify gaps in service or equity; implement rapid-cycle improvements to recruitment, retention, and placement strategies.
Develop and monitor Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the Career Launch team to ensure program milestones and grant deliverables are met or exceeded.
Lead the development of comprehensive program-level budgets, ensuring all resource needs are accurately forecasted and aligned with specific grant requirements.
Actively track and reconcile all program expenditures against established budgets, providing regular, detailed financial progress reports to the executive director and leadership team, as well as external stakeholders, as appropriate.
Ensure all program spending strictly adheres to the unique regulations and reporting standards of federal, state, and local funding streams.
Cultivate and maintain high-level referral partnerships with institutions of higher education, sector-based training providers, and credentialing programs.
Act as a key spokesperson for ReadyCT’s postsecondary initiatives, advocating for systemic improvements in career-connected learning.