Job Posting: Director, Massachusetts Center for Employee Ownership
 

The ICA Group, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing businesses and institutions that center worker voice, grow worker wealth, and build worker power, seeks a senior-level Director to run the Massachusetts Center for Employee Ownership (MassCEO) and Strategic Partner Development for the Alternative Staffing Alliance. The Director will engage in field and network building around worker ownership and employment social enterprise.

The MassCEO Director will join ICA’s New Ownership Opportunities team to expand employee ownership in Massachusetts and help integrate it within the existing workforce, economic development, and business development landscape. A portion of their time will also involve serving as Director of Strategic Partnerships for the Alternative Staffing Alliance, a national network of staffing social enterprises managed by ICA. The Director is an entrepreneurial and strategic-minded individual who excels at building partnerships and is excited to take our work to the next level and grow with the role and the organization.

The MassCEO Director will work closely with local and regional governments, business associations, and coalitions to build awareness and excitement around employee ownership as a key strategy for equitable economic recovery and racial justice. They will support an existing employee ownership eco-system that includes worker cooperatives, ESOPs, cooperative developers, community-based organizations, professional advisors, technical assistance providers, lenders, and other state and national networks. In their work with the Alternative Staffing Alliance, they will collaborate with national organizations that invest in employment social enterprises and advocate for policies and practices that improve job quality across industrial, retail, allied health and service sectors. This is a unique opportunity to play a leading role in the employee ownership and alternative staffing sectors and help scale worker-centered business models.

The MassCEO Director will be located in Massachusetts. This is a hybrid position based out of ICA Group’s Massachusetts office with the option of working remotely. ICA staff are not currently traveling due to COVID-19, but once conditions permit, this position requires traveling within Massachusetts as well as traveling within the United States.

About the ICA Group

The ICA Group is a leading expert on worker ownership and the oldest national organization dedicated to the development of worker cooperatives. We are a mission- driven nonprofit organized as a worker cooperative and are dedicated to bringing strategic analysis and industry-focused support to the worker ownership sector. Our business expertise is bolstered by a deep understanding of worker ownership and other worker-centered structures, and a commitment to serving low-wage workers and communities of color.

ICA has developed worker ownership networks in the home care and child care sectors and built two state-based ownership opportunities programs that focus on preserving firms whose owners are looking to exit the business through transitions to employee ownership. ICA launched the Fund for Jobs Worth Owning (FJWO) in 2019 to provide financing for businesses transitioning to employee ownership and create and sustain quality jobs. The ICA Group founded the Alternative Staffing Alliance in 2007 and manages this peer network of some 50 staffing social enterprises across North America that annually employ and support over 32,000 job seekers with significant barriers to work.

While ICA has a national footprint, in the last two years we have been able to expand the depth and breadth of our work with businesses in the Commonwealth through administering the Massachusetts Center for Employee Ownership (MassCEO), funded by the Massachusetts Office of Business Development (MOBD). MassCEO provides training, education, and direct assistance to grow and sustain a strong network of employee-owned businesses in the Commonwealth. MassCEO provides the necessary education and support to ensure that retiring business owners or those at risk of closure have an exit plan in place, and are exploring all available options, including selling to their employees.

Key Responsibilities
 

Field Building and Network Development (60%)

• Lead and oversee the strategy and execution of all facets of ICA’s contract to administer the Massachusetts Center for Employee Ownership, amplifying our state presence, increasing our impact, and contributing to eco-system development. This includes management and fundraising, outreach, technical assistance, education, strategic partnerships, coalition building, and communications.
• Build on our relationships with strategic national partner organizations that invest in employment social enterprises and advocate for policies and practices that improve job quality and skill-building for low-wage workers.
• Conduct and disseminate qualitative and quantitative research and data analysis, including industry and market studies, surveys, and interviews.
• Identify and convene stakeholders for sector-wide knowledge exchange and learning opportunities; represent ICA in state and national coalitions.
• Develop resources, tools, and trainings to support the growth and expansion of employee-owned companies, in collaboration with Outreach Managers and Cooperative Developers.
• Act as a content expert related to employee ownership, worker-centered business models, and the alternative staffing industry.

Client Support (30%)

• Provide education and technical assistance to worker cooperatives and traditional businesses considering or pursuing conversion to employee ownership including financial and operational assessments, business planning, democratic management, and governance design.
• Support incoming clients in determining their goals for engaging with ICA and scoping project work with consultants.
• Provide education and technical assistance to professional advisors, cooperative developers, business support organizations, government representatives, and strategic partners, including strategic consulting, training and curriculum development, and communications and marketing.
• Manage monthly Alternative Staffing Alliance peer RoundTables and document “best practice” learnings for member Toolbox.
• Build and maintain strong, collaborative client relationships.

Organizational Development (10%)

• Identify and deliver insights from partners and clients that will be broadly applicable to other areas of the ICA Group’s work
• Contribute to the ICA Group’s strategy and communications by developing consulting tools and resources, generating research from client work, and serving as a subject matter resource

Minimum Requirements
 

• 5+ years of relevant experience, including in planning, economic development, workforce development, business development, community development, government, community organizing, social entrepreneurship, or employee ownership sector.
• Outstanding interpersonal skills, demonstrated ability to build relationships with diverse clients and stakeholders, strong diplomatic skills and judgement.
• Ability to communicate complex concepts and information into accessible, compelling narratives and excellent writing skills
• Personal and intellectual commitment to systemic economic change and racial justice.
• Excitement and interest in helping a growing organization scale effectively, and an enthusiastic interest in taking on new responsibilities and roles as this happens
• Comfort in working in a self-directed environment
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills, including the ability to do data analysis and visualization (preferred but not required)
• Familiarity and experience with worker cooperatives (preferred but not required)
• Spanish oral and written communication skills (preferred but not required)

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for this full-time position is $68,000-$73,200. ICA uses a salary scale and the specific salary within that range is determined by years of experience. The ICA Group provides a generous benefits package including 4 weeks of vacation, 12 paid holidays, 8 days of sick leave, and health insurance. In addition to holidays, ICA’s offices are closed the week between 12/25 and 1/1 each year.

About Working at the ICA Group

The ICA Group is a rapidly growing nonprofit. All staff members are expected to help build organizational capacity, processes, and culture. The ICA Group has offices in New York City and Massachusetts and a hybrid remote/office work culture, although due to Covid-19 most are currently working from home. We utilize technology and virtual meetings on a daily basis, and prior to Covid-19, held quarterly in-person meetings. Our staff enjoy highly satisfying work in a diverse and stimulating environment. We are committed to a workplace culture that supports work-life balance and flexibility for working parents and other caregivers.

At the ICA Group, we value equity, diversity, and inclusion. We believe that in order to build a new economy where working people lead and own democratic workplaces, leaders in cooperative development must reflect the communities they serve. We

support equitable opportunities for all people and we strongly encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds, people of color, women, individuals from the LGBTQIAA+ community, and others who identify as a part of historically marginalized communities to apply for open positions at the ICA Group.

To Apply

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, however applicants are strongly encouraged to apply by February 7, 2021. To apply, please upload a resume and cover letter as PDFs and provide answers to the screening questions using the form on our website at: www.icagroup.org/careers