Economic Empowerment Program Manager

International Rescue Committee•Missoula, MT

1d•$79,326 - $85,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Economic Empowerment Program Manager will build a workforce development program for IRC Montana from the ground up — designing service delivery, establishing employer and community partnerships, and expanding the program into new geographic areas across the state. This role combines program design, direct relationship-building, and public-sector engagement, with a particular focus on establishing IRC Montana's presence within local workforce development boards as a sustainable, long-term funding and partnership strategy. Helena is a strategic priority for this role, given its location as the seat of Montana's workforce development board and several key donors — offering an early opportunity to establish IRC's presence and build a lasting network there.

Requirements

University degree (four-year, B.A.) required; advanced degree in a related field preferred.
Minimum 3-5 years of related program experience, including program development, monitoring, and evaluation.
Experience designing or launching workforce development, employment, or job readiness programs, ideally within a nonprofit or public-sector context.
Experience engaging with public workforce systems (e.g., workforce development boards, WIOA-funded programs) strongly preferred.
Previous fundraising and grant writing experience.
Demonstrated success building and sustaining relationships with employers, government agencies, or community institutions, with comfort in relationship-building processes that unfold over months or years.
Highly organized self-starter able to manage multiple priorities and deliver results independently in a fast-paced environment — particularly suited to building a new program from scratch.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including comfort representing the organization publicly; fluent in English, with a second language desirable.
Willingness to travel regularly across Montana; proficiency with MS Office applications, including a strong command of Excel.
Demonstrated commitment to IRC's core values of service, accountability, integrity, and equality; experience working with refugee, immigrant, or other diverse low-income populations preferred.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree in a related field preferred.
Experience engaging with public workforce systems (e.g., workforce development boards, WIOA-funded programs) strongly preferred.
Second language desirable.

Responsibilities

Design and launch a workforce development program from the ground up — including service design, eligibility criteria, intake and referral processes, case management, and success metrics.
Develop program policies, procedures, and client-facing materials suited to Montana's rural and geographically dispersed population.
Conduct outreach and recruitment of prospective participants, screening and assessing for program eligibility.
Collaborate with the development team on new program design and grant proposals to grow services; contribute to program and office-wide strategic planning, with measurable goals for placements, partnerships, and reach.
Identify and regularly attend the workforce development board(s) covering each Montana community IRC serves, securing access through partner relationships where meetings are not readily public.
Position IRC Montana as the local expert on serving English Language Learners and diverse low-income job seekers, adapting framing by community.
Build sustained relationships with board members and system partners over time, recognizing that trust- and funding-influence take months or years to develop.
Work to influence board funding priorities, positioning IRC Montana to draw down multi-year, public-sector workforce funding as a stable complement to grant-based revenue.
Identify, cultivate, and maintain relationships with employers, donors, career service providers, registered apprenticeship providers, small business and corporate entities, educational institutions, and financial experts and mentors to expand client opportunities.
Build relationships with the Montana Department of Labor & Industry, community colleges, and vocational training providers.
Represent IRC Montana at community events and coalitions; maintain an up-to-date partner map and relationship status across the state, in coordination with office leadership.
Develop a strategy for identifying and prioritizing new geographic areas for program expansion, informed by population needs, labor market data, and funder priorities.
Travel regularly to new and existing communities to conduct outreach, needs assessments, and relationship-building ahead of program launch.
Adapt program design to local conditions and build local partnerships before or alongside rollout in each new area.
Oversee delivery of job readiness training, placement support, and retention services, ensuring they are culturally responsive and accessible (addressing language, transportation, and documentation-related barriers)
Track individual client outcomes and aggregate program data for funder and organizational reporting.
Hire, train, and manage staff supporting the program as it grows; collaborate as an active member of the office leadership team.
Represent IRC Montana in public, professional, and governmental forums; lead planning of special events such as partner engagement events and client workshops.
In coordination with office leadership, develop and monitor department, program, and grant budgets, and implement process improvements as the program grows.
Ensure compliance with funder requirements across federal, state, and foundation-funded grants.
Serve as the Executive Director's point person for workforce development programming and priorities.
Implement decisions and priorities set by the Executive Director and technical team input as they relate to workforce development.
Ensure clear role boundaries, shared planning, and consistent communication with site leadership and other program staff to avoid duplication of effort.
Participate in regional leadership meetings and organizational forums as requested.
Comply with all IRC policies, procedures, and protocols.
Perform other duties as assigned by the Executive Director.
Establish data collection systems suited to a new program, and regularly report performance to leadership and funders.
Document lessons learned as the program expands, to make replication in new geographic areas progressively easier.

Benefits

10 sick days
10 US holidays
20-25 paid time off days (depending on role and tenure)
medical insurance starting at $145 per month
dental starting at $7 per month
vision starting at $5 per month
FSA for healthcare, childcare, and commuter costs
a 403b retirement savings plans with up to 4.5% immediately vested matching contribution, plus a 3-7% base IRC contribution (3 year vesting)
disability & life insurance
an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support counseling and care in times of crisis and mental health struggles.