Executive Vice President for Workforce Development & Strategic Initiatives

Executive Vice President for Workforce Development & Strategic Initiatives

Salary

$122,469.88 - $164,951.96 Annually

Location

Lakeland

Job Type

Full-Time

Job Number

202600196

Org

President

Opening Date

08/24/2026

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

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Description

The Executive Vice President for Workforce Development & Strategic Initiatives serves as a senior member of the Presidents executive leadership team and provides institution-wide leadership for workforce development, strategic partnerships, economic and community development, and high-priority institutional initiatives.

Reporting directly to the President, the Executive Vice President (EVP) translates institutional strategy into measurable initiatives, partnerships, and outcomes that strengthen the institutions position as a workforce and economic-development leader.

The EVP is a member of the executive leadership team and serves as a strategic advisor to the President on emerging workforce development needs, employer and industry priorities, regional economic trends, strategic opportunities, and initiatives that advance institutional growth and impact.

This position has significant responsibility for developing external partnerships, identifying new opportunities, mobilizing resources, leading complex cross-functional initiatives, and ensuring measurable results.

Essential Functions/Duties

Workforce Development Strategy:

Provide executive leadership for the institutions workforce development strategy and position the institution as a premier partner for employers, industry partners, workforce organizations, and regional economic-development partners.

• Develop and implement an institution-wide workforce development strategy aligned with regional and state workforce needs.
• Identify emerging occupations, skills gaps and employer needs and evaluate opportunities for expansion into emerging industries and workforce markets.
• Lead strategies for workforce solutions to increase employer engagement and demonstrate measurable value to workforce partners.

Program Oversight:

Provide oversight of workforce development departments and programs to ensure efficient operation for exceptional customer service, strategic advancement, and student, client, and budgetary success.

• Oversee the College's Advanced Technology Center (Clear Springs/Bartow) including the Corporate College and other programs and personnel at the center.
• Oversee the JD Alexander Center (Lake Wales) and its personnel.
• Provide leadership and supervision for the College's Learning Technology and Online Education department.
• Provide administrative oversight for the Kenneth C. Thompson Institute for Public Safety (KCTIPS) and the National Public Safety Innovation Academy (NIA).
• Oversee the College's apprenticeship, internship, and experiential learning programs and personnel.

Strategic Initiatives :

Lead major strategic initiatives that require coordination across multiple organizational units and community partners.

• Implement strategic initiatives on behalf of the President, including special events and programming focused on civic engagement and civil discourse, as well as the expansion of systems and processes to track, coordinate, and facilitate student community-service engagement.
• Translate institutional priorities into clearly defined initiatives, implementation plans, milestones, and outcomes.
• Serve as executive sponsor for major cross-functional initiatives within the EVPs portfolio coordinating with appropriate internal and external stakeholders to move initiatives from concept to implementation.
• Identify barriers, dependencies, resource requirements, opportunities, and develop and implement solutions to advance with strategic initiatives.
• Monitor progress of programs and initiatives to ensure that strategic initiatives produce measurable institutional, workforce, economic, or community outcomes, and provide regular reports to the President and executive leadership.

Strategic Partnerships and Economic Development:

Develop high-value partnerships that advance the institutions strategic priorities to position the institution as a significant contributor to regional economic growth and community vitality.

• Cultivate and maintain strategic relationships with major employers, industry associations and leaders, workforce development boards, economic development organizations, non-profit organizations, and community partners and identify opportunities for strategic alliances, joint ventures, sponsored programs, and other collaborations.
• Develop partnership strategies that generate opportunities for students, employers, communities, and the institution.
• Align institutional workforce development programming with regional economic development priorities by identifying opportunities to support business attraction, business expansion, entrepreneurship, innovation, and talent development.
• Lead or support major regional initiatives in which the institution can serve as a workforce/economic development partner.
• Communicate the institutions economic and workforce impact to internal and external stakeholders.

Innovation and New Opportunities:

Identify and evaluate opportunities that advance the institutions mission, reach, relevance, and financial sustainability.

• Monitor emerging markets, occupations, industries, technologies, and workforce needs.
• Identify opportunities for new programs, services, partnerships, and delivery models, and partner with appropriate internal stakeholders for academic or operational implementation.
• Develop business cases and recommendations for new strategic opportunities.
• Encourage entrepreneurial and innovative approaches to institutional challenges.

