Working for America Executive Director

Position description

For more than 55 years, the AFL-CIO Working for America Institute (WAI) has served as the nonprofit workforce development and economic mobility arm of the AFL-CIO. Founded during the War on Poverty, WAI has a long and proud history of bringing together unions, employers, community partners, and the public and private sectors to help workers—especially those most economically vulnerable—access good jobs, build skills, and advance into family-sustaining careers.

Today, WAI is a mission-driven 501(c)(3) organization operating at the intersection of the labor movement, workforce development, and economic policy. We advance innovative workforce strategies that strengthen worker voice, support union growth, and build resilient communities, with a recent focus on planned growth into other non-construction sectors. Our work includes the design and implementation of high-quality apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship, and training programs; technical assistance to labor and workforce partners; and collaboration with national, state, and local stakeholders to respond to economic and technological change.

As the United States navigates rapid technological advances — including artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, and automation—and confronts persistent inequities in access to quality jobs, WAI is uniquely positioned to help ensure these changes translate into good union jobs and real economic mobility. A core priority for WAI is supporting the AFL-CIO’s leadership in shaping how emerging technologies are deployed in ways that protect workers, expand opportunity, and strengthen unions.

WAI is seeking a dynamic, strategic, and hands-on Executive Director to lead the organization through its next chapter of growth, sustainability, and impact. The Executive Director will be responsible for strengthening WAI’s position within the labor movement, expanding its programmatic and fundraising capacity, and elevating its national profile as a trusted workforce intermediary.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Provide overall vision, strategy, and leadership for WAI in alignment with its mission, history, and values.
• Strengthen WAI’s role as the workforce development arm of the AFL-CIO, working closely with AFL-CIO officers, departments, councils, state federations, central labor councils, and affiliated unions.
• Advance WAI’s role in supporting the AFL-CIO’s priorities around advanced technology and artificial intelligence, including worker training, upskilling, and strategies to address technological displacement.
• Identify emerging opportunities in advanced technology, artificial intelligence, robotics, and other evolving sectors, and translate them into actionable programs, apprenticeship models, and partnerships that align with labor movement priorities.
• Report to and work closely with the AFL-CIO Board of Directors, ensuring regular communication, transparency, and strategic alignment.

Fundraising and Resource Development

• Lead and significantly expand private-sector fundraising, particularly with national and regional foundations and philanthropic partners.
• Oversee public-sector funding strategies, including federal, state, and local grants, and ensure compliance with all grant requirements.
• Articulate WAI’s value proposition to funders and by clearly connecting workforce development, apprenticeship, and training to economic mobility, community stability, and worker voice.
• Identify strategic opportunities to partner with local workforce development nonprofits as part of larger grants.

Programmatic and Operational Leadership

• Oversee the design, implementation, and evaluation of workforce development, apprenticeship, and training initiatives.
• Ensure strong financial management, including budgeting, grant oversight, and an understanding of nonprofit accounting principles.
• Supervise, mentor, and support a small but growing team of staff, consultants, and partners, fostering a collaborative, effective, and mission-driven culture.
• Strengthen internal systems and operations to support organizational growth and long-term sustainability.

External Relations and Communications

• Serve as WAI’s primary external spokesperson and representative in national labor, workforce development, and policy conversations, including those focused on AI, automation, and the future of work.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with unions, workforce intermediaries, community partners, employers, policymakers, and peer organizations.
• Elevate WAI’s visibility and impact through reports, briefings, convenings, and thought leadership that reflect the organization’s expertise and impact.

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal Executive Director for WAI is a seasoned leader who combines deep labor movement knowledge with the ability to build and run a small, entrepreneurial nonprofit, and who is energized by the challenge of helping workers and unions navigate rapid technological change. This individual is both strategic and tactical—a “doer” who is comfortable operating in a complex institutional environment while advancing new ideas and opportunities.

The ideal candidate will bring:

• Deep union and labor movement fluency.A strong understanding of how unions, international affiliates, state federations, and local unions operate, including the protocols, politics, and relationship dynamics that govern engagement. Familiarity with non-construction sectors.is preferred.
• Credibility and relationship-building skills.The ability to build trust across the labor movement, philanthropic community, workforce system, and among AFL-CIO leadership, with a clear understanding of how to navigate shared authority and avoid duplication or competition with affiliates.
• Fundraising leadership.Demonstrated success securing funding from private foundations and public sources, with the ability to quickly engage funders, communicate impact, and grow a diversified revenue base.
• Workforce development and apprenticeship experience.Practical experience designing, managing, or supporting apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship, training, or related workforce initiatives, ideally in partnership with unions and community-based organizations, including programs tied to advanced manufacturing, AI-enabled technologies, or other emerging fields.
• Strong management and operational acumen.Comfort overseeing budgets, grants, and nonprofit finances, including an understanding of direct and indirect costs, compliance, and sustainability.
• Collaborative leadership style.A leader who is organized, calm, and effective; sets clear expectations; follows through on commitments; and works well within a larger institutional ecosystem, including close coordination with the AFL-CIO Tech Institute and other partners.
• Exceptional communication skills.The ability to clearly articulate WAI’s mission, value, and strategy to diverse audiences, from union leaders and funders to policymakers and staff.

Above all, the ideal candidate is energized by WAI’s mission, respectful of its history, and excited to help shape the future of workforce development within the labor movement in the United States.

Qualifications

While the most competitive candidates likely possess the following Core Qualifications, we know that not every candidate may. If you have read and been inspired by this position description and candidate profile, we hope you’ll apply.

• Ten or more years of progressively responsible leadership experience in nonprofit, public, or related sectors
• Proven success in organizational management, fundraising, and external relations, including experience working with a board of directors and leading through growth and transition
• Deep familiarity with the U.S. labor movement
• Experience designing and implementing workforce development programs and policy initiatives
• Demonstrated ability to lead, inspire, and develop diverse teams toward shared goals
• Strong financial and operational acumen, with experience managing budgets and complex projects
• Deep commitment to advancing equity, inclusion, and collaboration within organizational culture and external partnerships

Additional Preferred Qualifications:

• Direct experience within a labor union
• Strong knowledge of national workforce systems, labor market dynamics, and related policy

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for this position is $175,000–$200,000, commensurate with experience. WAI offers a comprehensive benefits package, including employer-paid health, dental, and vision coverage; generous leave and paid time off; a retirement/pension plan and 401(k) match; and a hybrid work schedule with up to two days per week remote.

The AFL-CIO Working for America Institute is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, physical ability, age, religion, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin. We welcome a diverse pool of applications, believe it is critical that our staff represent the larger labor movement, and are committed to building a culture and community that fosters diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Process & Timeline

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and the position is open until filled. Candidates who advance in the process can anticipate the following process:

• Initial Screening Interview via Zoom with Director of Operations and Finance
• Panel 1 Interview via Zoom with the Staff Search Committee
• Panel 2 Interview in person with Board of Directors
• Reference Checks
• Ideal start date is March 1, 2026

Application instructions

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