Job Title: Program Director Los Angeles Digital Equity Action League (LA DEAL)
Reports To: Vice President Workforce Development & Special Projects
Department: Special Programs
FLSA Status: Exempt
Salary: 140k – 150k
Term: 3 years based on funding availability
SUMMARY
The Director of the Los Angeles Digital Equity Action League (LA DEAL) Program will be a dynamic and experienced professional responsible for the development, implementation, and evolution of the LA DEAL program. The ideal candidate will be a forward-thinking individual with at least 5 years of relevant experience, capable of innovative leadership, complex problem-solving, stakeholder engagement, and fundraising. The Program Director will work to address broadband access in a systemic and equitable way through true community representation and a strong infrastructure of civic leaders representing business, education, nonprofits, and government, so that both unserved and underserved communities have equal access to affordable, reliable, and high-speed internet service, and the devices and training to optimize their use. Additionally, the Director will collaborate with other LAEDC programs leveraging the LAEDC 5 pillar economic development strategy which includes Research, Industry Cluster Development, Business Assistance, Foreign Direct Investment, and Workforce Development.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION’S
CULTURE OF INCLUSION
The Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation is committed to cultivating and preserving a culture of inclusion and connectedness. Understanding that we, like the population we serve, come from all walks of life and are a stronger organization because of it, the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation is committed to a culture that values and prioritizes diversity and free expression within its team. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer that stays true both to our roots here in Los Angeles County and to our mission by ensuring that anyone, regardless of one’s background, origin, orientation, or station in life, and other characteristics that make our employees unique, can find a home at the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation with our team.
DUTIES
Oversee, develop, manage, and staff the Los Angeles Digital Equity Action League (LA DEAL) Consortium’s initiatives, budgets, financial planning, staff development, reporting of programmatic activities, identifying additional funding streams, and fostering LA Deal collaboration across all LAEDC programs.
Collaboratively partner with Unite LA and all other consortium partners, including regional and state partners as well as private ISPs (Internet Service Providers).
Serve as key spokesperson and subject matter expert for LA DEAL on broadband digital divide matters.
Lead regional efforts for LA DEAL, encompassing community engagement, planning activities, and heightened collaboration with municipalities and cities across LA county, alongside comprehensive stakeholder engagement and coordination with organizations and residents. Coordinate strategic planning of broadband access initiatives, focusing on addressing gaps and promoting equity in underserved communities.
Ensure the LA DEAL program and objectives are implemented effectively throughout LA County, promoting affordable, reliable, and high-speed internet access.
Develop and implement community representation strategies to foster a systemic and equitable approach to broadband access.
Spearhead an integrated approach to tackle the digital divide across LA county: Support the mobilization of cutting-edge technologies that democratize digital access, driving economic equity while ensuring no underserved LA County residents are not left behind.
Educate and Inform: Support the development and implementation of comprehensive outreach and education programs to encourage digital understanding and foster tech-skill enhancement, closely monitoring the ongoing efficacy of these initiatives across diverse demographic groups in LA county.
Work collaboratively across all LAEDC programs leveraging and implementing the LAEDC 5 pillar strategy to economic development.
Fulfill additional responsibilities as directed by LAEDC leadership.
SOFT SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES
To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies:
Project Management – Develops project plans; Coordinates projects; Communicates changes and progress; Completes projects on time and budget; Manages project team activities.
Business Acumen – Understands business implications of decisions; Displays orientation to profitability; Demonstrates knowledge of market and competition; Aligns work with strategic goals.
Initiative – Volunteers readily; Undertakes self-development activities; Seeks increased responsibilities; Takes independent actions and calculated risks; Looks for and takes advantage of opportunities; Asks for and offers help when needed.
Innovation – Displays original thinking and creativity; Meets challenges with resourcefulness; Generates suggestions for improving work; Develops innovative approaches and ideas; Presents ideas and information in a manner that gets others’ attention.
Leadership – Exhibits confidence in self and others; Inspires and motivates others to perform well; Effectively influences actions and opinions of others; Inspires respect and trust; Accepts feedback from others; Provides vision and inspiration to peers and subordinates; Gives appropriate recognition to others; Displays passion and optimism; Mobilizes others to fulfill the vision.
Managing People – Includes staff in planning, decision-making, facilitating, and process improvement; Takes responsibility for subordinates; activities; Makes self available to staff; Provides regular performance feedback; Develops subordinates; skills and encourages growth; Solicits and applies customer feedback (internal and external); Fosters quality focus in others; Improves processes, products, and services; Continually works to improve supervisory skills.
Planning/Organizing – Prioritizes and plans work activities; Uses time efficiently; Plans for additional resources; Sets goals and objectives; Organizes or schedules other people and their tasks; Develops realistic action plans
Oral Communication – Speaks clearly and persuasively in positive or negative situations; Listens and gets clarification; Responds well to questions; Demonstrates group presentation skills; Participates in meetings.
Planning/Organizing – Prioritizes and plans work activities; Uses time efficiently; Plans for additional resources; Sets goals and objectives; Organizes or schedules other people and their tasks; Develops realistic action plans.
Teamwork – Balances team and individual responsibilities; Exhibits objectivity and openness to others’ views; Gives and welcomes feedback; Contributes to building a positive team spirit; Puts success of team above own interests; Able to build morale and group commitments to goal and objectives; Supports everyone’s efforts to succeed; Recognizes accomplishments to other team members.
Written Communication – Writes clearly and informatively; Edits work for spelling and grammar; Varies writing style to meet needs; Presents numerical data effectively; Able to read and interpret written information.
Professionalism – Approaches others in a tactful manner; Reacts well under pressure; Treats others with respect and consideration regardless of their status or position; Accepts responsibility for own actions; Follows through on commitments.
Quality – Demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness; Looks for ways to improve and promote quality; Applies feedback to improve performance; Monitors own work to ensure quality.
QUALIFICATIONS
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
EDUCATION
Associate’s degree from a community college or bachelor’s degree from a four-year college or university preferred; or at least 5 or more years of related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
EXPERIENCE
Experienced in managing Local, State, Federal Grants and/or Public Utility programs.
Experience leading Regional Initiatives and collaborating with regional stakeholders, business/philanthropy, CBOs, and educational partners.
Experience in Economic Development planning and stakeholder engagement.
Grant management and reporting experience
Experience and knowledge of the Public Utilities and Broadband ecosystem in the LA region.
Experience and knowledge of the California Broadband For All Initiative and relevant stakeholders within the ecosystem.
Experience working across diverse communities and culturally competent.
LANGUAGE ABILITY
Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business correspondence. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public. In addition, if you are a candidate who is proficient in one or more of LA County’s thirteen (13) threshold languages that is a plus, but not a requirement.
MATH ABILITY
Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.
REASONING ABILITY
Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.
COMPUTER SKILLS
To perform this job successfully, an individual should have knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, E-mail, PowerPoint, and Salesforce (or other CRM system).
CERTIFICATES AND LICENSES
N/A
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES
The Program Director will provide direct supervision to all program staff.
WORK ENVIRONMENT
This position will operate in a hybrid schedule. The employee will base work from the DTLA office 40% of the work week and additional time as needed with the option to work remotely on the remaining time. Employees are required to reside in the Los Angeles County Region. The organization will continue to assess the hybrid environment and adjust to meet programmatic needs accordingly.
The characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly required to sit and use hands to finger, handle, or feel. The employee is frequently required to talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk and reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and distance vision.
The above job description is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of duties and standards of the position. Incumbents will follow any other instructions, and perform any other related duties, as assigned by their supervisor.