Chief Program Officer

Essential Functions

• Workforce Systems Strategy & Regional Leadership
• Serve as an organizational strategist for workforce system development, alignment, and transformation across the San Diego region;
• Collaborate with the VP of SPI to Position SDWP as the region's trusted workforce intermediary, convener, and backbone organization;
• Develop and implement workforce strategies that align employer demand, talent development, economic mobility, and equitable access to opportunity;
• Convene and influence leaders across business, education, government, labor, philanthropy, and community sectors to advance regional workforce priorities;
• Identify opportunities to align workforce, economic development, education, and community serving systems around shared outcomes;
• Advance workforce policies, funding strategies, and collaborative solutions that strengthen the regional workforce ecosystem;
• Portfolio Leadership
• Provide executive oversight and strategic direction for the following interconnected workforce functions:
• Client Services, including America's Job Centers of California (AJCCs), career services, and workforce access points;
• Sector Initiatives and industry-led workforce strategies focused on priority sectors and regional talent needs;
• Business Engagement and employer partnerships that drive talent pipeline development, quality jobs, and workforce competitiveness;
• Program Design and Implementation, including workforce innovation initiatives, grant-funded programs, and population-specific interventions;
• Program Operations, including performance management, data systems, compliance, supportive services, reporting, and operational effectiveness;
• Strategic Partnerships with educational institutions, community-based organizations, labor partners, industry associations, government agencies, and philanthropic organizations.

Organizational Leadership & Culture

• Develop, mentor, and support senior leaders responsible for workforce strategy, programs, client services, and employer engagement;
• Foster a high-performance culture grounded in collaboration, innovation, accountability, inclusion, and continuous improvement;
• Lead enterprise-wide and inter-departmental strategic planning efforts and establish clear organizational goals, KPIs, and impact measures;
• Promote collaboration and alignment across departments to ensure integrated service delivery and effective use of organizational resources;
• Identify opportunities to streamline processes, strengthen systems, and improve organizational effectiveness;
• Model inclusive leadership practices that cultivate belonging, equity, and employee engagement.

Quality Jobs, Economic Mobility & Equity

• Champion implementation of SDWP's Quality Jobs Framework as a strategy for advancing economic mobility and workforce competitiveness;
• Ensure workforce investments support family-sustaining wages, career advancement, and meaningful employment opportunities;
• Promote an ikigai-centered approach to career development that helps individuals identify pathways aligned with purpose, strengths, labor market demand, and economic sustainability;
• Advance workforce strategies that improve outcomes for priority populations and communities facing systemic barriers to employment;
• Utilize disaggregated data and community input to guide equitable investment decisions and improve outcomes across demographic groups.

Resource Development & Sustainability

• Lead organizational efforts to identify, secure, and diversify public, private, philanthropic, and employer-supported funding opportunities;
• Establish funding priorities and investment strategies that advance organizational and regional workforce goals;
• Cultivate relationships with funders, foundations, government agencies, and strategic investors;
• Support the development and management of a multi-million-dollar workforce investment portfolio;
• Lead incubation and scaling of innovative workforce initiatives that create new opportunities for impact and long-term sustainability;
• Align funding strategies with organizational priorities, regional workforce needs, and emerging opportunities.

External Affairs & Strategic Partnerships

• Serve as a preferred representative of SDWP with elected officials, workforce boards, community leaders, industry associations, funders, and strategic partners;
• Build and sustain relationships that advance regional workforce goals and strengthen SDWP's influence and impact;
• Represent the organization on local, state, and national committees, boards, and workforce initiatives;
• Foster partnerships that improve coordination, leverage resources, and create shared accountability for workforce outcomes;
• Communicate organizational impact, workforce trends, and strategic priorities to diverse stakeholder audiences.

Data, Performance & Continuous Improvement

• Establish performance frameworks that measure workforce system effectiveness, economic mobility outcomes, employer engagement, customer experience, and return on investment;
• Promote data-informed decision-making across the organization;
• Ensure effective performance monitoring, compliance, reporting, and accountability systems;
• Leverage labor market intelligence, customer insights, and outcome data to guide strategic investments and workforce strategies;
• Lead organizational learning efforts that drive innovation, adaptation, and continuous improvement.

Compensation

Compensation for this position ranges from $220,737 - $404,892. In the spirit of pay transparency, we are excited to share the base salary range for this position. If you are hired at San Diego Workforce Partnership, your final base salary (within the pay range), will be determined based on factors such as education, knowledge, skills, and experience. In addition to those factors, we believe in the importance of pay equity and consider the internal equity of our current team members when determining any final offer. Please keep in mind that the range mentioned above is the full base salary range for the role. Hiring at the maximum of the range would not be typical in order to allow for future and continued salary growth. We also offer generous benefits and retirement plans.