OVERVIEW:

The Regional Market Leader is a critical Senior Director role responsible for advancing Year Up United’s (YUU) mission, partnerships, and market presence within key geographies. This leader will ensure Year Up United is strategically positioned as a workforce development leader by fostering high-impact relationships, expanding opportunities for talent, and driving regional growth.

Reporting directly to the National Market Leader, this role will execute YUU’s strategy, support long-range planning, and cultivate opportunities to expand work-based experiences and job placements. This role requires leveraging cross-functional relationships within YUU and externally, engaging in strategic relationship management, and gathering market intelligence to inform execution and future direction.

As a key ambassador, the Market Leader will represent YUU among local governments, community partners, and workforce development organizations, advocating for policies and initiatives that support equitable workforce opportunities. By building and strengthening these relationships, this role will enhance Year Up United’s visibility and impact within the broader workforce ecosystem.

Additionally, the Regional Market Leader will play a vital role in fostering student engagement, connecting students with their peers, community leaders, corporate partners, and YUU staff to create meaningful professional development and networking opportunities.

Aligned with YUU’s values, the Regional Market Leader will also engage with students as a coach, group facilitator, and advocate, contributing to a supportive learning environment built on trust and collaboration among students, faculty, and site leaders.

This is a hybrid and location flexible role open to candidates on the East Coast. You must live within a commutable distance to one of our East Coast locations where we serve students (https://www.yearup.org/job-training/locations). Preference will be given to strong candidates in Boston, MA.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Market Presence and Stewardship

• Serve as Year Up United's key representative in designated markets, streamlining connections between internal teams and external partners.
• Responsible for deeply understanding YUU’s services and offerings, market initiatives, and impact
• Identify and pursue regional growth opportunities, positioning Year Up United as an adaptable and responsive workforce development leader.
• Evaluate workforce trends, employer needs, and public sector initiatives to determine the most impactful engagement opportunities.
• Engage with policymakers and local government agencies to advocate for funding, regulatory support, and policy alignment with YUU’s programs.
• Stay informed on local and federal workforce policies, including WIOA, registered apprenticeships, and higher education funding.
• Represent YUU in policy discussions, roundtables, and workforce summits.
• Strengthen relationships with funders, donors, and community organizations to drive engagement and support stewardship of existing partnerships.

Regional Strategy & Market Growth:

• Develop and execute a regional strategy to expand YUU’s reach within assigned markets.
• Identify and evaluate new market opportunities based on workforce trends, economic data, and local labor needs.
• Explore how to increase YUU's impact to close the opportunity divide by engaging in intensive on-the-ground efforts to learn, understand, and leverage knowledge to secure partnerships and offer programming to support opportunity talent
• Cultivate opportunities to increase talent employment, explore and vet revenue generation opportunities for YUU, leverage cross-functional relationships, and engage in relationship management within markets.
• Share information and create strategic alignment internally, developing market insights to explore innovation to include apprenticeships, educational institutions, and workforce entities to expand YUU’s blueprint, reach, and influence
• Meet with peers in other markets to share learnings and best practices
• Work closely with internal teams, including YUPro, corporate engagement, and student services, to ensure market strategies align with national priorities.
• Collaborate with YUU Advisory Boards to validate local market strategies and offerings

Partnership and Community Building:

• Strengthen relationships with community colleges, corporate partners, and local organizations to meet partnership targets aligned with the 2025 strategic roadmap.
• Actively engage with market workgroups defining the rapidly changing future of work, showcasing YUU’s expertise as a forward-thinking workforce solution provider that anticipates and adapts to emerging industry trends.
• Attend internal and external partner meetings to build relationships, exchange feedback, educate partners about Year Up United, and address their talent needs.
• Participate in partner meetings as requested by CE to bolster relationship building, manage service recovery, and strategize future engagement.
• Organize roundtables, engage with influencers, establish advisory boards, and convene local board meetings to drive robust community engagement.
• Represent YUU at panel discussions, chamber events, and key civic meetings to ensure a sustained presence within the market ecosystem.
• Build strong alumni connections in the market, creating onramps for student, staff, partner, and civic engagement.

