Director of Career Connected Learning and Workforce Innovation

Director Of Career Connected Learning And Workforce Development

The Director of Career Connected Learning and Workforce Development serves as a key program leader within the Department, coordinating the vision for the CO-WIL Community of Practice and supporting statewide alignment to ensure career-connected learning is integrated into the postsecondary experience in Colorado. This position provides administrative oversight to the Colorado Work Integrated Learning (CO-WIL) Program Manager and collaborates to align higher education's career services and workforce development units to meet the economic needs of the state of Colorado.

This position supervises one (1) employee: CO-WIL Program Manager

This is an intermediate-level management position responsible for the implementation, cross-agency coordination, and operational oversight of the career-connected learning and workforce development efforts for the Department of Higher Education. The incumbent manages complex, systemic program initiatives involving administrative accountability and collaborative decision-making responsibilities, including tracking program evaluations, assisting with state-level policy implementation, and executing defined strategic objectives. The duties require a strong level of independence, initiative, and professional discretion within established statutory guidelines.

The duties listed below reflect the different types of work that may be performed. The omission of any specific duty will not prevent the assignment of work that is appropriately related to this position.

• Coordinate with the Chief Educational Impact Officer and Director of Industry Partnerships to support the statewide agenda for workforce mobility and social equity.
• Provide day-to-day leadership and guidance to the CO-WIL Program Manager, ensuring the CO-WIL Community of Practice effectively connects with the broader CO-WIL Consortium and state workforce goals.
• Manage the statewide CDHE Career Connected Campus Designation review process, ensuring institutional submissions align with established state criteria and providing professional feedback to institutional staff.
• Convene and facilitate meetings with Colorado's 2-year and 4-year career services and workforce development managers to coordinate institutional efforts into a cohesive statewide strategy.
• Collaborate with the DHE Student Success and Academic Affairs team to help integrate career and academic advising structures across postsecondary systems.
• Engage and provide institutions of higher education access to relevant statewide workforce development resources, data, and reports.
• Participate in cross-agency meetings to discuss higher education's role in developing talent for the state and advocate for the role of higher education career services units in workforce development.
• Support policy development and handle the practical implementation of workforce and career-connected learning initiatives.
• Represent the Department on the State Apprenticeship Agency's State Apprenticeship Council as a non-voting ad-hoc member.
• Represent the Department at Education and Training meetings with the Colorado Workforce Development Council.
• Connect resources available to postsecondary students and local workforce development centers.
• Work with institutions of higher education and other state agencies to apply for federal and state grants related to workforce development.
• Support and participate in the Department's efforts to align with career-connected learning and workforce development, including leveraging outside intermediaries, associations, and vendors to maximize work-based learning and employment opportunities for Colorado's higher education students.
• Proactively explore, evaluate and apply AI tools to build efficiencies into unit systems, processes and workflows; accelerates analysis and reporting; and support ideation and innovative program design, while modeling responsible and ethical AI use consistent with department and state guidance.
• Champion the adoption of effective and responsible AI practices within the unit and among institutional career services and workforce development partners, in alignment with the department's AI related initiatives.
• Network with and utilize resources from national organizations.
• Other duties, as assigned.

Any combination of experience and education that would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:

Education:

Bachelor's degree from an accredited university or college in education, higher education, public policy, human resources, business administration, or a related field.

Experience:

Five (5) years of supervisory and leadership experience working within postsecondary career services or workforce development within an educational organization or state agency of higher education

Licenses and

Certifications:

Valid Colorado driver's…