Director, Talent Strategy

About ESG

At Education strategy Group (ESG), we aim to open doors to economic opportunity for all individuals. We support local, state, and national organizations, and foundations committed to dramatically improving the capacity and performance of the U.S. education system to prepare students for career success. Our staff bring deep experience leading policy development, advocacy, and implementation in the K-12, postsecondary, and workforce sectors. We offer a flexible work environment to stay engaged with education leaders nationally and to enable our staff to work where they have built their lives.

Position

As AI and other technology shifts change the skills employers need, and how quickly those needs change, states and regions need talent ecosystems that can more rapidly adjust and evolve. The Director, Talent Strategy will play a central role in building and delivering ESG’s adaptive talent ecosystem work: helping states, regions, and cities align education, workforce, and economic development around a shared picture of where their economy is headed and what people need to get there. Reporting to the Principal who leads ESG’s Talent Strategy portfolio, the Director will serve as senior strategist and day-to-day lead on several of the portfolio’s largest engagements, including statewide talent plans and multi-jurisdiction regional talent collaboratives, and will help refine the frameworks, assessment tools, and implementation supports that make up ESG’s talent ecosystem planning approach. This is a senior leadership role with responsibility for client outcomes, team development, and portfolio growth. The Director will manage project teams and consultants from the start and will grow to directly supervise two to three staff within the first year. The ideal candidate has worked from more than one vantage point in the talent ecosystem (for example, workforce development, higher education, industry or employer-facing organizations, and state or regional government) and understands how decisions get made, funded, and sustained in each.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Director, Talent Strategy’s primary duties and responsibilities will include:

Leading the design, refinement, and delivery of ESG’s adaptive talent ecosystem planning work, including assessment tools, planning frameworks, data and dashboard products, and implementation supports that states, regions, and cities use to align education, workforce, and economic development.

Serving as day-to-day lead for multiple high-profile engagements, including statewide talent plans and multi-jurisdiction regional talent collaboratives, with accountability for scope, quality, timelines, budgets, and client outcomes.

Advising governors’ offices, state agencies, regional leaders, and employer-led intermediaries on governance structures, cross-agency coordination, shared metrics, and funding alignment that allow talent strategies to outlast individual leaders and funding cycles.

Designing and facilitating senior-level convenings, steering committees, and working sessions that bring employers, education and training providers, workforce boards, and public agencies to shared decisions and clear next steps.

Translating labor market, education, and workforce data, including the effects of AI and technology change on jobs and skills, into practical recommendations for clients.

Coaching state and regional teams through implementation, including technical assistance to cohorts of states or communities working toward common goals.

Partnering with the Principal to shape the Talent Strategy portfolio’s direction, service offerings, and annual plan, and contributing to ESG’s firmwide impact and growth goals.

Leading business development for the portfolio, including identifying new opportunities, cultivating relationships with state leaders, employers, and philanthropy, and developing proposals and scopes of work.

Supervising, coaching, and developing staff, growing to two to three direct reports within the first year, and managing consultants and cross-portfolio project teams to deliver high-quality work.

Expanding the firm’s visibility and thought leadership through presentations, publications, and national partnerships.

Serving as a thought partner to ESG’s other portfolios and engaging in team problem-solving across the firm to help design and execute projects that help more learners earn a high-value credential and find a job with a family-sustaining wage.

Performing other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have:

Content Expertise

Minimum of 12 years’ professional experience developing and leading talent, workforce, or career pathways strategy, including at least 3 years leading multi-stakeholder initiatives at the state, regional, or national level.

Experience working from at least two parts of the talent ecosystem, such as a workforce development organization or workforce board; a community college, university, or higher education system; an employer, industry association, chamber of commerce, or economic development organization; or a state or regional public agency or governor’s office.

Deep understanding of how talent ecosystems function across education, workforce, and economic development, including governance, data, policy, funding, and practice, and of what it takes to align them.

Demonstrated experience designing or leading a state or regional talent, workforce, or economic development plan from strategy through implementation.

Understanding of how AI and technology change are reshaping jobs, skills, and hiring, and how education and workforce systems can respond.

Skills in using labor market, education, and workforce outcome data to diagnose challenges, set shared metrics, and track progress; experience with public dashboards or cross-agency data efforts a plus.

Experience designing and executing equity-driven solutions that help young people and adults of color, people from low-income backgrounds, and first-generation learners access and advance in quality jobs.

Knowledge of workforce, education, and economic development policy and funding at the federal, state, and local levels, and the ability to translate policy into actionable strategies.

Proven track record of building durable partnerships among employers, education and training providers, intermediaries, and public agencies.

Business & Strategy Development

Track record of originating and growing client and funder relationships, including with state leaders, employers and business-serving organizations, and national and regional philanthropy.

Experience leading proposal development, scoping, and budgeting for multi-phase engagements, and turning single projects into multi-year partnerships.

Experience developing new frameworks, tools, or service offerings and refining them based on what is learned in delivery.

Strong peer networks with state and national organizations in workforce, higher education, economic development, and/or industry.

Project Management

Excellent organizational skills and keen attention to detail, with demonstrated ability to manage multiple concurrent engagements, budgets, and teams to meet deadlines.

Executive presence and facilitation skills to work credibly with governors’ offices, agency heads, employer executives, and funders.

Demonstrated ability to work both independently and collaboratively—candidates should be self-motivated and comfortable within a largely virtual working environment, and also enthusiastic team players open to feedback and collaboration.

Well-rounded interpersonal skill set, with the ability to build relationships, work effectively in teams, and facilitate joint problem-solving with clients.

Curiosity, eagerness, and ability to develop new knowledge and skills.

Ability to travel to support projects as needed.

Talent Management

At least 5 years of experience directly sup