Grants, Contracts, and External Resources:

Lead strategic efforts to secure resources that advance workforce development and institutional priorities.

• Work collaboratively with the Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness, Accreditation and Research to identify available grant funding opportunities and develop strategies to support the workforce development initiatives and programs.
• Collaborate with the grants team for the tracking, coordinating and management of the Perkins Grant and Workforce Pell initiatives.
• Identify appropriate personnel to serve as subject matter experts for workforce development and strategic initiatives that are pursued through grants, contracts, or external funding.
• Provide strategic direction regarding workforce needs, employer partnerships, program outcomes, and external opportunities to inform grant and contract development.
• Oversee contractual partnerships including articulation agreement and memorandums of understanding with postsecondary partners and develop relationships with potential resource partners.
• Monitor the strategic outcomes and institutional impact of funded initiatives and collaborate with the appropriate institutional offices to ensure alignment with institutional priorities and effective, sustainable implementation.

Data, Market Intelligence, and Institutional Impact:

Establish a strong evidence base for workforce development and strategic decision-making.

• Analyze labor-market information, employer feedback, economic data, enrollment trends, and other intelligence to identify opportunities and risks.
• Establish and implement appropriate performance measures for workforce development and strategic initiatives.
• Supervise the development of executive-level dashboards and reports that communicate progress and impact.
• Evaluate and present the effectiveness and return on investment of major initiatives.
• Recommend adjustments, expansion, or discontinuation of initiatives informed by data.

Executive Leadership and Presidential Advising:

• Serve as a strategic advisor and executive partner to the President.
• Advise the President on workforce development, economic, partnership, innovation, and strategic opportunities.
• Participate actively in institutional decision-making and bring forward emerging issues and opportunities requiring executive attention.
• Provide leadership on complex issues that cross organizational boundaries.
• Represent the President and institution, as appropriate.

Typical Qualifications

Required Skills:

• Demonstrated success leading complex, cross-functional initiatives.
• Experience working with business, industry, government, nonprofit, and community organizations.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and execute strategies that produce measurable outcomes.
• Strong financial, analytical, communication, negotiation, and relationship-management skills.
• Evidence of using appropriate software and technology to analyze data, communicate virtually, make decisions, and implement programs and initiatives.
• Fostering collaborative, consultative, and meaningful internal and external partnerships through various and adaptable leadership styles.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to communicate effectively, in both written and oral forms.

Working Conditions/Additional Information:

• This position is a full-time on-campus position located at our Lakeland campus but will travel between College and community locations as necessary. (Remote/hybrid options are not available.)
• Weekend and evening work may be required.
• Position may be required to work during College closures (such as winter/spring break, holidays, and inclement weather closures).
• Reliable transportation is required for travel to campuses, centers, and community locations. Possession of a valid Florida's Driver's License is required (or must be eligible to obtain a Florida's license within 30 days).
• Standard office work environment with potential for long periods of sitting and extended time at a computer.
• This position will require the ability to lift at least 10 lbs.

Salary and Benefits Information:

• This position is level P23.

We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision coverage; short-term disability; paid holidays and sick leave; vacation (excluding faculty positions); retirement benefits for eligible employees; and college fee waivers.

Required Education:

• Masters degree from an accredited institution.

Required Experience:

• Substantial executive leadership experience in workforce development, higher education, economic development, business/industry partnerships, organizational strategy, or a closely related field.

Preferred Experience:

• Doctoral degree or equivalent.
• Senior leadership experience in a higher education or workforce development environment.
• Experience leading regional or statewide workforce development initiatives.
• Experience with employer-sponsored training, apprenticeships, credentials, or customized workforce solutions.
• Experience securing and managing major grants, contracts, or public-private partnerships.
• Partnership with economic development, talent development, entrepreneurship, or innovation initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience working with boards, presidents/CEOs, senior executives, and other high-level stakeholders.

