TNWORKS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - 74255

Executive Service

This position is designated as Office and Remote

For more information, visit the link below:
https://www.tn.gov/workforce/careers.html

Who we are and what we do:

The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development is the state agency established to promote workforce development and improve workplace safety and health throughout the state. TNWorks is a new statewide workforce initiative that serves as Tennessee's collective brand for connecting employers to all the states workforce-related services and for delivering customized workforce solutions.

The TNWorks central hub is housed within the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD) and convenes state and regional partners to make it easier for Tennessee employers to access these workforce solutions and for Tennesseans to access good jobs and job training services. The TNWorks team coordinates with the Department of Economic & Community Development (TNECD), the Tennessee Board of Regents, THEC, TDOE, DHS, local workforce boards, and other partners to deliver expedited, data-driven employer services.

How you make a difference in this role:

The Executive Director of TNWorks serves as the strategic and operational leader responsible for aligning workforce development initiatives across multiple TN state agencies to address employers workforce priorities and needs. This role steers TNWorks priorities, carries out the vision of TNWorks via execution of services, and ensures statewide workforce milestones are achieved through employer and state agency engagement and successful project implementation. The Executive Director will be responsible for coordinating state agency interactions to meet workforce commitments, overseeing performance tracking of ongoing workforce projects, and will champion TNWorks in state-level leadership forums and in workforce-focused forums outside of Tennessee.

Job Overview:

The Executive Director provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for a statewide workforce Hub, ensuring alignment across partner agencies, driving delivery of key initiatives, and maintaining strong performance and accountability structures. This role leads strategic planning, oversees program execution, analyzes performance data to guide continuous improvement, and fosters collaboration across interagency stakeholders. The Executive Director represents the Hub in state-level forums, ensures funding alignment for workforce initiatives, and maintains consistent communication with senior leaders and regional teams to advance statewide workforce goals.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Drive strategy and accountability across the Hub and partner agencies.

2. Facilitate strategy meetings and quarterly governance reviews.

3. Represent the Hub in state-level forums and partner agency leadership syncs.

4. Approve workforce initiatives and align funding sources and allocations.

5. Oversee milestone tracking and ensure timely delivery of initiatives.

6. Manage risk resolution and escalation through structured governance cadence.

7. Refine tracking tools and delivery roadmaps to reflect evolving priorities.

8. Conduct advanced project management and track program milestones.

9. Analyze performance dashboards and stakeholder feedback to inform strategy adjustments.

10. Translate insights into next-phase planning and continuous improvement.

11. Coordinate with internal leads to align on execution priorities.

12. Leverage data and analytics to inform decisions and assess performance.

13. Champion collaboration across 6+ interagency partners.

14. Maintain alignment with senior leaders, regional directors, and workforce development teams.

15. Facilitate regular discussions to ensure shared priorities and coordinated execution.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in public administration, Business, Workforce Development, or related field.
• 7+ years of qualifying full-time experience in public sector leadership or workforce development leadership.
• Valid driver's license and ability to travel statewide
• Master's degree
• Proven track record of managing complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives
• Experience with CRM systems and performance dashboards
• Deep familiarity with Tennessee's workforce ecosystem and state agency capabilities

Pursuant to the State of Tennessee's Workplace Discrimination and Harassment policy, the State is firmly committed to the principle of fair and equal employment opportunities for its citizens and strives to protect the rights and opportunities of all people to seek, obtain, and hold employment without being subjected to illegal discrimination and harassment in the workplace. It is the State's policy to provide an environment free of discrimination and harassment of an individual because of that person's race, color, national origin, age (40 and over), sex, pregnancy, religion, creed, disability, veteran's status or any other category protected by state and/or federal civil rights laws.