Vice President, Public Service Leadership

ORGANIZATION

The Partnership for Public Service is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to building a better government and a stronger democracy. We believe that our future and our democracy depend on our ability to solve big problems—and that we need an effective federal government to do so. For more than 20 years, we have helped make this vision a reality, helping our government—the public institution most fundamental to our democracy—address current and future challenges.

Our staff is diverse in experience and perspective, but at our core, we share a lot of the same traits: we are mission-driven, creative, collaborative, optimistic and inclusive.

Our work is strategic, fast-paced and guided by our values:

• People who promote a culture of learning, leadership, collaboration, inclusion and respect
• Persistence to drive change, take strategic risks and deliver results
• Promise to be trustworthy, nonpartisan and fiscally responsible
• Passion for public service and our work toward a more effective government

We hire smart and friendly people who are great at what they do and good to one another in the process.

Position Overview

The Vice President for Public Service Leadership oversees a key mission area for the organization, providing leadership and the strategic direction of the Public Service Leadership Institute. The Public Service Leadership Institute is the preeminent source of public service leadership programs, policies and perspectives. The institute brings together our many efforts to strengthen public service leadership, bolstering our more than a decade’s worth of expertise in developing public service leaders who work to build a better government and a stronger democracy.

In this role, the Vice President oversees strategy, design and delivery of all leadership development programs and collaborates across the organization to ensure public service leadership is a guiding model for all the Partnership’s work. This includes efforts to amplify the importance of public service leaders, develop leaders and unify leaders around a single standard.

The Vice President serves as a member of the organization’s Management Team responsible for providing input on strategy, employee engagement, culture, and workplace policies, and reinforcing organizational decisions. The Vice President will also serve as the lead for our strategic priority advancing public service leadership. This includes developing implementation plans and ensuring effective decision-making on new programs to ensure alignment to stated outcomes, collaborating with other teams and leaders across the organization toward common outcomes related to public service leadership.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS/PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Work with Directors and senior managers across the Public Service Leadership Institute to support effective team management and engagement, operations management and quality programming.
• Actively participate as a member of the management team, which jointly works to further the Partnership’s strategic goals.
• Contribute to the development, monitoring and achievement of key performance indicators, fundraising targets, and respective line of business budget and personnel allocations.
• Lead efforts to amplify the importance of public service leadership; speak and write on the topic at Partnership-hosted and external events and publications.
• Partner with other organizational leaders and empower teammates to advance legislation, policy and other cross-cutting efforts that would strengthen public service leadership.
• Oversee the execution of all programs and policies of the Public Service Leadership Institute.
• Directly supervise and develop team members, providing them with regular, clear, and actionable performance feedback and opportunities for professional development.
• Maintain current knowledge on the latest industry trends, including government management, leadership and coaching.
• Lead and engage a 30-40 person team of staff at all levels including coaches, facilitators and managers to design and execute leadership development programs, including training, facilitation and coaching, that reach more than 6,000-7,000 federal leaders annually.
• Build and manage relationships with government officials, corporate partners and other experts to ensure the successful design and implementation of projects; in tandem with others, assist in building new relationships to support Partnership activities.
• Build new business models and approaches that would bring the institute and the public service leadership model greater credibility.
• Monitor program evaluation results and facilitate constructive conversations in service to continuous improvement.
• Oversee the work and maintain the relationships with the Government Leadership Advisory Council.
• Provide strategic direction on efforts to forge alliances with government, academia, the private sector and nonprofit sector in order to bring greater unity to public service leadership.
• Ensure the Public Service Leadership Institute strategy is integrated and aligned with the Partnership’s organizational strategy and priorities.

