Position: Manufacturer Outreach Director, Early College Early Career Program

Position

Job Title: Manufacturer Outreach Director
Department: Early College Early Career Program

Overview

MAGNET: The Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network fuels the economic vitality of Northeast Oho by ensuring that manufacturers and physical-product startups have the innovation, people, tools, processes, and access to world-class regional resources to create new products, grow revenue, add jobs, and compete at the highest levels of the global economy. MAGNET is hands-on – we provide the coaching, tools, connections, and consulting to take companies to the next level and add the jobs, revenue, and investments needed to grow Northeast Ohio’s economy. One in five jobs in the region is manufacturing, comprising a majority of our region’s exports and indirectly supporting 50% of our region’s economy.

MAGNET helps manufacturers develop and implement strategies through our programs and services in product development and engineering, continuous improvement, marketing and sales, workforce development, and talent management. We are the Northeast Ohio affiliate for the national Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) and state of Ohio MEP program, serving 21 counties in northeastern Ohio. MAGNET is recognized as a top place to work and our active board - which consists of Fortune 500 company leadership, college presidents, and small company CEOs - is an integral part of the fabric of Northeast Ohio’s nonprofit community. We are excited to meet you and see if MAGNET could fit into your career journey.

Job Summary

MAGNET has high ambitions to grow and scale its Early College Early Career (ECEC) Program throughout Northeast Ohio over the next three years. Accordingly, we are looking to strengthen our ECEC department through the addition of a talented Outreach Director to support the growth and development of the ECEC program. The ECEC program successfully launched in the Fall of 2017, and now with eighty-five (85) students between seven (7) high schools, and having assisted eleven (11) manufacturers with developing their talent pipelines, we are growing our team to effectively support the next phase and continued growth.
This individual will report to and work closely with the Executive Director as well as external parties. The Manufacturer Outreach Director will be expected to develop and maintain relationships with manufacturer partners.

We are looking for a high-energy candidate to build on recent momentum and assist with expanding our ECEC impact. The Manufacturer Outreach Director should have a proven track record of developing new, strategic partnerships. This individual will be very comfortable coordinating and delivering strategy on industrial pursuits in partnership with Executive Director—given our limited resources, all team members here must be willing to get their hands dirty!

Essential Functions

• Work closely with the Executive Director to develop and execute a business development plan inclusive of strategies to increase awareness of the ECEC program, and engage manufacturers as potential employer partners.
• Seek, locate and propose potential employer partners; discover and explore untouched resources and expound on opportunities that could support and benefit ECEC’s mission and expansion efforts.
• Develop, organize, and schedule meetings and presentations to prospective partners.
• Develop negotiation strategies; examine risks and potentials.
• Estimate employers’ goals and needs; quarterback the development and presentation of solutions and needs.
• Partner with ECEC Executive Director to identify areas of flexibility within ECEC program, in order to meet the unique needs of a company, school or region.
• Educate employers, educators and community leaders on the full possibilities for students within the ECEC program.
• Successfully track and record engagement level and status of all potential partners.
• Attend local conferences and other events related to manufacturing and/or career pathways with Executive Director.
• Collaboratively schedule ECEC recruitment seminars, plant tours, and other awareness events sponsored by ECEC.
• Work collaboratively with Executive Director to plan for expansion of ECEC program throughout all of Northeast Ohio..

Education Requirements

• Ability to present to diverse audiences, and to persuasively articulate the value proposition of the ECEC program to each audience.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills with the ability to clearly articulate the goals and operational components of the ECEC program.
• Excellent networking, relationship building, and interpersonal skills.
• Proven skills in negotiation and persuasion.
• Great business acumen.
• Great analytical skills with the ability to assess a competitive landscape.

Minimum Job Requirements

• High school diploma or equivalent; bachelor’s degree preferred.
• A minimum of five years’ experience working in manufacturing, workforce development, and/or the nonprofit sector, preferably in Northeast Ohio.
• Understanding of the talent development needs of the Northeast Ohio manufacturing industry.
• Ability to understand and articulate the motivating factor for high schools, community colleges, and manufacturers as participants in ECEC.
• Experience working with work-based learning programs preferred..

Application Information

Interested applicants, please apply via Indeed or ZipRecruiter.

This position offers the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to the region while working with a dynamic and creative group of professionals. MAGNET provides an outstanding benefits package including excellent medical/dental/vision insurance, retirement plan, and generous time-off benefits. MAGNET is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer/M/F/D/V.