Year Up United Citizen:

• Live the values of YUU.
• Participate in special projects and initiatives that support YUU's effectiveness, growth, and impact.
• Actively participate in YUU’s Learning Community, supporting students as a coach, facilitator, and/or mentor.

Qualifications:

• Over 10 years of professional experience in strategic consulting, go-to-market and growth strategy, startups, and business development.
• Exceptional communication, interpersonal, and stakeholder/client management skills.
• Proven experience in workforce, youth, and community development initiatives.
• Self-motivated and proactive, with a proven ability to drive initiatives with minimal oversight.
• Adept at thriving in high-visibility, high-pressure environments.
• Versatile contributor who adds value across high-level strategic planning and detailed operational execution.
• Strong change management expertise—embracing change as an integral part of Year Up United’s culture while designing and driving transformative initiatives.
• Working knowledge of Salesforce and other CRM systems.
• Deep passion for Year Up United’s mission and a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
• Comprehensive understanding of the Opportunity Divide and its underlying drivers.
• Skilled at holding team members accountable, even without direct management authority.
• Must reside in the Regional Market
• Proven ability to execute national strategies effectively at the local level.
• Exceptional public speaking and storytelling skills.
• Highly detail-oriented with extensive experience in cross-functional collaboration.

Travel:

• Frequent Regional travel is required.

Internal Band 11

Salary Range: $145,000 - $175,000

#LI-Hybrid

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:

• Year Up United has established salary ranges for each of our sites, which allows us to pay employees competitively, equitably and consistently in different geographic markets. For roles in which the location is listed as flexible, the range displayed reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position across all US locations. Salary offers take into account a candidate’s skills, experience, and location. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your location during the hiring process.

• Benefits: Comprehensive healthcare options and dental coverage; 401(k) match for eligible participants.

• Vacation: Earn three weeks paid vacation in first year of employment; four weeks after initial year.

• Professional Development: Funds available to support staff in achieving career objectives ($2,500 per year)

** This is an exempt role (paid on a salaried basis). **

ORGANIZATION DESCRIPTION:

Year Up United is a national 501(c)3 workforce development organization committed to ensuring equitable access to economic opportunity, education, and justice for all young adults—no matter their background, income, or zip code. Employers face a growing need for talent while millions of talented young adults lack access to meaningful careers. These inequities only further perpetuate the opportunity gap that exists in our country—a gap that Year Up United is determined and positioned to close through three interconnected strategies: providing targeted skills training and connections to livable-wage employment for students and alumni; empowering others to serve and support young adults, and changing systems that perpetuate the opportunity gap. Year Up United’s intensive training program utilizes a high expectations, high support model where students learn in-demand technical and professional skills and apply them during a corporate internship. Year Up United has directly served more than 40,000 young adults since its founding in 2000. Year Up United's nationwide presence includes Arizona, Austin, Bay Area, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Greater Atlanta, Greater Boston, Greater Philadelphia, Jacksonville, Los Angeles, the National Capital Region, New York City/Jersey City, Pittsburgh, Puget Sound, Rhode Island, South Florida, Tampa Bay, and Wilmington.

Voted one of the Best Nonprofits to Work For in the country by The NonProfit Times, Year Up United is a rewarding and impactful place to work. Our staff is passionate, supportive, mission-driven, and committed to positive change and continuous learning. We set high standards for both ourselves and our students and live by a set of core values that reflect an unshakable belief in the talent and potential of our young people. The work we do is life-changing, and we know that our team is the greatest asset in achieving our mission.

COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY:

Year Up United embraces diversity and equal opportunity in a serious way. All aspects of employment, including the decision to hire, promote, discharge, or discipline, are based on meritocracy. We do not permit discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristics protected by federal, state, or local laws. Learn more about our commitment to diversity: http://www.yearup.org/about-us/careers/commitment-to-diversity/

Year Up United is also committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. Your recruiter can provide details regarding the expected work environment and any physical requirements. Please let our hiring team know if you need an accommodation at any point during the interview process. Information received relating to accommodation will be addressed confidentially.

TO APPLY:

Please submit a thoughtful cover letter and resume through our website.

Note that applications without a cover letter will not be considered. We respectfully request no phone calls.