Opportunity@Work is Hiring: Senior Director, Public Sector & Policy-Get up to $160k\year
Opportunity@Work, a national nonprofit dedicated to expanding career opportunities for the more than 70 million Skilled Through Alternative Routes (STARs) workers in the United States, is currently seeking a Senior Director for Public Sector & Policy. This full-time, remote position offers a competitive salary of $152,000–$160,000 per year and requires leadership in transforming public sector systems to adopt skills-based hiring practices.
About Opportunity@Work
Opportunity@Work works to dismantle the “paper ceiling” — the barrier preventing talented workers without bachelor’s degrees from advancing. Through employer engagement, research, technology innovation, and public sector collaboration, the organization drives systemic change in hiring practices nationwide. Their work ensures that skills, not degrees, determine opportunity.
Role Overview
The Senior Director will serve as a strategic operator for the Public Sector & Policy portfolio, functioning similarly to a Chief of Staff for the team. This individual will:
- Translate team strategy into clear priorities, actionable workstreams, and measurable outcomes.
- Drive execution across multiple projects, ensuring alignment and progress on public sector initiatives.
- Build scalable, replicable models that operationalize skills-based hiring reforms in government systems.
- Lead a team of three staff members while collaborating across the organization.
Key Responsibilities
Strategy Execution (40%)
- Partner with the SVP to operationalize the team’s strategy.
- Drive internal problem-solving and prioritize high-impact initiatives.
- Identify risks and remove barriers for efficient team operation.
Team Leadership (20%)
- Manage, mentor, and develop staff, fostering accountability and collaboration.
- Ensure workstreams are resourced and executed with excellence.
- Promote cross-team collaboration to leverage organizational capabilities.
Policy Implementation (30%)
- Translate legislative wins and public commitments into actionable strategies.
- Diagnose structural barriers in public systems and propose pragmatic solutions.
- Ensure policy efforts lead to measurable improvements in hiring and talent systems.
Systems-Level Impact (10%)
- Build trusted relationships with government stakeholders.
- Communicate the organization’s theory of change effectively.
- Drive adoption of skills-based practices across public sector institutions.
Candidate Profile
The ideal candidate will have:
- 10+ years of experience in public sector leadership, policy, or systems reform.
- Deep knowledge of workforce systems, public HR, and civil service operations.
- Strong strategic and operational skills to turn vision into measurable results.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities.
- A collaborative leadership style and a commitment to equity and transparency.
- Lived experience as a STAR is highly valued.
Additional Details
- Location: Fully remote within the U.S., with occasional in-person meetings in Washington, DC.
- Travel: Up to 20% for retreats and external engagements.
- Salary: $152,000–$160,000 per year.
Why This Role Matters
State and local governments are among the largest employers in the U.S. By adopting skills-based hiring practices, they can model workforce innovation for the broader labor market. This role enables systemic change that provides millions of STARs with fair access to meaningful career opportunities.
Opportunity@Work is actively hiring and looking for a visionary, strategic leader to drive meaningful, lasting change in public sector hiring practices.
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Disclaimer: Remote Job Opportunities (RJO) is not the hiring organization. For any inquiries, please contact the responsible organization directly. Please do not send your applications to RJO, as we are unable to process them. Due to the high volume of emails we receive daily, we may not be able to respond to all inquiries. Thank you for your understanding.