Supplemental Information

Submissions that do not include all parts of the following required information will not be considered:

• a resume
• cover letter
• an electronic job application (all sections MUST be completed)

Important Information

• If you are a retiree of the Florida Retirement System (FRS), please check with the FRS on how your current benefits will be affected if you are re-employed with the State of Florida. Your current retirement benefits may be canceled, suspended, or deemed ineligible depending upon the date of your retirement.
• Polk State College participates in E-Verify. Candidates must provide documentation of eligibility to work in the United States. Polk State College does not provide visa sponsorship.
• To request Veteran's Preference, please be sure to upload all necessary documents (DD-214, etc.) to your application.
• Polk State College is a drug-free workplace.
• Polk State College is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to applicants and employees with disabilities. Reasonable accommodation is considered on a case-by-case basis.
• Employment visa sponsorship is unavailable for this position. Applicants requiring employment visa sponsorship now or in the future (e.g., F-1 STEM OPT, H-1B, TN, J1 etc.) will not be considered.
• Reference checks, successful completion of a background check, and third-party Education Verification for all stated degrees will be required prior to employment.
• Polk State College does NOT provide relocation assistance for this position.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Polk State College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its programs, activities, or employment. For information about the College's equal access and equal opportunity policies and procedures, or to file a complaint, please contact:

Title IX Coordinator

3425 Winter Lake Road

Lakeland, FL 33803

863.669.2903

compliance@polk.edu

For additional information, visit polk.edu/compliance

We encourage applicants to provide feedback of their experience or request help at Careers@polk.edu.

We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision coverage; short-term disability; paid holidays and sick leave; vacation (excluding faculty positions); retirement benefits for eligible employees; and college fee waivers.

To learn more details, visit our benefits page.

01

Are you over the age of 18?

• Yes
• No

02

Are you currently authorized to work in the United States for any U.S. employer?

• Yes
• No

03

Will you now or in the future require any type of employer sponsorship or immigration-related support to legally work for Polk State College? (This includes but is not limited to the following: H-1B, H-1B1, J-1, TN, E-3, O-1, F-1 CPT, F-1 OPT, F-1 STEM OPT.)

• Yes
• No

04

Are you currently in a period of F-1 CPT or OPT or seeking employment under one of these programs?

• Yes
• No

05

Are you a United States Veteran or a qualifying family member seeking to use Veterans Preference? (Please upload your DD-214 documents to your profile/application.)

• Yes
• No

06

Are you a current employee at Polk State College?

• Yes
• No

07

Are you bilingual?

• Yes
• No

08

I am able to work 100% on campus and I do not require a remote or hybrid schedule.

• Yes
• No

09

Which statement below best describes the highest level of education you have completed?

• High School Diploma/GED
• Associates Degree
• Bachelors Degree
• Masters Degree
• Masters Degree + 18 graduate hours
• Doctorate Degree

10

How many years of substantial executive leadership experience in workforce development, higher education, economic development, business/industry partnerships, organizational strategy, or a closely related field do you have?

• No experience
• Less than 1 year of experience
• 1 year but less than 2 years of experience
• 2 years but less than 3 years of experience
• 3 years but less than 5 years of experience
• 5 years but less than 7 years of experience
• 7 years but less than 9 years of experience
• 9 years but less than 11 years of experience
• 11 years but less than 13 years of experience
• 13 years but less than 15 years of experience
• More than 15 years of experience

11

How many years of managing or supervising staff experience do you have?

• No Experience
• Less than 1 year of experience
• 1 year but less than 2 years of experience
• 2 years but less than 3 years of experience
• 3 years but less than 4 years of experience
• 4 years but less than 5 years of experience
• More than 5 years of experience

12

Do you have experience leading regional or statewide workforce development initiatives?

• Yes
• No

13

Do you have experience securing and managing major grants, contracts, or public-private partnerships?

• Yes
• No

14

Do you have experience with employer-sponsored training, apprenticeships, credentials, or customized workforce solutions?

• Yes
• No

15

Do you have experience creating partnerships with economic development, talent development, entrepreneurship, or innovation initiatives?

• Yes
• No

16

Do you have demonstrated experience working with boards, presidents/CEOs, senior executives, and other high-level stakeholders?

• Yes
• No

17

The information provided in your application must support your selected answers in the supplemental questions. The information you provide will be verified and documentation may be required. Please be honest and accurate as possible. You may be asked to demonstrate your knowledge and skills in a work sample or during the interview. By completing this supplemental questionnaire, you are attesting that the information you have provided is accurate. Any misstatements, omissions, or falsification of information may eliminate you from consideration or result in dismissal.

• Yes, I understand and agree
• No, I do not agree

Required Question

Employer Polk State College

Address 999 Avenue H NE

Winter Haven, Florida, 33881

Phone 8632971055

Website www.polk.edu