This temp-to-hire opening is such a unique opportunity that it’s hard to concisely capture it in print. Please bear with me as I try to do just that!
The purpose of the hiring organization is rooted in long-term strengthening of the local economy for a three-county area. Its means of fulfilling this purpose is two-fold. The organization reaches out to businesses, helping them to assess what resources might better equip them to hire, train, and retain their workers. Its initiatives also reach out to local workers, helping them to be better prepared for employers’ needs.
What is at once fascinating and complex about this opportunity is that it consolidates at least three very different skill portfolios.
- Human resources – Since these initiatives center around employees (as opposed to capital or equipment), a skill set in human resources is one component. The Administrative Director needs to be aware of the federal and state laws with respect to hiring and retaining workers, but also aware of the larger issues companies face in terms of organizational development, diversity and inclusiveness, training, and succession planning.
- Business dynamics – This individual also needs to adeptly develop and cultivate networks of contacts within this three-county area. And these contacts should reflect the immense variety of businesses and business sectors found here, not to mention civic leaders. These networks help to enable the executive board to better elicit input and assess needs in terms of what resources will be most effective. So, for example, one might develop and distribute an online survey, make presentations to professional association meetings, and collaborate with specific business leaders all on the same day. But this involves more than just tasks. It also involves an immense savvy and acumen for understanding why businesses are sometimes reluctant to take advantage of the grant opportunities available, and finding ways to penetrate that resistance.
- Grant administration — The structure of the organization is a public and private partnership. In conjunction with the (volunteer) executive board, the Administrative Director uses the insights from HR concerns and business leadership input to administer and distribute federal grant monies. So it’s similar to the grant administration involved in several other nonprofit organizations and foundations, yet unique because its existence (and compliance) is mandated by federal law.
If you extrapolate from those three distinct skill sets, you’ll realize that very few candidates come to this position with equal strengths in all three dimensions. And now we’re going to add a fourth layer of complexity.
How the Administrative Director understands workplace human resource processes, develops business and civic networks, and oversees the grant process must all first be grounded in deeply thorough expertise in the associated federal laws. The executive board is not assuming that the individual selected for this opportunity will have that expertise in hand. Rather, they are assuming that developing expert familiarity with the laws will be the critical first step in the individual’s orientation.
The organization itself refers to this position as its Executive Director. I’m calling it Administrative Director in our advertising and marketing to stress that it isn’t going to be a six-figure salary, but also to emphasize that it isn’t going to be a massive staff. This individual works hand in hand with the executive board and several committees, as well as one other fulltime staffmember. It’s a lean organization with annual revenue of $500,000 and annual federal grants of approximately $5 million. Its success is directly measured by the ratio of monies distributed versus monies retained (including for internal expenses).
That is part of the reason that this is a temp-to-hire approach to the permanent position, highlighting that there will be a sharp learning curve. That is also part of the reason that the hourly wage during the temporary period will be comparable to a salary of $40K. Once the executive board is convinced that they’ve found their ideal employee and that the person has mastered the new knowledge that will be essential for success, then they will be willing to hire at a salary closer to the mid $60Ks. The benefits are excellent.
As I’ve been working on this search for the past two weeks, I have talked with general business managers, with nonprofit leaders, and with HR professionals. In virtually every case, the individual realizes that this would be a career stretch for them. For some, that’s daunting and more than they want to take on, especially given the modest salary. For others, that could be a marvelously unique stretch. And it’s the latter individuals that I’m hoping to identify and present to the executive board.
For a more traditional job description, please see this posting on our website. Interested individuals may apply via the website. You may also send your résumé and cover letter directly: resume@franksemployment.com.
