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NEOGOV · 3 weeks ago

Senior Director, Pre-Kindergarten-Post-Secondary Systems (Engagement)

Renton, WA

Full-time

Onsite

Director/Executive

$115K/yr - $151K/yr

Puget Sound ESD seeks a Senior Director of Pre-Kindergarten to Post-Secondary Systems (Engagement) to provide regional leadership and program implementation across King and Pierce Counties. This role ensures that programs are designed to meet the diverse needs of students and families while fostering inclusive, equitable, and supportive learning environments.

GovTechHuman ResourcesInformation TechnologySoftware

Responsibilities

Build capacity and provide leadership in the area disconnected youth reengagement, Career & Technical Education (CTE) and workforce development for the purpose of supporting programs and projects in alignment with Agency work

Lead the design, alignment, and continuous improvement of youth-serving systems that span education, workforce, human services, juvenile justice, and community-based organizations

Ensure regulatory and funding compliance for grants, including reporting, budgeting, and documentation

Collaborate with partner districts to facilitate the implementation, integration, and evaluation curriculum that meets state CTE standards and industry expectations

Provide strategic oversight for dropout re-engagement initiatives, including Open Doors/1418 programs, alternative learning environments, competency-based education models, and flexible scheduling pathways

Lead integration of CTE, career-connected learning, and workforce development systems across K–12, community and technical colleges, and regional employers

Strengthen alignment between industry demand, regional labor market data, and education programming

Partner with Workforce Development Councils, chambers, labor, and industry intermediaries to expand paid work-based learning, apprenticeships, and credential pathways

Build and maintain partnerships with employers, workforce boards, higher education institutions, and community organizations to support work-based learning and job placement for youth

Lead strategies to recruit students into CTE pathways, reengage disconnected or off-track youth, and ensure equitable access to programs

Monitor program quality and student outcome indicators such as completion rates, credential attainment, work-based learning participation, and postsecondary transitions to drive continuous improvement

Lead with moral clarity, professional integrity, and ethical responsibility in all decision-making, particularly in complex cross-system environments impacting young people, families, and communities

Demonstrate ecosystem leadership by stewarding relationships across education, workforce, community, Tribal, public sector, and industry partners with humility, trust-building, and shared accountability

Navigate ambiguity, competing interests, and power dynamics with discernment, courage, and transparency, prioritizing the long-term well-being of youth and communities over short-term institutional gain

Model values-aligned leadership behaviors including empathy, reflective practice, cultural humility, and respect for lived experience

Assist other personnel as may be required for the purpose of ensuring an efficient and effective work environment

Provide direct supervision and strategic leadership for staff hired to support PreK–Postsecondary engagement, re-engagement, workforce development, CTE, and related regional programs

Ensure staff roles, workplans, and performance expectations are clearly aligned to program goals, regional strategies, and equity-centered outcomes

Qualification

K-12 Education ExperienceCareer & Technical EducationBudget DevelopmentSystems Change ManagementPolicy AnalysisRacial Equity LeadershipCommunity EngagementProject ManagementCommunication SkillsRelationship Building

Required

Demonstrates a commitment to leading with racial equity and understanding of antiracism leadership

Commitment to equitable partnerships between community and systems

BA/BS degree or higher in job-related field

Valid Washington State Administrative or Teaching Credential

Professional job-related experience in K-12, Career & Technical Education (CTE), drop-out re-engagement, and career-connected learning experiences for youth

Budget development, supervisory and management experience

Expertise in systems change and change management

Policy analysis experience at district, college and state level

Strong student-centered, asset-based approach

Preferred

Experience in the development of fundraising goals and soliciting funds

Existing relationships in Pierce and King Counties with various levels of leadership within K12, CBO, and Postsecondary

Skilled at building and maintaining relationships to achieve challenging goals: Able to engage and build generative relationships with community, educators, leadership, and students. Clear, precise, compassionate communication. Able to inspire excitement and commitment toward common goals

Able to manage, measure, and prioritize work: Skilled at project and program management. Skilled work planner, able to delegate, track lots of different work, provide support and accountability. Collaborates and shares responsibility for decisions and monitors progress toward goals by establishing strong feedback channels

Demonstrates ability to innovate, be entrepreneurial, and navigate ambiguity to generate creative approaches, breakthrough barriers, and solve problems that challenge the status quo and expand possibilities

Able to track, distill, and present substantial and complex content in digestible formats