Executive Director of Work-Learning Advantage - Grant Funded

McHenry County College • Crystal Lake, IL

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About The Position

The Executive Director of Work-Learning Advantage provides strategic leadership and oversight for developing, implementing, and scaling a collegewide work-based learning (WBL) ecosystem. The role leads the Title III Strengthening Institutions Program Grant: Work-Learning Advantage, aligning MCC academic programs with regional workforce needs and equitable student-success outcomes. The Executive Director works with faculty, staff, employers, and community partners to expand career-connected learning and prepare students for purposeful careers, lifelong learning, and success in a changing world.

This position supervises staff and oversees WBL models such as apprenticeships, internships, and cooperative education. It also directs grant implementation, project monitoring, evaluation, reporting, and compliance, and works to embed sustainable career-readiness and experiential-learning systems throughout the College beyond the grant period. The position is grant-funded and scheduled for 40 hours per week, with flexibility to meet department needs, including evenings and weekends.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution.
• Evidence of increasing levels of administrative responsibility in workforce development or higher education.
• Experience with work-based learning models, community college systems, and/or workforce trends.
• Project-management experience.
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to establish and grow internal and external strategic partnerships.
• Strong strategic-planning, communication, and data-analysis skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively and develop productive working relationships at all levels.
• Strong analytical, interpersonal, and communication skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite.
• Commitment to and respect for diversity.
• Commitment to the College’s mission, vision, values, and goals.

Nice To Haves

• Previous experience building and/or leading a successful work-based learning program.
• Previous experience with grant management.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a collegewide vision and strategic plan for work-based learning aligned with MCC’s institutional priorities.
• Provide overall supervision of Title III activities and ensure accomplishment of Work-Learning Advantage project objectives, including expanding access to career-connected learning.
• Lead initiatives that remove barriers between education and opportunity and support access to career-success and economic-mobility experiences for students from all backgrounds.
• Supervise and direct staff, including hiring, training, motivating, managing, and evaluating employees.
• Oversee the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of WBL models, including apprenticeships, internships, and cooperative education.
• Partner with Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, and Workforce Development to integrate WBL across academic programs.
• Develop, implement, and maintain tracking and reporting systems to monitor student participation in WBL and assess program outcomes and effectiveness.
• Work with faculty to recruit students and employers across the WBL spectrum.
• Cultivate partnerships with regional employers and community leaders that enrich student learning and strengthen the regional workforce.
• Monitor implementation of project objectives and evaluate their effectiveness.
• Direct preparation and maintenance of records, reports, and files, and ensure required performance data is collected, recorded, and reported.
• Develop and distribute project-management guidelines in the Title III Policies and Procedures Handbook.
• Maintain files, reports, and documentation to comply with grant requirements and College policies and procedures.
• Guide development of sustainable systems and practices that embed career readiness and WBL throughout the College and extend the initiative’s impact beyond the federal grant period.
• Ensure WBL aligns with curriculum, credentials, and labor-market needs.
• Collaborate with faculty on learning-outcome standards and employer engagement.
• Foster partnerships with employers, workforce boards, and economic-development organizations.
• Support faculty in embedding experiential learning and additional grant goals.
• Assume additional duties as assigned by the immediate supervisor.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director