Vice President, Vocational Programs
At CEO, we believe in second chances. For over 30 years, we've partnered with justice-impacted individuals to build strong futures through career pathways, training, and holistic supports. With 31 sites nationwide, we're one of the country's leading reentry organizations and we're seeking a Vice President, Vocational Programs to help us expand our impact.
This is a chance to lead across multiple regions, guiding regional leadership and local offices to deliver programs that change lives and set new standards in reentry and workforce development.
As VP of Vocational Programs, you'll join our senior leadership team to :
- Drive regional performance : Ensure every office in your portfolio meets ambitious outcomes and operates sustainably.
- Develop leaders : Hire, mentor, and inspire program leaders and staff to achieve excellence at scale.
- Innovate programs : Shape pilot programs and vocational models that respond to labor market needs and participant voices.
- Strengthen partnerships : Expand collaborations with employers, community organizations, funders, and government partners.
- Champion equity : Lead with a deep commitment to inclusion, equity, and justice.
As part of our mission, we strongly encourage individuals who have lived experience of incarceration or involvement in the justice system to apply for this role.
The Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) provides employment services to people recently released from incarceration. Across the United States, 8,000-9,000 people participate in CEO each year, transitioning to employment that supports themselves, their families, and their communities.
What began as a demonstration project of the Vera Institute of Justice in the 1970s to address employment barriers facing the formerly incarcerated following release in New York City has grown into the leading reentry employment organization in the country, where over 30,000 formerly incarcerated individuals have secured full-time employment since 1996.
You are a strategic, mission-driven leader with proven experience managing large teams and programs. You thrive at the intersection of vision and execution navigating complex operations while keeping people at the center.
10+ years of leadership experience in nonprofit, government, philanthropy, or social enterpriseSuccess designing, scaling, and evaluating programs with measurable resultsSkilled at managing budgets, complex operations, and multi-site portfoliosStrong relationship-builder with employers, funders, and community partnersCommitted to equity, innovation, and driving meaningful change in reentry and workforce developmentThis role is more than oversight it's about shaping opportunity and building futures. You'll have the chance to :
Lead a talented team across multiple regionsShape programs that redefine what reentry can achievePartner with stakeholders who believe in second chancesMake a lasting impact on individuals, families, and communities nationwideWe offer a comprehensive compensation and benefits package that reflects how much we value our people. Our benefits include medical, dental, and vision coverage with competitive contributions, health reimbursement and flexible spending accounts, and paid parental leave to support families. We invest in your future with a retirement plan that includes employer contributions, along with free financial wellness coaching and resources for mental health and wellbeing through our Employee Assistance Program.
We also recognize the importance of balance and rest. That's why we provide a robust paid time off package including 20 vacation days, 12 sick days, 12 paid holidays, 2 personal days, and 1 floating holiday.
Beyond benefits, CEO fosters a culture of learning, connection, and teamwork. From our affinity group program and lunch-and-learns and team outings, we create opportunities to grow, share, and build community together.
This is an exempt position with a tiered compensation system designed to ensure fairness, market alignment, and equity across our geographical territories. CEO's salary structure consists of multiple tiers, with ranges determined based on the cost of labor in specific markets. For this role, the salary range falls within the overall range $129,800 to $190,000. CEO's current salary tiers are structured as follows :
Tier 1+ : $172,300 - $190,000Tier 1 : $159,000 - $174,900Tier 2 : $145,800 - $160,350Tier 3+ : $135,800 - $149,400Tier 3 : $129,800 - $144,400CEO's pay philosophy is centered on experience and internal equity, meaning that individuals with less experience typically start at the lower end of the entry salary ranges above. Higher salary placement is usually reflective of the additional comparable experience, expertise, skills, and contributions employees bring from similar roles. This approach ensures compensation aligns with an employee's background while providing room for growth within the salary range.
These responsibilities are representative, but not all-inclusive, of the responsibilities of this role :
Support the CEO, Chief Program Officer, and Chief Strategy Officer in setting program vision and strategyEnsure that the budget, staffing, and resources, and priorities of regions within portfolio are aligned with CEO's organizational mission and valuesShape and inform program goal setting for portfolio of regionsDevelop strategies, when necessary, to improve the program performance of sitesPlan and execute the development of pilot programs in coordination with partner departments and external stakeholdersProvide thought leadership in reentry, workforce development, and social impact, representing the organization at conferences, coalitions, and national policy forumsCultivate partnerships with employers, community organizations, government agencies, and fundersEnsure implementation of the CEO model with fidelity and exercise accountability for the portfolio of sites you overseeOversee the coordination, integration, and delivery of program, contracts, and related services, promoting collaborative relationships in achieving expectations of funders, partners, constituents, clients, and other stakeholdersOffer guidance on response to government and foundation requests for proposals and applications in partnership with development and senior staff; coordinate planning and activities necessary for development of program model strategy and implementationWork closely with the CFO and Finance team to budget and monitor programmatic operations to ensure sound fiscal and system management and proper allocation of resources within portfolio of sitesAnalyze and assess program performance based on data collected and implement corrective measures if requiredOversee the tracking and reporting of program outcomes for multi-site grant agreements, developing systems and processes when needed to manage theseSupport development of program standards, policies, and performance metricsEnsure data-driven decision-making through evaluation and reporting systemsEnsure compliance with funder, regulatory, and contractual requirements, liaising and gathering guidance from the Legal & Compliance and Employee Experience departmentsProvide guidance on how to deploy resources efficiently and effectively toward organizational goals, working with staff to balance workload and effort and provide regular feedback so that key staff can continuously improve their supervision and mentoring skillsFoster a results-oriented, collaborative and high-achieving culture with accountability across all departments so that program objectives and defined goals are accomplished and celebratedAttract, lead, develop, mentor, inspire and retain strong and effective staff as measured by achievement of priority goalsCultivate and drive a culture of performance management by monitoring and holding oneself and others accountable for outcomes through data review and analysisSupervise, coach, and evaluate staff, including Regional Director and support rolesBuild leadership capacity within teamLead and support senior management in aligning their teams with the company's people strategy and organizational valuesFacilitate cross-departmental collaboration and strengthen internal communications with staff throughout the organizationServe as a key stakeholder on various CEO committeesTravel as needed to meet with staff and external constituentsKey competencies for the role include :
Strong understanding of the