Lead, Direct Care Workforce Development

National Council on Aging•Arlington, VA, Arlington, VA, US, VA

7h•Hybrid

About The Position

At NCOA, we offer the chance to make a difference. We're a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of older adults and building a just and caring society in which each of us, as we age, lives with dignity, purpose, and security. If you’re looking to innovate, grow, and make a meaningful impact, this is your opportunity to join a mission-driven team working to create the conditions for all to age well today and into the future. Every day, NCOA empowers older adults, strengthens communities, and advocates for lasting change to ensure everyone has access to the resources needed to age well. The National Council on Aging (NCOA) is seeking a passionate, collaborative, and innovative Lead, Direct Care Workforce (DCW) Development to join us during an exciting period of growth and impact. The Lead, Direct Care Workforce Development plays a key leadership role in advancing programmatic strategy and execution within the Center for Economic Well-Being (CEW), providing day-to-day project leadership for the Direct Care Workforce (DCW) Strategies Center. The National Council on Aging (NCOA) leads the Strategies Center, established by the Administration for Community Living in 2022, to deliver targeted technical assistance (TA) to cross-state teams and to develop tools and resources that elevate and scale promising practices to strengthen the direct care workforce nationwide. In this role, the Lead supports the design, coordination, and delivery of a multi-state TA portfolio, while helping to mobilize and manage a network of national partners, Advisory Committee members, and subject matter experts. The position contributes to the development and dissemination of policy, practice, data, and economic strategies that strengthen workforce capacity, improve job quality, and expand access to home and community-based services for older adults and people with disabilities. Positions at this level typically report to a director or senior director and require deep subject matter expertise, advanced knowledge and experience, as well as the ability to independently lead complex or high-impact work. Incumbents are required to exercise independent judgement within their scope of work and require minimal oversight. These roles often serve as recognized subject matter experts and may represent an area of specialization across the organization. Incumbents generally have five or more years of experience in their discipline and a bachelor’s degree or the equivalent, as well as substantive experience at this level. Graduate level degrees may be considered in lieu of experience.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in social sciences, health, economics, or related field required.
5-7 years of postgraduate work experience in a related capacity.
Knowledge of issues related to the direct care workforce aging, disability, long-term supports and services (LTSS) and home and community-based services (HCBS).
Strong understanding of state and federal policies and programs related to the direct care workforce.
Fluency in the federal administrative ecosystem driving direct care workforce initiative navigating processes, timelines, and reporting requirements across agencies (e.g., HHS, ACL, ACF, CMS, DOL).
Experience managing complex projects with many sub-grantees, sub-contractors, stakeholders, steering, and advisory committees.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and experience with Asana or similar project management tools.
Demonstrated skill in establishing and maintaining effective working relationships and communicating with vendors, clients, and diverse audiences.
Adaptability in fast-paced environments while meeting deadlines and satisfying evolving project parameters.
Solid professional presence with excellent communication and operational instincts; good strategic skills and sound business judgment.
Demonstrated experience in supporting multiple projects simultaneously with a solid focus on results.
Willingness and ability to participate in anticipated in-state and out-of-state travel, including overnight travel, as requested (up to 10-15%).

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree preferred.

Responsibilities

Support the execution of the technical assistance (TA) strategy across modalities (e.g., direct TA, webinars, web-based workshop series); oversee development of tools and resources, ensuring high-quality, timely deliverables.
Lead and oversee the development of high-quality, public-facing deliverables (e.g., presentations, briefs, reports, e-newsletters) tailored to diverse audiences, ensuring clarity, consistency, and strategic alignment.
Manage relationships with Strategies Center partners, including subcontractors, vendors, subgrantees, subject matter experts (SMEs), and Advisory Committee members; oversee coordination of contracts, POs, invoicing, and partner communications.
Serve as a secondary liaison to key stakeholders; support communication and coordination, help translate and route feedback, and elevate key issues and risks in collaboration with the Director.
Analyze workforce and program data (including state-level and national datasets); translate findings into actionable insights, policy recommendations, and improvements to technical assistance.
Represent the Strategies Center at convenings and conferences.
Monitor federal and state policy, industry trends, and emerging practices (e.g., workforce innovations, technology/AI in care); integrate insights into Center strategy and resources.
Advance a culture of continuous quality improvement (CQI), innovation, and learning across the Center.
Perform other responsibilities as assigned.