Mountain West HERC

Job Description

Montgomery College seeks a Vice President for the Future of Work and Economic Mobility to provide collegewide leadership for aligning academic programs, applied learning, and employer-connected education with regional workforce needs. Reporting within the Division of Academic Affairs, this executive role advances the institution wide approach to integrating credit and non-credit education and experiential learning while supporting a one-college model of service across multiple campuses and locations.

The Vice President for the Future of Work and Economic Mobility serves as a senior academic leader, advisor, and collaborator, working closely with the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs/College Provost, campus deans, academic leadership, faculty, and cross-divisional partners. The position emphasizes strategic alignment, institutional coherence, and capacity-building, rather than direct ownership of individual external relationships.

Role and Responsibilities

The Vice President for the Future of Work and Economic Mobility has responsibilities that include, but are not limited to, the following areas:

Academic-Industry Strategy and Integration

• Provide leadership in the development and implementation of a unified institutional strategy for academic-industry integration across credit, non-credit, and applied learning domains.

• Ensure internships, apprenticeships, employer mentorships, and customized business and industry education and training align with the College's mission and strategic goals, Academic Affairs priorities, accreditation standards (where applicable), and instructional quality expectations.

• Translate regional labor market data and workforce trends into scalable academic and applied learning strategies.

• Serve as the senior Academic Affairs authority on internship, apprenticeship, and other employer-connected education models and practices.

Contract Training and Customized Education

• Provide executive oversight of all contract training and customized employer education delivered by the College.

• Establish and monitor pricing frameworks, cost-recovery expectations, and financial sustainability standards for contract training activity.

• Develop and lead a team that ushers contract training from initial engagement to implementation, course and/or program review, adaptation, and scaling in partnership with employer partners.

• Ensure contract training offerings, developed first in response to and in alignment with to employer specifications, also align where possible with academic credentials, faculty expertise, and long-term pathway development to support clients and students in maximizing the value of each educational experience by scaffolding it within a broader series of education and training opportunities at the College.

• Participate in the regular review of curriculum and program/pathway maps for related academic programs to support recruitment and marketing of courses and programs

• Participate in Academic Affairs planning activities that increase collegewide awareness of workforce development offerings.

• Provide regular reports to the Academic Affairs Leadership Team to increase opportunities for collaboration with partners in business and industry.

• Review, approve, or escalate contract training opportunities that exceed established financial, reputational, or cross-campus thresholds.

• Promote coordination and consistency to prevent duplicative or unaligned employer contracting across campuses or units.

Site-Based Employer Engagement Model

• Define and steward the institutional operating model in which Academic Affairs Campus Deans Offices serve as the primary point of contact for community and industry partners within their geographic areas.

• Provide guidance, frameworks, and escalation pathways to support campus deans in employer and community partnership engagement.

• Facilitate coordination and resolution of employer engagements that span multiple campuses or regions.

• Ensure campus-based engagement reflects collegewide standards while remaining responsive to local and regional needs.

Experiential Learning and Applied Education Infrastructure

• Oversee the development and maintenance of the College's framework for experiential and work-based learning, including internships, apprenticeships, cooperative education, clinical experiences, project-based learning, and industry-informed classroom engagement.

• Promote consistent definitions, eligibility criteria, and coordination practices across academic programs and locations.

• Collaborate with Academic Affairs leadership, faculty, and Student Affairs to expand and enhance institutional access points for students and employers.

• Support faculty capacity-building related to the integration of applied and experiential learning into academic programs.

Campus Dean External Representation and Academic Affairs Presence

• Provide oversight and coordination for campus deans serving as the visible representatives of Academic Affairs to community, industry, and government partners within their geographic areas.

• Provides executive leadership for the strategy, policy, and quality assurance of Credit for Prior Learning (CPL), expanding equitable recognition of experiential learning to accelerate credential completion and advance student economic mobility.

