Executive Director, Workforce Engagement

Summary of Position

The Executive Director of Workforce Engagement provides strategic leadership for the Department of Career Readiness and Workforce Launch within IWU National and Global. Reporting directly to the Vice President of Learner Success and Retention, this role is responsible for the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of a three-pillar career launch system that transforms career preparation from a passive, transactional service into a lifecycle-integrated, data-driven intervention model.

The Executive Director ensures that every IWU student graduates with a verified Human Capital Package and an active advocate working on their behalf in the regional labor market.

This position serves as the senior strategic leader for the department, overseeing a lean team of 1.0 to 6.0 FTE across three operational pillars:
Career Clarity, Professional Development, and Market Advocacy. The Executive Director is the primary institutional liaison for the circular talent ecosystem, connecting employer intelligence from Regional Career Agents back to academic curriculum and enrollment strategy. The role operates at the intersection of student success, workforce development, and institutional advancement, requiring the ability to engage credibly at the C-suite level with employer partners while maintaining deep alignment with IWU's mission of student flourishing.

This is a foundational leadership role in a newly approved, purpose-built department. The individual selected will have the opportunity to design the model, build the team, and establish the operational infrastructure — not simply execute a pre-existing system.

Christian Commitment Requirement:
In accordance with Indiana Wesleyan University's employment policy, all employees must possess a strong Christian commitment and adhere to the standards outlined in the IWU Community Lifestyle Statement.

• Strategic Leadership and Department Vision
  • Lead the implementation and ongoing refinement of the Career Readiness and Workforce Launch model, ensuring alignment with IWU National and Global's enrollment, retention, and student success goals
  • Develop and execute a 24-month implementation roadmap, managing phase transitions from foundation to full-scale operation with clear milestone accountability
  • Establish and maintain the department's key performance indicator framework, including placement rates, employer satisfaction scores, Human Capital Package completion rates, and 90-day graduate retention metrics
  • Produce a termly Student Success Intelligence Brief that synthesizes workforce outcomes data for VP-level and Board-level audiences, translating complex placement and retention data into actionable institutional intelligence
  • Represent the department in cross-divisional governance structures, including the Digital Credential Wallet steering committee and the Partnership-to-Placement integration with the Enrollment Division
  • Manage the department budget within approved parameters, applying data-validated expansion triggers to authorize FTE growth from 4.0 to 7.0 as enrollment and caseload thresholds are reached
• Employer Partnership Development and Market Advocacy
  • Cultivate and manage high-value employer partnerships at the C-suite and senior HR level, positioning IWU graduates as verified talent assets through the Human Capital Package framework
  • Oversee the Regional Career Agent team's employer account portfolio, ensuring consistent relationship management across 15 to 30 active accounts per FTE
  • Coordinate weekly with the Enrollment Division's Partnership Executive team to align on shared employer account management, relationship ownership protocols, and market intelligence sharing through Salesforce
  • Provide monthly market intelligence briefs to the Vice President of Learner Success and Retention, summarizing employer workforce needs, hiring trends, and graduate performance data
  • Lead the institution's participation in regional employer engagement events, workforce development convenings, and industry partnership initiatives across the Indianapolis, Chicago, and Cleveland hub markets
• Team Leadership and Pillar Oversight
  • Provide direct supervision, coaching, and professional development for all three pillar roles — Career Clarity Specialists, Professional Development Specialists, and Regional Career Agents
  • Establish and maintain standardized intervention protocols, caseload management practices, and documentation standards across all three pillars
  • Monitor…