If you consider yourself a community-minded leader - both passionate and successful in supporting personal community development and opportunity for individuals - the City of Danville, VA invites you to consider applying to serve as the first Economic Mobility & Opportunity Manager. The City seeks a trustworthy leader who has the natural ability to energize and empower people and unite others around a common vision. Inspired by success in Richmond, VA cutting the City’s poverty rate, this professional will serve as the public face of Danville’s Economic Mobility and Opportunity initiatives in the community which closely align with Workforce Development and Community Development roles. Candidates will be highly interactive individuals who thrive on establishing and cultivating relationships with others. The Economic Mobility & Opportunity Manager will prioritize developing relationships with municipal partners and strengthening relationships with local institutions of higher learning.

The City desires a solution-oriented and highly motivated professional with demonstrable success in growing programs by expanding resources and securing funding outside of federal government dollars. With unclear federal funding for many similar programs in future, the Economic Mobility & Opportunity Manager will be challenged with strategically creating and implementing a short and long-term vision for securing unrestricted program funds to ensure viability and sustainability without reliance on governmental funding.

The next Manager is a strategic thinker with impeccable problem-solving and decision-making skills and will be tasked with improving coordination among stakeholders to ensure effective communication and compliance with state and federal regulations. A conscientious leader who seeks win-win solutions to solve problems, the Manager must forecast trends and is proactive in preparing for changes within the program’s service areas.

About the Organization and Department:

Danville is an independent city in the Commonwealth and operates under a Council/Manager form of government. The city has a total budget of $164.575M and approximately 1,100 employees working across thirteen departments. The Economic Mobility & Opportunity Manager reports to the City Manager’s Office and will initially have no direct reports but must work closely with Economic Development, Community Development, and Social Services.

This position creates, directs, and manages a work plan designed to positively affect economic mobility in the community using background research, best practices, and strategies defined in the Economic Mobility Work Plan for the City of Danville.

Key Priorities:

• Develops productive relationships with key agencies and stakeholders, serving on relevant committees and boards.
• Gathers local data about generational/intergenerational poverty, economic mobility, and community wealth building.
• Determines appropriate measures of progress; conducting a SWOT analysis of current service options and barriers to access.
• Identifies priority issues and develops a 3–5-year plan to address them.
• Provides regular data and progress updates with stakeholders and elected officials.
• Creates communication tools to publish key data, strategic plans, and progress updates with the community.

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Required Qualifications:

• A bachelor’s degree with broad knowledge in a general professional or technical field related to community wealth building and poverty reduction; master's degree in human services, Social Services, or related field is preferred.
• Experience in poverty reduction efforts in urban areas and experience in education, financial literacy, housing, and/or community development preferred.
• One to three years of experience in a related area of community/ workforce development.
• An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered in lieu of the specific requirements listed above.