Grant-Community Partner Manager
Equus · Eugene, Oregon, United States
Who We Are
Our employees consistently rate Grant Associates as a great place to work, and often recommend open positions to friends. We are a culturally diverse company with competitive benefits, frequent opportunities for growth and change, training and fun activities!
Innovation and a culture of continuous improvement are built into the fabric of our company. Staff have an opportunity to improve themselves and our company by joining our Fit Forward, Culture, Innovation, and Green teams.
The Community Partnership Manager serves as a primary ambassador for WorkSource Oregon and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) program throughout Lane County. This position is responsible for developing and maintaining strategic relationships with community organizations, educational institutions, employers, and workforce partners to expand access to workforce services, increase WIOA enrollment, and improve participant employment outcomes.
The Community Partnership Manager leads community outreach, employer engagement, job development, workforce education, and partnership initiatives that connect job seekers with meaningful employment opportunities. This position works collaboratively with Case Managers, program leadership, and workforce partners to identify employment opportunities, secure job postings, facilitate employer referrals, and create pathways to employment through On-the-Job Training (OJT), work-based learning, and direct hiring opportunities.
The position is also responsible for developing and facilitating job readiness workshops within the WorkSource Oregon job center and throughout the community. The Community Partnership Manager will coordinate with industry sector experts, employers, and workforce partners to provide specialized training, career exploration opportunities, and industry roundtable discussions. Workshops will empower participants with the knowledge, skills, and resources necessary to achieve employment, career advancement, financial stability, and digital competency.
The position promotes the full range of WIOA services, including career services, employment support, training opportunities, work-based learning, and supportive services, while ensuring that community and employer partnerships contribute to program enrollment, participant engagement, job placement, and employment retention.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
1. Community Partnership Development and Outreach
- Develop, establish, and maintain strategic partnerships with community-based organizations, educational institutions, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and workforce partners throughout Lane County.
- Serve as a primary point of contact and ambassador for WIOA services within the community.
- Increase awareness of workforce services and expand community referrals into WIOA programs.
- Educate community partners regarding WIOA eligibility requirements, available services, referral procedures, and enrollment processes.
- Develop and implement outreach strategies that increase program visibility, participant enrollment, and access to workforce services.
- Coordinate, facilitate, and participate in community workshops, workforce information sessions, resource fairs, hiring events, and other outreach activities.
- Expand community-based service delivery through partnerships and collaborative initiatives.
- Promote the full range of WIOA services, emphasizing career services, employment support, work-based learning, supportive services, and occupational training rather than tuition assistance alone.
- Maintain regular communication with community partners to identify service gaps, strengthen referral relationships, and improve access to workforce resources.
2. Employer Engagement and Business Services
- Develop and maintain relationships with employers throughout Lane County to identify workforce needs, hiring trends, and employment opportunities for WIOA participants.
- Conduct employer outreach, business visits, and engagement activities to promote LWP services and establish sustainable hiring partnerships.
- Educate employers regarding available workforce services, including OJT, work-based learning, hiring assistance, and other applicable workforce development resources.
- Identify employer workforce needs and collaborate with Case Managers and program leadership to develop customized strategies that connect qualified WIOA participants to employment opportunities.
- Establish employer partnerships that generate:
- On-the-Job Training (OJT) opportunities.
- Work-based learning placements.
- Direct hiring opportunities.
- Employer referrals and job interviews.
- Industry-specific employment pathways.
- Maintain ongoing communication with employers to support successful placements, address workforce needs, and strengthen long-term partnerships.
- Identify opportunities for employers to participate in hiring events, workforce workshops, career exploration activities, and other participant engagement initiatives.
- Collaborate with employers to identify opportunities for participants to gain occupational skills, relevant work experience, and industry-recognized credentials.
- Engage industry sector experts and employers to participate in job readiness workshops, industry-specific training, career exploration activities, and roundtable discussions.
- Develop and maintain partnerships with industry representatives to ensure workforce education activities reflect current employer expectations, hiring trends, and occupational skill requirements.
3. Job Development, Job Postings, and Employment Referrals
- Actively identify, develop, and secure employment opportunities for WIOA participants through employer engagement and business development activities.
- Obtain current job openings, hiring requirements, and employment opportunities from employers throughout Lane County.
- Develop and maintain a centralized process for communicating employer job postings and hiring opportunities to Case Managers and appropriate program staff.
- Ensure job postings shared with Case Managers include relevant information such as employer name, job title, location, wages, qualifications, required skills, application instructions, and hiring timelines.
- Collaborate with Case Managers to identify participants whose skills, qualifications, career goals, and employment readiness align with available job opportunities.
- Facilitate direct referrals of qualified WIOA participants to employers for interviews, hiring events, and employment opportunities.
- Coordinate employer introductions, interview opportunities, and recruitment activities to support participant employment outcomes.
- Follow up with employers and Case Managers regarding referrals, interviews, hiring decisions, and employment placements.
- Identify and address barriers that may prevent participants from accessing employment opportunities, coordinating with Case Managers to connect participants to appropriate workforce services and supportive resources.
- Maintain an active pipeline of employer relationships, job postings, referrals, interviews, and placements.
- Monitor the effectiveness of employer referrals and job development activities to identify opportunities to improve placement outcomes.
- Support employment retention by maintaining employer relationships and collaborating with Case Managers regarding participant employment challenges and follow-up services.
4. Workforce Readiness Workshops and Career Education
- Develop, coordinate, and facilitate job readiness workshops within the WorkSource Oregon job center and throughout the community to increase participant employability, employment readiness, and career success.
- Create and implement a minimum of three new workshops each quarter, ensuring that workshop content reflects participant needs, workforce trends, employer expectations, and program priorities.
- Develop workshop topics, learning obj