Senior Work Ready Community Development Manager

ACT Education • Iowa City, IA

10d • Remote

About The Position

At ACT, Your Work Makes a Difference. Education has power – a power that changes lives forever. It creates opportunities that lift up individuals, their families, and sparks societal change that echoes through generations to come. From our grassroots we have fought the good fight for equity in education, and we remain devoted to helping anyone who struggles to access that power. This is what matters to us and we must do better -- we’ve never been more sure of our purpose. ACT team members are part of an organization dedicated to a mission that has never been more important: Helping people achieve education and workplace success. Advancing that mission within our organization, by helping our team members achieve education and workplace success of their own, is core to our values. ACT values a diverse workplace and is committed to fostering an inclusive, equitable environment in which every team member has an opportunity to grow. We want our team members to have the well-being and confidence they need to do their best work, in an environment where both they and ACT thrive. To support this, our total rewards include company paid life insurance, medical, dental, vision, flexible health and dependent spending accounts, 401(k) retirement savings with company match, paid holidays, paid time off, and so much more. We are seeking a Senior Work Ready Community Development Manager, with at least 5 years of experience to help us fulfill that mission. The finalist will be hired at the salary and level commensurate with their qualifications. For this position, we anticipate offering an annual salary in the range of $100,000 to $120,000. ACT manages salaries within the range based on relevant factors including, skills, experience, and internal equity. This position is incentive eligible. ACT's Work Ready Communities program helps states, regions, and communities build a certified, competitive workforce by connecting employers, educators, economic developers, and policymakers around shared workforce readiness standards. With more than 580 participating communities and nearly 30,000 supporting employers nationwide, WRC is one of the most impactful workforce development programs in the country. The WRC Development Manager is a growth role. You will build employer relationships, partner with chambers of commerce and economic development organizations, help communities advance through the WRC certification framework, and drive adoption of ACT WorkKeys products and credentials. You will also connect communities to funding resources and broker partnerships across the ecosystem. This role is for someone who is energized by building relationships, comfortable at the executive level, and motivated by seeing real economic impact from their work.

Requirements

• 5+ years in account management, business development, or economic development with demonstrated growth outcomes
• Experience managing a portfolio of accounts or community/government partnerships
• Track record selling or positioning workforce, education, or credentialing solutions to employers or workforce organizations
• CRM proficiency and strong pipeline management habits
• Excellent presentation and communication skills across internal and external audiences at all organizational levels
• Willingness to travel 30-50% within assigned region
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Economic Development, Workforce Development or a related field of study, or an equivalent combination of education and experience from which comparable knowledge and abilities can be acquired.

Nice To Haves

• Master's degree in business, economic development, workforce development, or related field
• Familiarity with federal workforce funding programs such as WIOA or Perkins
• Experience working with chambers of commerce, economic development corporations, or workforce investment boards
• Background in consultative or solution selling in a B2B or government-adjacent context
• Familiarity with ACT WorkKeys products and the NCRC credentialing ecosystem

Responsibilities

• Build and manage an active pipeline of employer relationships within assigned communities, driving recognition of the ACT WorkKeys NCRC and adoption of WorkKeys workforce tools
• Establish working relationships with chambers of commerce and economic development organizations to position WRC certification as a workforce and talent attraction asset
• Own a portfolio of WRC communities, tracking progress, identifying advancement opportunities, and driving the actions needed to move communities forward in the program
• Drive expansion of WorkKeys curriculum licenses, assessments, and credentials within your portfolio and coordinate with ACT Sales on contract execution
• Connect communities to federal and state workforce funding streams to sustain their investment in workforce development
• Facilitate introductions and partnerships across employers, training providers, workforce boards, and education partners
• Maintain CRM pipeline records and provide regular reporting on employer acquisition, community progression, and product expansion

Benefits

• company paid life insurance
• medical
• dental
• vision
• flexible health and dependent spending accounts
• 401(k) retirement savings with company match
• paid holidays
• paid time off

What This Job Offers

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