Senior Work Ready Community Development Manager

At ACT, your work contributes to a mission of helping people achieve education and workplace success. We are dedicated to fostering an inclusive, equitable environment where every team member has the opportunity to grow and thrive. Our total rewards package includes company-paid life insurance, medical, dental, vision, flexible health and dependent spending accounts, a 401(k) retirement savings plan with company match, paid holidays, paid time off, and more.

About the role

ACT's Work Ready Communities (WRC) 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 over 580 participating communities and nearly 30,000 supporting employers nationwide, WRC is one of the most impactful workforce development programs in the country.

The Senior Work Ready Community Development Manager is a growth-focused role where 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 ideal for someone energized by building relationships, comfortable at the executive level, and motivated by seeing real economic impact.

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.

Role Progression

• Within 3 Months: Complete structured onboarding of the WRC six-level framework and WorkKeys product suite. Gain fluency in your assigned economic zone portfolio, establish initial relationships with key community contacts and chamber partners, and begin building your employer outreach pipeline in CRM.
• Within 6 Months: Actively manage your full portfolio with a clear view of each community’s certification level and progression trajectory. Drive new employer recognitions, generate first WorkKeys curriculum license conversations, and identify near-term level advancement opportunities. Establish relationships with chamber and economic development organization (EDO) partners in each economic zone.
• Within 9 Months: Demonstrate measurable commercial outcomes with employer recognitions added, communities advanced to the next certification level, and product revenue generated or expanded. Operate with autonomy across your portfolio, leverage funding navigation to sustain community investment, and actively contribute to the broader WRC team’s strategic goals.

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; candidates located in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, or Michigan preferred.
• 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.

Preferred Qualifications

• 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.

Pay

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 also incentive eligible.

Schedule

This is a remote position based in the United States. Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. without the need for visa sponsorship.

About ACT

When ACT was founded in 1959, it disrupted the assessment industry with a new approach to helping students better understand their readiness so they could take steps to improve it. By leveraging our expertise and authority in assessment and research, we continue to innovate—helping more people learn, better measure their progress, and improve their navigation through life’s transitions. ACT is fulfilling its mission of helping people achieve education and workplace success by pushing the boundaries of learning innovation through the work of our team members.