Vice President, Workforce Growth

At ACT, Your Work Makes a Difference

Education has power – a power that changes lives forever. It creates opportunities that lift up individuals, their families, and sparks societal change that echoes through generations to come. From our grassroots we have fought the good fight for equity in education, and we remain devoted to helping anyone who struggles to access that power. This is what matters to us and we must do better -- we’ve never been more sure of our purpose. 

ACT team members are part of an organization dedicated to a mission that has never been more important: Helping people achieve education and workplace success. Advancing that mission within our organization, by helping our team members achieve education and workplace success of their own, is core to our values. ACT values a diverse workplace and is committed to fostering an inclusive, equitable environment in which every team member has an opportunity to grow.

We want our team members to have the well-being and confidence they need to do their best work, in an environment where both they and ACT thrive. To support this, our total rewards include company paid life insurance, medical, dental, vision, flexible health and dependent spending accounts, 401(k) retirement savings with company match, paid holidays, paid time off, and so much more. You can find a comprehensive list of our benefits here.

We are seeking a Vice President of Workforce Growth to help us fulfill that mission.

The Vice President, Workforce Growth is an innovative and entrepreneurial leader responsible for helping define and then directing the acquisition strategy and execution of the ACT Workforce suite. This position will include the management of sales to K12 districts, community colleges (as well as working in concert with states and government relations teams for state acquisitions), management of ACT’s WorkReady Communities initiative, working in concert with ACT product development, Marketing, Implementation, and Research agenda. This position will directly lead a team as well as manage activities in a matrix organization, working across K12, Higher Education and Industry to promote and significantly increase adoption and usage of ACT workforce products.     

The finalist will be hired at the salary and level commensurate with their qualifications. For this position, we anticipate offering an annual salary in the range of $180,000 to $215,000.  ACT manages salaries within the range based on relevant factors including, skills, experience, and internal equity. This position is incentive eligible.

Location: Remote 

A Day in the Life:

• Manage a sales team (5-7), including sales planning, pipeline management, client outreach, acquisition, and expansion, and sales forecasting.  Sales team members are expected to work primarily with K12 schools and Community Colleges and ensure ACT products are available to fulfill the demand.
• Manage the ACT WorkReady Communities (ecosystem) initiative including events management, strategic targeting of new areas, work with area economic developers, and work to engage employers.
• Manage the strategy of both the Sales and WorkReady Communities so they are aligned and work to create demand and fulfill demand.
• Have a significant voice into ACT Workforce research agenda to ensure that efforts, papers, documents are all aligned to the ACT Workforce strategy.
• Lead marketing efforts and strategy, ensuring all are aligned with ACT’s strategic direction.
• Leverage market research, competitive intelligence, and user experience research capabilities to reflect the voice of the customer in the Workforce Strategic direction.
• Be a key voice across our Workforce product roadmaps to ensure all stakeholder voices are heard and clear priorities are set for development teams.
• Identify strategic partnership opportunities which can accelerate speed-to-market, market reach and lower internal development costs.
• Keep abreast of industry trends, technologies, and competitive analyses to identify new opportunities and initiatives which ultimately serve the long-term product strategy.
• Maintain a current knowledge of product trends and needs assessment.
• Identify enhancements to products as well as additional revenue channels.
• Develop a high performing team by attracting and retaining capable individuals and regularly evaluating performance.

Role Progression:

• Within 1 month develop understanding of ACT's Workforce suite and the potential growth opportunities.
• Within 3 months design the go to sales market strategy that will grow ACT workforce products including identification and development of sales team structure and sales targets; socialize with key stakeholders within and outside of organization to develop buy in, support and secure necessary resources.
• Within 6 months lead execution of the market specific workforce products sales strategies and provide progress reports tied to sales targets and related goals.

About You (minimum requirements):

• At least 10 years of progressively responsible sales experience with CTE products or programs to the High School, Workforce, and Adult Education markets
• Leadership role in sales for CTE or work readiness products and services
• Demonstrated experience collaborating closely with marketing, product management and delivery teams to ensure customer requirements are met
• Experience and demonstrated success leading, managing, and building teams
• Ability to be successful in an environment that emphasizes moving fast and operating within limited budgets
• Ability to navigate multiple complex projects and challenges associated with product development, management, marketing, sales, procurement, legal, compliance, and policy fronts
• Ability to attract talent, build effective teams, and direct others
• Strong leadership, strategic thinking, business planning, and communication skills
• History of successfully developing and implementing strategic plans
• Strong analytical skills and decision quality
• Willingness to travel as required
• Superior writing and presentation skills
• Strong financial acumen
• Skills and knowledge required for success in this position attained through experience, education (Bachelor’s degree in Business, Workforce Education & Development, or related area of study), or a combination of both

Preferred Qualifications:

• Entrepreneurial experience
• Master’s degree or MBA

When ACT was founded in 1959, it disrupted the assessment industry with a new approach to helping students better understand their readiness so they could take steps to improve it.  By leveraging our expertise and authority in assessment and research, we will again disrupt the industry—helping more people learn, better measure their progress, and improve their navigation through life’s transitions. 

More than ever before, ACT is fulfilling its mission of helping people achieve education and workplace success. We’re doing it by pushing the boundaries of learning innovation through the work of our people, who we call team members because we’re all in this together.

We know transformation does not come without challenge. That’s why ACT invests in a variety of experiences for team members to strengthen their connections, explore ideas, learn from customers, and celebrate success.

Learn more about working at ACT at act.org!

ACT is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. ACT participates in E-verify. ACT's online position announcements are intended only to provide general descriptions of employment opportunities; none of the information provided for any position should be interpreted as a commitment by ACT to specific terms and conditions for employment.

Application FAQs

**If you have received an ACT employment-related communication from an email address that is not affiliated with @act.org and/or that requests personal or financial information, please do not reply. Instead, reach out to us at careers@act.org with the details. ACT's recruitment team appreciates your interest in working with us to transform college and career readiness pathways for all learners and wishes you the best of luck in your career journey.**