KEY COMPETENCIES

• Recognized expert with extensive knowledge of leadership development theory and practices.
• Enterprise-wide mindset with ability to work effectively across the organization, sharing information and insights, and collaborating to solve problems.
• Entrepreneurial, innovative, problem-solver and able to excel with minimal supervision.
• Business and growth mindset and the ability to set and clearly articulate the team’s mission and vision.
• Adept at working in a fast-paced and high-energy environment.
• Superior leadership skills required to align, build and manage a diverse high-performing team, to include attracting and hiring talented employees, leading by example, leading through change and guiding professional development. Ability to implement strategic goals as well as make and communicate consequential decisions.
• Proven track record of exercising critical thinking skills and sound judgment.
• Confident public speaker, able to motivate and inspire large in-person, virtual and hybrid audiences.
• Organizational skills required to successfully plan, track and guide multiple ongoing projects from initial conceptualization to the timely delivery of high-quality products.
• People-centric leader, demonstrating emotional intelligence, empathy, active listening, setting accurate expectations, bringing clarity out of ambiguity and galvanizing a sense of purpose and confidence in high intensity environments.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to manage complex relationships with federal officials, private-sector firms, nonprofit foundations, consultants and other organizations.
• A track record of managing complex organizations toward sustainable scaling.
• Commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, the values of public service and the mission of the Partnership for Public Service.
• Solid business acumen, to include basic financials, business strategy, managing change and project management.
• Ability to demonstrate confident and influential executive presence, internal and external to the Partnership.

REQUIRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• A minimum of 15 years of experience in successful people management, people development and leadership.
• Prior professional experience with nonprofit advocacy organizations or working with the federal government strongly preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree or relevant professional work experience, including military experience, required.
• A minimum 15 years of experience in leadership development and managing large-scale, complex programs is required
• A history of managing and leading high performing teams toward goal achievement and through change.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY/REPORTING STRUCTURE

The VP reports to the Executive Vice President, will directly supervise 5 Directors and Senior Managers; oversee a team of 30-40 staff.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

This job operates in a hybrid (remote + office) environment in Washington, DC , and requires the candidate to be a permanent resident in the Washington, DC, Maryland or Virginia area. This role is required to work in the office, on average, three days per week. This position requires consistent use of office equipment such as computer, telephone, printer and scanner.

In assessing employee performance at the Partnership, we consider collaboration, results, demonstration of our values and a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility.

POSITION TYPE/EXPECTED HOURS OF WORK

This is a full-time position with regular work hours Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Occasional evening or weekend activities may be required. Please note that Partnership allows flexibility in work schedules.

TRAVEL

If travel occurs, it is usually during the business day. Some out of the area and/or overnight travel may be required as well.

Salary And Benefits

The starting salary for this position is $180,000 - $220,000. The Partnership offers a compensation package that includes a competitive salary; medical, dental and vision coverage; life insurance; long- and short-term disability insurance; a 401(k) program with a 4 percent employer match; opportunities for training and development; 15 days of annual leave per year, 10 days of sick leave per year, plus all federal holidays and the day after Thanksgiving off; and subsidized use of an on-site exercise facility.

AAP/EEO STATEMENT

The Partnership is an inclusive organization that fosters learning, collaboration and respect. We actively recruit for diversity in our workplace, believing that a range of backgrounds, perspectives and experiences contributes to our mission of revitalizing government. The Partnership for Public Service is an equal opportunity employer and will not discriminate against any application for employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, veteran status, disability; or on any other basis prohibited by law.

VACCINATION POLICY

All Partnership employees, regardless of position or physical location, must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, as a condition of employment. For new employees, a simple unnotarized copy of the official vaccination card or a notarized COVID-19 Vaccination Form attesting to full vaccination must be provided to human resources within two weeks after the start date.

If you believe you qualify for an exception from the requirements of this policy, for medical reasons or sincerely held religious beliefs, you must provide a letter (on letterhead) from your doctor or clergy to the Vice President of Human Resources. The Partnership will explore potential reasonable accommodations for you that would not cause undue hardship to the Partnership. However, such reasonable accommodations are not required and cannot be guaranteed.