Senior Manager for State Policy

About the Markle Foundation:

The Markle Foundation works to realize the potential of technology to achieve breakthroughs in addressing some of the nation’s most pressing issues as well as address the challenges it presents. Markle challenges itself and diverse partners to deploy their varied expertise to identify solutions and achieve systemic change. Today as advanced technology and automation change the very nature of work, Markle’s priority is advancing solutions towards a skills-based labor market that will enable U.S. workers to transition to the opportunities of the digital economy. Markle’s current workforce initiatives—Rework America and Skillful—build on Markle’s previous success in creating the policy and technology architecture that has enabled improvements in healthcare, national security, and access to the Internet.

The Rework America and Skillful initiatives aim to enable all workers, especially the almost 70% of U.S. workers/adults without a four-year college degree, to have the opportunity to succeed in our increasingly digital labor market. We aspire to make change at the national scale, to accelerate the efforts of others, and to have impact beyond the reach of organizations working alone or in silos. We aim to overhaul how employers hire and train, to reshape how people view their career possibilities, and to unlock career opportunities for millions of people who may otherwise be unable to access the futures they deserve.

Most recently, the Rework America Alliance was launched to help millions of workers move into good jobs in the digital economy by accelerating the development of a new system of worker training aligned to in-demand jobs. Formed in the wake of the pandemic, this nationwide collaboration aims to enable unemployed and low wage workers to emerge from this crisis stronger.

The Rework America Business Network, launched in 2018 with 11 founding large U.S. member companies which collectively employ approximately 2.2 million Americans. These companies seek to deepen their talent pools of qualified candidates and expand opportunities for people of diverse backgrounds by recruiting and hiring with a focus on individuals’ skills. Member companies also seek to explore how companies can better utilize a skills-based approach when it comes to learning and development.

The Skillful Initiative is developing skills-based training and employment practices in collaboration with state governments, local employers, educators and workforce development organizations. Skillful and its partners are working to create a labor market in which skills are valued, and people can more easily access the information and education they need to keep pace with technology’s impact on work. Skillful currently operates in two states, Skillful Colorado and Skillful Indiana, bringing investment, training, tools and innovative methods to augment local workforce development efforts. It formed and facilitates the Skillful State Network, a collaboration of more than half of the Nation’s governors to accelerate the development and deployment of effective skills-based practices to transform their labor markets.

Today’s labor market denies these workers market power: employers create barriers to good jobs by relying on ineffective proxies to assess ability, denying opportunity to workers who have built skills outside the classroom. At the same time, our system does not provide sufficient support, information, and tools for those who need to build new skills to compete for better jobs in the rapidly changing economy. The Markle Foundation is working with innovative partners from business, education, and state government to develop a catalytic Federal policy agenda to build a skills-based labor market in which:

• Workers are empowered with the necessary information and advising to make informed decisions about what careers to pursue, what skills they need to succeed, and what training can best meet their needs.
• Workers have the ability to build in-demand skills needed to succeed in the changing economy throughout their life, regardless of age, race, employment status, geography, or income.
• Employers recognize and value skills regardless of where they are learned.

The Policy team:

The Skillful policy team is small, ambitious, and fast-paced. As a member of the team, you will help continue to develop and advance Markle’s federal policy proposal on expanding workforce education and training. We’re seeking candidates who are dedicated to empowering workers to access better jobs in the changing economy and have a track record of delivering results towards this mission. We are also seeking candidates who understand the structural forces that limit the opportunities for workers of color and workers without formal post-secondary education in the labor market—and are committed to addressing these barriers. Given the entrepreneurial nature of Markle and its evolving initiatives, all team members execute a diverse portfolio of projects and contribute to the learning culture through supporting multiple initiatives and collaborating across teams and partner organizations.

Job Summary and Responsibilities:

The Senior Manager is responsible for the following workstreams:

1. Lead day-to-day management of the Skillful State Network—a non-partisan learning collaborative of senior state leaders dedicated to expanding economic opportunity for adults without a BA. Core responsibilities:

• Build strong relationships with senior state leaders from 30 + states to understand state priorities related to workforce development, post-secondary education, and labor market reform.
• Identify and share best practices from states, national policy experts, and from within Markle’s that are responsive to state priorities. Create resources that can help accelerate progress across member network states.
• Identify opportunities for Markle and its partners in the Rework America Alliance to launch deeper working relationships with states to help accelerate labor market reform efforts and promote equitable economic recovery.
• Recruiting additional states to the network, as necessary.

2. Support Markle’s emerging efforts to accelerate policy change at the state level.

• Draw on Markle’s existing federal policy recommendations to develop, refine, and promote policy recommendations that would enable state leaders to empower workers in a changing economy.
• Prepare policy briefs, blogs, op-eds as part of a broader effort to educate state policy makers on opportunities to support help workers access better jobs and promote equitable recovery.
• Understand policy priorities of most engaged Skillful State Network states and develop criteria for deeper partnerships that could accelerate labor market reform efforts and build momentum national policy reform at state and national levels.
• Develop partnerships with most engaged states to provide strategic planning and technical assistance on topics related to Markle’s policy agenda.
• Build relationships national experts and other state-serving organizations to expand Markle’s impact on states.

3. Provide input and support to Markle federal policy work.

• Provide substantive input to support the ongoing development and elevation of Markle’s recommendations for federal policy reform, with a focus on highlighting the impact how federal policy can help meet states needs and identifying examples of state programs that could serve as a model for federal efforts
• Support efforts of the broader policy team—as needed—to elevate opportunities to empower workers to access better jobs through project management, communications, and policy analysis.

 

Required Skills:

• Excellent interpersonal skills: A track record of developing strong working relationships with and among a diverse group of stakeholders, including senior level policy makers in federal or state government.
• Understanding of workforce and policy landscape: Ability to synthesize policy issues quickly and effectively through consultation with senior level experts, independent qualitative research, and policy analysis. Demonstrated knowledge of workforce development, post-secondary education, or economic development policy issues.
• Communication Skills: Ability to communicate clearly, concisely, and persuasively in both written and verbal settings to diverse sets of senior level audiences, including policymakers.
• Project Management Skills: A proven ability to juggle multiple projects on tight deadlines and support members of the team to meet their deadlines as well.
• Collaborative Leadership: Demonstrated commitment to internal collaboration across an organization to help colleagues meet their goals and support the success of the team –including direct reports.
• Nimble and strategic in the face of change: Comfortable in a fluid, changing startup environment. Capacity to deal with ambiguity and drive towards concrete solutions. Positive attitude with an openness and willingness to learn, apply feedback and improvise.
• Understanding of the impact of systemic racism in communities of color: Understanding of the ways racism and racial inequity are built into the workforce system and demonstrated commitment to addressing these issues.

 

Preferred Skills:

• Understanding of the priorities of state policy makers as well as tools available to state policy to advance change in the labor market.
• Building Talent: Experience managing staff and empowering them to perform at their best and help the team.
• Experience using racial equity frameworks in policy and program design: Experience in applying racial equity frameworks to design programs and policies and/or experience in projects that are driven by voices of those from impacted communities.
• An awareness of key concepts and debates in federal policy related to workforce development, post-secondary education, economic development, and the labor market.