The Washington State Labor Education and Research Center at South Seattle College (SSC) is seeking a new Director. The salary range is $59,836 – $82,631 DOE. The positon carries full benefits including comprehensive medical, dental, life and long-term disability insurance, paid sick leave, vacation and paid holidays, and retirement benefits. This is a full-time position at the Georgetown campus of SSC.

 All applications must be submitted through the Seattle College District’s Human Resources on-line application process. Position and application information can be found at http://seattlecolleges.edu/HR/ Look under “Job Opportunities” and scroll through the pages until you find the listing for the Director, WA State Labor Education and Research Center.

This position closes on June 20th, 2015.

For questions contact SSC Georgetown campus Associate Dean EV VanDerWeil at elisebeth.vanderweil@seattlecolleges.edu

 Position Summary

The Director of the Labor Center is responsible for design of, oversight, and implementation of multiple on- and off- campus adult education programs that fulfill the mission of the Washington State Labor Education and Research Center, and the Seattle College District. The Director reports to the Executive Dean of the Georgetown campus and supervises Labor Educators (exempt staff) and support staff (classified staff). The Center collaborates with union and community organizations to design programs to help working people develop the skills, confidence, and knowledge to become effective leaders, organizational staff, and rank-and-file activists.  With the fourth highest union density in the U.S., and a significant number of worker-centered and employment-focused organizations, Washington State has a particularly robust need for labor education services. Our work is essential to develop and sustain organizations concerned with job quality, workplace rights, and an economy that works for working families. To this end, the Center provides educational and technical services via contract to unions, community-based organizations, and public institutions in a broad range of topical areas.  In addition, the Center offers ongoing, non-credit open-enrollment classes, and also organizes conferences, workshops, and institutes open to a broad mix of union activists and community members. The Labor Center develops for-credit classes and serves as a resource for faculty, students, and staff in our home institution and other institutions of higher education.  In addition to all of the program development mentioned above, the Director is responsible for staff hiring & training, developing contracts for specialized training, budget management and fundraising, and all the technical aspects of running a complex organizations with dozens of community partners. The Director also teaches and facilitates workshops, convenes the Center’s Advisory Committee, is the Center’s primary liaison with labor leaders and legislators in Washington State, works with other labor educators nationally and internationally to develop programs in the community and higher education settings, participates in or supervises research projects, and works to integrate the Center into our home institute, South Seattle College, and the Washington State Community and Technical College system more broadly. 

ARTICLE V of the Labor Center Advisory Committee Bylaws titled “ROLE IN APPOINTMENT OF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR” states: The SSCC President shall be the appointing authority for the Director position. In recruiting the Director, the President shall appoint a seven person committee, including at least three members from organized labor in Washington State selected by the Advisory Committee, and at least one faculty member from SSCC. The LCAC shall also be empowered to interview finalist candidates and make an independent recommendation for the Director position to the College President.

Candidates selected for an interview will be required to complete a questionnaire prior to the interview and provide a teaching demonstration during the interview.

Seattle Colleges are committed to recruiting dedicated faculty and staff who together create a welcoming academic climate that reflects the diverse backgrounds of our community, including ethnicity, national origin, religion, race, gender, gender identity, age, status as a veteran or disabled veteran, disability, political status, and sexual orientation.

Essential Functions

·     Oversee and direct the work of the Labor Center, including program development, hiring and supervising staff, budgeting, and fundraising. 

·     Provide vision, leadership and management in order to develop and support a Center that responds to the critical educational needs of labor unions, workers, students, apprentices, and community members involved in civic engagement and economic empowerment.

·     Strategically plan and implement Labor Center program and funding expansion.

·     Recruit and support excellent staff and assist with their professional development.

·     Work with other Labor Center and college staff and/or community partners to write grants to foundations, government agencies, and other potential funders as appropriate.  

·     Establish overall budget priorities for each academic year, and oversee budget expenditures.  Primary responsibility for following sound financial management practices and staying within the allocated budget while anticipating and planning for future growth and development of both the Labor Center and its curriculum.

·     Serve as lead ambassador to labor unions, the Washington State Labor Council, other union organizations, Washington state legislators, the governor’s office, other institutions of higher education, and national labor education organizations.

·     Keep the Center’s Advisory Committee vital through recruiting members, working with the Committee Chair to schedule and plan meetings, and producing the Committee’s meeting notes.

·     Serve as one of the Center educators by designing, planning, and teaching workshops, formal presentations, and other educational programs.

·     Serve as principal investigator or participant on research teams as appropriate.

·     Work with the SSC community (students, staff, faculty, and administrators) to integrate the Labor Center into the credit and non-credit curricula of the college.

·     Work with the statewide community and technical college system to introduce labor education into credit and non-credit curriculum of the various colleges. 

·     Serve as an expert on campus and with segments of the public about labor union issues.

·     Oversee production of Labor Center publications and outreach efforts.  

Required Education, Experience & Abilities

·     Bachelor’s degree plus three years’ work experience developing, delivering, and facilitating labor education programming for adults.

·     Knowledge of and sympathy towards the basic premises of labor union organizing.

·     Sensitivity to and understanding of issues of difference and power (race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, class, etc) as they impact working people, labor unions and communities throughout Washington state.

·     Skills as a teacher, facilitator and researcher, with an understanding of a variety of teaching methods including popular (experiential) education and on-line or hybrid formats.

·     Successful budgetary, fundraising and administrative experience.

·     Ability to organize collaborative leadership for event planning committees, with diverse representation from union and community organizations.

·     Excellent written and oral communication skills and literacy in Office and Internet computer applications.

·     Experience working within a large bureaucracy and comfort with following complex administrative processes. 

·     Proven effectiveness at staff management and development.

Preferred Qualifications

·     Master’s degree plus five years’ work experience developing, delivering, and facilitating labor education programming for union and community members.

·     Successful financial management experience.

·     Fund raising and/or grant writing experience.

·     Experience in labor representation, bargaining, and/or organizing.

·     Experience building community/labor coalitions or partnerships around issues such as immigrant rights, women’s rights, the right to organize, etc.

·     Employment experience teaching in a community or technical college or other institution of higher education.

·     Experience working with legislative bodies.

·     Fluency in a language other than English.

·     Experience with strategic research and campaigns.