Senior Director, Post-Secondary & Workforce Pathways

3DE National•Atlanta, GA

1d•Remote

About The Position

3DE by Junior Achievement is a non-profit organization dedicated to transforming high school education. 3DE was designed with and is implemented in partnership with school districts to make high school more relevant, experiential, and connected to the real world through project-based learning, case methodology, and competency development. Our goal is to prepare students for the demands of tomorrow's economy, providing them with the opportunity for a choice-filled life. Position Summary The Senior Director, Post-Secondary & Workforce Pathways serves as the strategic leader responsible for designing, advancing, and scaling 3DE's national postsecondary and workforce pathway strategy. Grounded in Junior Achievement's commitment to expanding economic mobility and preparing young people for success beyond high school, this role develops the vision, strategy, and implementation model that connects students to meaningful postsecondary, credential, and career opportunities. Partnering closely with organizational leadership, the Senior Director establishes strategic priorities, success measures, partnership models, and implementation supports that strengthen student transitions to college, credential attainment, employment, and other career-connected opportunities. This role ensures pathway experiences remain relevant, accessible, and aligned with the evolving needs of higher education and the workforce while advancing long-term student success. The Senior Director also provides strategic leadership for the 3DE Credential framework and postsecondary transition components embedded throughout the 3DE model, including the Senior Capstone experience. By developing scalable systems, partnerships, and implementation strategies, this leader equips market teams to deliver high-quality pathway experiences while helping students earn meaningful credentials, connect learning to future opportunities, and successfully navigate life beyond high school. Success in this role requires a strategic, collaborative leader who excels at translating vision into scalable implementation, aligning cross-functional stakeholders, and building organizational capacity across a national network. Success will be measured by increased participation in postsecondary and workforce pathways, credential attainment, employer and postsecondary partnerships, and stronger connections between the 3DE experience and students' future educational and career opportunities.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in education, workforce development, nonprofit management, public administration, business, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience
7+ years of progressive experience in workforce development, college and career readiness, post-secondary success, program leadership, education innovation, or a related field
Demonstrated success designing and leading strategic initiatives that improve student access to postsecondary, credential, or workforce opportunities
Experience developing scalable systems, implementation models, or organizational strategies that improve quality, consistency, and impact
Experience working within K–12 education, postsecondary education, workforce development, youth-serving organizations, or career pathway initiatives
Experience supporting implementation across multiple markets, regions, school districts, or partner organizations
Proven ability to build organizational capacity through training, coaching, and supporting distributed teams
Strong relationship management skills with experience collaborating across education, nonprofit, employer, and community partners
Experience using data to inform strategy, measure outcomes, and drive continuous improvement
Excellent communication, facilitation, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence, align, and build consensus across diverse audiences

Nice To Haves

Experience designing or managing competency-based credential frameworks, career readiness initiatives, or learner pathway models
Experience supporting the implementation of student credential programs and credential attainment strategies within secondary education settings
Experience developing or supporting articulation agreements, dual enrollment partnerships, transfer-credit models, or similar postsecondary pathway initiatives
Familiarity with career-connected learning, work-based learning, and workforce readiness frameworks
Knowledge of post-secondary transition supports related to college enrollment, credential attainment, apprenticeships, military pathways, and employment
Understanding of economic mobility frameworks and strategies that support long-term student success and advancement

Responsibilities

Lead the development, evolution and execution of 3DE's national postsecondary and workforce pathway strategy, ensuring alignment with Junior Achievement's commitment to advancing economic opportunity for young people
Establish strategic priorities, implementation frameworks, success metrics, and continuous improvement processes that strengthen student transitions to postsecondary education, credential attainment, employment, and other career-connected opportunities
Translate strategic priorities into scalable frameworks, playbooks, tools, and implementation supports that enable consistent adoption and execution across JA Market teams
Guide cross-functional collaboration to align pathway initiatives with organizational goals, student outcomes, and partner needs
Lead training, coaching, consultation, and capacity-building efforts that equip market teams to implement pathway initiatives with quality and consistency across diverse markets
Collaborate with the Evaluation team on the development, and continuous improvement of the 3DE Credential framework, ensuring credentials remain meaningful, measurable, and aligned to student readiness outcomes
Develop scalable systems, resources, tools, and implementation supports that enable students to earn and demonstrate 3DE Credentials while supporting consistent implementation across markets
Establish processes to monitor credential participation, attainment, and student outcomes, using data to strengthen implementation and inform continuous improvement
Develop articulation agreements and strategic partnerships that connect the 3DE experience and credential attainment to postsecondary credit, degree pathways, and workforce advancement
Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to ensure credentials and pathway opportunities remain aligned with evolving postsecondary and workforce expectations
Provide strategic leadership for workforce readiness and postsecondary transition structures embedded within the 3DE Senior Capstone experience
Develop frameworks, resources, implementation guidance, and training that support students as they identify, plan for, and pursue their postsecondary and career goals
Collaborate with 3DE curriculum design team to ensure Senior Capstone experiences align with credential attainment, employer engagement, and post-secondary pathway objectives while strengthening students' ability to articulate their skills, competencies, and readiness for future opportunities
Utilize student outcomes, market feedback, and emerging trends to continuously improve postsecondary transition supports and Senior Capstone structures
Develop and advance strategies, in partnership with organizational leadership and JA Markets, that expand employer engagement and career-connected opportunities aligned with student needs and pathway goals
Equip market teams with the tools, training, and resources needed to build and sustain employer partnerships locally
Develop scalable frameworks and implementation supports that ensure employer-engagement strategies are delivered with quality and consistency across markets
Partner with leadership to develop and advance a long-term strategy for alumni engagement and postsecondary success
Design scalable systems, resources, communications, and supports that help students and alumni successfully navigate college, credential programs, employment, and career advancement
Strengthen connections between alumni, employer partners, post-secondary institutions, and pathway opportunities while fostering ongoing engagement with the 3DE network
Use engagement, persistence, attainment, and employment outcome data to refine strategies and improve long-term student success