Director, Workforce Development

The Director of Workforce Development leads Events DC's talent acquisition operations and workforce development programming, ensuring the organization recruits, develops, and retains a qualified, diverse, and engaged workforce. Working under the direction of the Deputy HR People Operations Officer, the Director manages day-to-day recruitment activities, executes strategic workforce programs targeting youth, returning citizens, interns, and individuals requiring workplace accommodations, and sustains community and institutional partnerships that build Events DC's employer presence in the region.

This is a people-leading position. The Director directly supervises Human Resources professionals, providing coaching, performance management, and professional development across the team. The Director is accountable for program execution, recruitment metrics, HR administrative operations, and stakeholder engagement, and serves as the primary operational leader for both workforce development and core HR administration activities within HRC.

Enterprise Workforce Strategy & Planning 

• Lead the enterprise-level design and continuous improvement of Events DC’s talent acquisition strategy, ensuring recruitment practices are innovative, equitable, and aligned with the organization’s workforce diversity and mission goals.
• Partner with HR leadership, the Deputy HR People Operations Officer, and division heads to forecast hiring needs across the organization; develop and maintain a rolling workforce plan that anticipates vacancies, hard-to-fill roles, and succession gaps.
• Design and oversee succession planning frameworks that identify high-potential employees and build internal pipelines for mission-critical and leadership positions across Events DC.
• Lead workforce readiness and organizational capability assessments; recommend structural and programmatic responses to capacity gaps in partnership with HR leadership.
• Represent the Workforce Development function at strategic planning discussions with senior leadership; translate business priorities into actionable workforce strategies.

Talent Acquisition Operations 

• Lead the day-to-day execution of Events DC's merit-based recruitment and selection processes, ensuring equitable, inclusive, and competency-based hiring practices.
• Partner with hiring managers to develop job-specific recruitment strategies, write or review position descriptions, and establish selection criteria aligned with organizational needs.
• Manage the full recruitment lifecycle — from vacancy announcement through onboarding — in compliance with Events DC's Employment, Recruitment and Selection Policy.
• Oversee sourcing strategies including career fairs, digital platforms, university partnerships, and community hiring events to build active and passive candidate pipelines.
• Track, analyze, and report on recruitment performance metrics (time-to-fill, source quality, offer acceptance rates, diversity of candidate pools) and present findings monthly to the Deputy HR People Operations Officer.
• Provides other ad-hoc reporting and data analysis to the Deputy HR People Operations Officer as requested.

Workforce Development Programming 

• Design, launch, and manage workforce programs targeting early-career talent, returning citizens, veterans, seniors, and individuals requiring workplace accommodations.
• Oversee the coordination and operational delivery of internship, apprenticeship, and workforce transition programs in partnership with external organizations.
• Monitor program participation, conversion, and impact data; produce regular reporting for grant compliance, executive leadership, and external workforce partners.
• Identify gaps in workforce readiness and recommend programmatic solutions to the Deputy HR People Operations Officer and HR leadership.

Staff Leadership & Team Development 

• Directly supervise the Manager, Talent Acquisition Specialists, and/or Workforce Development Coordinators; assign work, set performance expectations, and conduct formal evaluations for all direct reports.
• Provide direct oversight and strategic direction to the Manager, HR Administration; ensure the HR function delivers accurate, compliant, and digitized HR records management, personnel action processing, data integrity, and policy implementation in alignment with HRC priorities and organizational requirements.
• Coach and develop team members through regular feedback, professional development planning, and mentorship.
• Ensure team processes, workflows, and documentation standards are current, compliant, and consistently applied.
• Onboard new team members and maintain cross-training to ensure operational continuity.
• Support organizational readiness by identifying development gaps and recommending professional growth opportunities that prepare staff for increased responsibility and succession into critical roles.

HR Administration Oversight 

• Provide strategic direction and executive oversight for the HR Administration function through the Manager, HR Administration; set expectations for service quality, data accuracy, compliance, and continuous improvement across all HR operations.
• Ensure the HR Administration function maintains accurate and compliant employee records, personnel action documentation, and job classification files in accordance with internal policy, collective bargaining obligations, and applicable federal, state, and local employment laws.
• Champion and provide direction for the digitization and standardization of HR administrative workflows; partner with the Manager, HR Administration and the HR ERP team to advance automation, employee self-service capabilities, and documentation standards across HRC.
• Ensure operational analytics and reporting produced by the HR Administration function — including personnel action volumes, compliance tracking, and data integrity metrics — are accurate, timely, and useful to HR leadership and executive stakeholders.
• Review and approve significant changes to HR administrative policies, standard operating procedures, and documentation standards; ensure they reflect current regulatory requirements and organizational values.
• Serve as the HRC leadership point of accountability for HR audit readiness and regulatory compliance; ensure the function's records, processes, and controls can withstand internal and external audit review.

Community & Stakeholder Engagement 

• Serve as Events DC's primary operational liaison to workforce development partners including workforce boards, vocational programs, colleges, and public/private agencies.
• Represent Events DC at career events, hiring fairs, and community engagement activities to strengthen employer brand visibility.
• Partner with citywide workforce programs to support targeted hiring pipelines; maintain documentation of active partnerships and referral outcomes.
• Lead the development and ongoing management of Events DC’s employer brand and Employee Value Proposition (EVP), ensuring consistent, compelling positioning across all recruitment marketing, digital platforms, and external-facing communications.
• Promote Events DC’s employer brand through targeted outreach campaigns, social media, career sites, and public engagement to strengthen the organization’s visibility as an employer of choice in the region.
• Develop and maintain outreach strategies that amplify Events DC’s reputation with priority talent pools including diverse communities, universities, workforce boards, and sector-specific professional networks.

Program Administration & Compliance 

• Manage budget planning, purchasing, and expenditure tracking for workforce development program operations within delegated authority.
• Maintain records, documentation, and data systems required for program compliance, audit readiness, and grant reporting.
• Support the development of internal task forces, cross-functional workgroups, and HR initiatives as assigned by the Deputy HR People Operations Officer.
• Lead the development, periodic review, and interpretation of Events DC’s Employment, Recruitment and Selection Policy; ensure the policy reflects current legal requirements, operational practice, and organizational values; communicate policy updates to hiring managers and HR staff.
• Review and approve Personnel Requisition Forms and Personnel Action Forms (PAFs) for competitive recruitment actions; ensure all completed forms comply with the Employment, Recruitment and Selection Policy and are correctly prepared prior to system entry in Oracle and UKG Pro.
• Serve as the subject matter expert for HRC on recruitment policy interpretation; provide guidance to hiring managers, HR staff, and leadership on policy application for non-standard or complex hiring situations.

Required

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in Human Resources, Business Administration, Public Administration, or a related field; or equivalent relevant experience.
• Minimum 7 years of progressively responsible experience in human resources, with a substantive focus on talent acquisition and/or workforce development.
• At least 3 years of direct experience managing, coordinating, or leading talent acquisition programs, workforce development initiatives, or community hiring programs.
• Demonstrated experience supervising, mentoring, or developing HR or program staff.

Preferred

• Experience working in a public-sector, government-affiliated, or regulated employment environment.
• Background in employer branding, community affairs, or public workforce development partnerships.
• Experience managing grant-funded programs or workforce development contracts.
• Familiarity with applicant tracking systems and HRIS platforms (Oracle, UKG Pro, or equivalent).
• PHR, SHRM-CP, or equivalent HR certification.