• Leads the development, scaling, and integration of industry-aligned microcredentials within academic and workforce pathways, ensuring stackability, employer relevance, and seamless on-ramps to certificates and degrees.

• Establish expectations and alignment for campus deans' roles in attending external forums, hosting events, welcoming delegations and tour groups, and delivering opening remarks on behalf of the College.

• Ensure consistent and effective representation of Montgomery College's academic mission, applied learning priorities, and workforce-aligned education across regions.

• Identify and respond to external engagements that may require broader awareness or action by other offices outside of Academic Affairs to support alignment with institutional and community priorities and needs.

Systems, Intake, and Institutional Coordination

• Provide leadership for collegewide systems and processes supporting academic-industry opportunity intake, tracking, and institutional visibility.

• Promote consistent use of shared systems to reduce duplication, protect institutional relationships, and preserve continuity across divisions.

• Maintain clear intake, triage, and escalation protocols in collaboration with Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Advancement, and Community Engagement.

• Produce executive-level analyses and reports related to employer engagement, applied learning activity, and contract training performance.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge and expertise in workforce development.

• Knowledge of structures, policies, trends, and developments in higher education as it relates to community colleges, workforce development, and alternative credentials.

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholders both within and outside the college community.

• Significant experience engaging with business and industry, building relationships across sectors with demonstrated success in advancing complex strategic initiatives.

• Excellent leadership skills with the ability to guide, advise, counsel, instruct, train, coach, and motivate others toward shared goals.

• Skill in preparing and administering budgets.

• Skill in public speaking and delivering presentations.

• Strong strategic thinking, analytical, and problem-solving skills.

• Ability to identify, develop, and implement short/long-term strategic goals and objectives.

• Ability to develop and implement innovative programs and services to support learner success.

• Ability to communicate and work effectively with others within and outside of the institution.

Minimum Education, Training, and Experience Required

• Master's degree required in a relevant field (e.g., but not limited to, higher education, public administration, workforce development, business, curriculum and instruction, or economic development)

• 10 years of progressively responsible leadership experience, including: Workforce development, economic development, or talent strategy; or Higher education administration or a closely aligned sector (e.g., government, industry partnerships, nonprofit workforce systems)

• Demonstrated commitment to equity, inclusivity, and belonging

• Eligible applicants must currently be authorized to work in the United States and not require an employer visa sponsorship.
  

Hiring Range: $151,438-$208,239 annually. Initial salary placement for new hires falls between the minimum and midpoint of the range and is based on relevant candidate experience and internal equity. The maximum salary for this position is $265,042 annually.

Application Process:

• Click here to apply online.

• A complete resume/application, including all relevant or related experience, should be attached to the application. A cover letter is recommended and preferred.

• For consideration, dates of employment must be included in your application or attachment.

• For degrees earned outside of the U.S., a copy of your education equivalency, conducted by a nationally recognized evaluation service, must be included in your application.

For degrees earned outside of the U.S., a copy of your education equivalency, conducted by a nationally recognized evaluation service, must be included in your application.

As a condition of employment, the following are required at the time of hire:

• Successful completion of a background check and degree verification (if applicable).

• Participation in a Maryland State Retirement System plan (Pension or Optional Retirement Plan, depending on the position). If you are already retired from the Maryland State Retirement System, you may not enroll in a Maryland State Retirement System plan at Montgomery College and may have earn ings restrictions, per state law.

Our benefits package includes: generous paid vacation, sick, paid holidays, medical, dental, vision, group legal benefits, professional development, retirement plan, educational assistance, tuition waiver for employee and dependents, wellness programming including onsite gyms, pools and classes.

If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact Human Resources and Strategic Talent Management at 240-567-5353 or HRSTM@montgomerycollege.edu. We require at least two weeks advance notice to enable us to provide the requested accommodation.

Montgomery College is an equal opportunity employer committed to promoting and fostering diversity among its student body, faculty, and staff.

Montgomery College is a tobacco-free and smoke-free workplace.

Closing Date